A surfer slides past Lighthouse Point on a recent morning as purple ice plant flowers hang from the cliff. The ice plant (Carpobrotus edulis) is a coastal succulent shrub native to South Africa, where the climate closely resembles that of coastal California. According to the State of California Department of Fish and Wildlife website, “Iceplant was introduced to California in the early 1900s as an erosion stabilization tool used on railroad tracks, and later used by Caltrans on roadsides. Unfortunately, iceplant spreads easily, and has become invasive in coastal California from north of Humboldt County to as far south as Baja California. When it establishes in a location, it forms a large, thick mat that chokes out all other native plants and alters the soil composition of the environment.

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