The beauty of native shrubs

Re “All he is saying is give brush a chance,” Nov. 26

The article about Rick Halsey and the beauty and significance of the chaparral plant community in California was of special interest to me. I was the photographer for Milt McAuley’s “Wildflowers of the Santa Monica Mountains,” first published in 1985, which featured not just wildflowers but also chaparral and fire ecology.

The continual reference to these fire- and drought-adapted shrubs as “brush” has always been offensive, dismissing them as of little interest. When homes were lost in Pacific Palisades and Malibu in October 1978, there were photographs of politicians in the newspapers standing next to helicopters that were about to dump rye grass seeds to prevent erosion -- utter nonsense because the proliferation of native flora serves this purpose. There are countless other misunderstandings related to this unique Mediterranean ecosystem.

I am delighted that Halsey and his California Chaparral Institute is at the forefront of educating not only the public but civic officials as well.

James Kenney

Pacific Palisades