tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-82869676945960723972024-03-19T11:39:08.984-07:00CA Native GardenerJoin me for helpful gardening news & tips, funny stories and photographs as I travel through Southern California.
From Topanga Canyon with its wild plants and critters, just outside the urban influence of Los Angeles, and beyond. Let's see where my journey will take us...
#california #nativeplants #santamonicamtns #gardening #ocean #wildlife #birds #monarchs #hummingbirds #bees #topanga Kat Vilimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00211353524750166645noreply@blogger.comBlogger36125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286967694596072397.post-19888515617542485462019-12-24T13:52:00.000-08:002019-12-24T13:56:23.787-08:00Winter Quote from Paul Theroux<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuDThEuGFHb3W9KxQnSR52E7n4bzcGhllTyckyj23ZeVrsk8lXUP08TNPWVA0bV5_SNqEo-gOhmvCiBn7vst4th_QgLVEsoBwkJr1GKV8H5OJVGFlGDROFAG0EbweDl6-YSbggwBZkretO/s1600/paultheroux-1568303400+Quote+Paul+Theroux.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1470" data-original-width="980" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuDThEuGFHb3W9KxQnSR52E7n4bzcGhllTyckyj23ZeVrsk8lXUP08TNPWVA0bV5_SNqEo-gOhmvCiBn7vst4th_QgLVEsoBwkJr1GKV8H5OJVGFlGDROFAG0EbweDl6-YSbggwBZkretO/s320/paultheroux-1568303400+Quote+Paul+Theroux.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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In this winter season we join with plants and animals and act as they do, resting and taking time to prepare for spring. Enjoy the Magic of the Season.Kat Vilimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00211353524750166645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286967694596072397.post-46005105699868036722019-12-19T09:39:00.000-08:002019-12-19T09:41:09.734-08:00Are Beavers Little Firefighters?<span style="background-color: white; font-family: , , "blinkmacsystemfont" , "segoe ui" , "roboto" , "ubuntu" , "helvetica neue" , sans-serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; white-space: inherit;"><span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;">Since California has been experiencing an unprecedented number of massive wildfires this year, I wanted to share this hopeful article with you.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: , , "blinkmacsystemfont" , "segoe ui" , "roboto" , "ubuntu" , "helvetica neue" , sans-serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; white-space: inherit;"><span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: , , "blinkmacsystemfont" , "segoe ui" , "roboto" , "ubuntu" , "helvetica neue" , sans-serif; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; white-space: inherit;"><span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;">"Satellite images from 5 major wildfires in the United States revealed that corridors around beaver habitat stayed green even after a wildfire."—</span></span><br />
<div class="css-901oao r-hkyrab r-1qd0xha r-1blvdjr r-16dba41 r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-19yat4t r-bnwqim r-qvutc0" dir="auto" lang="en" style="background-color: white; border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; color: #14171a; display: inline; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Ubuntu, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 23px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.3125; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px 0px 15px; position: relative; white-space: pre-wrap;">
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<span class="r-18u37iz" style="-webkit-box-direction: normal; -webkit-box-orient: horizontal; flex-direction: row;"><a class="css-4rbku5 css-18t94o4 css-901oao css-16my406 r-1n1174f r-1loqt21 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0" data-focusable="true" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/AGU_Eos" role="link" style="background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1b95e0; cursor: pointer; display: inline; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.3125; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; white-space: inherit;">@AGU_Eos</a></span></div>
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Read about our Northern Rockies & Prairies team's work to restore beavers: </span><a class="css-4rbku5 css-18t94o4 css-901oao css-16my406 r-1n1174f r-1loqt21 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0" data-focusable="true" dir="ltr" href="https://t.co/wof7w7lPa4?amp=1" rel=" noopener noreferrer" role="link" style="background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1b95e0; cursor: pointer; display: inline; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.3125; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; white-space: inherit;" target="_blank" title="http://natwild.life/beaver-restoration"><span aria-hidden="true" class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-hiw28u r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0" style="border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; color: inherit; display: inline; font-size: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.3125; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; white-space: inherit;">http://</span>natwild.life/beaver-restora<span aria-hidden="true" class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-hiw28u r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0" style="border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; color: inherit; display: inline; font-size: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.3125; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; white-space: inherit;">tion</span><span aria-hidden="true" class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-lrvibr r-qvutc0" style="border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; color: inherit; display: inline; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.3125; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; white-space: inherit;">…</span></a></div>
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<a class="css-4rbku5 css-18t94o4 css-1dbjc4n r-1loqt21 r-1pi2tsx r-1udh08x r-13qz1uu" data-focusable="true" href="https://t.co/n6bKTfHSoo?amp=1" rel=" noopener noreferrer" role="link" style="-webkit-box-align: stretch; -webkit-box-direction: normal; -webkit-box-orient: vertical; align-items: stretch; background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: flex; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: column; flex-shrink: 0; font: inherit; height: 296.325px; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; width: 566px; z-index: 0;" target="_blank"></a><br />
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<div class="css-1dbjc4n r-1p0dtai r-1mlwlqe r-1d2f490 r-11wrixw r-61z16t r-1udh08x r-u8s1d r-zchlnj r-ipm5af r-417010" style="-webkit-box-align: stretch; -webkit-box-direction: normal; -webkit-box-orient: vertical; align-items: stretch; border: 0px solid black; bottom: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: column; flex-shrink: 0; left: 0px; margin: 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; position: absolute; right: 0px; top: 0px; z-index: 0;">
<div class="css-1dbjc4n r-1niwhzg r-vvn4in r-u6sd8q r-4gszlv r-1p0dtai r-1pi2tsx r-1d2f490 r-u8s1d r-zchlnj r-ipm5af r-13qz1uu r-1wyyakw" style="-webkit-box-align: stretch; -webkit-box-direction: normal; -webkit-box-orient: vertical; align-items: stretch; background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); background-image: url("https://pbs.twimg.com/card_img/1205524884434169858/lfj7-Mnb?format=jpg&name=900x900"); background-position: center center; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: cover; border: 0px solid black; bottom: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: column; flex-shrink: 0; height: 296.325px; left: 0px; margin: 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; padding: 0px; position: absolute; right: 0px; top: 0px; width: 566px; z-index: -1;">
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<a class="css-4rbku5 css-18t94o4 css-1dbjc4n r-1loqt21 r-1pi2tsx r-1udh08x r-13qz1uu" data-focusable="true" href="https://t.co/n6bKTfHSoo?amp=1" rel=" noopener noreferrer" role="link" style="-webkit-box-align: stretch; -webkit-box-direction: normal; -webkit-box-orient: vertical; align-items: stretch; background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: flex; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: column; flex-shrink: 0; font: inherit; height: 296.325px; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; width: 566px; z-index: 0;" target="_blank"><img alt="" class="css-9pa8cd" draggable="true" src="https://pbs.twimg.com/card_img/1205524884434169858/lfj7-Mnb?format=jpg&name=900x900" style="bottom: 0px; height: 296.325px; left: 0px; opacity: 0; position: absolute; right: 0px; top: 0px; width: 566px; z-index: -1;" /></a></div>
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<a class="css-4rbku5 css-18t94o4 css-1dbjc4n r-1loqt21 r-1pi2tsx r-1udh08x r-13qz1uu" data-focusable="true" href="https://t.co/n6bKTfHSoo?amp=1" rel=" noopener noreferrer" role="link" style="-webkit-box-align: stretch; -webkit-box-direction: normal; -webkit-box-orient: vertical; align-items: stretch; background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: flex; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: column; flex-shrink: 0; font: inherit; height: 296.325px; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; width: 566px; z-index: 0;" target="_blank">
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<div class="css-1dbjc4n r-16y2uox r-1wbh5a2 r-1777fci r-1mi0q7o r-utggzx r-m611by" style="-webkit-box-align: stretch; -webkit-box-direction: normal; -webkit-box-flex: 1; -webkit-box-orient: vertical; -webkit-box-pack: center; align-items: stretch; border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex: 1 1 auto; justify-content: center; margin: 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; padding: 10px; position: relative; z-index: 0;">
<div class="css-1dbjc4n r-zl2h9q" style="-webkit-box-align: stretch; -webkit-box-direction: normal; -webkit-box-orient: vertical; align-items: stretch; border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: column; flex-shrink: 0; margin: 0px 0px 2px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; z-index: 0;">
<div class="css-901oao css-bfa6kz r-hkyrab r-1qd0xha r-a023e6 r-16dba41 r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0" dir="auto" style="border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; color: #14171a; display: inline; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Ubuntu, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.3125; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">
<span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0" style="border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; color: inherit; display: inline; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.3125; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; white-space: inherit;">Are Beavers Nature’s “Little Firefighters”? - Eos</span></div>
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<div class="css-901oao css-cens5h r-1re7ezh r-1qd0xha r-a023e6 r-16dba41 r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0" dir="auto" style="-webkit-box-orient: vertical; -webkit-line-clamp: 2; border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; color: #657786; display: -webkit-box; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Ubuntu, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.3125; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: pre-wrap;">
<span class="css-901oao css-16my406 r-1qd0xha r-ad9z0x r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0" style="border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; color: inherit; display: inline; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.3125; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; white-space: inherit;">It’s about dam time: Beavers are acknowledged for their firefighting skills in five recent blazes.</span></div>
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Kat Vilimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00211353524750166645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286967694596072397.post-5978192158435300532019-09-28T13:16:00.000-07:002019-11-19T10:00:31.642-08:00Rebirth and Renewal: Nature's Recovery<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOojSX2-niIava13JuwQU6YNXe0Jc6U-elWdIJQe3vx67wFpfrkmZfimLwKHiwzGdA6dbHCk_6fx1sz7VOY5BoP_vPWxRoJNvAYpYvDs1dq5ee7YeI4vwabRHdegAfe1we2X2vMdudPctq/s1600/4-x-3Manzanita-Rob-Moore.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="538" data-original-width="719" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOojSX2-niIava13JuwQU6YNXe0Jc6U-elWdIJQe3vx67wFpfrkmZfimLwKHiwzGdA6dbHCk_6fx1sz7VOY5BoP_vPWxRoJNvAYpYvDs1dq5ee7YeI4vwabRHdegAfe1we2X2vMdudPctq/s400/4-x-3Manzanita-Rob-Moore.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Manzanita, photo by Rob Moore</td></tr>
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<i><span style="color: #538135; mso-themecolor: accent6; mso-themeshade: 191;">Squawk, squawk, squawk!! Those familiar cries made me crane
my head upwards to get a glimpse of the green-bodied parrots. I was not
disappointed. There they were, flying together over a large Sycamore tree. My
friends, the wild parrots of Malibu, had survived the wildfires. Indeed, they
seemed to be flourishing!</span></i></div>
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November’s wildfires and February’s floods had kept me away
from my favorite Malibu campground for almost a year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Finally, in June, 2019 the Leo Carrillo State
Park campground reopened. So, I took a trip up Pacific Coast Hwy to see how the
place had fared, and to see if my friends, the wild parrots, were okay. Leo
Carrillo State Park is in the northernmost part of Los Angeles County,
bordering Ventura County where the Woolsey fire had moved across the hills, and
burned all the way down to the beach in some spots.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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Considering how intense the wildfires had been, I really didn’t
see as much destruction to the campgrounds as I had expected.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The tall, non-native yellow rye grasses that
usually cover the hillsides were burnt out. Without rye grass interference, native
bunch grasses were growing in their place. Yellow blossoms of Spanish mustard
were waving in the breeze, softening the hills. And Spring rains had helped
wildflowers bloom: monkeyflowers, yellow daisies, poppies and lupines.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Fire is a two-edged sword:</b> Native chaparral plants
and animals are adapted to survive fires <i>when fires occur naturally</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The problem comes when humans appear on the
scene. Our mismanagement and haphazard fire prevention methods have taken a
toll on these wild places.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was happy
to see that despite the human-caused wildfires, this place was thriving.<o:p></o:p></div>
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It took many man-hours to turn the park around. Crews were
still working when I visited, cutting dead branches away with chainsaws, and
tilling soil in trails. The visitor’s center had to be rebuilt. Restoring water
to the campgrounds had posed some difficulties, and was still a work in
progress.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The fire took out many of the mature Live Oak trees, though some
of them will regrow from still-living roots. The California Sycamore trees <span style="line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">(<span style="color: #333333;">Platanus
racemose)</span></span> with their palm-like leaves were thankfully passed
over. This is good news for the Nanday or Black-headed parakeets that make
nests in Sycamore’s hollows. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Sumac was another wildfire survivor. Everywhere I looked
black branches were sticking up from a base of new green leaves. The Sumacs
were re-growing from something called a <i>burl</i>. The burl acts as a
survival mechanism, storing water and energy. When the branches are burned, the
burl gets the message to get busy, sending new growth up through the ashes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many chaparral plants have burls like the
Sumac.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The fire cycle is an endless loop of <i>burning and recovery</i>.
It only takes a couple months for new growth to surface, then the plants will
mature and eventually feed the next fire. Plants, insects and animals of the
chaparral absolutely depend on regular fires. After a fire, birds of prey can
now find lizards, snakes and rodents in the newly open ground, and deer have
new vegetation to forage. One of my favorite stories of <i>fire-dependence</i> is
that of the Fire Beetle. This beetle will only lay eggs on a recently-singed
branch! They gather in groups, sensing fire even miles away. Without wildfires,
there is no mating.<o:p></o:p></div>
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There are some native shrubs that need fire in order to
release or trigger seeds; these plants are called <i>pyrophytes</i>. One
example is Manzanita <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">(<i>Arctostaphylos
glandulosa)</i></span>. The seeds of this shrub will lie on the ground and will
not sprout until they feel the extreme heat of fire, even if they have to wait
100 years!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In
addition, many wildflower seeds require fire to germinate<b>. </b>In the spring
following a fire, native chaparral wildflowers appear in amazing
displays. Of these, only a few can be found at any other time. This
means much of the native chaparral’s most beautiful blooms are seen only
rarely. Their seeds can lie dormant for 100 years, unseen by us.
(This means there are still a lot of wildflowers this writer has never
seen.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="color: #538135; mso-themecolor: accent6; mso-themeshade: 191;">Squawk, squawk, squawk! I think my friends, the wild
parrots, were a bit annoyed with the large number of visitors to the
campground. They had gotten very used to having the place to themselves while
the park was closed. As the park was recovering, I felt as though Nature had given
my soul renewal, as well, and I was now ready to return to the city feeling
more balanced.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<br />Kat Vilimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00211353524750166645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286967694596072397.post-44303204401679294372019-06-29T10:59:00.000-07:002019-06-29T11:01:58.413-07:00Invisible Birds of Malibu<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv9iu_FGoHLpbm1hayOSOi0rOiYkaLYWYtDDv1-8yZ7b8DkXAkX2lkYwpkAF2cYGNiMQODPVUIjvEiyn2-nVk6TfPzkQVwBSx0fHB7hU3yUAN56CM1rNMWeZvwNypBhsCfKoy53mBn0hfB/s1600/Invisible+Birds+of+Malibu-1+Marsh-image-500x333.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="333" data-original-width="500" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv9iu_FGoHLpbm1hayOSOi0rOiYkaLYWYtDDv1-8yZ7b8DkXAkX2lkYwpkAF2cYGNiMQODPVUIjvEiyn2-nVk6TfPzkQVwBSx0fHB7hU3yUAN56CM1rNMWeZvwNypBhsCfKoy53mBn0hfB/s400/Invisible+Birds+of+Malibu-1+Marsh-image-500x333.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: small;">Malibu Lagoon</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">People come to the Santa Monica
Mountains to be with nature, to get away from the concrete jungle that is Los
Angeles. They know wildlife lives here, too, that squirrels will be their
neighbors, and that coyote & owls will call out in the night. But
there are many critters that are rarely seen, even by old-timers. Sometimes it’s because they are nocturnal. Other times it’s because of
dwindling population from loss of habitat or poisonous rodenticides. Some animals avoid humans altogether by living in the less populated parts of
the mountains. Then, there are critters we can’t see because they are <b><i>camouflaged</i></b>.
You can be looking right at them and not even know it. </span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">So it is with </span><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><i>Invisible
Birds</i></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">.</span></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></i></b></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Invisible birds</span></span></i></b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">, are so rarely seen, so how do you know they are there?
Why, by their calls.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTnpHcJxOFPo2wZEsZqkdoveFdM7YpSEHNCsijWAwKyzZnMMceOBQF1IrJNxAdLqpxNd7Xs0Mghc-KGsj2WPuBH42nWoBzXot5uFO6XbRmZUpB9Q8p-YsZ7jP0-Nl4Eqwmkns43HNTAM5v/s1600/Invisible+Birds-2+Virginia-Rail.digitalmedia.fws_.gov_-300x201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="201" data-original-width="300" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTnpHcJxOFPo2wZEsZqkdoveFdM7YpSEHNCsijWAwKyzZnMMceOBQF1IrJNxAdLqpxNd7Xs0Mghc-KGsj2WPuBH42nWoBzXot5uFO6XbRmZUpB9Q8p-YsZ7jP0-Nl4Eqwmkns43HNTAM5v/s400/Invisible+Birds-2+Virginia-Rail.digitalmedia.fws_.gov_-300x201.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="color: #38761d;">Virginia
Rail, (Rallus limicola) Photo Credit: Dave Menke USFWS</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: #21c250; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><a href="https://search.macaulaylibrary.org/catalog?taxonCode=virrai&view=Grid&mediaType=a&q=Virginia%20Rail%20-%20Rallus%20limicola" target="_blank">Listen to Call of theVirginia Rail, from Cornell Macauly Library</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The Virginia Rail (<i><b>Rallus
limicola</b></i>) and the Sora Rail (<i><b>Porzana carolina</b>) </i>are marsh birds
found at the Malibu Lagoon. “Thin as a rail,” the Virginia Rail has a
compressed body, an interesting survival adaptation by this <b><i>elusive</i></b> wetland
bird, that makes it difficult to see them as they slip through the </span><span style="color: windowtext; font-size: 12pt; text-decoration-line: none;"><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20140908085610/http:/geolit.org/rushranch/tulereeds.htm">marsh
tule reeds</a> (</span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><i><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Scripus acutus Tule</span></b></i></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: x-small;">)</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Virginia Rail prefers to evade
intruders by running through marsh vegetation where it is safe rather than
flying away. When it does fly, it only flies a few yards before disappearing
again, once more <b><i>invisible</i></b> in the marsh.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Virginia Rail’s Latin species
name, “<b>limicola,</b>” means “<b>mud dweller</b>.” True to their name, Virginia Rails
usually nest in muddy areas in shallow fresh water marshes with new growth,
rather than salt water marshes.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnLDZYTLM6KGnNrGK8Es3eKYhebfvkpTEj9S4igvKUXgYmGRGZmEa7r9t6O-9mdrOXd_SpmbLEM1rkrm5m49MlmGc7psN08lmfMr-jzZUFEIKb3Hi6aAEQVytdvU2mRLFc8eDt3KRS3TGo/s1600/Invisible+Birds-3+Sora.-digitalmedia.fws_.gov_-300x200.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="300" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnLDZYTLM6KGnNrGK8Es3eKYhebfvkpTEj9S4igvKUXgYmGRGZmEa7r9t6O-9mdrOXd_SpmbLEM1rkrm5m49MlmGc7psN08lmfMr-jzZUFEIKb3Hi6aAEQVytdvU2mRLFc8eDt3KRS3TGo/s400/Invisible+Birds-3+Sora.-digitalmedia.fws_.gov_-300x200.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Sora Rail, (Porzana carolina), </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Photo Credit: Dave Menke, USFWS</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #21c250; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="https://search.macaulaylibrary.org/catalog?taxonCode=sora&view=Grid&q=Sora%20-%20Porzana%20carolina">Listen to Call of the Sora Rail, from CornellMacaulay Library</a></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Sora Rail (<b><i>Porzana
carolina), </i></b>also found in the Malibu Lagoon, is a small, secretive bird.
It’s wonderful, musical “whinny call” can be easily heard from deep within the
tule reeds, but trying to see the little bird is a different matter as it is
well <b><i>camouflaged </i></b>in the reeds. “sor-AH” “sor-AH”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieZvX30jgzIa4sqEIvIPt1hMPIL11J2OJA_OXXe99Tm84lxWI8VTGKm8lmoGpeG5NMQnE3g8JOirsD7SjExVdACStxC-MnvfcKiMkVF_vGOu7FiuITuDGE2tDaYgUsvO7f2LDtkvof_B27/s1600/Invisible+Birds-4+Common-Poorwill-Allan-Sander-CA-GBBC-300x135.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="135" data-original-width="300" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieZvX30jgzIa4sqEIvIPt1hMPIL11J2OJA_OXXe99Tm84lxWI8VTGKm8lmoGpeG5NMQnE3g8JOirsD7SjExVdACStxC-MnvfcKiMkVF_vGOu7FiuITuDGE2tDaYgUsvO7f2LDtkvof_B27/s400/Invisible+Birds-4+Common-Poorwill-Allan-Sander-CA-GBBC-300x135.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Common
Poorwill, Phalaenoptilus nuttallii, Photo by Allan Sander, CA GBBC</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #21c250; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="https://www3.macaulaylibrary.org/search?media_collection=1&taxon_id=12013713&taxon_rank_id=67&q=Common+Poorwill">Listen to Call of Common Poorwill, from Cornell Macaulay Library</a></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Another <b><i>Invisible Bird</i></b> is
the Common Poorwill (<b><i>Phalaenoptilus</i></b><i> <b>nuttallii</b></i>).
The Common Poorwill is not a rail and is not a marsh bird. They are nightjars
of the arid West, the smallest members of their family. They prefer the dry
grassy Malibu canyons like Zuma and Trancas Canyons. Their cry of “poorwill” is
familiar to residents there.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It requires keen perception to see
the Common Poorwill, as they look just like “Dirt and Twigs”. Great <b><i>camouflage</i></b>! They won’t run from humans if you happen to approach; they assume you can’t
see them! </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Along with the sounds of Hawks, Owls and Coyote,
the calls of these birds join in the <b>magical symphony </b>of the Santa Monica
Mountains. Whether seen or unseen, bird calls give us an unmistakable sense of
place. You don’t have to <b>see</b> the <b>Invisible Birds
of Malibu</b> to know where you are.. It is all in their song~<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There’s a symphony going on where
you live, too. Take a moment to stop to listen and enjoy each member of
the orchestra. We’d love to hear ‘what’s playing’ in your back yard.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br />Kat Vilimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00211353524750166645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286967694596072397.post-10493419548783843912019-05-01T08:12:00.001-07:002019-05-01T08:12:54.909-07:00When Old Men Plant Trees<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0b895e; font-family: museo-sans, Corbel, "Lucida Grande", "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Sans", Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 29px; margin-bottom: 20px; max-width: none; text-align: center;">
A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in.<span class="sr-only" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; clip: rect(0px, 0px, 0px, 0px); height: 1px; margin: -1px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; position: absolute; width: 1px;">”</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP1Pp7qnpuuSEtnWOKEXh-puOvj4MJr_K5g28TbiV5exT0IBBPf1kdKU2CneNDEvsyBcYrmCwtfjGmnvwilyH4HQE1tcGbbwzkPWW5MBgu-sbN-HcBBanDpPdtIwvbHZWG5xzEl7fCN8aW/s1600/Autumn+is+Harvest+Time-1+Quercus_agrifolia-8-Live-Oak-Landscape-375x500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="375" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP1Pp7qnpuuSEtnWOKEXh-puOvj4MJr_K5g28TbiV5exT0IBBPf1kdKU2CneNDEvsyBcYrmCwtfjGmnvwilyH4HQE1tcGbbwzkPWW5MBgu-sbN-HcBBanDpPdtIwvbHZWG5xzEl7fCN8aW/s320/Autumn+is+Harvest+Time-1+Quercus_agrifolia-8-Live-Oak-Landscape-375x500.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<footer style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #383838; font-family: museo-sans, Corbel, "Lucida Grande", "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Sans", Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.73333; text-align: center;">California Live Oak, Quercus agrifolia</footer><footer style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #383838; font-family: museo-sans, Corbel, "Lucida Grande", "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Sans", Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.73333; text-align: center;">Photo by Kathy Vilim</footer>Kat Vilimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00211353524750166645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286967694596072397.post-9602105567097322492019-04-23T11:10:00.000-07:002019-04-23T11:10:24.182-07:00Get in the Dirt<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Ocean View Farms Community Garden, Photo by Kathy Vilim<br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span><br />
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<i><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="color: #6aa84f;"><b>~Gardening
not only puts food on the table, it also feeds my soul~</b></span><o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">Usually I write about things to do in the backyard garden. However, with the high cost of housing in
SoCal, </span>for many having a backyard garden is but a distant dream. After I sold
my house, I missed gardening so much and wondered where I could garden. Then I discovered Ocean View Farms, a
non-profit community garden in Mar Vista.</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Community gardens are a wonderful resource. They feed the need to see things grow, to
nurture new life, to get in the earth and get soil under your fingernails. When I am at my garden plot, I feel the sun
warm my skin and the breezes pick up my hair.
All around me things are growing.
The place is alive with busy insects and butterflies and the splashes of
color that flowers add. Here I can make a difference. I can grow my own food. Tomatoes simply are not the same in the
store, after you’ve tasted hand-picked organic tomatoes. And, I can give back to pollinators by planting
nectar rich flowers and milkweed.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Are you interested in finding a
place to garden? LA.Curbed.com has provided a list of the <b><a href="https://la.curbed.com/2010/11/4/10496620/10-best-community-gardens-in-los-angeles-county" target="_blank">10 best community gardens in Los Angeles County</a></b> (compiled by Will
Cooley)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Ocean View Farms Community Garden, photo by Kathy Vilim</span></td></tr>
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<b><u><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Ocean View
Farms:<o:p></o:p></span></span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">I was happy to see that the garden I belong to,<a href="http://oceanviewfarms.net/" target="_blank"> OceanViewFarms</a>, is on the <b>10 Best Community
Gardens</b> list.</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> A
non-profit community garden in Mar Vista (established in 1977), it earned
mention for having the “Most Impressive Compost.” I would have to agree that their compost set
up is extensive and impressive. The
“black gold” that results makes for a rich, organic garden compost that is
available for all members to use. In
return, the members all contribute their spent vegetable plants to the compost
pile. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">For me this is a very important resource. Your vegetables will only be as good as the
soil that goes into growing them. In Southern
California it can be difficult to keep dry, sandy soil rich and fertile enough
for a good harvest all by yourself.
Having a garden community to work with is a benefit I certainly
appreciate.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Ocean View Farms is a large (500 plots) well-established
community garden providing many resources for its members, including: a tool
shed where tools are made available, a greenhouse for seed starting, and an
orchard with fruit for the enjoyment of all members. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Did I mention that this garden is organic? Everything is
grown organically. No pesticides whatsoever are used, and the bees say, “Thank
you.” </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Santa Monica Main Street Community Garden, photo by Kathy Vilim</span></td></tr>
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Main Street Community Garden:<o:p></o:p></span></span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">Located on Main Street between Hollister and Strand, this
community garden has (73) plots and is also on the <b>10 Best Community Gardens</b> list mentioned as “Most Integrated Into
the Community.” Available exclusively to Santa Monica residents, this garden
has a long waiting list. If you’d like to apply, fill out their application
here: </span><span style="line-height: 107%;"><a href="https://www.smgov.net/Departments/CCS/form.aspx?ekfrm=42024">https://www.smgov.net/Departments/CCS/form.aspx?ekfrm=42024</a></span><span style="line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">When I visited this month, the Main Street Garden was holding
a breakfast with featured speaker Christy Wilhelmi of GardenNerd. She spoke on <i>Practical Pest Control for Small Space
Gardens</i>. It was a good chance to get to know the folks that garden there
and discuss what to be growing this spring. The garden was alive with blooming
flowers, planted to attract pollinators.
Recent rains have meant more butterflies, in particular Painted Ladies! It
has also been a big help to the winter vegetable crops, such as cauliflower,
broccoli, and lettuces. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Wattles Farm Main Path & Greenhouse, photo courtesy of Wattles.com</span></td></tr>
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Farm:<o:p></o:p></span></span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: white; line-height: 107%;">Mentioned</span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> on the <b>10 Best Community Gardens list</b> as “Most
Unlikely Oasis,” <a href="http://wattlesfarm%2Ccom/" target="_blank">Wattles Farm</a> has a very </span><span style="background: white; line-height: 107%;">interesting history. Located in the heart of Hollywood,
this community garden was built on the grounds of a 40-acre estate named
“Jualita,” the winter home of businessman Gurdon Wattles. His mansion is
designated as City of Los Angeles Cultural Monument No. 579. The mansion with its
lush landscaped gardens was built in 1907. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">In 1975,
an organic community garden was started on 4 of the acres It was one of the
first gardens begun through the initiative of Mayor Tom Bradley’s community
gardening program. Volunteers cleaned up the previous garden which had fallen
into neglect, clearing brush and putting in plumbing for the first plots. They
saved hundreds of original avocado and citrus trees in the orchard.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Today the
Wattles community garden has 300 members and 172 plots.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i><span style="background: white; line-height: 107%;">“<span style="color: #38761d;"><b>Someone loves
this garden and has lent it to you. </b></span></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i><span style="background: white; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b>Please respect this kindness </b></span></span></i><i><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><span style="background: white;">and leave it as beautiful as you find it.” </span></b></span></span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background: white; line-height: 107%;">The spirit of the
members is reflected in this sign posted at the entrance to the grounds. It is
this spirit of community that has saved the land from developers in this
highly-prized part of Hollywood<i>.</i> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">The only problem with community gardens seems to be there are
not enough of them! According to the Los Angeles Community Garden Council
(LACGC), there are approximately 125 community gardens in Los Angeles County. You
can find one near you by visiting their website: </span><a href="http://lagardencouncil.org/find-a-garden/"><span style="line-height: 107%;">http://lagardencouncil.org/find-a-garden/</span></a><span style="line-height: 107%;"> To learn
the membership requirements of each, the application process, and the waiting
list contact the garden manager.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">If you want to get your hands dirty right away, you should
consider volunteering at a local community garden hosted by Los Angeles
Community Garden Council. LACGC has a
list of gardens that are looking for volunteers. You don’t need experience to get started
learning to garden. Check them out here: </span><a href="http://lagardencouncil.org/get-involved/volunteer/"><span style="line-height: 107%;">http://lagardencouncil.org/get-involved/volunteer/</span></a><span style="line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br />Kat Vilimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00211353524750166645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286967694596072397.post-56823555334926116232019-04-17T10:26:00.000-07:002019-06-05T10:26:58.087-07:00Californians Go Crazy Over Super Blooms<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAq5pjnXw0k2kBfH0xuPzLSvDdiSfCb2esXyAX1rZzQiv3Jd4r_qIvXnqZJZ9hd-WJs7jY1n7NaRPb6lav5K36q1_115DkBxO3B4k08SRaVdwXU7XbexWLCr_B1LsOfIhG3GSDOCfIL8Oz/s1600/DSC_0128.NEF" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1060" data-original-width="1600" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAq5pjnXw0k2kBfH0xuPzLSvDdiSfCb2esXyAX1rZzQiv3Jd4r_qIvXnqZJZ9hd-WJs7jY1n7NaRPb6lav5K36q1_115DkBxO3B4k08SRaVdwXU7XbexWLCr_B1LsOfIhG3GSDOCfIL8Oz/s400/DSC_0128.NEF" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">California Poppies <em style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: georgia, serif; text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Eschscholzia californica, Photo by Kathy Vilim, <br />Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve</span></em></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 18px;">It's windy, and gusty winds are chilly. But we are patient, waiting with our small dog, for the winds to die down so we can photograph the blooms of California poppies </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 18px;">(</span><em style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 18px;">Eschscholzia californica)</em><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 18px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 18px;">Waving orange in the sun, poppies stretch by the thousands up hills and ridges welcoming spring. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmm-oCOlVaG_vgIIDGGMQgEUBHwJXmBFPwNiEHlHNevnWd5qYmAFYI21kO9g32sndHPv8z0roI_H2RaqhdxRhy0Gs2V4eifSa-pAkBdbBuR5fR2obVexPRFCE3rW9KNrPM70eqv9j9trIM/s1600/DSC_0135.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1060" data-original-width="1600" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmm-oCOlVaG_vgIIDGGMQgEUBHwJXmBFPwNiEHlHNevnWd5qYmAFYI21kO9g32sndHPv8z0roI_H2RaqhdxRhy0Gs2V4eifSa-pAkBdbBuR5fR2obVexPRFCE3rW9KNrPM70eqv9j9trIM/s400/DSC_0135.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dog Doodles enjoying Super Bloom, 2017</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 18px;">We are visiting the</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 18px;"> </span><a href="http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=627" rel="noopener" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; cursor: pointer; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 18px;" target="_blank">Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve</a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"> (</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 18px;">15101 Lancaster Road, </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 18px;">Lancaster),</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 18px;"> the only parkland dedicated to California's state flower (designated March 2, 1903). </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 18px;">Each spring, flower lovers drive up to the </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 18px;">Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 18px;"> to see the</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 18px;"> California Poppies (</span><em style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 18px;">Eschscholzia californica)</em><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 18px;"> in bloom. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 18px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 18px;">This year visitors are in for a treat. They can experience the Super Bloom, which was brought on by heavy rainfall this winter. For the next 3 weeks visitors can still view the Super Bloom. To best enjoy the poppies, time your visit for mid-day on a sunny day because the petals close up when it is overcast or during late afternoon. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEujs106Tib86ryo1P683mQVO6rQkG0V4zVbll9JSnntMWtJoKjiyNgoi68Sw_Fm_w3894vhzyW8k_YBMr4i0pJiAdXQH2wnbSadj5SqY1_MhEFsLg1em4qHSihOfC9yRSDwBYFkpg1A90/s1600/20170330_122646.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="961" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEujs106Tib86ryo1P683mQVO6rQkG0V4zVbll9JSnntMWtJoKjiyNgoi68Sw_Fm_w3894vhzyW8k_YBMr4i0pJiAdXQH2wnbSadj5SqY1_MhEFsLg1em4qHSihOfC9yRSDwBYFkpg1A90/s400/20170330_122646.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kathy Vilim Photographing California Poppies <em style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 12.8px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Eschscholzia californica,<br />Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve</span></em></td></tr>
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<u style="font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 18px;">What's blooming:</u><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 18px;">California poppies are not the only wildflowers blooming this year. There are also filaree (pink), fiddleneck (yellow), slender keel fruit, wild parsley and lacy phacelia (light purple). Soon goldfields and cream cups are expected, according to a </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 18px;">recent </span><a href="http://www.prmdia.org/home.html" rel="noopener" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; cursor: pointer; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 18px;" target="_blank">Poppy Reserve/Mojave Desert Interpretive Assn.</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 18px;"> field report.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 18px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 18px;">Another place to go to view wildflowers is the Saddleback Butte State Park, (</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 18px;">17102 E. Ave. J in Lancaster) </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 18px;">which is a bit higher up. Besides the wildflowers mentioned at Antelope Valley, they also have Joshua trees flowering now. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 18px;">North of Mojave, visit </span><a href="https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=631" rel="noopener" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; cursor: pointer; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 18px;" target="_blank">Red Rock Canyon State Park</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 18px;">, on California Highway 14. It has a few slopes heavy in poppies, coreopsis and desert sunflowers and patches of other flowers, according to an email Wednesday from a state park ranger.</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=618" rel="noopener" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; cursor: pointer; line-height: 18px;" target="_blank">Saddleback Butte State Park</a>, also in Lancaster, is a little drier and higher in altitude than the reserve. Still, wildflowers such as fiddlenecks, coreopsis, Mojave suncups, woolly daisies and red maids are blooming, according to the park's <a href="https://www.facebook.com/SaddlebackButte/" rel="noopener" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; cursor: pointer; line-height: 18px;" target="_blank">Facebook page</a>. You can also see Joshua trees flowering as well. The park is at 17102 E. Ave. J in Lancaster.<br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 18px;">for contact info: </span></span><a href="mailto:Mojave.Sector@parks.ca.gov" style="background: rgb(247, 247, 243); box-sizing: border-box; color: #551a8b; font-family: "open sans", arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Mojave.Sector@parks.ca.gov</a></div>
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<a href="mailto:Mojave.Sector@parks.ca.gov" style="background: rgb(247, 247, 243); box-sizing: border-box; color: #551a8b; font-family: "open sans", arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: #551a8b; font-family: "open sans" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; box-sizing: border-box;">(661) 946-6092</span></span></a></div>
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Kat Vilimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00211353524750166645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286967694596072397.post-90149664883593359032019-03-21T11:26:00.001-07:002019-03-21T11:30:11.893-07:00Desert Rains Bring Eruption of Painted Ladies to Southern California <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbyyrCekN2JnrvBFoxNsGPCnDyfSKmERIyel02weDfPn7suRwGZhhGJREtEUIermWGcTxycm38Qdabvm1OzpayyPtmrLTmMIPOuUhJoifgMFlYrNcG19IDLMU5f06AMC5d_ugl6udYflaK/s1600/vanessa-cardui-early+Painted+Lady+Las+Pilitas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="800" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbyyrCekN2JnrvBFoxNsGPCnDyfSKmERIyel02weDfPn7suRwGZhhGJREtEUIermWGcTxycm38Qdabvm1OzpayyPtmrLTmMIPOuUhJoifgMFlYrNcG19IDLMU5f06AMC5d_ugl6udYflaK/s320/vanessa-cardui-early+Painted+Lady+Las+Pilitas.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Vanessa cardui, Painted Ladies Butterfly,<br />
photo credit: www.laspilitas.com<br />
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The other day while I was sitting at a bus stop, I observed a number of tiny shadows flying toward me. I looked up to see butterflies, a whole flock of them! They were small, almost moth-like. Later walking to a friend's house, I observed more of these little butterflies, flying up her driveway and then up over the house, heading north. What the heck was going on?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">All over the Southland people have been observing these small orange creatures flying hard in gusty winds. Where did they come from, and where are they headed? Some people thought they are monarchs migrating north from Mexico. But, no, monarchs are much bigger. Then I read about the explosion of Painted Lady butterflies! </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Researchers have advised that the Painted Lady butterflies (Vanessa cardui) </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">overwinter in deserts, such as the Mojave and Colorado deserts, before embarking on their annual migration to the Pacific Northwest. The profusion of butterflies happening right now coincides with the super blooms in the desert following all the rainfall we just had. In a normal year, for example, Anza Borego desert gets 3 inches of rain per year. but this year they got 3 inches just over Valentine's Day! </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #b45f06;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In the past six drought years California has seen a huge decline in butterflies in general. Probably the most watched are the western Monarchs. Painted Ladies are not in such dire straights as the Monarchs. One of the advantages they have over the Monarchs is that they can eat the nectar of a wide number of plants, so they do not have to search for Milkweed. The usual nectar sources visited by </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Painted Ladies are nettles, mallows and borages, but they can also enjoy lupine, sunflowers and poppies if rains make them available. They can also ingest a large number of plant toxins. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Painted Ladies can fly at speeds of up to 25mph. They can travel a distance of 2500 miles. They use the abdominal fat they stored as caterpillars to fuel their flight. Their small 2-3 inch size leaves them largely unnoticed during normal years. It is this year's eruption that have brought them front and center to the attention of Angelenos. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">There is something magical about the flight of the Painted Ladies, en masse during this year's migration. In the urban environment we are thirsty for nature. And these orange winged beauties remind us that all around us, no matter where we are, we can find nature. And nature never fails to be amazing. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "segoe ui" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; letter-spacing: 0.27px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-butterflies-desert-explosion-20190312-story.html">https://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-butterflies-desert-explosion-20190312-story.html</a></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "segoe ui" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; letter-spacing: 0.27px; white-space: pre-wrap;">#rainfall #pollinators #butterflies #SoCal </span></span><br />
<br />Kat Vilimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00211353524750166645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286967694596072397.post-46993487101713075192019-02-12T14:57:00.002-08:002019-02-12T14:57:42.344-08:00Forest Bathing for a Spiritual Reboot<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Walking through the Forest, Friends Share Forest Bathing</span></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">When you walk through a forest you
are not just looking at trees.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Forests
are an ecosystem in and of themselves. They are full of life, from the earthy
smell of leaf litter, green moss and mushrooms, insects that fly or crawl, to
wildlife like birds and squirrels that make their homes in the forest.
Observing the interconnectedness of the forest, we can submerge ourselves and
realize that we, too, are part of the natural world. We are one with Nature already, but we have forgotten. Walking in a forest gives us a way to reconnect.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The
Japanese recognized the importance of forest walks for healing both our bodies
and our spirits. Called Shinrin Yoku, or Forest Therapy, forest bathing simply
means taking in the atmosphere of the forest for its healing benefits. Some of
the health benefits of Forest Bathing include boosting immunity, improving
mental clarity, and decreasing anxiety. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Much has been written on the benefits
of spending time quietly under the canopy of a living forest since Shinrin-Yoku
Forest Medicine was developed. Thanks in part to the Association of Nature and
Forest Bathers, people all over the world are now experiencing the health and
spiritual benefits that time in Nature provides. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But you don’t have to travel the world over to experience
the spirits of the trees and reconnect with Nature. It is possible to walk in a
forest right here in Los Angeles. The Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanical Gardens in Arcadia, for example,
offers walks through the grounds with a certified Forest Bather to guide
you. Certified by the Association of
Nature and Forest Bathers (ANFB), the spiritual guides are trained in the
ancient Japanese practice of Shinrin-Yoku. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This Spring, there are ongoing
2-hour Saturday walks through the forests of the Arboretum with a spirit leader
to guide you. <span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">Valentine’s
day is coming. Why not celebrate your relationship with your partner by
bringing him or her to the forest for an intimate spiritual reboot~ </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Visit: Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden (<a href="http://www.arboretum.org/">www.arboretum.org</a>)</span></span></div>
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<br />Kat Vilimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00211353524750166645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286967694596072397.post-62370334283490121952019-01-10T11:58:00.001-08:002019-01-10T11:58:18.561-08:00Gimme Shelter<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-aYoCKBvtSAff0g8j8T3huWuRp5_0y0GWEcSeaofLUSVwU_Ot8Ahkib1h_wTkKlajhYhx_wF8iHz2b9TFlw-dIWamjXkAaJYc3v4Wm8UqVPS9Bf-IweVZQuFQYCTygjyncYoFnrEEuoVF/s1600/Milkweed+and+Monarchs-1+DSC_0951-500x331.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="331" data-original-width="500" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-aYoCKBvtSAff0g8j8T3huWuRp5_0y0GWEcSeaofLUSVwU_Ot8Ahkib1h_wTkKlajhYhx_wF8iHz2b9TFlw-dIWamjXkAaJYc3v4Wm8UqVPS9Bf-IweVZQuFQYCTygjyncYoFnrEEuoVF/s400/Milkweed+and+Monarchs-1+DSC_0951-500x331.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Butterfly Grove, Pismo Beach, CA, Photo by Kathy Vilim</td></tr>
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<em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Gimme Shelter</em></div>
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<em style="box-sizing: border-box;">A shadow passes overhead. I look up to see orange wings. A monarch butterfly is passing overhead, slowly, playfully with another monarch butterfly. I am working in the OVF gardens, and I stop to watch them. They fly so free that it lightens my heart. They are flying over a plot that contains one milkweed plant and one sage plant, the perfect combination for the monarch butterflies.</em></div>
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<em style="box-sizing: border-box;">The milkweed plant (Asclepias) is not so much a nectar source for the monarchs as is the sage, but the milkweed attracts them because it is a host plant, a larval source. The female monarch will lay her eggs on the milkweed knowing the young caterpillars will have food when they emerge. She can lay hundreds of eggs on a single plant, and they will take in milkweed toxin that will protect them from being eaten by birds.</em></div>
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<em style="box-sizing: border-box;">When autumn is in the air, the great monarch migration begins. Unlike their east coast cousins, our California monarchs do not migrate to Mexico. Instead, they migrate to overwintering groves on the California coast. Along the coast there are no freezing overnight temperatures. The monarchs cluster together high up in Eucalyptus trees, wings closed, to keep warm when the sun is not out. One of the largest of these overwintering groves is close by in Pismo Beach. Now, in January, there will be a mating frenzy at the overwintering groves, and the females will depart with eggs to lay. They will fly low looking for milkweed host plants.</em></div>
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<em style="box-sizing: border-box;">While the monarch butterflies are traveling to and from their California overwintering grounds, they need waystations where they can rest. On their way out to the grove, they will continue to fatten up on nectar, and on their departure from the grove they will be looking for milkweed.</em></div>
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<em style="box-sizing: border-box;">I have had the great pleasure of camping next to Pismo Beach’s Monarch Grove. For several weeks I lived among the orange ballerinas of the sky, observing their daily routine of resting all together at night and then dancing in the mid-day sun. I felt so free then, as they were free. And I left there committed to caring about what happens to them. How can a female butterfly find milkweed in the city?</em></div>
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<em style="box-sizing: border-box;">The answer is private and community gardens. Places like the community gardens at Ocean View Farms are wonderful resources for the monarch butterflies. The organic garden is full of life. What a great California waystation we could have by planting for the monarchs at our community gardens. I can envision monarchs flitting about the vegetable plots. All they need is milkweed and a nectar source like sage. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if each of us planted just one of those plants and gave our traveling monarchs a rest stop?</em></div>
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<i>Remember: If you want to help the monarchs, it's best to grow <b>native</b> milkweed plants that die back and encourage the monarchs to migrate rather than tropical milkweed that can interrupt their breeding cycles.</i></div>
Kat Vilimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00211353524750166645noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286967694596072397.post-32536635811477085242018-12-21T09:44:00.000-08:002018-12-21T09:44:16.777-08:00"Shrooms for Winter Solstice<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1g_p6SL1v3FjoUNzrLOJw8v4gTIh6QMWmKF5CyjkCGxxww_m__-ElpJ8cwFSVPQz6uELXmZYPuKCQNOSmzEDhG0sJbJ1yyJZwAiIRlmXMyKsWvf1DHsi7acB5Iyi8Db9QeEopN1eHdug1/s1600/santa-claus-mushrooms-h.jpg.838x0_q80.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="295" data-original-width="838" height="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1g_p6SL1v3FjoUNzrLOJw8v4gTIh6QMWmKF5CyjkCGxxww_m__-ElpJ8cwFSVPQz6uELXmZYPuKCQNOSmzEDhG0sJbJ1yyJZwAiIRlmXMyKsWvf1DHsi7acB5Iyi8Db9QeEopN1eHdug1/s400/santa-claus-mushrooms-h.jpg.838x0_q80.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;"><span style="font-size: small;">Santa's distinctive style has drawn comparisons to 17th-century Siberian shamans.<br />(Illustration: Yumiyumi/Shutterstock)</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Have you ever wondered where the Story of Santa Claus came from?</b> Me too. Then, looking at Mother Nature Network News the other day, a story by Russell McLendon caught my eye, "7 mind-bending facts about Magic Mushrooms."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Apparently, there are magic "</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 16px;">muscimol" </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">mushrooms found all over the world. There are also religious shamans all over the world. In Siberia, the variety of mushrooms ingested by shamans is </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 16px;"><i>Amanita muscaria</i>. And these 'shrooms help the shamans commune with the spirit world. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 16px;"><b>What's this got to do with Santa?</b> Well, each year</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 16px;">on the Winter Solstice (December 21st), b</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 16px;">eginning as far back as the 1600s, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 16px;">the Shamans of Siberia began an annual custom. They would gather magic mushrooms, dry them, and go out into the neighborhood to give them to the villagers as gifts. The Shamans' custom was to dress up in costumes that resembled the mushrooms... red with white trim. They would take their reindeers with them and climb up onto the rooftops to enter the houses though specially-made openings, since the front doors were snowed in all winter long, and so unusable. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 16px;">The Shamans' reindeers also ingested the mushrooms frequently, by simply foraging in the woods where they are plentiful. In an altered state, Shamans enjoyed being able to communicate with the reindeers' spirits. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="background-color: white;">Considering the <span style="font-size: 16px;">hallucinogenic</span> properties of </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 16px;"><i>Amanita muscaria</i>, is it any wonder folks started seeing reindeers flying from the rooftops with a plump man in a red suit carrying gifts on wintery Christmas nights?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">So, the next time you look up in the sky on a winter's night and recall the Santa Claus story, you are going to remember the Siberian shamans' magic mushrooms and think: makes as much sense as anything else!</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">Enjoy your Winter Solstice today, shortest day of this year. </span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;"><i>And to read McLendon's wonderful complete story, visit: https://www.mnn.com/health/fitness-well-being/blogs/facts-about-magic-mushrooms. </i></span><br />
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Kat Vilimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00211353524750166645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286967694596072397.post-50092642327986059012018-10-27T10:50:00.002-07:002018-10-27T10:50:36.336-07:00Thankful for the Bounty<br />
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<b><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 24.0pt;">Autumn is Harvest Time, </span></b><br />
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<img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="375" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3b_fKwWtwIuXjPLqLhyphenhyphenVz3e95WO5tfxXus7LPDtQwzRbLG8C4k4If7kRq4PUgHfedeJbiTykzlKbGkxTL29cdV_W0YTxbRwXzcgPDWXi9l8QvwZrF4da4-PNJzQLeDh9uXj0j3beY2ILs/s320/The+Caswe+of+the+Majestic+Oak-2+Coast-Live-Oak-Demo-Garden-Quercus_agrifolia-8-375x500.jpg" width="240" /></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/(http:/www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/plants/552--quercus-agrifolia" target="_blank">Coast Live Oak (Quercus agrifolia) <o:p></o:p></a></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/(http:/www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/plants/552--quercus-agrifolia" target="_blank">Photo Credit: laspilitas.com</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Juana
shakes the oak tree with her sisters until acorns drop from the branches. In
this way, the Tongva Women harvest acorns together. It is Autumn, and the
acorns are plentiful. Once collected, the acorns are laid out in the sun to
dry. Later Juana and her sisters will store them in a large grain basket,
taking care to place it on a platform raised above the earth and out of reach
of rodents.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTDRROodzRIa81c26jgWpB6nlNCzlAqE64v2gjVq7nBxwVak4C0sTXP0LPmcZtYxaCLwRAHZl20Wjzv6PIuqn9F05hbCa3AHvCgY6aGt9_jOq6ahw2j-XlWg2lolVANR19lnPVEBOKRt_c/s1600/Autumn+is+Harvest+Time-2+Quercus_agrifolia-4-Acorns-of-Coast-Live-Oak-300x232.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="232" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTDRROodzRIa81c26jgWpB6nlNCzlAqE64v2gjVq7nBxwVak4C0sTXP0LPmcZtYxaCLwRAHZl20Wjzv6PIuqn9F05hbCa3AHvCgY6aGt9_jOq6ahw2j-XlWg2lolVANR19lnPVEBOKRt_c/s1600/Autumn+is+Harvest+Time-2+Quercus_agrifolia-4-Acorns-of-Coast-Live-Oak-300x232.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> <a href="http://www.laspilitas.com%20autumn%20is%20harvest%20time-2%20quercus_agrifolia-4-acorns-of-coast-live-oak-300x232/" target="_blank">Acorns of Coast Live
Oak (Quercus agrifolia) </a></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> <a href="http://www.laspilitas.com/" target="_blank">Photo Credit: laspilitas.com</a></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">When
Juana prepares acorns for eating, she cracks them out of their shells and peels
the kernels out of their paper-like skin. Using a stone mortar, she grinds them
to flour. The next and very important step is to leach out the bitter tasting</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tannin"><span style="text-decoration-line: none;">tannins</span></a><span style="color: #222222;"> by pouring water over them in a leaching basin made of
layers of fine and coarse sand. She knows this could take most the morning, but
it is very important to be done completely, and so she is patient. When done,
the bitter taste will have been removed from the flour. The Tongva Women can
then prepare the acorns as a mush, soup or “bread.”</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Acorns
have been a staple of Native Californians’ diet for 4,000 years or more.
They were the most important plant food for many tribes, as they are very nutritious.
In this case, Juana and her Tongva sisters would have been collecting
acorns from the </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-color-alt: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Coast
Live Oak (Quercus agrifolia) in Topanga Canyon</span><span style="color: #222222;"> Santa Monica Mtns, where the </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tongva_people"><span style="mso-color-alt: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Tongva people</span></a>
<span style="color: #222222;">lived. (Their territory abutted that of the Chumash
tribe of Malibu. Tongva were also known as Gabrieleños.) Besides the
Coast Live Oak, the acorns from many other oak tree species, such as Black
Oak and Valley Oak, can be harvested.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/plants/chenopodium-californicum"><span style="color: #21c250; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; text-decoration: none;"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape id="Picture_x0020_3" o:spid="_x0000_i1027"
type="#_x0000_t75" alt="Hollyleaf Cherry (Prunus_ilicifolia) Photo Credit: laspilitas.com"
href="http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/plants/chenopodium-californicum"
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> <a href="http://www.laspilitas.com/" target="_blank">Hollyleaf Cherry (Prunus_ilicifolia)</a> </span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> <a href="https://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/plants/1359--chenopodium-californicum" target="_blank">Photo Credit: laspilitas.com</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Besides making flour from
acorns, Native Californians would also make flour from the pit of the </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prunus_ilicifolia"><span style="mso-color-alt: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Hollyleaf
Cherry</span></a><span style="color: #222222;"> fruit. After removing the
pit’s poisonous outer layer, the kernels were crushed and then leached, like
the acorns, before being turned into flour meal. Though the flesh of the
fruit can also be eaten straight off the tree, or fermented into an
intoxicating drink, the Native Californians’ main use for the Hollyleaf Cherry
was making flour.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">When
it came to foraging for wild edible plants, the Native Californian people knew
what to eat and what not to eat. They had extensive knowledge about the
resources that were available in the land in which they lived, and they passed
this knowledge down to their children. They were also aware of medicinal values
of the plants around them. Most of this information has been lost to us, which
makes it difficult to know what is safe to pick or eat of the wild bounty that
grows around us.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjwT_U1-x_EXBmhWLeOPX2tXDLB7TWXGfpMC-wjpknI42eYXJCpbfhtIwhj_EcDwrFvjx7nXTPbFs4atXysfiOPz3aJG4_X_Az2TBPrcEZnafq2cEw2tHwcpgZz55WCoL6nA_58rWM5wxH/s1600/Autumn+is+Harvest+Time-4+opuntia-littoralis-Prickly-Pear-fruit-199x300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjwT_U1-x_EXBmhWLeOPX2tXDLB7TWXGfpMC-wjpknI42eYXJCpbfhtIwhj_EcDwrFvjx7nXTPbFs4atXysfiOPz3aJG4_X_Az2TBPrcEZnafq2cEw2tHwcpgZz55WCoL6nA_58rWM5wxH/s1600/Autumn+is+Harvest+Time-4+opuntia-littoralis-Prickly-Pear-fruit-199x300.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/plants/opuntia-littoralis"><span style="color: #21c250; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; text-decoration: none;"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape id="Picture_x0020_2" o:spid="_x0000_i1026"
type="#_x0000_t75" alt="Prickly Pear Cactus Fruit (Opuntia littoralis) Photo credit: laspilitas.com"
href="http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/plants/opuntia-littoralis"
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="http://www.laspilitas.com/" target="_blank">Prickly Pear Cactus Fruit (Opuntia littoralis) </a></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/plants/1144--opuntia-littoralis" target="_blank">Photo credit: laspilitas.com</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
Prickly Pear Cactus (Opuntia littoralis) would have provided sustenance to
the </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tongva_people"><span style="mso-color-alt: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Tongva people</span></a><span style="color: #222222;"> of the Santa Monica Mtns. Meaty and nutritious,
Juana and her sisters would have harvested the fleshy pads called “nopales” of </span><span style="mso-color-alt: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Prickly
Pear</span><span style="color: #21c250;"> </span><span style="mso-color-alt: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Cactus.</span><span style="color: #222222;"> The fruit that forms at the very ends of the pads
is called “Tuna.” When ripe (deep red color), they make a delicious jelly or a
sweet raw dessert.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">One
of the nice things about Prickly Pear is that you can harvest both the pads and
the fruit without destroying the plant. That way there is always more Prickly
Pear for tomorrow! You can gently pull the fruit (Tuna) off. Pads can be
removed by snapping a pad at the joint. It is wise to pick young tender pads,
but not the youngest, as they have more spines. But what about those spines?
Native Californians mastered a good system for removing them, and you could,
too. Some people recommend wearing heavy work gloves. But my trick works
better: use a paper bag. Seriously! Put a paper bag on your hand like a glove
when touching prickly pear and the spines cannot get to you! Next, to prepare
for cooking, you can remove the spines by scraping with a knife.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Pads
of Nopales are high in iron, beta carotene, vitamin C, and calcium. The deep
red color of the fruit (tuna) means it is high in antioxidants. Nopales and
Tuna would have been a very nutritious choice for the Tongva people, as it is
for us. Today, Prickly Pear Cactus has many uses: raw cut up in salads,
sautéed, breaded and then fried, boiled, tossed in soup, or pickled. I
myself have harvested Prickly Pear often from my chaparral garden, and especially
enjoy making Nopales Tacos, a completely meatless dish.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8bTRSrcXhASHTBu0Y_fdz5AT7Hg0JLPva9U1WGT6b3ah8T0-si_X957YrDRyZViITldP5JkthrdgYXqHVnj6ofGfDqok_WApZxM7eKZfZrxG6do_4R1Oq574vexhBY1hFAWeJYN3WsLny/s1600/Autumn+is+Haravest+Time-5+Chenopodium_californicum-1-Lambs-Quarters-300x224.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8bTRSrcXhASHTBu0Y_fdz5AT7Hg0JLPva9U1WGT6b3ah8T0-si_X957YrDRyZViITldP5JkthrdgYXqHVnj6ofGfDqok_WApZxM7eKZfZrxG6do_4R1Oq574vexhBY1hFAWeJYN3WsLny/s1600/Autumn+is+Haravest+Time-5+Chenopodium_californicum-1-Lambs-Quarters-300x224.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/plants/chenopodium-californicum"><span style="color: #21c250; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; text-decoration: none;"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape id="Picture_x0020_1" o:spid="_x0000_i1025"
type="#_x0000_t75" alt="Lamb's Quarters (Chenopodium californicum) Photo Credit: laspiitas.com"
href="http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/plants/chenopodium-californicum"
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="http://www.laspilitas.com/" target="_blank">Lamb’s Quarters (Chenopodium californicum</a>) </span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/plants/1359--chenopodium-californicum" target="_blank">Photo Credit: laspiitas.com</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chenopodium_album"><span style="mso-color-alt: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Lamb’s Quarters</span><span style="color: #21c250; text-decoration: none;"> </span></a><span style="color: #222222;">(Chenopodium californiacum or album) are one of the
best-known wild edible greens, with a taste like spinach. Archeological
evidence suggests it has been foraged for some 9000 years and cultivated for
4000 years. Before the Europeans came, this was another one of the many plants
that would have sustained the indigenous peoples of California. Lamb’s
Quarters are high in protein, iron and vitamins A & C. The wild plant makes
prolific seeds, which can also be ground into a dark flour for making bread,
“mush” or tortillas.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Long
before the arrival of Europeans, Native Americans lived well off California’s
edible flora, which was bountiful. They lived in a balanced way, maintaining
the land. Edible landscapes were everywhere!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Autumn
is harvest time, and at Thanksgiving we are thankful for the bounty of food on
our table. But, I also want to take a moment to be thankful for the bounty of
knowledge about edible native plants left to us by the Native Americans who
came before us. In California edible native plants still thrive in wild places.
Nature gave them to us, free for the taking. Each of us can add edible native
plants to our native plant gardens, and enjoy the Autumn harvest season,
sharing our bounty with our wildlife friends.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">~Check
the local </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-color-alt: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">native
nurseries </span>in <span style="color: #222222;">your area and see what
they have for your edible native garden~<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="entry-tags"><span style="background: white; color: #999999; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 107%; text-transform: uppercase;">,</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white; color: #999999; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 9.0pt; line-height: 107%; text-transform: uppercase;"> </span></span><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Kat Vilimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00211353524750166645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286967694596072397.post-40653562845444996582018-09-18T15:27:00.000-07:002018-09-18T15:27:46.816-07:002019 Herbal Almanac: Attract Hummingbirds with Sage<div class="_5pbx userContent _3576" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="js_zk" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 6px;">
<span style="font-size: large;">It's so exciting to see this book is out on Amazon and also in Barnes & Noble bookstores! I'm proud to have my own chapter in this great <a class="_58cn" data-ft="{"type":104,"tn":"*N"}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/herbal?source=feed_text&__xts__%5B0%5D=68.ARATtCeJx-mDdToaqWxkHdBESDZ6MhVbk2j61qQEEfUcBaV6sYraOHWrAeWpErbR6zub2YPNFNPpC919NbuXWBmFKmwZuj3OAuxCcOYYIaSWYKA5qOKgtMPRlDhM6A4qU2l7glb94d4koZ1PpwXqTzIxzkPnll9QPq0rN03vW5fiDHfca7xYjA&__tn__=%2ANK-R" style="color: #365899; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;"><span class="_5afx" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; unicode-bidi: isolate;"><span aria-label="hashtag" class="_58cl _5afz" style="font-family: inherit; unicode-bidi: isolate;">#</span><span class="_58cm" style="font-family: inherit;">herbal</span></span></a> resource! Learn how to "Attract hummingbirds with sage."</span></div>
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Kat Vilimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00211353524750166645noreply@blogger.com0Southern California, CA, USA34.9592083 -116.4193890000000228.2410358 -126.74653750000002 41.6773808 -106.09224050000003tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286967694596072397.post-80066759714988824692018-07-03T11:52:00.000-07:002018-07-03T11:52:44.542-07:00Buckwheat and the El Segundo Blue Butterfly<br />
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<b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 24.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;">Buckwheat and the El Segundo Blue
Butterfly<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-transform: uppercase;">BY <span style="color: #999999; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><a href="http://www.beautifulwildlifegarden.com/author/kathyv">KATHY VILIM</a></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFeijfFfSr_s17NzMo4w329MCd1clQOcW58ko3-I8LkHXBN30na4cxCr6Y6WEhgum0LUOT12KW3o78PaJ9n6UEToNWotHfBuq1EntdvUtIT79g-sh9sdVVt2AJW0F_xk-jnXn_VwoX6HXn/s1600/Male-and-Female-El-Segundo-Blue-Sterba-300x200.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="300" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFeijfFfSr_s17NzMo4w329MCd1clQOcW58ko3-I8LkHXBN30na4cxCr6Y6WEhgum0LUOT12KW3o78PaJ9n6UEToNWotHfBuq1EntdvUtIT79g-sh9sdVVt2AJW0F_xk-jnXn_VwoX6HXn/s400/Male-and-Female-El-Segundo-Blue-Sterba-300x200.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Male-and-Female-El-Segundo-Blue-Sterba (Euphilotes battoides
allyni) </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif;">Photo ©</span><u><span style="color: #21c250; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.ballonafriends.org/blog/?ibsa=get_content&id=6408" target="_blank"><span style="color: #21c250;">Don Sterda</span></a></span></u></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> and Friends of Ballona Wetlands</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Nothing
warms my heart quite like hearing the happy news that butterflies are
flourishing~ somewhere. Rarely do we get good news about our winged
friends lately. But this story is one of hope and promise!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The
El Segundo Blue (<i>Euphilotes battoides allyni</i>) is a pretty light blue
butterfly that is found nowhere but in So California and is federally
designated as Endangered. This butterfly is named for the dune system
where it makes its home. There are only three known colonies still
existing, and the largest is located on a small area of land owned by Los Angeles
International Airport and maintained as the El Segundo Blue Butterfly Habitat
Preserve, which was created in an effort to protect this rare
species. (The land was formerly known as </span><u><span style="color: #21c250; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="http://blogs.dailybreeze.com/history/2010/07/28/laxs-ghost-town/?doing_wp_cron=1405977099.8221189975738525390625"><span style="color: #21c250;">Palisades del Rey</span></a></span></u><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNnpepyXRuoetpGdubcTOZdzzVdQVf8hdMxbfHvXqJxgK0Dldd881Zp6F8a7hms81W8AZzOtZTQPPHbztha8ODU6xfFqVp4uss7f1rs0BeXqMvW3Hy1hIYToAMJUpBXilEv_WY0-hBIeEb/s400/El-Segundo-Blue-1-1024x768%252C+Patrick+Tyrrell.jpg" width="400" /></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">El-Segundo-Blue (Euphilotes battoides allyni) </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif;">Photo © </span><u><span style="color: #21c250; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.ballonafriends.org/blog/?ibsa=get_content&id=6408" target="_blank">Patrick Tyrrell</a></span></u></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">, Program Director at Friends of Ballona
Wetlands</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The
Good News: Recently it was reported that the El Segundo Blue Butterfly re-established
itself in a small area of the wetlands about half-mile away from the LAX site.
More than (100) butterflies have been seen near the <a href="http://www.beautifulwildlifegarden.com/marshland-magic.html"><span style="color: #21c250;">Ballona Wetlands</span></a>. The El Segundo Blue’s
population in the Ballona Wetlands has increased steadily over the past seven years. Ecologists believe that the El Segundo Blues found in the Ballona
Wetlands moved there from the LAX (Los Angeles International Airport) preserve,
as the El Segundo Blue is not a highly migratory species. It will not travel
outside of 400 feet from home to find food. This bodes well for the return
of other endangered species to the wetlands and tells that restoration efforts
are working.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYlx8jMb1JUgUqwaEqBIxQFMt2GqYKayUIZPIceK6bfOO0NviJeP7WQhBv-NT6NEJoZotu6NBSRGyRWyIq7xIzb0mh2MM7Nprgef1ZTDLhQqC9sTGf-eSmY8-_HvzcGQ3Mbc-xXnmJpV85/s1600/Eriogonum+parvifolium.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="679" data-original-width="555" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYlx8jMb1JUgUqwaEqBIxQFMt2GqYKayUIZPIceK6bfOO0NviJeP7WQhBv-NT6NEJoZotu6NBSRGyRWyIq7xIzb0mh2MM7Nprgef1ZTDLhQqC9sTGf-eSmY8-_HvzcGQ3Mbc-xXnmJpV85/s400/Eriogonum+parvifolium.jpeg" width="326" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Eriogonum parvifolium (Dune Buckwheat Detail) </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif;">Photo © 2006 </span><u><span style="color: #21c250; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #21c250;"><a href="http://calphotos.berkeley.edu/cgi/img_query?enlarge=0000+0000+0606+0423" target="_blank">Steve Matson</a></span></span></u></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Naturalists
are delighted to find that the small blue butterflies are making use of the
Coastal (Dune) Buckwheat (<i>Eriogonum parviflorum</i>). After an intensive
effort by volunteers to remove invasive iceplant (native to China), the
native Buckwheat had more room to grow. Corridors opened up making room to
plant more Buckwheat, as well. The volunteers are part of the nonprofit </span><u><span style="color: #21c250; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="http://www.ballonafriends.org/blog/?ibsa=get_content&id=6408"><span style="color: #21c250;">Friends of Ballona Wetlands</span></a></span></u><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">. Coastal Dune Buckwheat (<i>Eriogonum
parviflorum</i>) is the sole food source of the Blues, and they will also use
the Buckwheat to lay eggs, as it is their host plant.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">About
the Blues: The El Segundo Blue Butterfly, in the family Lycaenidae, emerges
during summer when the flowers of its host plant, Coastal Dune Buckwheat (<i>Eriogonum
parviflorum</i>) open. The adults live only a few days, during which time they
will mate and lay eggs. Within a week, the eggs will hatch, and the
larvae will feed entirely on the flower heads of their host
plant. El Segundo Blue spends virtually its entire life cycle in intimate
association with the flower heads of just this one species of buckwheat.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The
El Segundo Blue’s dorsal wing color is blue, with the males being brighter blue
than the females. The ventral side is gray, with square-shaped spots and a
series of orange spots on the hindwing that appear merged into a single band of
color.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.ballonafriends.org/blog/?ibsa=get_content&id=6408" target="_blank"><span style="color: #21c250; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-no-proof: yes; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape id="Picture_x0020_3"
o:spid="_x0000_i1027" type="#_x0000_t75" alt="El-Segundo-Blue Butterfly on Dune Buckwheat, Photo Credit: Patrick Tyrrell, Program Director Friends of Ballona Wetlands"
href="http://www.ballonafriends.org/blog/?ibsa=get_content&id=6408"
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o:title=" Patrick Tyrrell, Program Director Friends of Ballona Wetlands"/>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPKVJk7ijiJ6tQUtu2w6E6-JQNB2ot_C0rTMPlSPayNTWhQW5PN63Gol-07CDPhQaJdvcOIRVD_WChBYurqaM4ftjfIDsk-TkE1HacPq_xoE41FT0F1z43K9zNtA9I_lmxsh4zU9OX9aDD/s1600/El-Segundo-Blue-3-300x225.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="300" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPKVJk7ijiJ6tQUtu2w6E6-JQNB2ot_C0rTMPlSPayNTWhQW5PN63Gol-07CDPhQaJdvcOIRVD_WChBYurqaM4ftjfIDsk-TkE1HacPq_xoE41FT0F1z43K9zNtA9I_lmxsh4zU9OX9aDD/s400/El-Segundo-Blue-3-300x225.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">El-Segundo-Blue Butterfly on Dune Buckwheat, </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif;">Photo © </span><u><span style="color: #21c250; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.ballonafriends.org/blog/?ibsa=get_content&id=6408" target="_blank"><span style="color: #21c250;">Patrick Tyrrell</span></a></span></u><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif;">, Program Director Friends of Ballona Wetlands</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The
El Segundo Blue has found its home increasingly coveted by humans. One of the
last remaining populations lives by the Los Angeles International Airport. The
airport’s construction, oil refining, sand mining and urban development have
all claimed large portions of its dune habitat, which used to be more extensive.
Though the threat of development has been largely halted, there
are other threats, as well. Their host plant is competing with several
introduced plants, including other Buckwheat <i>Eriogonum</i> species
on which the El Segundo Blues cannot feed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In
order to ensure the future of the El Segundo Blue Butterfly, the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service (USFWS) has started dune management programs which focus
on restoring the sites’ native vegetation. The Urban Wildlands Group has
applied to the USFWS for an enhancement of survival permit and safe harbor
agreement for approximately two acres of bluff habitat on private property in
Los Angeles County, California. I have written previously about the <a href="http://www.beautifulwildlifegarden.com/marshland-magic.html"><span style="color: #21c250;">Ballona Wetlands</span></a>, and the how important this
preserve is to so much wildlife, as one of the last remaining wetlands in
California. As time goes on, I hope that this place will remain safe for
many generations of wetland wildlife to continue to prosper.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">As
you might expect, the folks at Friends of Ballona are excited! Their message to
volunteers, “</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Stay tuned – this is one
of our most exciting developments in years – a DIRECT result of our restoration
efforts!”</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2tTHGqV2buz18EayLwc9LbfCgPLI-P0HH0G0dsJjhbgf1GaPtZQZkij-Bj54Lr4mVor5qPl8akL07d-6JiF3rZYsp9fTNTqWz1pb7i8Fv9DDlCE-xWAPbAhHPsc6jN0mHCa8urSdKkJsq/s1600/Dune+Eriogonum%252C+Charles+Webber.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="768" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2tTHGqV2buz18EayLwc9LbfCgPLI-P0HH0G0dsJjhbgf1GaPtZQZkij-Bj54Lr4mVor5qPl8akL07d-6JiF3rZYsp9fTNTqWz1pb7i8Fv9DDlCE-xWAPbAhHPsc6jN0mHCa8urSdKkJsq/s320/Dune+Eriogonum%252C+Charles+Webber.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Dune Buckwheat (Eriogonum parvifolium) </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif;">Photo ©</span><u><span style="color: #21c250; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://calphotos.berkeley.edu/cgi/img_query?enlarge=8120+3181+4954+0053" target="_blank"><span style="color: #21c250;">Charles Webber</span></a></span></u></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> California Academy of Sciences</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #999999; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-transform: uppercase;">FILED
UNDER: </span><u style="background-color: transparent; color: #999999; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-transform: uppercase;"><a href="http://www.beautifulwildlifegarden.com/category/insects-2/butterflies-and-moths"><span style="color: #999999;">INSECTS: BUTTERFLIES AND MOTHS</span></a></u><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #999999; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-transform: uppercase;">TAGGED
WITH: </span><u style="background-color: transparent; color: #999999; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-transform: uppercase;"><a href="http://www.beautifulwildlifegarden.com/tag/eriogonum-parviflorum"><span style="color: #999999;">(ERIOGONUM PARVIFLORUM)</span></a></u><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #999999; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-transform: uppercase;">, </span><u style="background-color: transparent; color: #999999; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-transform: uppercase;"><a href="http://www.beautifulwildlifegarden.com/tag/ballona-wetlands"><span style="color: #999999;">BALLONA WETLANDS</span></a></u><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #999999; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-transform: uppercase;">, </span><u style="background-color: transparent; color: #999999; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-transform: uppercase;"><a href="http://www.beautifulwildlifegarden.com/tag/buckwheat"><span style="color: #999999;">BUCKWHEAT</span></a></u><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #999999; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-transform: uppercase;">, </span><u style="background-color: transparent; color: #999999; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-transform: uppercase;"><a href="http://www.beautifulwildlifegarden.com/tag/butterfly"><span style="color: #999999;">BUTTERFLY</span></a></u><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #999999; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-transform: uppercase;">,</span><u style="background-color: transparent; color: #999999; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-transform: uppercase;"><a href="http://www.beautifulwildlifegarden.com/tag/coastal-dune-buckwheat"><span style="color: #999999;">COASTAL DUNE BUCKWHEAT</span></a></u><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #999999; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-transform: uppercase;">, </span><u style="background-color: transparent; color: #999999; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-transform: uppercase;"><a href="http://www.beautifulwildlifegarden.com/tag/dune-ecosystem"><span style="color: #999999;">DUNE ECOSYSTEM</span></a></u><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #999999; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-transform: uppercase;">, </span><u style="background-color: transparent; color: #999999; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-transform: uppercase;"><a href="http://www.beautifulwildlifegarden.com/tag/dune-habitat"><span style="color: #999999;">DUNE HABITAT</span></a></u><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #999999; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-transform: uppercase;">, </span><u style="background-color: transparent; color: #999999; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-transform: uppercase;"><a href="http://www.beautifulwildlifegarden.com/tag/el-segundo-blue-butterfly"><span style="color: #999999;">EL SEGUNDO BLUE BUTTERFLY</span></a></u><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #999999; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-transform: uppercase;">, </span><u style="background-color: transparent; color: #999999; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-transform: uppercase;"><a href="http://www.beautifulwildlifegarden.com/tag/el-segundo-blue-butterfly-habitat-preserve"><span style="color: #999999;">EL SEGUNDO BLUE BUTTERFLY HABITAT PRESERVE</span></a></u><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #999999; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-transform: uppercase;">, </span><u style="background-color: transparent; color: #999999; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-transform: uppercase;"><a href="http://www.beautifulwildlifegarden.com/tag/el-segundo-blues"><span style="color: #999999;">EL SEGUNDO BLUES</span></a></u><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #999999; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-transform: uppercase;">,</span><u style="background-color: transparent; color: #999999; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-transform: uppercase;"><a href="http://www.beautifulwildlifegarden.com/tag/euphilotes-battoides-allyni"><span style="color: #999999;">EUPHILOTES BATTOIDES ALLYNI</span></a></u><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #999999; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-transform: uppercase;">, </span><u style="background-color: transparent; color: #999999; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-transform: uppercase;"><a href="http://www.beautifulwildlifegarden.com/tag/friends-of-ballona-wetlands"><span style="color: #999999;">FRIENDS OF BALLONA WETLANDS</span></a></u><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #999999; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-transform: uppercase;">, </span><u style="background-color: transparent; color: #999999; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-transform: uppercase;"><a href="http://www.beautifulwildlifegarden.com/tag/host-plant"><span style="color: #999999;">HOST PLANT</span></a></u><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #999999; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-transform: uppercase;">, </span><u style="background-color: transparent; color: #999999; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-transform: uppercase;"><a href="http://www.beautifulwildlifegarden.com/tag/palisades-del-rey"><span style="color: #999999;">PALISADES DEL REY</span></a></u><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #999999; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-transform: uppercase;">, </span><u style="background-color: transparent; color: #999999; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-transform: uppercase;"><a href="http://www.beautifulwildlifegarden.com/tag/restoration"><span style="color: #999999;">RESTORATION</span></a></u><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #999999; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-transform: uppercase;">, </span><u style="background-color: transparent; color: #999999; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-transform: uppercase;"><a href="http://www.beautifulwildlifegarden.com/tag/restoration-efforts"><span style="color: #999999;">RESTORATION EFFORTS</span></a></u><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #999999; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-transform: uppercase;">, </span><u style="background-color: transparent; color: #999999; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-transform: uppercase;"><a href="http://www.beautifulwildlifegarden.com/tag/wetlands"><span style="color: #999999;">WETLANDS</span></a></u></div>
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<br />Kat Vilimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00211353524750166645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286967694596072397.post-15481094305684628792018-06-19T11:48:00.002-07:002018-06-19T11:48:56.603-07:00If you plant it, they will come~<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/plants/437--monardella-antonina" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="618" data-original-width="470" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinIzJLyyRwg4A37c7ZeH2RgidnWaKGYaXjLiaQcNEJFwfnHl3b23750fbSM97l3JpE8YW2ZbvbxFHc1UFUDt2OtqfxmFb-vTcYr0KTYFxkymFq98PqBwkBTSzVMgNF5cPO4X-wOW0n4cwD/s400/monardella-antonina-4.jpg" width="303" /></a></span></td></tr>
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<a href="http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/plants/437--monardella-antonina" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #7f7f7f; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 128;">Butterfly Mint Bush, </span></b><b><span style="color: #7f7f7f; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 128;">Monardella-antonina, </span></b></a></div>
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<b>Here in Southern California gardeners experience unique challenges</b>, drought being one, but there are joys
as well, such as having hummingbirds that visit all year long.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you want to attract more butterflies and
hummingbirds and even native bees (which do not sting, BTW) to your garden,
then you want to plant more flowers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It’s as simple as that, really. And, if you like seeing flowers
blooming, then this is a win-win for you: Plant them and they will come!<o:p></o:p></div>
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While our East Coast friends are
blanketed in snow, their gardens asleep and requiring little care, here in
Southern California we are somewhat obligated to keep our front yards looking
tidy and vibrant--- all year long.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At
the same time, after working in the garden we can enjoy sitting back in our
favorite chair with a cold drink--- all year long.<o:p></o:p></div>
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To my mind, there is nothing more
rewarding than watching pollinators move about my garden.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It means that I have planted enough
nectar-rich native plants.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Butterflies,
hummingbirds, and native bees are all looking for nectar.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They zoom in on the splashes of color they
spy down below in your yard, and close in to see if they can feast at your
place today. I used to grow flowers just for the beauty and fragrance, but now
I’ve found that adding wildlife to the garden scene makes it all the more
interesting.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I recommend native plants and wildflower seeds. Why? Because native plants are naturally adapted to our climate, our soil, and our weather, so they require less water and little maintenance.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/goog_893862702"><img border="0" data-original-height="328" data-original-width="500" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDxMSKk2HZuZYTUfflYTslr2NUCxPNCaaOZqs40d0gHU3VOc__x06EuawZJdWWR_g5FxbNdKcy9Um7Y1dk47SCEhFvGZJihI2MGPQS30M6iU3i4y6bXGNOuuG_8VnLrDtdE1uj_mEFX0Yz/s400/How+to+Attract+Pollinators-1+6.14+hummingbird-salvia-alpine-500x328.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
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<b><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/goog_893862702">Costa's Hummingbird (<i>Calypte
costae)</i></a></span></b></div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/goog_893862702"><b><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">on<i> </i></span></b><b><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 14.2667px;">Alpine sage<i> (</i></span></b><b><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><i>Salvia clevelanddii) </i></span></b></a></div>
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<b><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/">Photo Courtesy of Las Pilitas
Nursery<i><o:p></o:p></i></a></span></b></div>
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<span id="goog_893862704"></span><br /><b>Attract Pollinators with Nectar Rich Wildflowers:</b> Native wildflower
seed mixes are a wonderful addition to your garden. They can be spread en masse
for a sweeping meadow look, even replacing your lawn entirely, or they can be
tucked into existing flower borders. An
interesting idea is to hand-sow wildflower seeds in pots or barrels and place
them in sunny locations. Their blooms
will be unique from the usual big box store flowers we see everywhere. <i>And the
pollinators will come</i>. For better
success, you need to sow local native wildflowers, rather than a generic mix meant
for the entire country. Native seed mixes are available for both Southern
California’s coastal areas and for inland areas.<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Attract Hummingbirds</b>: The hummingbirds will thank you over and over
again with repeat visits if you plant their beloved sage, aka Salvia.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Salvias are perennials that will stick around,
growing larger year after year, filling out a garden bed and adding more
flowers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span> While there are many
different varieties of sage, look for Hummingbird sage (Salvia spathacea) with
whorls of red flowers. Hummingbirds are attracted to these plants, with red
being their favorite color. Hummingbird sage can be grown in garden beds, as a
ground cover, or under trees.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimILWPU4Cnkcxz1CTn7xw4rm1EQ4-X0WjTeCgpCOEzrmWj64EHARNVJEcygGFSC5v3uPAX8SU5A0lPqzZyo4uwDLbXIflzP2ikxYxXAXbwvBcjTDh3jsmFr_kbquTxCx2q7pQ_Wcp3J7Od/s1600/DSC_0317+Monarch+in+Wintertime.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1060" data-original-width="1600" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimILWPU4Cnkcxz1CTn7xw4rm1EQ4-X0WjTeCgpCOEzrmWj64EHARNVJEcygGFSC5v3uPAX8SU5A0lPqzZyo4uwDLbXIflzP2ikxYxXAXbwvBcjTDh3jsmFr_kbquTxCx2q7pQ_Wcp3J7Od/s400/DSC_0317+Monarch+in+Wintertime.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-size: medium; text-align: start;"><span style="color: #7f7f7f; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 14.2667px;">Monarch butterfly </span></b><b style="font-size: medium; text-align: start;"><span style="background: white; color: #7f7f7f; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 14.2667px;">(<i>Danaus plexippus</i>)</span></b><b style="font-size: medium; text-align: start;"><span style="color: #7f7f7f; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 14.2667px;"> on <br />San Joaquin Willow Bush (</span></b><b style="font-size: medium; text-align: start;"><span style="color: #7f7f7f; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 14.2667px;">Salix gooddingii)</span></b><b style="font-size: medium; text-align: start;"><span style="color: #7f7f7f; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 14.2667px;">Location: Leo Carrillo State Park<br /> Photography by Kathy Vilim</span></b></td></tr>
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<b>Attract Monarch Butterflies</b>: We should all add milkweed plants to
our gardens for the monarch butterflies. I watch the monarchs sometimes on my
walks, flitting about my neighbors’ yards, looking for that splash of color
that means one thing: nectar, and looking for that special plant, the Milkweed (Ascelpias),
that is the only plant they can lay their eggs on to raise the next generation
(called a host plant). When the young
caterpillars emerge, they will devour the plant, consuming as many as 20 leaves
each; it will be their food and their safety until they emerge as
butterflies. So, plant milkweed for the youngsters
and a variety of nectar-rich flowers for the adults. (Important: Plant the variety of Milkweed (<i>Ascelpias</i>) that is native to your region
– NOT the Tropical Milkweed. For most of
us in Los Angeles, that would be the Narrow-Leaf Milkweed for coastal regions.)<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Attract Native Bees</b>: Having more bees in your yard is the answer to
a flourishing vegetable garden. Native (wild) bees do NOT sting, so don’t be
afraid to attract them. For an easy-to-grow bee magnet, plant the wonderfully
aromatic Rosemary plant. Did you know this herb helps improve memory retention?
Not remembering the past, but future-memory, remembering what you have planned
for tomorrow! Anything that helps me with my To-Do List is a welcome addition
to my garden.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Go Organic</b>:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One more important
thing to mention: Your garden will NOT support butterflies and other
pollinators if you are spraying chemicals. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Resources</b>: One source of native wildflower seeds is the Theodore
Payne Foundation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They also raise native
plants, like Salvia and Milkweed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span class="MsoHyperlink"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://store.theodorepayne.org/SFNT.html">http://store.theodorepayne.org/SFNT.html</a></i></span>.
For more resources on finding native plants, visit your local chapter of the
Native Plant Society <span class="MsoHyperlink"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.calscape.org/plant_nursery.php">http://www.calscape.org/plant_nursery.php</a></i></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #0070c0;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<br />Kat Vilimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00211353524750166645noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286967694596072397.post-90496341858048634752018-05-27T14:10:00.001-07:002018-05-28T09:55:30.964-07:00Recollections of Memorial Days Past<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRZM1UBQKuvu3IaPuD7EhXOSFuzzs05p7iEo5uwdi8Cip-OM1Ey2qvyb9cc7OYyU0dioaS0Y0vYFnXpt6DjKtS-PMPqcUGbHuLLs_aWRLtovF_Z0JVaWVKH8euxcUbe02m6r72YWs5Qu84/s1600/Topanga+Days+widget.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRZM1UBQKuvu3IaPuD7EhXOSFuzzs05p7iEo5uwdi8Cip-OM1Ey2qvyb9cc7OYyU0dioaS0Y0vYFnXpt6DjKtS-PMPqcUGbHuLLs_aWRLtovF_Z0JVaWVKH8euxcUbe02m6r72YWs5Qu84/s1600/Topanga+Days+widget.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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It is a gray cloudy morning with a chill in the air; we are having the typical beach weather called June Gloom. Today in the middle of Memorial Day Weekend 2018, I cannot help but remember Memorial Days that have gone before. Many times I'd gone down to Topanga Canyon Boulevard with my husband on Memorial Day morning to watch the <a href="https://topangadays.com/parade-photos/">Topanga Days Parade </a>put on by local businesses. (Topanga Canyon can be found in the Santa Monica Mountains, a town wedged in between Malibu and the San Fernando Valley, in the northwesterly part of Los Angeles County.)<br />
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On some years the weather would be just like it is today, cool and cloudy, while other years it would be very hot, with 90dg weather heating up early in the morning. One year it was so hot that kids in the parade were throwing water-filled balloons at the audience - and no one minded!<br />
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Then there were years when we wouldn't bother to walk down to the boulevard to watch the Topanga Days Parade. Instead, we would watch from our own deck atop the hill as firetrucks announced the start of the parade. The deck was always very breezy, and truthfully we needed binoculars to see much of anything!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizND38umi9YyUmOXrBmNkK2VTqleaYaVOAM-T1F2JF-LjgNYviAd3b80ly3c30L74CfhjCfqXGO0jtuMAySEAum2nv-1r4c6mm9ehxiblyl3z_QEeGrgA2W4bbpGjQz0GLfaIzOH4B7O5y/s1600/Green+Thumb+Nursery.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="310" data-original-width="594" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizND38umi9YyUmOXrBmNkK2VTqleaYaVOAM-T1F2JF-LjgNYviAd3b80ly3c30L74CfhjCfqXGO0jtuMAySEAum2nv-1r4c6mm9ehxiblyl3z_QEeGrgA2W4bbpGjQz0GLfaIzOH4B7O5y/s320/Green+Thumb+Nursery.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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One year my girlfriend asked me to meet her at <a href="http://www.greenthumb.com/">Green Thumb Nursery</a> in Canoga Park, California. That year the weather got up to 100 dgs in the San Fernando Valley. I thought I would die! How can she be looking at plants in the blazing sun? Sweat began to form on my neck, as I dashed for shade.<br />
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Nothing says Road Trip like the announcement that Memorial Day is just around the corner. I recall years when I was running a business, that it was impossible to reach customers on the phone. Everyone was so anxious to get away from their jobs that they would plan their vacations for the unofficial "Start of Summer."<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHXeK1k-4JZdhHCt4-vkUbxv3iPptDpv-Emo5zymL7Dg7PbHzjEXdkxZS1WN8sl3pMgxHmL8OwBt2C0mqLeQwDjMa2MeFSTgs-ejjNkgDZMeo259g7VCj97ZuuyZiXJnLiw1L8NyupLGBm/s1600/May+is+Wildflower+Month-4+DSCN6192-500x375.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHXeK1k-4JZdhHCt4-vkUbxv3iPptDpv-Emo5zymL7Dg7PbHzjEXdkxZS1WN8sl3pMgxHmL8OwBt2C0mqLeQwDjMa2MeFSTgs-ejjNkgDZMeo259g7VCj97ZuuyZiXJnLiw1L8NyupLGBm/s400/May+is+Wildflower+Month-4+DSCN6192-500x375.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">May Wildflowers of Topanga Canyon, Photo by Kathy Vilim</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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In Topanga Canyon I was perfectly content to be a hermit on the "First Day of Summer." I did not mind staying away from the <a href="http://topangadays.com/">Topanga Days Fair</a>, with its press of people. Likewise, I did not mind declining invites to barbecues, with some kind of meat sizzling on a grill.<br />
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Instead, I recall enjoying Memorial Days in the garden, listening to the live music from <a href="https://topangadays.com/band-lineup/">Topanga Days</a> that would waft up from across the canyon, from the hillside beyond. Many happy times were spent with a wine glass in hand listening to varying degrees of good rock -n roll music or reggae from my garden bench. My gaze softening as my mind mellowed, I would follow the movements of lizards across rock walls and wait for hummingbirds to notice the newly-filled, ruby red feeder.<br />
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As long as I had my music-filled garden and my hummingbird friends, I was happy to welcome in the unofficial First Day of Summer~<br />
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<br />Kat Vilimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00211353524750166645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286967694596072397.post-33890459253425446942018-05-17T12:34:00.000-07:002018-05-18T09:33:14.518-07:00April is the Month for Garden Tours<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLOAtkIbaxRThWXGegurgfkP6EITTTxHXymuTWpwJOdFvTy90GpgKKDpKOK-N0lT5rpDcvg2oUkLRC9w5HS-5kIM2VIKtuXn4LXxJ0itrQeEy7r2unMhSDyTI9NPd2nCkAEW7TbpWOyMWw/s1600/DSC_0380.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1060" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLOAtkIbaxRThWXGegurgfkP6EITTTxHXymuTWpwJOdFvTy90GpgKKDpKOK-N0lT5rpDcvg2oUkLRC9w5HS-5kIM2VIKtuXn4LXxJ0itrQeEy7r2unMhSDyTI9NPd2nCkAEW7TbpWOyMWw/s400/DSC_0380.JPG" width="263" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Manzanita bush off to the right is my favorite native plant in this grouping.</td></tr>
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April is the month for garden tours. All across North
America spring has sprung, and the excitement over new blooms is evident by the
number of garden tours and walks that can be found.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here on the West Coast there certainly have
been a plentiful group of gardens to visit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Some tours charge an entrance fee and the fees vary widely, but others
are FREE. I attended one such FREE garden tour on April 28th in Southern California,
the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">2018 Mar Vista Green Garden Showcase</i>.<o:p></o:p></div>
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This year the focus of the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">2018
Mar Vista Green Garden Showcase</i> was on sustainability.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> The garden tour</span> in Mar Vista was a self-guided tour and included gardens that were made up of native plants and other drought tolerant plants.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Visitors were given a map of homes that are practicing water-wise techniques. </span>On this user-friendly tour day, homeowners or
their landscapers were available to answer questions at each garden.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm07wliYT1kBHnd1r4H_140Ny2MzOCkQZnBlphSh27vwdssOVyWRgn_VkApnSGvkJgKj0gSarDui1_PJy_fIfHKewS02ki9KC9MvZK_JIocz-pFO-m1KnFlznU2kndSAmDszGQyOKCh1lW/s1600/DSC_0398.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1060" data-original-width="1600" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm07wliYT1kBHnd1r4H_140Ny2MzOCkQZnBlphSh27vwdssOVyWRgn_VkApnSGvkJgKj0gSarDui1_PJy_fIfHKewS02ki9KC9MvZK_JIocz-pFO-m1KnFlznU2kndSAmDszGQyOKCh1lW/s320/DSC_0398.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Raised beds are a water wise way to grow vegetables after a lawn removal.</td></tr>
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Besides native plant gardens, there were also vegetable
gardens and succulent gardens to visit. Again, with the focus being on
sustainability, some of the things folks wanted to know were: How can we reduce
our water consumption, and in the case of a vegetable garden, how can we still
create viable food gardens during a drought year? With the DWP offering
incentives for water-guzzling lawn removals, homeowners must decide what they
want to plant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(This popular DWP program
is being renewed in July.) <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Raised beds
in front yards are one answer to the lawn removal debate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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Most gardens on the Native Plant Garden Tour seemed to make
use of succulents for their drought-tolerance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But succulents are NOT California natives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most come from places like Africa, Australia
or China.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As a native plant enthusiast,
I wish the tour organizers would have done more to inform visitors of the
difference.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes, succulents will save
water and so are applauded by the DWP.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But going a step further by planting things that BELONG here, that are native/local
to Southern California, not the desert, would have been applauded by me.<o:p></o:p><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeNFVrDjM5EBl-fqcWlvcpkTwMD9jCRDp5tWMa-_oHNYu2dy4AO-9WeRFfwLo3atJPP1ZACYj99JEpUpdYlW-4vxlcQynVL_astSf_MKGe8F5fBk-pukFCy7ES4o_2n9vS_rOB3MCqJgq5/s1600/DSC_0377.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1060" data-original-width="1600" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeNFVrDjM5EBl-fqcWlvcpkTwMD9jCRDp5tWMa-_oHNYu2dy4AO-9WeRFfwLo3atJPP1ZACYj99JEpUpdYlW-4vxlcQynVL_astSf_MKGe8F5fBk-pukFCy7ES4o_2n9vS_rOB3MCqJgq5/s320/DSC_0377.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Succulents are not native plants but are drought tolerant and create a distinctive look.</td></tr>
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Most people would ask: What’s the difference between natives
and succulents? If both are drought tolerant, who cares?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For an answer to that, I would urge people to
pick up a book like <a href="http://www.bringingnaturehome.net/">Douglas Tallamy’s “Bringing Nature Home.</a>”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In it he describes the intricate connection
between the microbes in the soil, the insects, and the birds who eat the
insects.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are all part of an
ecosystem, a food network that existed long before Los Angeles was developed
and covered over in green lawns and gray asphalt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Succulents, while adding a distinctive look,
do not contribute to the healthy network of native wildlife like native plants
do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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Yet and still, the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">2018
Mar Vista Green Garden Showcase</i> offered a wonderful opportunity for folks
to get out and enjoy the April sunshine, meet like-minded folks, and learn water-wise
tips.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I only wish April came around more
often.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Kat Vilimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00211353524750166645noreply@blogger.com0Mar Vista, Los Angeles, CA, USA34.0152567 -118.4338344999999933.962608200000005 -118.51451549999999 34.0679052 -118.35315349999999tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286967694596072397.post-29540095890239928612018-01-21T16:24:00.001-08:002018-01-22T13:28:49.101-08:00Lovely Manzanita<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/plants/349--arctostaphylos-baby-bear-manzanita-bush" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt=" Arctostaphylos_Baby_Bear_Manzanita_Bush-2" border="0" data-original-height="525" data-original-width="700" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAogk7rNWS3_sQdbQQCpeuWlf1G8BF8EsIJYjRmfsQ7Pee0U6ui7TfWPKt-5E-ePxxJwskXKc2qssGPL4nxzOpl_tky6D1yt1QvCa_rM0IIkmxPyBKhPW5E5lWloM-_Hs4iQhp3_niiniL/s400/Arctostaphylos_Baby_Bear_Manzanita_Bush-2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Arctostaphylos, Baby Bear Manzanita Bush, <br />Photo Credit: Las Pilitas Nursery, Santa Margarita, California</span></td></tr>
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The lovely Manzanita <span style="background-color: #fffffc; color: #414141; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">(</span><em style="background-color: #fffffc; color: #414141; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">Arctostaphylos</em><span style="background-color: #fffffc; color: #414141; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"> species) </span>with its delicate pink urn-shaped flowers in spring hardly seems like a tough, fire-resistant plant. But in fact this small tree is a survivor. If a wildfire were to come through your garden or the hillsides behind your house, you would be glad Manzanita was planted there.<br />
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Manzanita has a deep crimson bark that is very dense, strong and heavy. In a fire, the wood would be slow to burn, but burn it would. Still, the plant would not burn to the ground; instead, a basal stump would remain for new growth to branch out in the next rains.<br />
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Manzanita is a California plant, native to chaparral and soft-scrub ecosystemsm of areas such as the coastal Santa Monica Mtns. There are many varieties of Manzanita, and they can be found growing wild from San Diego north to Carmel.<br />
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Not all Manzanitas are as equal, when it comes to fire resistance. Small bushes, in general, are best. One of the recommended Manzanitas for fire resistance is this one: <i style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">Arctostaphylos</i><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">Baby Bear Manzanita Bush. Baby Bear grows to about 6ft tall and 6ft wide. It is drought-tolerant in Coastal California.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilSZ2C7yY2A9Iw60l7dCF6QF8QkzMa1dPAxwA2Z-A6zMSPnTvx6Aq1LlA9eGaP1UbEg5JX5_hN2psmtQiL_ApLsj7CJW0xHteH-97NbWNzd8mwpiHctPW0LSFMQfs5_y6XDHj5x6oN08N2/s1600/Anna%2527s-3+arctostaphylos-ian-bush-manzanita1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="184" data-original-width="230" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilSZ2C7yY2A9Iw60l7dCF6QF8QkzMa1dPAxwA2Z-A6zMSPnTvx6Aq1LlA9eGaP1UbEg5JX5_hN2psmtQiL_ApLsj7CJW0xHteH-97NbWNzd8mwpiHctPW0LSFMQfs5_y6XDHj5x6oN08N2/s400/Anna%2527s-3+arctostaphylos-ian-bush-manzanita1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Anna's Hummingbird on Arctostaphylos, Baby Bear Manzanita Bush</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Photo Credit: Las Pilitas Nursery, Santa Margarita, California</span></td></tr>
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Manzanita is a favorite of pollinators, attracting hummingbirds, butterflies, moths and bees with its spring blooms. Plant Manzanita in a bird garden, and let the birds enjoy the fruit.<br />
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Manzanita can fit into any size garden. Each plant has its own unique shape, making it a work of art in the garden. Manzanita come in many shapes and sizes, from trees and bushes to groundcovers! They make graceful specimen plants or can be pruned into hedges.<br />
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For myself, I love walking through the fog and seeing Manzanita sentinels standing out along the pathways~ May they always grace the coast of California.<br />
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You can <b>read more</b> of this Series, starting with: <a href="https://canativegardener.blogspot.com/2017/12/gardening-in-line-of-fire.html">Gardening in the Line of Fire</a><br />
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<br />Kat Vilimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00211353524750166645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286967694596072397.post-80472199581578717642018-01-13T12:20:00.000-08:002018-01-13T12:20:27.796-08:00Resolutions Become Memories<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhREKoSbK4C3ysezIttWl1Kv3ej3P6Kk4tNmoaQWssj39DQhSzhhTOoEcBvOCJK7FZm1LwFN5o7GJDYcWfBLOmY88o6aAwcT-geWmZLcl9_FA5MWzNnXLkwY09hVEXXrC07pl_W86JJRENZ/s1600/DSC_0343.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1060" data-original-width="1600" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhREKoSbK4C3ysezIttWl1Kv3ej3P6Kk4tNmoaQWssj39DQhSzhhTOoEcBvOCJK7FZm1LwFN5o7GJDYcWfBLOmY88o6aAwcT-geWmZLcl9_FA5MWzNnXLkwY09hVEXXrC07pl_W86JJRENZ/s400/DSC_0343.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Morton Arboretum, Lisle, Illinois, October, 2017<br />Photo by Kathy Vilim</td></tr>
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'Tis the time of year for Resolutions. Actually, by now all resolutions should be in place. I am not one to make resolutions usually, but last year Jan. 2017 I made a big one: I resolved to get back to Chicago to see my aging parents. I hadn't been back for 10 years! Things get busy and time flies by. But I decided to make this happen! Guess what: my best memories of 2017 took place back on that vacation.<br />
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My happiest moment of 2017 and the scene that sticks in my mind is this one: Sitting in the car with my father, together listening to Ravel's "Daphnis and Chloe", watching yellow autumn leaves blow across the driveway. Then, it starts to rain. Yellow leaves began sticking to the windshield. It was a heavenly moment with my father and all of my favorite things: Ravel, autumn leaves and rain!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXFQaxF2TbBPUfbZ-9Ovw8EvsgvQqFWaGTx8cQ_j6KCGLF4pLwSyqNi1Pcqa_doQjyrG-vDOejKJpqCdoM8fWW8_ps6DB5c6Wc7zTswVUyVm1eN1Hd-1npCECLoIlRDnmuwQyq1oB0u8S1/s1600/DSC_0365.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1060" data-original-width="1600" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXFQaxF2TbBPUfbZ-9Ovw8EvsgvQqFWaGTx8cQ_j6KCGLF4pLwSyqNi1Pcqa_doQjyrG-vDOejKJpqCdoM8fWW8_ps6DB5c6Wc7zTswVUyVm1eN1Hd-1npCECLoIlRDnmuwQyq1oB0u8S1/s400/DSC_0365.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Deciduous Forest of Illinois, Photo by Kathy Vilim</td></tr>
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There were other happy moments on my vacation, as well, like looking out of my brother's patio door, and hearing the distinctive pitter patter of... is that rain? Yes! And it was the first rain I'd seen all year living now as I do in drought-stricken Southern California. The rain began softly but steadily and continued for hours, growing louder as time went on, bringing with it the familiar smell that told me I was back home in Illinois.<br />
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Then there was a walk through the woods, down a trail through a forest of deciduous trees with their yellow leaves. Ah, I thought, now THIS is familiar, not just visually, but the smell of the forest, the closeness of the trees on either side of the trail. The trail went on, turning this way and that, and I had no way of knowing where it led. I just followed it, deep in thought, crunching leaves underfoot as I did so, with my father. <br />
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I remember thinking to myself: My father is still with me! Here with me right now. After 10 years I am walking next to him and talking to him. <u>And it seemed as if it were just yesterday that I'd been with my mom & dad. It was as if all those years away never existed</u>. I thought I missed my aging parents, but at that moment I realized just how much. And how much I missed the whole place, my home where I grew up in Illinois, and the prairies with their tall, swaying grass turning brown and golden.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIlP5not3ITlo4qmicqjNMcwJGAhiDnH25-7QVgNnX2pZCH-N1uhHX_fzF5HjbfYUZq8iwtYI4HQJ2Bw37iws4PoRtDyzSMRCN5l1ydeu2fmkhrIRILvuEOpgm6MZ01cOFHTIEz_kZKyHK/s1600/DSC_0272.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1060" data-original-width="1600" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIlP5not3ITlo4qmicqjNMcwJGAhiDnH25-7QVgNnX2pZCH-N1uhHX_fzF5HjbfYUZq8iwtYI4HQJ2Bw37iws4PoRtDyzSMRCN5l1ydeu2fmkhrIRILvuEOpgm6MZ01cOFHTIEz_kZKyHK/s400/DSC_0272.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Naperville River Walk, Photo by Kathy Vilim</td></tr>
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Just now, I hear seagulls crying out, as if to say, "Don't forget us! You'll hear no more of us back there!" Chiding me. Yes, it's true, I do love to wake up to the sound of seagulls...<br />
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Yes, life happens while we are busy making other plans. So, if a visit to your aging parents is in order, I encourage you to make a Resolution to see them. I think you will be glad you did.<br />
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Happy New Year's Resolutions!<br />
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<br />Kat Vilimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00211353524750166645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286967694596072397.post-27277211429079606722017-12-21T14:26:00.000-08:002017-12-21T14:26:00.261-08:00'Shrooms from Santa Claus on the Winter Solstice<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1g_p6SL1v3FjoUNzrLOJw8v4gTIh6QMWmKF5CyjkCGxxww_m__-ElpJ8cwFSVPQz6uELXmZYPuKCQNOSmzEDhG0sJbJ1yyJZwAiIRlmXMyKsWvf1DHsi7acB5Iyi8Db9QeEopN1eHdug1/s1600/santa-claus-mushrooms-h.jpg.838x0_q80.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="295" data-original-width="838" height="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1g_p6SL1v3FjoUNzrLOJw8v4gTIh6QMWmKF5CyjkCGxxww_m__-ElpJ8cwFSVPQz6uELXmZYPuKCQNOSmzEDhG0sJbJ1yyJZwAiIRlmXMyKsWvf1DHsi7acB5Iyi8Db9QeEopN1eHdug1/s400/santa-claus-mushrooms-h.jpg.838x0_q80.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Santa's distinctive style has drawn comparisons to 17th-century Siberian shamans. <br />(Illustration: Yumiyumi/Shutterstock)</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Have you ever wondered where the Story of Santa Claus came from?</b> Me too. Then, looking at Mother Nature Network News the other day, a story by Russell McLendon caught my eye, "7 mind-bending facts about Magic Mushrooms."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Apparently, there are magic "</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 16px;">muscimol" </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">mushrooms found all over the world. There are also religious shamans all over the world. In Siberia, the variety of mushrooms ingested by shamans is </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 16px;"><i>Amanita muscaria</i>. And these 'shrooms help the shamans commune with the spirit world. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 16px;"><b>What's this got to do with Santa?</b> Well, each year</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 16px;">on the Winter Solstice (December 21st), b</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 16px;">eginning as far back as the 1600s, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 16px;">the Shamans of Siberia began an annual custom. They would gather magic mushrooms, dry them, and go out into the neighborhood to give them to the villagers as gifts. The Shamans' custom was to dress up in costumes that resembled the mushrooms... red with white trim. They would take their reindeers with them and climb up onto the rooftops to enter the houses though specially-made openings, since the front doors were snowed in all winter long, and so unusable. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 16px;">The Shamans' reindeers also ingested the mushrooms frequently, by simply foraging in the woods where they are plentiful. In an altered state, Shamans enjoyed being able to communicate with the reindeers' spirits. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="background-color: white;">Considering the <span style="font-size: 16px;">hallucinogenic</span> properties of </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 16px;"><i>Amanita muscaria</i>, is it any wonder folks started seeing reindeers flying from the rooftops with a plump man in a red suit carrying gifts on wintery Christmas nights?</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">So, the next time you look up in the sky on a winter's night and recall the Santa Claus story, you are going to remember the Siberian shamans' magic mushrooms and think: makes as much sense as anything else!</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">Enjoy your Winter Solstice today, shortest day of this year. </span><br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;"><i>And to read McLendon's wonderful complete story, visit: https://www.mnn.com/health/fitness-well-being/blogs/facts-about-magic-mushrooms. </i></span><br />
<br />Kat Vilimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00211353524750166645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286967694596072397.post-89515259039110177932017-12-18T12:41:00.000-08:002017-12-18T12:42:00.044-08:00Bringing Nature Indoors for the Holidays<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWcIbNVm3RWkTvsCoC28HeLG6OJ7P_pbj81jPRzx5H41wxB-eQxSEHIKYU01UveWDjuh605zVUGSzCQFSyR2EM49Nvf90Fg94TXJ_r1Z5bOXO963f3sxWJlqiaqOAWEckWVWYSoAp0SNyG/s1600/toyon+berry+wreath%252C+napa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="550" data-original-width="550" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWcIbNVm3RWkTvsCoC28HeLG6OJ7P_pbj81jPRzx5H41wxB-eQxSEHIKYU01UveWDjuh605zVUGSzCQFSyR2EM49Nvf90Fg94TXJ_r1Z5bOXO963f3sxWJlqiaqOAWEckWVWYSoAp0SNyG/s320/toyon+berry+wreath%252C+napa.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;">Holiday Wreath with
Red Toyon Berries <em><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">(Heteromeles arbutifolia)</span></em>, </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Photo Credit: UC Master Gardeners of Napa County</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Bringing Nature Indoors for the Holidays</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Nothing makes the holidays
like decorating and entertaining. The
winter holidays deserve something special that can only be found by bringing
nature inside from <i>your</i> garden. For me, I find great joy from using the bits
of nature that I find right outside my doorstep in my decorating: pine cones,
sea shells, acorns, even air plants can be moved inside when temps turn
cool. These pieces of nature are like
art, each one truly unique. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">I get such joy from sharing
my garden with my family and friends as we sit at the table and move around the
house. Table place settings, fireplace mantels, decorating candles, making
wreaths --- all can be made special and unique with <i>your own personal garden</i> finds.
If you do not have a garden, a walk through a forest or a walk along a
seashore can produce unique nature-inspired finds, as well.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">The Wreath<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">My favorite holiday ornament
is the wreath that hangs on the front door: it is like a Welcome Mat to the
Christmas Season. It gives me great
pleasure to make this out of found garden objects. Here is a simple “how to” wreath you can try:<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<u><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Things Needed:<o:p></o:p></span></u></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Metal wreath shape from art
store<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Thin wire<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Clippers<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Nail or hook longer than the
wreath is deep<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Green Pine needles<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Ribbons or yarn<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">A special ornament<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Red Toyon berries.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<u><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Instructions:<o:p></o:p></span></u></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Find young pine tree
branches. Clip them to about 12”. Weave branches through metal frame. Secure
with thin wire. Add berries, esp red or blue, and secure with fine steel
string. (Look for red berries from Toyon bushes; they are the native plant of
Los Angeles.) Add at the bottom of the wreath a pine cone and a favorite
ornament. Secure with a ribbon or, my
favorite, white yarn (stands out nicely against the greenery). Tiny extra “balls can be added. Or
ball-shaped fruit, such as tiny apples or oranges can be substituted. Don’t worry about flocking! Just hang on the door with a big nail. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzovPAoiZocwokeMqfyMInC_w_p8Sf4_lgxu-aTFYYmpf41k5JmG7gZkxuapBpqibotSFL-iJh5aam-kUsSoxjHCfpIDqfHRVzUVX5j7ibaqaYPLrMdhEhbt95oEDyppsPJ482J7yYTwIB/s1600/DIY-christmas-table-decorations-centerpiece-apieceofrainbow-9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="454" data-original-width="680" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzovPAoiZocwokeMqfyMInC_w_p8Sf4_lgxu-aTFYYmpf41k5JmG7gZkxuapBpqibotSFL-iJh5aam-kUsSoxjHCfpIDqfHRVzUVX5j7ibaqaYPLrMdhEhbt95oEDyppsPJ482J7yYTwIB/s320/DIY-christmas-table-decorations-centerpiece-apieceofrainbow-9.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.apieceofrainbow.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/DIY-christmas-table-decorations-centerpiece-apieceofrainbow-9.jpg" style="font-size: medium; text-align: start;">Photo Credit, via A Piece of the Rainbow, Ananda</a></td></tr>
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<u><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Tableside</span></u><br />
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">The same sort of wreath can
be used at your table around a candle.
Select a smaller wire frame and twist pine branches onto it. Decorate with shiny balls but also bits of
the garden, esp the red berries. In California, these would be Toyon.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
Kat Vilimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00211353524750166645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286967694596072397.post-52658867066819381092017-12-12T15:06:00.000-08:002018-01-19T14:38:36.466-08:00Gardening In the Line of Fire<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH8boeMuHf9LQHIM8k2Thd8MRUf7lV1MEQ7FaeCzFrXvamGRUXpgzM9TO8wokOt5lKAkcPaSOc2ZZot_Ej5_1AVmMvJIqQQtb_rRLBqz4_FEhPYrMvwtQhnDlqsmNwuwjk7ZwloVV4JPwo/s1600/Autumn+Welcomes+Manzanita-1+Arctostaphylos_lester.jpg-Gillialand-500x375.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="375" data-original-width="500" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH8boeMuHf9LQHIM8k2Thd8MRUf7lV1MEQ7FaeCzFrXvamGRUXpgzM9TO8wokOt5lKAkcPaSOc2ZZot_Ej5_1AVmMvJIqQQtb_rRLBqz4_FEhPYrMvwtQhnDlqsmNwuwjk7ZwloVV4JPwo/s320/Autumn+Welcomes+Manzanita-1+Arctostaphylos_lester.jpg-Gillialand-500x375.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #783f04; font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><i>Manzanita's </i>spring blossoms, of the Genus <i style="background-color: white; text-align: start;">Arctostaphylos</i></span></td></tr>
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<b><span style="color: #783f04;">December 4, 2017: California seems to be on fire. Everywhere.</span></b> It started last week when Santa Ana winds stirred up a wildfire in Ventura, California, just to the north of Los Angeles County. I was on my way up to Santa Monica to take care of some business at the courthouse there. Everyone was talking about the fires. It was a warm, dry day, more like summertime than Christmastime. The sky was hazy and girls passed by with masks over their faces, so as not to breathe in too much ash and particulates. The golden sun took on a new color. It was just the beginning of what would become the week ahead.<br />
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<span style="color: #783f04;"><b>My car radio was alive with chatter about how this was not the fire season:</b></span> It is too late in the year and fires are supposed to be over. "Newbies" to Los Angeles had to call into the radio station to put in their "two cents," annoying me with how they know all about living in LA. "This is what it's like living in LA: you never know when there might be a fire and we are always living with this danger..." much like folks back East live with tornadoes or hurricanes or ice storms. I suppose that's what they meant. I wanted to call in and say, "No. This NOT normal for Los Angeles."<br />
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<span style="color: #783f04;"><b>For one thing, we are in our </b></span><b><span style="color: #783f04;">6th year of drought.</span></b> Nothing is normal now. The trees are stressed. Aluminum has been sprayed on us day in and day out for weather modification... Ah, but that is a subject for another post.<br />
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As the car radio droned on, <span style="color: #783f04;"><b>I started thinking about the backyard gardeners</b></span> in Southern California. We all spend much time and money planning our landscapes: shopping for the right plants, learning where to place them, and how to care for them. Then, should a fire appear out of nowhere and strike our neighborhood, causing evacuations, we have to leave our gardens behind. <span style="color: #783f04;"><b>When we leave our houses, we leave our gardens, too. </b></span>And we don't know what we will come back to.<br />
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What a terrible feeling that is! Even if the insurance companies reimburse you for your house, <span style="color: #783f04;"><b>how do you replace the garden? </b></span> All that love and careful nurturing of your plants: they are like friends that cannot be replaced. The only choice is to start over. You assess the damages, decide what to keep and what cannot be saved, and you move on. And that takes time and money.<br />
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So, now we come to why I am writing this blog post. <b><span style="color: #783f04;">There are things you CAN do to mitigate the destructive effects of wildfires on your garden and make the new garden stronger.</span></b> With a little bit of research, you can make your new garden even more fire resistant! I suggest you start with taking a look at which plants you choose to put in.<br />
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<span style="color: #783f04;"><b>In Southern California there are native plants that are fire resistant and plants that are fire tolerant.</b></span> There are a good many varieties of plants to choose from. You do not have to go with strickly a "cactus and succulent" garden if you don't want to. I want to introduce you to some of the native plants I know of that would work well in your new garden. Like the lovely <span style="color: #783f04;"><b><i>Manzanita</i></b></span>~ If you had a garden full of <span style="color: #783f04;"><b><i>Manzanita</i></b></span>, they would survive fires. Yes, they still burn, but they do not die. Instead, they grow back from a basal stump and eventually return to their enchanting pre-fire forms, producing sweet pink blossoms in spring that pollinators so enjoy.<br />
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After a fire, your garden will be void of much brush; it may look like <span style="color: #783f04;"><b>a whole new palette to paint on</b></span>. So rather than fill it with more plants that would be destroyed if wildfires should come again, <span style="color: #783f04;"><b>consider using native plants that stand up to fire, plants that will be with you for a lifetime</b></span>. It will make coming home after an evacuation that much less stressful. Your favorite plants might be charred and blackened. They might be smaller versions of their former selves. But they will continue to grow. And the wildlife that called them home will return, too. They will put out seeds that native birds rely on. <span style="color: #783f04;"><b>The ecosystem will continue to thrive, and your garden will be reborn!</b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #783f04;"><b>Remember, plant fire resiliant and fire tolerant native plants.</b><i> </i></span>Look them up. Research your options. I will post some great native choices in upcoming blog posts for you. Because, I am a Southern California gardener, too. I have lived in the chaparral & soft-scrub areas of the Santa Monica Mountains for most of my adult life. And I have seen what wildfires can do. I am no "newbie" to this place. And I am here to tell you, you can be strong. <b><span style="color: #783f04;">You can create a better and stronger garden that will last you a lifetime~ </span></b><br />
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<br />Kat Vilimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00211353524750166645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286967694596072397.post-81723309610078683212017-12-08T10:59:00.000-08:002017-12-08T10:59:22.938-08:00Toyon, Hollywood's Native Christmas Berry Bush<div class="MsoNormal">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd_hynxRmsTeNarpaUqMo94cvJ0jY8dvFCDUd8SXBdpNNMrSOtUoo-LIc9I-rjnID5TjY01cBCDt4rqQRJqArQekTIhVSxU6wIj9zRGKFN9czKpEKMMR04Po5j01Kzak5hKxu9iWRZodjl/s1600/CSC_0263.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1060" data-original-width="1600" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd_hynxRmsTeNarpaUqMo94cvJ0jY8dvFCDUd8SXBdpNNMrSOtUoo-LIc9I-rjnID5TjY01cBCDt4rqQRJqArQekTIhVSxU6wIj9zRGKFN9czKpEKMMR04Po5j01Kzak5hKxu9iWRZodjl/s320/CSC_0263.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: small;"><b>Toyon Bush, <i>Heteromeles arbutifolia</i>, <br />Santa Monica Mtns, Photo by Kathy Vilim</b></span></td></tr>
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<b style="font-size: 14pt;">Ever wonder how Hollywood got its name? </b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">The Toyon
bush, </span><i><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Heteromeles arbutifolia</span></i><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">, is a drought tolerant perennial
shrub native to chaparral regions of California (such as the Santa Monica
Mountains). Toyon has long been beloved by
Californians, especially during the month of December when it produces glossy
red berries in profuse clusters. </span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">The shrub resembles
another winter evergreen found back East, European Holly, <i>Ilex aquifolium</i>, which is frequently
used in Yuletide decorations for its red berries.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">It has been said that the Hollywood Hills were once covered in Toyon bushes. Even before
Hollywood’s development back in the 1920's, women would collect Toyon holly branches
and pick the berries to decorate for Christmas. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">After so much berry picking, the State of California
passed a law against “collecting p</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;">lants on public land or land not owned by the
person picking the plant without the landowner’s written permission” lest the
plants get picked out.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Some say
this is how Hollywood got its name. Others
say this is not true, that the story is just a romantic notion, and that the
name Hollywood was simply chosen by a woman friend of the developers who named it after an Ohio town. Originally, the development was called Hollywood Land.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Romantic notion or not, the Hollywood hills could still be covered in Toyon bushes with their red berries in winter, and their red berries can still be used in decorating, especially pretty contrasting with green pine needles in wreaths.</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpGpEThhdJ0QG1e6vn6E_8mEq4IpsipMQbe4jg6z5OGVHcqONS2EDUqQyRs59GAQusW5ndn8R-pno2AnCTdJt71gBEJlRawgq5YDmvAh_Jovix2xlyXeN_yS7QeZu_AsZQ2hnspv0tnncs/s1600/toyon+berry+wreath%252C+napa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="550" data-original-width="550" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpGpEThhdJ0QG1e6vn6E_8mEq4IpsipMQbe4jg6z5OGVHcqONS2EDUqQyRs59GAQusW5ndn8R-pno2AnCTdJt71gBEJlRawgq5YDmvAh_Jovix2xlyXeN_yS7QeZu_AsZQ2hnspv0tnncs/s320/toyon+berry+wreath%252C+napa.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">The name "Toyon" is in fact the Native American name for the bush, given
by the </span><span style="background: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">Ohlone
people, and is still the name used today.</span><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"> The native
people, including the Chumash and Tongva, used the wild, edible berries (tomes) for
food, despite their containing glycosides, which</span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;"> would be largely removed by cooking. </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The berries would be made into jelly, or they would be dried and stored
for later use in porridge or pancakes. Toyon leaves were used as a tea for
upset stomachs. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">On April 17, 2012 Los Angeles chose the Toyon bush as the City’s <i><b>official native plant.</b></i> The Toyon earned this distinctive status by having such a long and colorful history in Hollywood going back to the City’s founding. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Toyon (<i>Heteromeles <span style="background: white;">arbutifolia</span></i>) is a
native plant that is drought tolerant once established. It will accept some garden
water if drainage is good, tolerates adobe soil, but also lives in beach sand. Toyon
likes full sun, but tolerates full shade and is fire-resistant if irrigated in
summer. It grows easily to 8ft, but can be pruned as desired or to 15ft when
left in the wild.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">These native plants have wildlife value: The fruit provides food for our local birds, including mockingbirds, robins, and cedar waxwings.</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Bears and coyotes eat the berries and spread them, and in the spring Toyon’s white flowers are beloved by bees and butterflies.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">So, if you
are looking to add new native bushes to your yard, Toyon is a wonderful choice
for humans and wildlife alike. And a great Holiday Gift to the birds!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Kat Vilimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00211353524750166645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286967694596072397.post-80147282621688466872017-11-21T12:44:00.000-08:002017-11-22T16:12:43.216-08:00Six Smart Reasons to Leave the Autumn Leaves<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Six Smart Reasons to
Leave the Autumn Leaves<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Autumn is
in full swing. No matter where you live in North America, gardeners are
watching leaves falling as temperatures cool. Even if you don’t have a
deciduous forest in your backyard, you still have bare tree branches, bushes
going dormant, perennial plants dying back, and lawns turning brown. You can’t leave all the leaves on the lawn;
that wouldn’t make for a healthy lawn come spring. But, you don’t have to rake up every single
leaf and over-tidy the garden. And you don’t want to send those raked up leaves
to the dumpster either. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">There are plenty of reasons not to over-tidy when preparing
your garden for winter, and here are (6) of them:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; text-indent: -0.25in;"><b>1.<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></b></span><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Create Winter Landscape Interest</span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbjmwd9GerDhfHuey1lrD_miE_W1IywNH1v9zF0A-2cXP7X1lm3nZzxdKPIiDMRvMd1uGhCFwVOtdwFLwUnKOcA-e0OA_EGW6Ch2twWLLpdXUw15QXdHkiiJ_APVuVdhrg3OTI2RBIDxAk/s1600/Winter-Scene-Sedum-and-Pennisetum_Susan-Martin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="752" data-original-width="661" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbjmwd9GerDhfHuey1lrD_miE_W1IywNH1v9zF0A-2cXP7X1lm3nZzxdKPIiDMRvMd1uGhCFwVOtdwFLwUnKOcA-e0OA_EGW6Ch2twWLLpdXUw15QXdHkiiJ_APVuVdhrg3OTI2RBIDxAk/s320/Winter-Scene-Sedum-and-Pennisetum_Susan-Martin.jpg" width="281" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">When you look out on your backyard on a
winter’s day, the expanse of white landscape need not be bleak. Instead it can
be wonderfully serene, still, and punctuated by the appearance of seedpods left
standing. Sedums are some of those plants that add visual interest, as well as
tall grasses, and even the dried brown seeds on bushes such as lilacs. Fallen
tree branches and hollow logs that stand out like dark sentinels against the
white, can leave us to wondering as we gaze out our windows what wildlife might
be hunkered down for protection there.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-indent: -24px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">2.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></b><b style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-indent: -24px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Consider Wildlife</span></b></span></div>
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<a href="https://womanseyeview.me/2016/03/26/simple-solutions-and-happy-dances/icy-seedheads/"><span style="color: #990000;">Ice Covered Berries, Photo from womanseyeview.me</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">There are beneficial insects, such as bees,
butterflies and ladybugs, that need to overwinter in your yard, sometimes in
the very leaf litter you were about to rake up and throw away. More and more
gardeners are becoming aware that their yards are home to an entire world of critters
besides themselves. The web of life is interwoven on so many levels, with
insects relying on protection during cold winter months in the thickets of
snow-covered branches, in hollowed logs, under the lowest branches of bushes,
or even under peeling bark high up in tall trees. Some of these insects provide
essential food for birds in the wintertime when insects are scarce.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Native bees are among those insects seeking
protection. Some spend the winter as larvae burrowed into the ground. Others
hide in the stems of grasses or inside tree hollows. Then there are pest-eating
insects like ladybugs, who hibernate in the winter. If you leave them a comfortable
place to sleep, they will be there for you first thing in spring when they can
go to work right away policing your garden for pests.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Not all butterflies migrate to warmer
climes in winter, and those that stay can hide in leaf clutter that the
responsible gardener has thoughtfully left alone. Some survive as caterpillars
hidden in their host plants; they will stay hidden there until spring comes to
warm them up. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">You can see how fragile the web of life is
out there in your backyard, and how we must be very vigilant not to destroy it,
for the continued health of the garden. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></b>
<b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">3.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></b><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Making Homes for Bird Friends</span></b><br />
<b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrhZ8rIXqik52nMS-acmutt-LCgSRjay4tDOnIXpZxCEW8wKK0fpJH6_q5HH_1Je8ba3KIR5h_AVplNccU3R75uxGs2eH1rl8ZpNRww7QYOS2r500xvkka4cr7bxQMq_HTiwCt0via-qWr/s1600/Eastern-Bluebirds-in-the-Snow-530x353.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="353" data-original-width="530" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrhZ8rIXqik52nMS-acmutt-LCgSRjay4tDOnIXpZxCEW8wKK0fpJH6_q5HH_1Je8ba3KIR5h_AVplNccU3R75uxGs2eH1rl8ZpNRww7QYOS2r500xvkka4cr7bxQMq_HTiwCt0via-qWr/s400/Eastern-Bluebirds-in-the-Snow-530x353.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-size: small;">Eastern Bluebirds in the Snow</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Of all the birds that have visited your
feeders throughout the year, some do not migrate south. Instead they choose to stay on and make a go
of it. They find refuge in tree cavities and under bushes, eating winter
berries and what insects they can find. Some birds are insect-eating birds that
cannot survive on feeder seeds alone. Gardeners welcome <span style="background: white; color: #331815; line-height: 107%;">wrens, nuthatches, pheobes, bluebirds, titmice, as they
consume many of the insects and caterpillar pests that would otherwise wreak
havoc on your spring garden. These birds can find insects hibernating in the
natural habitat you have left for them by not tidying up too much.</span></span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></b>
<b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">4.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></b><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Caring for the Rose and Perennial Gardens</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">A heavy layer of leaf mulch is a perfect
way to protect roses from freezing temps. Snow is a great insulation, keeping
perennial beds sheltered from frigid, biting winds that would harm soft
perennial plants. If you live in an area
that freezes but gets little to no snow, it is especially important to have
leaf mulch to pack into your garden beds. Caution: Some perennials will suffer
from rot if too much leaf litter is piled up against them, so be aware of which
plants you are mulching.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b> 5.<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></b><b>Saving Essential Nutrients for Next Year’s
Lawn<o:p></o:p></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="https://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/2943b60bae114e091f34ad15b2fc74455831949d/c=216-0-3683-2600&r=x404&c=534x401/local/-/media/Salem/2014/12/15/B9315515535Z.1_20141215210812_000_G449DVSRO.1-0.jpg"><img border="0" data-original-height="401" data-original-width="534" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0aeS3uzU1Q-VC4CnzSqUpzZmu9dSqCU4QSoOvcHgV6r7waDGfzf8JvC14SJKd7kX2noBdSeco1rJqRBi5H4QLcjmlGJ6YcB8V1Zv7PaRfAZz4EOHNmjBaLIYRu6vZAxY0MlZYaDjmkmBp/s320/Dirt%252C+B9315515535Z.1_20141215210812_000_G449DVSRO.1-0.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/2943b60bae114e091f34ad15b2fc74455831949d/c=216-0-3683-2600&r=x404&c=534x401/local/-/media/Salem/2014/12/15/B9315515535Z.1_20141215210812_000_G449DVSRO.1-0.jpg"><span style="color: #990000;">Photo AP</span></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Your lawn can benefit from the many nutrients
found in that leaf litter, as well. So, too, can the rest of your garden. Leaf mulch also cuts down on weeds and stabilizes soil temperatures. To do
this, instead of raking up leaves, run them over with your lawnmower and save
them in piles. You can store them in plastic bags or bins made of chicken wire.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b> 6.<span style="font-stretch: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></b><b>Planning the Spring Vegetable Garden<o:p></o:p></b></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzKYqpCDecaOh24GJtyP9ieTGhhM4g_rprkqLPCKWujL7isHOzHMNvV-mfQCksBVVJjjTpC3btlg1NV3ndAj9Q_U3muxeDWb3D1x49jj6CZ_qpmcEXOoTGOa1jkp2IOLQC9vgMRXlmayxs/s1600/635826959153490686-SALBrd-02-27-2015-RealLiving-1-E001-2015-02-26-IMG-mulch-1-1-PAA20B84-L569812326-IMG-mulch-1-1-PAA20B84.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="401" data-original-width="534" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzKYqpCDecaOh24GJtyP9ieTGhhM4g_rprkqLPCKWujL7isHOzHMNvV-mfQCksBVVJjjTpC3btlg1NV3ndAj9Q_U3muxeDWb3D1x49jj6CZ_qpmcEXOoTGOa1jkp2IOLQC9vgMRXlmayxs/s400/635826959153490686-SALBrd-02-27-2015-RealLiving-1-E001-2015-02-26-IMG-mulch-1-1-PAA20B84-L569812326-IMG-mulch-1-1-PAA20B84.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-size: small;">Photo: Hannah O'Leary / OSU Extension Service</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Come spring, you will need compost for your
vegetable garden. Compost consists of not
just food scraps. A large bulk of it can be decaying leaf litter mixed with
manure. <span style="background: white; line-height: 107%;"> Ideally, for every <span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0in;">gallon bucket of kitchen scraps</span> and grass clippings you
toss into the pile, you should have three gallon buckets of fall leaves or
straw to cover it with.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background: white; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background: white; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 107%;"><span style="background-color: #fafafa;">Mulch vegetable beds with a thick (6-inch) layer of leaves. Make a blanket of oak leaves to cover fallow vegetable beds in the fall. This will protect the bare soil from hard rainstorms. Slowly over the winter months leaves will </span></span></span><span style="background-color: #fafafa; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">break down, to be turned back into the soil come spring.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background: white; line-height: 107%;">Composting creates a sort of semi-artificial nutrient cycle.
Yes, the nutrients are eventually recycled back into the soil, but instead of
allowing plant and animal waste to sit around and naturally decompose wherever
it falls, composting makes all the decomposition take place in one spot. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background: white; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background: white; color: #990000; line-height: 107%;">~ Instead of all that work tidying up the garden this autumn, hope you enjoy instead walks through the backyard with your camera, perhaps looking for wildlife in hiding or photographing the artful arrangement of dried plants that nature has waiting for you.</span></span></div>
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Kat Vilimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00211353524750166645noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8286967694596072397.post-7268727807931152122017-09-25T16:09:00.000-07:002017-09-30T12:37:38.695-07:00Catching the California Currant<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="http://www.laspilitas.com/images/grid24_12/9856/images/plants/ribes/ribes/ribes-aureum-gracillimum-hummingbird.jpg"><img border="0" data-original-height="379" data-original-width="470" height="322" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifto-9oPFKtNMFrQsCkvkgrrw6hlwa1DTJMLusMSDhqpwZQG19qPyCCTXjz6389twqwySRTxurMo2ksW8g0mzT7vF_bs7ZNkHlCFRAFDUzL_Puq87XdxyRGgxulmG7uaQ2fN7yTorwB2Ll/s400/Of+Currants+%2526+Gooseberries-1+ribes-aureum-gracillimum-hummingbird.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="http://www.laspilitas.com/images/grid24_12/9856/images/plants/ribes/ribes/ribes-aureum-gracillimum-hummingbird.jpg">Golden Currant (Ribes aureum) with Anna’s Hummingbird<o:p></o:p></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="http://www.laspilitas.com/images/grid24_12/9856/images/plants/ribes/ribes/ribes-aureum-gracillimum-hummingbird.jpg">Photo courtesy of laspilitas.com</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">It is the Autumn season, and our thoughts turn to the harvest, putting the bounty of food on the
table and being thankful for all we have. Yet, I find myself wondering among
all this food: where are the native, wild, edible foods of California? It’s
time for </span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%;"><a href="http://www.laspilitas.com/groups/ribes_currant_gooseberry/black_currant_tarts.html"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">baking fruit and berry pies</span></a></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">. Why not use native California berries? </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Turns out I need look no further
than the <i>Ribes </i>family to find a family of wild, edible berry bushes
that are native to California. <b><i>Ribes </i>berries
are not only edible, but downright tasty</b>. There are many <i>Ribes</i> species
covering the state’s different types of climates and ecosystems, including
Currants and Gooseberries. So, no matter where in California you garden, there
should be a native species right for you. </span><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/specieslist.cgi?where-genus=Ribes"><i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Ribes</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> can be found throughout most of California</span></a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">If you are like me and are planning
to grow more berry bushes in your California garden, this is a good time to get
started. Autumn is a glorious time of year for gardening: temperatures begin to
cool, days are shorter, and rains can begin to soften up the soil. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Are you starting a wildlife garden? The
birds in your garden will find </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Ribes</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">
tasty, too. Some of the birds that enjoy </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Ribes</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> berries
include: California Thrasher, Hermit Thrush, and the American Robin. When you plant
</span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Ribes, </i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">you welcome the birds to your
garden. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="http://www.laspilitas.com/images/grid24_12/10432/images/plants/ribes/ribes-aureum-gracillimum.jpg"><img border="0" data-original-height="392" data-original-width="469" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXEWEOhPm5koQ4eU7zoNaCh8iEtRiS0sSLU4WhJAMV8WI1VJRW9ZQ5FNw1Bu4hPt22_NA1TsETidoAbTHvIM_rEE_WY0044J771LDw2s4eA8CjIKUEnLLZXdPS48SYYmswaNfe57joSj01/s320/ribes-aureum-gracillimum.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="http://www.laspilitas.com/images/grid24_12/10432/images/plants/ribes/ribes-aureum-gracillimum.jpg">Golden Currant Berries,</a></span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="http://www.laspilitas.com/images/grid24_12/10432/images/plants/ribes/ribes-aureum-gracillimum.jpg"> Ribes Aurem gracillimum, </a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="http://www.laspilitas.com/images/grid24_12/10432/images/plants/ribes/ribes-aureum-gracillimum.jpg">Photo Courtesy of Laspilitas.com</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Golden Currants, <i>Ribes aureum gracillimum:<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Golden Currants make a tidy bush
without thorns. A low-growing thicket about 6 ft wide and 3-6ft tall with
three-lobed leaves, <i>Ribes aureum</i> has
lots of sweet-smelling yellow tubular flowers that are popular with Hummingbirds.
Golden Currant berries start out yellow and turn red as they ripen. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16px;">Golden Currants are native to Southern Oak Woodland, Chaparral and Soft Scrub ecosystems, and grow along the coast ranges. In the canyons of Malibu they can cover entire canyon bottoms with their soft yellow color. It is also a good ground cover in tough conditions, such as under oak trees.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Berry-eating birds, like the </span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Thrasher">California Thrasher (Toxostoma
redivivum</a>), </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">love
the Golden Currant berries in late spring. Beautiful, as well as functional, Golden
Currants provide a superior bird habitat. It is an excellent choice if you
want to attract the California Thrasher to your wildlife garden.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The California Thrasher is a welcome
friend in California all winter long. A non-migratory bird, California
gardeners commonly see the Thrasher pecking around in leaf litter for insects
with its long, curved beak. In December, the Thrasher can be found
enjoying Toyon's</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> bright red Christmas berries in the Chaparral.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Planting Currants will also bring hummingbirds into your garden in spring. Hummingbirds, bees and butterflies are
all attracted to the blooms. Even Monarchs love the early spring flowers.
The Golden Currant is a forage source for many butterflies: the Tailed
Copper Butterfly, Cloudy Copper, Zephyr Anglewing, and Oreas Anglewing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><a href="http://www.laspilitas.com/images/grid24_24/2933/s/images/plants/581/Ribes_menziesii.jpg"><img border="0" data-original-height="311" data-original-width="470" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8GPC0grSbY3RoUcTzgsi2oRpv1Bw_375atp8p-ZXeHm07ezW8-B_ai8Ua9qshrQk-4dj55Eatd6Ln0kEjxfL3iN5B_c9nbAUEIu5HtJCDDD9sB1HK9FOHWsI28RS7tFkq22bb3GxJoGK6/s320/Of+Currants+and+Gooseberries-2+Ribes_menziesii-1-gooseberries.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="http://www.laspilitas.com/images/grid24_24/2933/s/images/plants/581/Ribes_menziesii.jpg">Canyon Gooseberries (Ribes
menziesii) Photo Courtesy of laspilitas.com</a></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Canyon Gooseberry, <i>Ribes
menziesii:</i></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Canyon gooseberry is a drought-tolerant shrub with maroon-purple and white flowers. This species has many
forms that are native to the coast ranges of California up to Southern Oregon.
This species is deciduous in summer; it will lose its leaves under heat or
drought stress. If you water it in the summer, it will die of root rot, but you
can water indirectly by planting it 10ft away from a lawn or garden flower bed.
<i>Ribes menziesii</i> is great for a bird
garden. Do not plant near walkways, as it likes to “catch” passersby.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">White Flowering Chaparral Currant
(Ribes indecorum) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Photo courtesy of </span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><a href="http://www.laspilitas.com/">www.laspilitas.com</a></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">White-flowered-currant, <i>Ribes indecorum:</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Extremely drought tolerant, the White-flowered Currant grows in Chaparral and Coastal sage scrub ecosystems throughout California, from Monterey to San Diego County.
The White-flowered Currant can grow to 6ft tall. It is commonly found growing
in the shade of large oaks, along seasonal creeks and on north or east slopes.
It can survive a harsh (hot & dry) summer environment by going summer
deciduous. After the first rain, it comes out of dormancy. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">In February,
the White-flowered currant will bloom white fragrant flowers, which are beloved by <b>hummingbirds,
bumblebees, moths and specific native bees</b>. It is great in a bird
garden, adjusts well to garden environments, and has <b>tasty fruit</b>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The list of <i>Ribes</i> family
members goes on and on, each providing edible wild berries for humans and birds
alike, and acting as a magnet for bees & butterflies in the spring. You may
not be used to gardening in late Autumn, but if you are ready to put on your
gloves and do some digging in the wildlife garden, you couldn’t make a better
choice than <i>Ribes</i>. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">This year, when you stop to be
thankful for the harvest laid out upon your table, why not give your California
garden a place at the table, too? The birds and the butterflies will thank you,
over & over again~<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Kat Vilimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00211353524750166645noreply@blogger.com0