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Directors
Loren Oki
Department of Plant Sciences
UC Davis
David Fujino
California Center for Urban Horticulture
UC Davis
UCNFA Partners
Directors
Loren Oki
Department of Plant Sciences
UC Davis
David Fujino
California Center for Urban Horticulture
UC Davis
UCNFA Partners
From the UC Blogosphere...
Daily Life For Master Gardeners
The Plant Indoors By Andrea Peck Let's just say this: houseplants aren't what they used to be. I had a...
Drought: Hope is not a strategy
There has been hopeful talk that an El Niño condition in the Pacific Ocean will end the California drought next winter. However, Lund and Mount said it is statistically likely the drought will continue into next year. "We all hope wet weather returns to California soon," the scientists said, "but, given the odds, it makes sense to prepare for another dry year."
The media is continuing to report on telling impacts of the drought. KQED Science's Alice Daniel posted a story today about the plight of beekeepers, who can normally release their bees in the foothills to drink their fill of nectar from wildflowers. This year, those hills are "bone dry."
“I've never seen a year like this when it's not only dry but the irrigation water is so scarce,” said Gene Brandi, vice president of the American Beekeeping Federation. “I think the honey production in California will likely be one of the lowest levels we've seen in a long time.”
The San Francisco Chronicle ran an AP story by Terence Chea about 6-month-old salmon who are being transported to the coast in tanker trucks because rivers don't have enough water to support their swim to the sea.
Trucking the smolts ensures a large number will survive and grow to be California king salmon. But skipping the river journey means the migratory fish won't know how to swim home to spawn in three years.
"Because that imprinting cycle is broken, it's unlikely that many fish will make it back to Coleman. In other words, they stray. They won't find that scent to where home is," said Scott Hamelberg, who manages the Coleman National Fish Hatchery.
Learn About Native Bees and the Flowers They Visit
It's just in time for National Pollinator Week, June 16-22. Native bee enthusiast Celeste Ets-Hokin of the Bay Area is on a...
A screen shot of the "Wild Bee Gardens" app.
This is the app icon. It's of the yellow-faced bumble bee, Bombus vosnesenskii, heading toward a California poppy.
Don't You Just Love Those Dragonflies?
Don't you just love those dragonflies? We watch them circle our fish pond, grab flying insects in mid-air, and then touch...
Red flame skimmer or firecracker skimmer (Libellula saturata). (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Variegated meadowhawk (Sympetrum corruptum). (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Widow skimmer (Libellula luctuosa). (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Red-veined meadowhawk (Sympetrium madidum). (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Experience Yosemite and Surroundings at Conference Tours
Loofa Farm & Mount Bullion Vineyard
The loofa is a member of the Cucurbitaceae family. Contrary to popular belief, loofas grow on a vine, not in the ocean. Located in the Yosemite foothills, this tour of a working loofa farm is scheduled one week prior to harvest! Handmade crèmes, lotions, soaps and loofahs are available for purchase, and of course, all products are grown and crafted on site.
Following the loofa farm tour you will travel to Mt. Bullion Vineyard, where grapes are grown, fermented, barreled, aged, bottled and cellared. A visit to the winery is by appointment only. Lunch will be provided at the winery. The tour also includes transportation to and from Tenaya Lodge.
Clovis Botanical Garden is the only botanical garden in the San Joaquin Valley. It is a one-acre water-wise demonstration garden that showcases beautiful plants and landscapes appropriate for the hot summers and cool winters of California's Central Valley. While strolling through the garden learn about the “Sensational 70”, plants friendly to Central Valley landscapes which are attractive, water-wise, and non-invasive. Enjoy lunch at the home and garden of one of our own Master Gardeners of Fresno County.
The Forestiere Underground Gardens is a Fresno City and county historical site and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Explore the underground maze of rooms, courtyards, and passageways reminiscent of the ancient catacombs. See unique fruit-producing trees, shrubs, and vines growing underground – some over 90 years old. Water, wine and snacks on the return trip to the Tenaya Lodge. Arrive back at the Lodge in time for the Cowboy Dinner, Train Ride, and Campfire.
Campfire & Train Ride
All Aboard! An exciting four mile railroad excursion at Yosemite Park's South gate on Highway 41. Ride into history where powerful locomotives once hauled massive log trains through the Sierra Mountains and where mighty lumberjacks felled the timber and flumes carried the lumber to the distant valley below.
The Sierra National Forest's majestic woods provide the backdrop for this narrow gauge journey back in time. Peer into the past! A New York steak, chicken or vegetarian dinner with all the fixins' is included in the price, and a no host bar is available. Enjoy a campfire under the stars while you listen to a local guide tell stories of times past.
This is just a small sampling of the many exciting tours offered at this year's conference. Don't miss this incredible opportunity to explore this part of California with your fellow Master Gardener friends and family. Click here to learn about all of the conference tours offered!
