Napa Master Gardener Column

Remember those days when your parents would drive down the highway and the front window and front of the car would be covered with dead bugs? The so-called windshield phenomenon does not happen much anymore. When I check my car, I don't find any little bug bodies.

Years ago, on the last day of school, the assistant principal sent out an email to all the teachers. He suggested we sit down for a few minutes and review our academic year and think about what went well in our classes and what, perhaps, needed some rethinking.

Last fall I noticed a brown squirrel lounging on top of my owl nest box. She was just opposite my kitchen window so I put my binoculars there so I could watch her. Often she would be stretched out with her front paws hanging over the edge.

On any given day, air and surface temperatures tend to be higher in urban areas than in surrounding rural settings. This phenomenon is called the heat-island effect.

About 25 years ago, my children and I planted a particularly exuberant flower garden in the backyard. We had pink and purple, and white cosmos, brilliant blue morning glories and many colors of zinnias.