The Real Dirt

Magpies are amazing birds! They are strikingly handsome, intelligent, and bold. They build nests with domed roofs and side entrances and decorate these homes with the bright shiny objects they collect. They hold funeral services for their dead. They can mimic human speech. A cartoon pair, the yellow-billed…

If we want to instill in our children a love of nature and raise a generation that will want to protect and preserve natural places, we need to get them hooked on birds. This is the wisdom behind many of the programs at Altacal Audubon, our local chapter of the non-profit Audubon Society. Altacal was formed…

Dogs in our gardens can present many challenges. Dogs usually want to please their humans, but the very nature of the beast does not always coincide with our gardening desires and expectations. Dogs can wear paths through yards in unexpected and unplanned places. They might dig unsightly holes, which can…

In California, besieged by the twin threats of drought and wildfire, the choice to grow native versus non-native plants is attracting more attention than ever before. What exactly are the merits of native compared to non-native plants, and how do gardeners make the best choice about what to grow in a home…

Every gardener knows that weeds are just plants in the wrong place. Webster’s dictionary defines a weed as “a plant that is not valued where it is growing and is usually of vigorous growth; especially: one that tends to overgrow or choke out more desirable plants.” The use of weeds as soil indicators is not…