The Real Dirt

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The Real Dirt blog covers regional gardening issues from soil health to planting for pollinators; from fire resistant landscaping to attracting wildlife. Read all about it!

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Moonshine yarrow with deer grass in background by Laura Kling
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Just Don’t Call It Senior Gardening!

April 19th, 2019
By Laura Lukes, UC Master Gardener of Butte County, April 19, 2019 Gardening becomes increasingly difficult as we age, yet the garden beckons as strongly as ever, notes Butte County Master Gardener Kay Perkins.
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Monarch in Michoacan by J. Alosi
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Monarchs and Milkweed

April 5th, 2019
By Kim Schwind, UC Master Gardener of Butte County, April 5, 2019 In recent months there has been disturbing news about the decline of the Western Monarch population. The North American Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus) is a familiar and charismatic insect.
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Buckeye in Upper Bidwell Park by J. Alosi
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The Buckeye

March 22nd, 2019
Finding an Ecological Niche: A Three-Part Series on Selected Foothill Woodland and Chaparral Species, Part 3 of 3: The Buckeye By Laura Lukes, UC Master Gardener of Butte County, March 22, 2019 [Note: Buckeye (Aesculus californica), gray pine (Pinus sabiniana), and blue oak (Quercus douglasii) are t...
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Gray Pine Pinus sabiniana with gray green needles and huge cones, Wikipedia Commons
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The Gray Pine

March 8th, 2019
Finding an Ecological Niche: A Three-Part Series on Selected Foothill Woodland and Chaparral Species, Part 2 of 3: The Gray Pine By Laura Lukes, UC Master Gardener of Butte County, March 8, 2019 [Note: Gray pine (Pinus sabiniana), buckeye (Aesculus californica), and blue oak (Quercus douglasii) are...
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Blue Oak leaves and acorn shells. Photo by Eugene Zelenko.
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The Blue Oak

February 22nd, 2019
Finding an Ecological Niche: Selected Foothill Woodland and Chaparral Species, Part 1 of 3: The Blue Oak By Laura Lukes, UC Master Gardener of Butte County, February 22, 2019 [Note: Blue oak (Quercus douglasii), gray pine (Pinus sabiniana), and buckeye (Aesculus californica) are three species that t...
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