Under the Solano Sun

Among my fern collection are two with feet. Both are epiphytic meaning they retrieve nutrients and moisture from the air. In their native habitat, these feet (or rhizomes) wrap around and cling to tree trunks.

I recently had to replace a small section of sidewalk next to my garage. Not sure what caused it, but it had become uneven, leaving a dangerous lip I could easily have tripped over.

I was visiting Albany, Oregon end of May and early June to help a young friend take care of her newborn twins. The hotel I was staying out was right next to the Linn County Fairgrounds.

About 15 years ago on an already hot July morning my husband and I, while walking our dogs, noticed smoke rising from a dried grassy area behind a subdivision wall. We called the fire into Dispatch, and Vacaville Fire quickly extinguished it. It burned less than an acre of dead grass.

Orange trees dotted the landscape and flowerbeds hugged most houses in the small town where I grew up. The fragrance wafting through the air was sweet. A variety of butterflies (Lepidoptera) must have thought so too, because they were everywhere. Swallowtails. Monarchs. Painted Ladies.