Under the Solano Sun

One of the responsibilities of being a UCCE Master Gardener is to obtain 12 units of Continuing Education each year. Some of this is accomplished on our own by researching answers to gardening questions the public brings us.

Pesticide use. Climate change. Habitat destruction. Scientists report all these factors result in declining insect populations in general and in colony collapse for honeybees. As backyard gardeners most of us are observing fewer butterflies both in numbers and varieties.

I enjoy taking leisurely strolls through my garden, meandering among the flowers, and taking in the spectacular colors, textures, and scents. This delightful feeling does not need to end when it's time to go back indoors; just cut some of the blooming flowers from the garden and pop them into vases.

Plants Have MouthsAnd They Could Help Agriculture Adapt to Climate Change is the title of a recent article in the December 17, 2022 issue of Modern Farmer that caught my eye. Plants have mouths? I never thought of plants having mouths, but surprisingly they do.

We have a Bearss Lime tree Citrus latifolia (Yu.Tanaka) that produces a large quantity of delicious limes. We use these limes when they are green, like the ones we typically purchase at the local grocer.