- Author: Christian Jordan
Shasta College will host a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for Forest Resilience workshop this October. The course has been developed with industry partners and will provide practical, applied experience in the use of GIS to support project management for forest and wildfire resilience. The workshop will take place on four consecutive Saturdays, beginning October 5th. The attached flier includes further details. For additional information or questions, please reach out to Dan Scollon: dscollon@shastacollege.edu.
SC24 4695 GIS Forest Resilience Course Flyer PRINT
- Author: Bob Niklewicz, MG at the Fuller Park Rose Garden
We had a tremendous amount of heat in July and August. Many of our bushes suffered greatly from heat stress. Leaves turned brown, looked wilted and/or just fell off to preserve the moisture in the bush. Extra watering or, better yet, more frequent watering to keep the root ball moist is like CPR.
Leaves will also turn yellow from the heat or be susceptible to black spots. Pick those off the branches and off the surrounding ground to reduce the fungus from spreading. Remember to sterilize your pruners after each bush to reduce the spread of the black spots. Note: We are not totally past severely hot days this summer; protect your roses. Even putting a cover/shade or umbrella over them during the hottest part of the day will save them from the worst part of the heat.
You may also see aphids now. For the majority of cases, just using a high pressure hose spray will wash off those soft bodied pests. Do it every couple of days until the problem is reduced greatly or cleared. Also, make sure your irrigation systems is working correctly so that your plants receive proper moisture.
Rose of the Month: Angel Face
Remember when pruning: Toss plant debris into your city compost bin and not your own compost pile. The Napa City compost center produces higher temperatures to destroy the spores while your backyard pile will not do so. When it comes time to add mulch, consider getting it from the Napa recycling center.
If you have questions about the Fuller Park Rose Garden and the Master Gardeners (MGs) who maintain the rose garden, we are usually in the garden the first Sunday and third Thursday of each month between 10:00 and 12:00, weather permitting.
You can also go to our Master Gardner website: napamg.ucanr.edu for more details.
Napa Master Gardeners are available to answer garden questions by email: mastergardeners@countyofnapa.org. or phone at 707-253-4143. Volunteers will get back to you after they research answers to your questions.
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
A praying mantis, Stagmomantis limbata, stretches beneath a Mexican sunflower, Tithonia rotundifola, in a Vacaville garden.
Ms. Mantis: (Startled to see she is not alone) "Well, hello, there! How are ya? I'm just dropping by to say Hello!"
Photographer: "So, this is a meet-and-greet? And not a meet-and-eat?"
Ms. Mantis: "Exactly. I'm not interested in eating bees or butterflies. Ooh, there goes a honey bee! Ooh, there's a long-horned bee! Omigosh, a butterfly!"
Photographer: "You're just looking?"
Ms. Mantis: "No, just stretching. See, I've closed my spiked forelegs."
Photographer: "Then why did you move beneath the blossom?"
Ms. Mantis: "For the shade. Yes, that's it. For the shade."
Photographer: "Sounds pretty shady to me. Just admit it, you're hungry."
Ms. Mantis: "Well, now that you mention it, I guess I could use a bite to eat. Just a little bite...a little bee...a little butterfly..."
Photographer: "A quick bite?"
Ms. Mantis: "Lightning fast! One-twentieth of a second! Now, if you'll excuse me..."
The camera clicks. The mantis vanishes...along with an unsuspecting bee.
![A praying mantis, Stagmomantis limbata, stretches beneath a Mexican sunflower, Tithonia rotundifola, in a Vacaville garden. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey) A praying mantis, Stagmomantis limbata, stretches beneath a Mexican sunflower, Tithonia rotundifola, in a Vacaville garden. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/108479.jpg)
- Author: Thomas J Getts
I have gotten quite a few calls about blister beetles this year. There was a newspaper article up in Modoc that caused some stir, and was picked up by a lot of social media pages. So, what are blister beetles and why do we care?
Blister beetles get their name for a reason. They contain the toxin cantharidin, which can be excreted when they are threatened, or crushed which causes bad blisters on the skin. While this is problematic they typically are not drawn to humans, and blisters can be avoided by not handling them. Where they pose a larger problem is as a contaminant of hay, where they can be crushed/killed and incorporated into a bale posing as a potential toxin to be consumed by livestock.
Photo One: Blister Beetle on Musk Thistle next to a Roadway
Let's take a step back. What are blister beetles and why are they a subject of conversation now? There are numerous native blister beetles in California. Some are striped, some are brightly colored, but most of the ones I have been seeing are black or grey. The immature larvae of blister beetles feed on the eggs of grasshoppers or ground dwelling bees. I don't have to tell anyone in the Intermountain region, we have had quite a few bad grasshopper years which has led to an increase in blister beetle populations. Typically, the adults lay eggs right on top of the egg beds of grasshoppers. I'd be on the lookout for blister beetles the rest of this year, and definitely next year as they feast on the eggs underground. (So, they are not all bad as they kill some hoppers!).
Photo Two: Grasshoppers flying away from an ATV in a pasture up in Modoc County
As adults, they can consume forage, but typically they are drawn to flowers and consume pollen. (Different species have different preferences.) I have mainly seen them on roadsides, trail sides, and rangelands where there are flowering plants. In hay fields I have only seen them in “native hay pastures” that have wildflowers. However I have gotten reports of them being on the edges of some alfalfa fields that have started to go to bloom.
For livestock generally they are only problematic when they get caught up in a bale. How many is too many? This is a good question. Numerous extension publications cite research done back in the 80's looking at how many blister beetles it would take to kill a horse (horses are more susceptible to the toxin than cattle of sheep). As with all toxin's it often depends on numerous factors, and there is not a single number of beetles that will kill a horse every time. The amount of toxin per beetle can vary by species of beetle as well as within species of beetle. From the research done in the 80's the cantharidin content per beetle ranges from 0.5mg to 5mg, and is toxic to horses at the tune of 1mg/kg. This means that there can be a huge range of how many beetles it will take to kill a horse (see table one). With that being said while it may take a significant number of beetles to kill a horse, as few as five beetles can start to cause colic.
Table one: Adapted from Capinera et al. 1985. J. Econ. Entomol. 78:1052-55.
So, what do you do about the beetles? One of the best things to do is scout fields before they are cut to make sure you do not have them in the field. While it might be counter your management objectives to maximize yield during the mid-season cuttings, cutting alfalfa or clover before bloom can reduce the incentive of beetles to move into hay fields. It is also important the keep a clean hay field, and reduce the number of weeds that may flower in the field drawing the beetles in. There are insecticides like (Sevin- carbaryl, or Warrior- lambda-cyhalothrin) which are effective at killing blister beetles in forages, but may pose their own drawbacks. While most of the beetles should die and fall down to the ground after an insecticide application, there is still some potential for them to be incorporated into the hay during the cutting and raking process. Likewise, the pre harvest intervals for these materials can delay cutting and could require driving over a lot of hay, if an aerial applicator is not available. Cutting around infested patches or isolating/discarding hay that may be contaminated, could be a prudent strategy. Likewise waiting until the beetles move out of the field could be an option.
Photo Three: Blister beetles on clover in a "native" hay meadow in the Intermountian region
There are over 300 species of blister beetles in North America, and not all have been tested for their Cantharidin content. When haying especially using modern equipment with conditioners, I urge you to be cautious, and take time to scout fields before cutting, especially if that hay is going to the horse market.
For more information there are some excellent extension publications online from UCIPM, Colorado State University and North Dakota State.
Photo Five: Blister Beetle on Feral Rye next to the Susan River in Lassen County
- Author: Denise Godbout-Avant
What's blooming now?
Here are a few of my favorite California native plants that bloom during the months of July and August when little else is flowering:
California Buckwheat (Eriogonum fasciculatum var. fasciculatum) – With their leathery leaves, buckwheat shrubs are tough sun-lovers, and easy to grow. Once established it needs little to no water during the summer months. Abundant clusters of white, cream, yellow, and pink flowers appear as early as March and bloom all summer, drying to a red color. A good source of nectar and pollen during the drier months, it is a favored plant of a variety of pollinators including bees, butterflies and birds. Other good native buckwheat choices are St. Catherine's Lace (Eriogonium giganteum) and Santa Cruz Island buckwheat (Eriogonum arborescens).
St. Catherine's Lace (Eriogonum giganteum) – Another buckwheat, this showy evergreen plant has wooly, whitish-grayfoliage, usually growing to 2-4 feet tall x 4-5 feet wide. Large, dense clusters of tiny, lacy pinkish-white flowers gradually turn reddish-brown over the summer. Once established it requires little water. The UC Davis Arboretum named this easy-to-care for plant one of its “All-Stars” for growing in California gardens. An important butterfly plant, it also supports honeybees, native bees, moths and attracts birds.
California Fuchsia (Epilobium canum) – With its profusion of bright scarlet, tubular shaped flowers, this fuchsia is a magnet for hummingbirds and provides a splash of color to a summer garden. A perennial plant that is easy to grow, it tolerates almost any soil, and does well in the sun or partial shade. Like buckwheats, once established it generally needs no water during the summer. It will continue to bloom into autumn, dying back and going dormant in the winter. There are a number of varieties, including some white and pink ones: the Brilliant Smith California fuchsia ((Epilobium ‘Brilliant Smith'), Solidarity Pink California Fuchsia (Epilobium ‘Solidarity Pink'), and the white Summer Snow California Fuchsia (Epilobium ‘Summer Snow').
California Sunflower (Helianthus californicus) – This wild sunflower is an erect perennial that is a somewhatsprawling,lanky plant up to 3 meters or more, with a network of tough, woody roots and small rhizomes. The classic sunflowers are bright yellow, blooming during the summer and fall, which attract a variety of bees and other pollinators. Birds love the seeds they produce.
Narrowleaf Milkweed (Asclepias fascicularis) – This 3 foot tall milkweed plant blooms in summer and fall with clusters of light lavender or pink-white flowers. Its long pointed leaves gives it a delicate appearance. This species is probably the single most important milkweed species for the endangered Monarch butterflies since it is a major host plant for their caterpillars. Do not spray pesticides near them since that could be fatal to the Monarch caterpillars. The plant also provides resources for other beneficial creatures including native bees. The fruit are small pods that split open, spilling their seeds in silky hairs that are carried through the air. Dormant in the winter, it grows well in the summer with no water.
Desert Willow Tree – (Chilopsis linearis) – This small deciduous tree (12 – 18 ft. tall) blooms much of the summer. It gets its name because of its willow-like leaves and is drought-tolerant. A fast growing, low-maintenance tree once established, its lovely trumpet-shaped flowers in a variety of pink, lavender, and white colors attract butterflies, bees and birds.
You cannot go wrong with planting any of these native plants in your garden for colorful summer flowers that are water-wise, easy to care for, adapted to our summer heat, and will attract pollinators!
Some publications with information about California native plants:
Created by California Native Plant Society, it is an excellent source of information on native plants: https://www.calscape.org/
8 Summer-blooming Plants: https://publicgarden.ucdavis.edu/blog/8-summer-blooming-plants
WUCOLS: Water Use Classification of Landscape Species is landscape-based search website that is based by region: https://wucols-frontend.ucdavis.edu/#/search
UC Davis Arboretum All-Stars: https://arboretum.ucdavis.edu/arboretum-all-stars
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