- Author: Stephen Dampier
Several years back, I found an ad on Craigslist for Peruvian Hot Peppers for sale. So I trotted on over to Concord and bought some Rocoto and Aji Amarillo pepper plants. The Rocoto pepper plants have thrived, and are around five years old at this point. Most of my peppers are grown in buckets. My current favorite bucket is a 7 gallon nursery pot. They are often available for free or for cheap.
Blah blah blah, more to come.
- Author: Stephen Dampier
I grow Hot Hot Hot peppers including:
- Carolina Reapers
- Red Ghost Peppers aka Bhut Jolokia
- Habanero
- Rocoto
- Serrano
I have other peppers I grow but they vary depending on my mood.
Sweating is good. Hot peppers are fantastic for sweating. Therefore I Love Hot Hot Hot Peppers.
![peppers peppers](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/107826.jpg)
- Author: Shane T Feirer
The first day of the 2024 ESRI User Conference was filled with exciting announcements and innovative stories of Conservation and GIS. With around 21,000 attendees in San Diego and an additional people joining virtually, the energy and enthusiasm were palpable.
Plenary
Jack Dangermond and the ESRI team highlighted several new offerings in their plenary session. Notably, they introduced new datasets in the ArcGIS Living Atlas, including a national tile service of parcel boundaries and a feature layer of iNaturalist species observation data. These additions promise to provide users with even more comprehensive and valuable data for their projects.
The Governor of Minnesota, Tim Walz, a former high school Geography teacher, delivered an impassioned plenary speech on the importance of GIS in solving the challenges we face today. He emphasized the critical need for maps, data, and the work that GIS professionals do to address global issues.
New Apps and Features
ESRI also showcased a range of new apps in ArcGIS Online:
- Portfolio App: Designed to help users highlight key maps of interest, making it easier to share important insights with others.
- Web Editor App: This app offers a web-based editing experience similar to editing in ArcGIS Pro, making it more accessible for users to update and manage their data.
- Generative AI in AI Assistants: The inclusion of generative AI enhances the capabilities of spatial analysis, providing users with more intelligent and responsive tools and apps.
Additionally, several new story map templates were introduced, adding more options for users to create compelling narratives with their data.
Looking Ahead
With so many exciting developments on the first day, attendees can look forward to even more innovations and detailed sessions over the next three days. The future of GIS is looking bright, and the tools and features unveiled at this conference are set to drive the industry forward.
Stay tuned for more updates and insights from the 2024 ESRI User Conference in the coming days!
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
(Continued from the July 13th Bug Squad)
Our resident crab spider, family Thomisidae, appears to be an extremely poor hunter. She waits, camouflaged in the lavender patch, as bees buzz around her. They dart away when she lunges at them.
So here I am, a crab spider, as hungry as can be
Does anyone out there feel sorry for me?
"Yes," say the arachnologists. The apiculturists say "no."
Well, I'll just hang out in the lavender and keep lying low.
Hey, looky there! I'm going to fast-track that bee.
Sorry, I am who I am, and I gotta be me.
The next day, success. Or, as they say, it was "a good day for the spider and a bad day for the bee."
It was also a good day for a freeloader fly (family Milichiidae, probably genus Desmometopa). These flies always seem to appear seconds after a spider (or praying mantis) nails its prey. No dinner reservations required.
Other bees mark themselves "safe" from the crab spider. For now.
And life goes on. For the crab spider. For the freeloader flies.
![The resident crab spider nails a honey bee, as another bee continues to forage in the lavender. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey) The resident crab spider nails a honey bee, as another bee continues to forage in the lavender. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/107822.jpg)
![A freeloader fly (family Milichiidae, probably genus Desmometopa), invites itself to dinner. No reservations required. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey) A freeloader fly (family Milichiidae, probably genus Desmometopa), invites itself to dinner. No reservations required. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/107823.jpg)
![As the resident crab spider eats its prey, another honey bee arrives to forage on the lavender. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey) As the resident crab spider eats its prey, another honey bee arrives to forage on the lavender. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/107824.jpg)
- Author: DJ Andriessen
In 2012, Delta Elementary Charter School (DECS) teachers and the Administration in Clarksburg decided to write a grant to use the money to create a learning garden dedicated to a past principal, Don Fenocchio. With great delight, they received the grant money and successfully created a beautiful community/school learning garden. It was a great success for the first few years. All the funds for the grant were used.
As with all schools, teachers and students come and go, and with the passage of time and the pandemic, those in charge of the garden left, and those interested in maintaining the lovely garden went with them.
Fast forward to 2023, when Kathy Brown, UCCE Master Gardener-Yolo, came to town. With her daughter and her family moving to ‘The Burg,' Kathy was able to familiarize herself with the area.
When she first saw the garden, the once beautiful raised beds were growing only an abundance of Bermudagrass, as was the rest of the area. Areas were filled with trash meant for removal but never removed, and all the original drip and irrigation systems were inoperable.
She went to work. With the help of her family, friends, the local garden club, and farmers and their crews in the area, they spruced up the old garden. Kathy is a force of Nature!
Then, Kathy started working with the DECS teachers and administration and, in May, held a student learning day. Each class came to the garden and planted seeds in the raised beds. The Clarksburg Garden Club and fellow Master Gardener Jalena Rusaw aided her. The event was a huge success.
After the event, we discussed the possibility of creating a junior garden club during the school year and holding weekly after-school sessions in the garden. This would teach students the importance of growing food and plants that attract pollinators.
This blog will share with you the trials and tribulations of our efforts.
Wish us luck!
![photo by DJ Andriessen photo by DJ Andriessen](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/107516.jpg)