- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Bees, butterflies, beetles, birds and bats.
What do they have in common? Skipping the alliteration for a moment, they're all pollinators.
Honey bees grab the most attention, of course, and they do the bulk of the work. But so do bumble bees and other native bees.
But other pollinators include moths, hummingbirds, wasps and flies (especially the syrphid flies, aka hover flies or flower flies often mistaken for honey bees by the untrained eye.)
The National Park Service describes pollination as "anything that helps carry pollen from the male part of the flower (stamen) to the female part of the same or another flower (stigma). The movement of pollen must occur for the plant to become fertilized and produce fruits, seeds, and young plants. Some plants are self-pollinating, while others may be fertilized by pollen carried by wind or water. Still, other flowers are pollinated by insects and animals - such as bees, wasps, moths, butterflies, birds, flies and small mammals, including bats."
"At least 75 percent of all the flowering plants on earth are pollinated by insects and animals," they point out on their website. "This amounts to more than 1,200 food crops and 180,000 different types of plants—plants which help stabilize our soils, clean our air, supply oxygen, and support wildlife."
One pollinator that absolutely takes our breath away is the Western tiger swallowtail, Papilio rutulus, especially when it touches down on the colorful Mexican sunflower, Tithonia rotundifola, and begins to nectar.
If you're lucky, you'll see different species sharing the same blossom.
![A Western tiger swallowtail, Papilio rutulus, touches down on a Mexican sunflower, Tithonia rotundifola. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey) A Western tiger swallowtail, Papilio rutulus, touches down on a Mexican sunflower, Tithonia rotundifola. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/107395.jpg)
![The soldier beetle (family Cantharida) is also a pollinator. This insect resembles the uniforms of the British soldiers of the American Revolution. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey) The soldier beetle (family Cantharida) is also a pollinator. This insect resembles the uniforms of the British soldiers of the American Revolution. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/107396.jpg)
![A honey bee, Apis mellifera, and a Western yellowjacket, Vespula penslvanica, sharing a rose. Both are pollinators. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey) A honey bee, Apis mellifera, and a Western yellowjacket, Vespula penslvanica, sharing a rose. Both are pollinators. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/107397.jpg)
![A honey bee, Apis mellifera, and a bumble bee, Bombus vosnesenskii, sharing a purple cone flower, Echinacea purpurea. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey) A honey bee, Apis mellifera, and a bumble bee, Bombus vosnesenskii, sharing a purple cone flower, Echinacea purpurea. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/107400.jpg)
- Author: Lorie Hammond
Words have many definitions, but when I was studying anthropology of education, I learned that from an anthropologist's point of view, “agriculture” is different from “horticulture”. The difference is that “agriculture” is based on growing food or other products to sell. Crops are planned so that they ripen at the same time to allow for most efficient tending, picking, and sales. I believe that many home gardeners model their vegetable raising practices after agriculture. This can lead to problems, such as having thirty broccolis in one week, and none the next week.
“Horticulture”, when applied to growing vegetables and herbs, takes a different approach. I learned about this when working with Southeast Asian hill tribe people, the Iu Mien and Hmong, in school gardens in Sacramento. They practiced horticulture. Every week they harvested, then replanted. The garden became a complex, biodiverse place where there was something to eat every day, because crops were planted weekly. Some plants were always ready to eat, while others were still growing.
In our Central Valley, we can garden year-round, following two main seasons. The “winter garden” is planted in fall and harvested in late winter to early spring. The “summer garden” is planted in spring and harvested all summer and in the fall. But as my gardening techniques become more nuanced, learning from expert horticulturalists like the Iu Mien, I realize that I too can eat out of my garden almost every day of the year, if I constantly plant and harvest. In some cases, I can also redefine the parts of plants that are edible. For example, instead of eating the big broccoli, then pulling up the plant, I continue to eat the side broccolinis for months to come.
In late May, my five small planting beds have seventeen kinds of vegetables, not counting the many varieties of tomatoes and peppers. Some vegetables are being harvested, some are young, and a few are just being planted from seed. (I do not grow crops that take large spaces, such as corn and melons, but focus on the smaller vegetables which fit my beds.)
At the moment, my garden is in transition and I am eating the following vegetables: bulb onions, 3 kinds of lettuce, fall chard, fennel, fall carrots, kale, and potatoes.
Many variables which govern when it is time to add or take out a certain plant. But the basic principle of complex “horticulture” in raised beds might be useful to many people like myself who want something to eat daily, rather than a big crop at a certain time, followed by periods without crops.
![Winter carrots with tomatoes planted at corners. Winter carrots with tomatoes planted at corners.](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/107028.jpg)
- Author: Paula Pashby
There is a magnificent old cactus garden located in Peña Adobe Regional Park, just west of Vacaville, CA. I was in awe when I first discovered the garden, noticing that some of the cactuses were huge with thick wood-like trunks. It was obvious that these gentle giants had survived and thrived with the passing of many years. I came to know these sharp and prickly beauties up close a few years later.
A team of UC Cooperative Extension master gardeners from Solano and Yolo counties got together back in 2021 to work on a renovation project at the Peña Adobe Park (see my March 2022 blog on the Willis Linn Jepson Native Garden Renovation Project for background). The cactus garden stood next to the renovation project and we could see that it also needed some tender-loving care. The cactus plants were still doing well, but the plot was overgrown with the invasive Spurge, Euphorbia. Spurge can be a wonderful CA native plant addition to a garden. However, this variety of spurge and the conditions at Peña Adobe gave it a strong opportunity to take over the garden.
So, my fellow master gardeners and I decided to ‘purge the spurge' that rooted between the cactus to bring this garden back to its magnificent glory. While we were working on the garden, many visitors came by and peppered us with questions about the different plants. We had to do some research to learn more about this garden and the particular cactus variety to become better prepared to provide information when we returned for the next phase of our project.
We first approached the Peña Adobe Historical Society to search for information on the cactus garden's origins. There is no detailed information on the cactus grove, but we did find numerous photos of the garden dating back to the 1960s, so it could be 60+ years old! How interesting to try to imagine the cactus living there for so many years and witnessing generations of park visitors.
We also learned that the cactus in the garden is called Prickly Pear Cactus, Optunia. Prickly Pear cactus is native to North and South America. It is extremely tough and drought-resistant, so this little grove has been able to endure the valley droughts. The cactus can grow up to 20 feet tall, and some of the species can have an 80-year lifespan.
The Prickly Pear Cactus has large oval-shaped pads that are made of flat and compressed stems. These stems store water and can produce colorful flowers. These flowers are mostly yellow, but some can also be white, pink, and red. The cactus flowers eventually mature into a fruit that is a great source of food and hydration for wildlife, such as coyote, bats, doves and woodpeckers.
While weeding the cactus garden, we found a few broken pads on the ground. The garden does not have a steady water source for re-planting, so I brought a few to my home garden with hopes that they would survive with daily care. It has now been several years and I just discovered, with great glee, that some of the cactuses in my garden are producing flowers! I took a quick drive to the Peña Adobe cactus garden to see how the ancient clutch was doing and found that they are also flowering!
This brings joy to my heart, standing here as a witness to another season of colorful growth in this very old garden. If you have yet to visit this garden, or have not seen it when the Prickly Pear cactus are blooming, I encourage you to head out there now!
![1 Prickly Pear Cactus Pena Adobe - A.Alvarado 1 Prickly Pear Cactus Pena Adobe - A.Alvarado](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/107357.jpg)
![2 Blooming Cactus 2 - PPashby 2 Blooming Cactus 2 - PPashby](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/107358.jpg)
![3 - rehomed cactus pads in my garden 2 - A. Alvarado 3 - rehomed cactus pads in my garden 2 - A. Alvarado](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/107359.jpg)
![4 - rehomed cactus pads in my garden - A. Alvarado 4 - rehomed cactus pads in my garden - A. Alvarado](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/107360.jpg)
![5 - Blooming Cactus 5 - Blooming Cactus](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/107361.jpg)
- Author: Kendra T Rose
Dear Colleagues,
California Department of Food and Agriculture's (CDFA) Office of Pesticide Consultation and Analysis (OPCA) is now accepting applications for the Biologically Integrated Farming Systems (BIFS) Program. The focus of this RFP is to help growers transition away from non-selective, biologically disruptive pesticides, especially those of high regulatory concern. The BIFS program supports the demonstration, refinement, and outreach of California's Sustainable Pest Management (SPM) based farming systems that are economically viable and protective of human health and the environment. All aspects of the farming system may be considered as they relate to pest management, including factors such as adjacent landscapes, whether they are farmed or not.
For the current solicitation, CDFA is prioritizing projects focusing on the following topic:
- Dacthal (dimethyl tetrachloroterephthalate, DCPA) alternatives in Brassica and onion crops
- Neonicotinoid alternatives in tomato
- Lygus management in cotton
- Fumigant alternatives
Projects will typically include all the following elements:
- On-farm demonstration/evaluation of an innovative, biologically based farming system that employs SPM strategies;
- A collaborative outreach effort for sharing technical information about the farming system with growers, PCAs, commodity groups, and others engaged in pest management, and;
- An organized program for monitoring key biological and economic variables to inform on-farm decision making and evaluate project success.
Visit the program web page at https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/oefi/opca/bifs.html for more information.
Concept Proposal Due: July 26, 2024, 5pm
Full proposal by invite only
Amount: $1,000,000 (only 1 project expected to be funded)
Thank you.
Kathleen Nolan, Director, ANR Office of Contracts & Grants (OCG)
- Author: Mark P Bolda
Hemos mudado nuestra oficina de 1430 Freedom a un nuevo lugar en la direccion 500 Westridge Drive. Es todavía en Watsonville, solo está al otro lado de la ciudad. Esto es una parte de un esfuerzo de proveer más servicios en el sur del Condado.
Número telefónico para contactarnos es igual que antes, quiere decir 831-763-8001, correo electronico no se ha cambiado tampoco.
![Los letreros puestos en la puerta de nuestra oficina previa. Los letreros puestos en la puerta de nuestra oficina previa.](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/107385.jpg)
![Un croquis mostrando nuestra nueva oficina en relación de la previa. Un croquis mostrando nuestra nueva oficina en relación de la previa.](/blogs/blogcore/blogfiles/107386.jpg)