- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Seen any gray hairstreaks, lately?
No, not on someone's head.
This is the butterfly, Strymon melinus, from the Lycaenidae family, known as the gossamer-winged butterflies.
It's an ashy gray butterfly with a white border. You'll also see orange spots on the ends of its hindwings and one on its head, in between the eyes.
One's been hanging around our fava beans, and what a welcome sight.
UC Davis distinguished professor Art Shapiro of the Department of Evolution and Ecology says on his website:
"This is one of the...
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Every time we see honey bees pollinating fava bean blossoms, we think of actor Anthony Hopkins.
Remember that malevolent scene in the "Silence of the Lambs" film (1991) when serial killer Hannibal Lecter (portrayed magnificently by Hopkins (says: "A census taker once tried to test me. I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti."
Film historians say most folks missed the significance "...Dr Lecter's choice of sides weren't based on his taste predilections, he was making a medical joke. Monoamine oxidase...
- Author: Lynn Pastusak, UC Master Food Preserver of San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Counties
- Editor: Dayna Ravalin, UCCE Master Food Preserver Program Coordinator
- Editor: Katherine Soule, Youth, Families, and Communities Advisor
Fava beans, or broad beans, are one of the oldest know cultivated plants carbon dated to over 10,000 years ago according to research published in an online paper in the journal of Scientific Reports. They are a major crop in many countries, but not very popular in the United States – probably because it takes so much time to prepare them (LOL)!? But, believe me, the time and effort are worth it after you have tasted these delicate, buttery, nutty flavored beans.
The plant is like a pea plant. The pods can be harvested young and eaten whole or let them grow until they are big and bumpy, and then eat the bean inside the pod. The pod can be left on the plant until...
By Susanne von Rosenberg, UC Master Gardener of Napa County
It's May and everything is growing beautifully, including weeds. Even if your garden is exceptionally well-weeded, new invaders will creep in and demand attention. Our general reaction is to remove them as soon as we realize that we have them, and we think of a good, tidy garden as one that is free of weeds.
In general, until you are comfortable with weed identification, keeping your garden entirely free of things that you did not plant is a good approach. However, weeds can also provide some benefits, so learning about the different weeds can help you decide whether you just might let certain ones grow for a while....
- Author: Melody Overstreet
- Editor: Kamille Hammerstrom
A Daily Practice
I make it a daily practice to walk the garden and check-in on the plants. With each hot day that passes, I find that there is always something new that surfaces. The birds come to land on the branches of the fig tree, while others land in the avocado tree and settle into the bottle brush. Pollinators buzz throughout, feasting on all that abounds. Evidence of their presence is visible through the various plants that signify transition. Faded blossoms begin to drop, and in their place seeds begin to expand and form. Being a witness to this process always fills me with a great sense of wonder and awe.
A Precious Gift
Two years ago, we received 10 fava beans...