- Author: Carolle Juliano
They're everywhere! At least that's the way it seems to me. Where I grew up on the East Coast, creatures similar to these were considered exotic and only found in wooded, wild places. Not here! I'd wager there isn't a backyard in Yolo County without a troop of these critters encamped. I'm talking about those push-up fanatics found on sunny rocks, scurrying between shrubs or clinging to vertical fence slats: Sceloporus occidentalis or the Western Fence Lizard.
It turns out it's not bad to have a few of these diurnals around, especially if you're a gardener. Although some lizards eat plants, the Western Fence Lizards mainly consume garden pests like aphids, grasshoppers, beetles, caterpillars, ticks, and ants. They, in turn, become the prey of raptors, snakes, and some mammals, such as raccoons, but they have an escape route. If a predator latches onto a fence lizard's tail, it can be detached to avoid total consumption. The tail is left behind to keep the assailant busy while the rest of the lizard dispatches from view. On top of that, a new tail can be regenerated within 3-5 weeks. No harm, no foul!
And that aforementioned push-up behavior? It isn't a calisthenic move. It's a signal displayed by male fence lizards to warn other males away from territorial boundaries. When the males reach reproductive age, they use the same “moves” to attract females.
These creatures may be small (ranging from 4 to 8 inches at maturity), but they possess a superpower, and it's in their blood. They've evolved an immunity to Lyme Disease. When a tick feeds on this lizard's blood, a protein therein kills the bacteria that causes the disease. And even more amazing is the fact that the ingested lizard blood cleanses the disease- causing pathogen from the tick's gut, thereby preventing the tick from spreading the disease to other animals - including humans.
So the next time you see a Western Fence Lizard basking on a sunny rock in your yard, you may just want to say “Hello, Friend!”
- Author: Jennifer M Baumbach
- Author: Lorie Hammond
In our climate, I organize my garden into two main seasons: the winter garden, planted at around the Fall Equinox, and the summer garden, planted around the Spring Equinox. These days also mark the beginning of fall and of spring, as well as a rough estimate of our two real seasons in the valley: cool and wet, and hot and dry.
The four seasons we see in most children's books are confusing, since they really don't exist here.
I personally like to celebrate the Equinoxes and Solstices, as a way of orienting to the place where we live. It is no surprise that many traditional holidays, ancient in origin, correspond to these times as well. It is fun to go to a farmers' market this month and see the many harvest vegetables, including pumpkins and winter squashes, which are available at this time of harvest festival.
- Author: Carolle Juliano
I've often thought how hard it must be to exist as a garden plant. There you are, stuck in the ground, unable to move, subject to the whims of the wind, rain, sun, and general environment, and worse of all, the fickle, precarious treatment of your gardener parent.
Well, I'm afraid this gardener parent may have dealt a fatal blow to one of her children through too much love. Back in July, we were setting record-breaking temperatures day after day. In fact, from July 1 to July 12, we experienced some of the hottest, driest stretches of heat known in the region. So what does an anxious plant tender do when she sees her “green children” wilt under the oppressive stress of too much heat? She adds water, of course! Lots of it. And therein lies a problem.
Trying to soothe my tomato's stress, I created a new one. Saturated soil. Although the tomato plant was clearly thirsty, excess water was not the solution. In fact, it partially caused my plant to experience edema (oedema), anabiotic disorder that occurs in plants like tomatoes, peppers, and geraniums when roots absorb water faster than the leaves can transpire it. The cells can't hold the water, expand and burst, eventually forming blisters or edema. My poor tomato's disorder became so severe that the raised,corky lesions actually became hard and necrotic with open vascular wounds.
As if that wasn't enough, the fruit that had formed on this vine exhibited a strange lumpiness with ring spots and blotches. Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus (TSWV) caused by nasty little Western flower thrips in my garden! Apparently they're vectors forTSWV. When they nibble on the tomato leaves the virus is passed directly into the plant. The good news is that the disease isn't infectious, so nearby tomato or pepper plants won't getTSWV unless visited bythrip carriers. The bad news is the fruits are too gross to want to eat (although not disease causing if consumed) and once the plant is infected, it can't be cured.
Alas, my poor parenting skills probably did contribute to the eventual demise of this tomato vine. But a lesson was learned and future tomatoes that enter the gates of my garden will receive more seasoned consideration and care.