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May 2025Archived

 

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hover fly avocado flower
Topics in Subtropics: Article

Watching Hoverflies Surf da Orchard

August 21, 2023
By Ben A Faber
Oblique streaktail hoverflies zip from bloom to bloom wearing a wasp costume to avoid getting eaten. But it's all for show they don't even have stingers! Their fierce maggots, on the other hand, devour hundreds of insect pests. As they gorge, they help keep orange trees safe from disease.
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Hoverfly
Spill the Beans: Article

Plant Pollination: Beyond Bees

August 21, 2023
There are around 350,000 pollinator species in the world. Though they are the most recognizable, bees are not the only plant pollinator team in town. Other insects that help to carry this responsibility are. butterflies, flies, moths and beetles.
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Dish garden. photos by Karen Metz
Under the Solano Sun: Article

Moving Objects

August 21, 2023
A few years ago, I bought a few bags of glow- in- the- dark stones. My friend was making fairy gardens with her granddaughter and I thought they would enjoy the novelty of the stones. I kept a bag for myself. I don't remember being very impressed with the glow- in- the- dark capability.
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hands-970191 1280 Pixbay
Napa Master Gardener Column: Article

California native plants and the lives of the first inhabitants.

August 20, 2023
Recently a fellow Master Gardener recommended I read Inherited Silence by Louise Dunlap. The book is described as an insightful look at the historical damages early colonizers of America caused and how their descendants may recognize and heal the harm done to the earth and the native peoples.
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