Ongoing research

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A Western yellowjacket, Vespula pensylvanica, sipping water at UC Davis. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Make Way for the Weird and Wonderful Wasps

September 20, 2022
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Meet the "meat bees." Yellowjackets, commonly known as "meat bees," in comparison to the "vegetarian" honey bees, will be among the wasps featured at the Bohart Museum of Entomology's open house from 1 to 4 p.m., Sunday, Sept.
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Advice to grow by ask us
The Coastal Gardener : Article

Advice to Grow By ... Free Gardening Advice

September 20, 2022
By Sherida J Phibbs
Did you know that you can get free gardening advice from our University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) Master Gardeners? Our Help desk is a free public service available to the home gardener in the Humboldt and Del Norte Counties.
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Pampas grass in landscape
The Coastal Gardener : Article

Pampas (Jubata) Grass - Beauty? No it is a Beast!

September 20, 2022
By Sherida J Phibbs
It is important that we all do our part to eradicate Pampas Grass on our property and in the environment. Drive anywhere along the coast this time of year and you will see huge stands of large 6'-10' tall grasses with dramatic pink plumes blowing in the wind like flags.
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Adult millepede by Jack Kelly Clark
The Coastal Gardener : Article

What's Bugging me? - Beneficial Compost Guests

September 20, 2022
By Sherida J Phibbs
Most of the living things that gardeners see when they peer into their compost piles need to be there for compost to happen. Earthworms, white worms, sow bugs, pill bugs, millipedes, snails, slugs, and mites all help break down the organic matter in the compost pile.
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Santa Cruz County: Article

San Benito Fair contest

September 20, 2022
Good Morning 4-Her's We have a vegetable judging at fair next week on September 30th. We also have a knowledge bowl on Wednesday of fair. I hope to see all of you at these events. See the flier for details on vegetable judging.
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Gracilaria sp Image by Mark Blaxter, Wikimedia commons
The Coastal Gardener : Article

Birds Do It, Bees Do It, Even Seaweeds in the Seas Do It

September 20, 2022
By Sherida J Phibbs
Birds do it, bees do it, Even seaweeds in the seas do itwith apologies to Cole Porter The origin of animal pollination has long been assumed to be a terrestrial phenomenon, starting with the evolution of flowering plants (angiosperms) during the late Cretaceous (99.6 to 65.5 million years ago) [1].
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Photo Credit Pixabay by sandid
The Coastal Gardener : Article

Growing Avocados Behind the Redwood Curtain

September 20, 2022
By Sherida J Phibbs
Avocados are a staple. Every person who opened an avocado has probably put the pit (seed) into water and hoped for a tree to harvest their own. Reality check: Avocado growing doesn't work that way. Yes, you might get a tree, and yes, after 10+ years it may produce fruit under the right conditions.
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Sugar pea foliage damaged by powdery mildew Erysiphe polygoni A Charles Crabb UCIPM
The Coastal Gardener : Article

Pests of the Season - Powdery Mildews

September 20, 2022
By Sherida J Phibbs
About: Powdery mildew is a group of fungal diseases that afflict a wide variety of plants. There are many species of fungi (e.g., Erysiphe spp., Sphaerotheca spp. Golovinomyces cichoracearum) that infect plants and cause the suite of symptoms we commonly call powdery mildew.
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Book Lifelong Gardener pic
The Coastal Gardener : Article

Book Review - The Lifelong Gardener, Garden with Ease & Joy at Any Age

September 20, 2022
By Sherida J Phibbs
Gattone, Toni. THE LIFELONG GARDENER, GARDEN WITH EASE & JOY AT ANY AGE Timber Press, 2019 Portland, Oregon 214 pages. Who can resist a book whose preface begins, The year I became a Master Gardener, I couldn't wait to apply the information I'd learned so I could transform my garden.
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