Ongoing research

California growers, who account for more than 90% of avocado production in the U.S., will soon be getting some help in weathering the extreme fluctuations of climate change.

Lobelia By Andrea Peck UCCE Master Gardener Common name of plant: Lobelia Scientific name: Lobelia erinus Planting area: Perennial in USDA zones 10-11 during winter. Annual in other zones.

Reminder for early to mid-career level academics who would like funds to establish or expand a project, proposals are due Friday, Feb. 18. Thanks to the generosity of the Hrdy family, we are pleased to solicit a call for proposals to receive funding, beginning this current year.

You can "Bee My Valentine" today--and throughout the month of February--by contributing to the UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day.

Long dry periods are not uncommon in the Sacramento Valley between January and February. Despite the early season downpours, rainfall for the 2021-22 water year is dropping back to below average (Figure 1), and there is no rain on the near-term horizon.

Dear California Naturalists and Climate Stewards: We are pleased to introduce you to the new Volunteer Portal! Over the last year, we've developed a new platform for our naturalists, stewards, and instructors to record, review, and generate reports on their volunteer service.

Happy Valentine's Day! What are you giving or hoping to receive for the day? Maybe, some perfume or cologne? Scents, smells and odors are vaporized, volatile molecules of a substance (another body or maybe our own, a flower, some decomposing matter) that we take into our own bodies when we inhale.

Mask update don't throw those masks away just yet As reported in many media outlets, the CDPHs statewide mask order will expire on February 15, 2022. Some counties have also had local Public Health Orders that require all people to wear a mask indoors.

by Laurie Budash This is the fourth article describing plants and their care featured in the UC Master Gardeners of Napa County's low-water, low-maintenance area of Las Flores Learning Garden.

The Bad News: Fire Season is now year-round in California. More Bad News: wildfires are no longer confined to areas with overgrown forests: homes in suburbia are increasingly vulnerable to devastation. The Good News: there are things you can do to improve the odds of your home surviving a wildfire.