Nutrition & Health

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A crab spider dines on a green bottle fly in a lavender patch in Vacaville, Calif. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Bug Squad: Article

What's for Dinner? How About a Green Bottle Fly?

June 25, 2019
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
What's for dinner? A crab spider, camouflaged in our lavender patch, didn't catch a honey bee, a butterfly, an ant or a syrphid fly. No, it nailed a green bottle fly. We couldn't help but notice. The fly's metallic blue-green coloring stood in sharp contrast to the white spider.
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The six-acre lavender fields on the Araceli Farms, on the outskirts of Dixon, glow during the Lavender Festival. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Bug Squad: Article

Lovin' the Lavender

June 24, 2019
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Lovin' the lavender... If you attended the Lavender Festival last weekend at the six-acre Araceli Farms at 7389 Pitt School Road, Dixon, you were in for a real treat.
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This small urban farm in downtown Los Angeles is part of the Episcopal Diocese Seeds of Hope program. It includes a living labyrinth for reflection, as well as flowers, fruit trees, herbs and vegetables for distribution in the community.
Urban Agriculture: Article

Designing Urban Farms

June 21, 2019
By Rachel A Surls
Note: This post is first of a series in which we will recap our UC ANR Urban Agriculture Workshops. We'll share key points, as well as links to videos and handouts. Even if you couldn't make it in person, you can still access the content.
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Black spots on Persimmon
HOrT COCO-UC Master Gardener Program of Contra Costa: Article

Persimmon Tree Problems

June 17, 2019
Advice for the Home Gardener from the Help Desk of the UC Master Gardener Program of Contra Costa County MGCC Help Desk Request: What's going on with my persimmon tree? I worked a bunch of compost into the soil around it in the spring and mulched with leaves. But it looks like it needs nutrients.
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A ceramic/mosaic sculpture, "Miss Bee Haven," anchors the Häagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven on Bee Biology Road, UC Davis. It is the work of self-described rock artist Donna Billick of Davis. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Bug Squad: Article

Let's Celebrate National Pollinator Week

June 14, 2019
By Kathy Keatley Garvey
Did you know that next week is National Pollinator Week? It is. June 17-21 is the week set aside to celebrate pollinators and how we can protect them. Actually, National Pollinator Week should be every day. Launched 12 years ago under U.S.
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Student teachers lead the physical activity during Week 5
Healthy Communities Blog: Article

Together, we can make a difference!

June 13, 2019
By Suzanne Morikawa
UCCE in Kings County leverages community partnerships to increase preschoolers awareness about healthy foods Early childhood is critical to the development of lifelong healthy living.
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