Under the Solano Sun

Pesticide use. Climate change. Habitat destruction. Scientists report all these factors result in declining insect populations in general and in colony collapse for honeybees. As backyard gardeners most of us are observing fewer butterflies both in numbers and varieties.

I enjoy taking leisurely strolls through my garden, meandering among the flowers, and taking in the spectacular colors, textures, and scents. This delightful feeling does not need to end when it's time to go back indoors; just cut some of the blooming flowers from the garden and pop them into vases.

Plants Have MouthsAnd They Could Help Agriculture Adapt to Climate Change is the title of a recent article in the December 17, 2022 issue of Modern Farmer that caught my eye. Plants have mouths? I never thought of plants having mouths, but surprisingly they do.

We have a Bearss Lime tree Citrus latifolia (Yu.Tanaka) that produces a large quantity of delicious limes. We use these limes when they are green, like the ones we typically purchase at the local grocer.

I did a bit of belated backyard cleanup today, and noticed some succulents: This jade, Crassula ovata, was a scrawny little plant for years under a redwood tree. After the redwood was removed, the jade started to grow and now its quite large. It needs to be covered on the hottest summer days.