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Edible Front Yard Ideas
We were in Berkeley recently to check on the status of a guitar repair job.
While my husband was in the shop, I decided to go for a walk. I've always loved walking in this neighborhood of small, but lush front yards. Always on a look-out for ideas, I stumbled onto these two interesting front yards.
The first one has a retaining wall planted with different kinds of lettuce, strawberry, marigolds, tomatoes, and sunflower - right next to the sidewalk.
My first reaction was, “How neat and how trusting these people were to plant their food where anybody could help themselves anytime.”
In my own edible front yard, I made sure to put my edibles close to the house and the non-edibles next to the street to avoid any issues. But I have 40 ft of space between the sidewalk and my front door, they don't.
On the other hand, maybe it was their intent to share their produce with the neighbors.
I kept walking, made a left turn and I saw this - 8 buckets of tomato plants with their own tomato cages, on top of what appeared to be a carport - No one's going to steal those.
As more and more people are switching out their lawns for a more water conserving front yard, we are also seeing more varied and creative front yards that reflect the individual homeowners' style. And it makes for a more interesting walk around the neighborhood(s).
I look forward to my next walk when we pick-up the guitar.
photos by Tina Saravia
tomatoes on roof-tina s 2018
Those Iconic Monarchs: Treats on Halloween and Every Other Day
It's Halloween and scores of trick-or-treaters are donning monarch butterfly costumes. But...
A newly eclosed monarch, ready to take flight. This image was taken on Sept. 24, 2018 in Vacaville, Calif. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Spreading her wings on a Mexican sunflower (Tithonia), the newly released Monarch is about to take flight. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A monarch sips nectar from a Mexican sunflower (Tithonia). (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Halloween Miku
photo by Jennifer Baumbach
Why This Monarch Chrysalis Was a Big Hit
A monarch chrysalis at the Bohart Museum of Entomology, University of California, Davis proved to...
Two co-creators of the monarch chrysalis piñata--Charlotte Herbert Alberts and husband George Alberts--pose with the piñata just before the start of the game. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Ready, set, swing! The monarch piñata is fair game. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A direct hit and the crowd cheers! (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
And down it goes! Tabatha Yang, Bohart education and outreach coordinator, supervises the piñata breaking game. At far right is UC Davis graduate Emma Cluff, who created the piñata with Charlotte Herbert Alberts and George Alberts. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
UC Davis entomology student Laurie Casebier takes a swing. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
UC Davis entomology student Lohit Garikipati gives it his all. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
UC Davis forensic entomologist Robert Kimsey, dressed in a ghillie suit, is blindfolded by Tabatha Yang, Bohart education and outreach coordinator and game coordinator. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The exact moment: we have a winner! Emma Cluff removes her mask as the crowd applauds her victory. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The scramble for the candy! The monarch chrysalis with the parasitoid protrusion is no more! (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The Pollinator Corridor
Recently, I visited Portland, Oregon, where I stumbled across a “Pollinator Corridor” in the Lloyd District, a commercial neighborhood, located in the North and Northeast sections of the city. This is the perfect example of what a win-win situation looks like, where nature and urban life can co-exist harmoniously together. The Pollinator Corridor is planted with native Northwest perennials (e.g., Kinnikinnick, Yarrow, Salal and Milkweed) to provide habitat and food for bees and other pollinators, and includes water features and rain catchment, which I presume is being used to water the landscape and for other non-potable uses. High-rises which house professional businesses, straddle both sides of the Pollinator Corridor. The Pollinator Corridor also provides a respite for weary office workers to eat and recreate outside during breaks. As an added bonus, the Pollinator Corridor, which is very wide, allows both bikes and pedestrians passage. This is a prime example of intelligent urban-planning which all cities can learn from, which contribute to the health and wellness of surrounding populations. For more information, see www.ecolloyd.org
photos by Betty Homer
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