The Science Behind Nature - in Layperson Speak
I just did a walk up to Caroline Park and luckily had my camera to capture the flowering natives, birds and bunnies. Caroline Park is a native plant park set aside in Redlands CA by Olivia Phelps (of the Phelps-Dodge family) in 1929 to honor her sister Caroline. While the many flowering plants in …
Continue Reading about Great Hikes: Caroline Park’s Lush Natives (Redlands CA)
Wow. Yesterday I wanted to go for a hike and headed to the Whitewater Preserve close to Palm Springs. The Whitewater River flows into dammed pools of water, which became a trout fishery for many years, but no hiking into the canyon was permitted. That is, until the Wildands Conservancy was able to …
Continue Reading about Great hikes: Desert Wildflowers (& why to support conservation efforts)
In a follow-up to my post (Favorite Plants for Attracting Birds/Butterflies (Midwest/East) here are some favorites from two of our homes, both landscaped with natives and other wildlife-attracting plants. (See Our Conversion to Low Water Landscaping). I also asked two friends in Arizona, for their …
Continue Reading about Favorite Plants for Attracting Birds/Butterflies (California/Southwest)
In an earlier article Going Native: Even Small Amounts Bring Benefits I gave Susan Damon's yard in St. Paul, Minnesota as an example. Recently I asked her more questions and wanted to share what she and her husband Paul have experienced with their landscaping, along with some photos. (These are …
Continue Reading about Landscaped Yard Ushers in Butterflies and Birds
Note: this area was hit hard by the November 2018 Woolsey Fire. I've been afraid to go back, but plan to soon to document its recovery. My husband Tom and I were amazed with the mature stands of chaparral on a hike we took last week - the Mishe Mokwa trail in the Santa Monica Mountain National …
Even small patches of natives bring pleasant surprises. (See below for Midwest resources and click here for a previous article about favorite Midwest native plants). One of my best walks here in Redlands CA takes me by some mature sections of chaparral and sage scrub that some owners left on their …
Continue Reading about Going Native: Even Small Amounts Bring Benefits
