Wondering how you can do your landscaping and yard work in a more gentle-on-the-earth and sustainable way? Janet Hartin, horticulture advisor and author with the U of California, has given over 1000 talks on sustainable landscape topics, and our local horticulture group was one of them last …
Great hikes: Herngt ‘Aki’ Preserve (Oakmont Park) in Redlands
In 2010, Carol Blaney moved with her family to Redlands CA from Yosemite National Park, where as an interpretive park ranger she worked with Yosemite’s stunning scenery as her backdrop. The transition was helped when Blaney came across Redland’s Herngt 'Aki' Preserve- formerly called Oakmont Park - …
Continue Reading about Great hikes: Herngt ‘Aki’ Preserve (Oakmont Park) in Redlands
Living in Coyote Country (and a campaign to stop a hunt)
As mentioned in a previous post, we’ve seen some coyotes in our Southern California residential area recently. One was feasting on a dead squirrel as we drove by late one night; two others were documented on the night camera set up in the alley behind our house. Having grown up in the Chicago …
Continue Reading about Living in Coyote Country (and a campaign to stop a hunt)
Favorite Natives: Western Sycamore
Here in Redlands CA, ESRI employs 2000 and is a huge presence in our town. With hundreds of sycamore trees dotting ESRI’s campus, the tree is obviously a favorite of the company's founder, Jack Dangermond. “I like this tree. It makes people feel good when they are around them," says Dangermond. He …
Saving Wildlife: Keep Cats Indoors (and Other Suggestions)
First a full disclosure: I have had both indoor cat and outdoor cats. Yesterday I came across a half-eaten bird kill caused by a cat I’ve seen stalking our bird-friendly property. It made me think of some research The Secret Life of Roaming Cats I heard on NPR in August. Working with the National …
Continue Reading about Saving Wildlife: Keep Cats Indoors (and Other Suggestions)
Get Out of Your Car on Road Trips and… What Arizona’s Monsoons Bring
Vultures taking advantage of the hundreds of sphinx moth caterpillars crossing the road, Colorado River toads, noisy grasshoppers and gorgeous sunsets.... I took a trip to Arizona last week, and happened to time it with the last days of Arizona's monsoons. When I lived in Flagstaff I relished …
Continue Reading about Get Out of Your Car on Road Trips and… What Arizona’s Monsoons Bring