The Real Dirt

It's an exasperating experience. You go to the nursery, pick out a flowering plant, shrub, or tree and bring it home only to have some critter damage or destroy it within the first week. Pests cause damage and waste time and money.

What does a careful analysis of our Mediterranean climate, historic climate patterns, and water supply reveal about our future here in Butte County? Specifically, what does the historical climate record tell us about for precipitation and temperature? How have groundwater levels changed over time?

On Thursday, July 8, Governor Gavin Newsom asked California residents to cut back their water usage by 15%. Butte County is among the 50 California counties (out of a total of 58 counties) now included in Newsom's declaration of drought emergency.

Are caterpillars chewing on your cabbage? Aphids browsing your Brussels sprouts? Cucumber beetles snacking on your squash? Keeping insect pests from attacking your garden veggies can be a problem, but help is on the way: Just invite your neighborhood beneficials to the banquet in your garden.

It's important to protect our bee populations because their survival and reproduction provides pollination benefits for agricultural, urban, and wildland environments. This is especially evident here when we welcome commercial bees to pollinate almond orchards each spring.