Viridescence - be green!

The Western U.S. use to have “fire seasons” now the West has “fire years” according to Vicki Christiansen, Chief of the Forest Service because wildfires now burn year around in the West. Keep your family and property safe by understanding wildfires and how to create a fire-retardant environment. Factors that contribute to disastrous wildfires include: 1. Uneven amounts of rain from year to year – during a rainy year, the understory vegetation grows dense. If the following year is a dry year, the dense vegetation dies and become fuel for fires. 2. Freezing weather will kill the vegetation turning into fire fuel. 3. Urban growth – building communities and houses in fire prone areas increases the available fuel 4. Wind – dry winds and/or fast winds help spread wildfires 5. Excessive fuel – reduced funding to the Forest Service has hindered their ability to maintain the amount of dense under-story growth in forests. Current policy prevents the use of prescr...

You can plant a pollinator garden anywhere – your yard, in pots on your patio, school, work, community gardens or churches. A garden filled with native plants will attract butterflies, bees and other pollinators and provide them with nectar while they in turn pollinate our fruits, vegetables, trees and flowers. Research What varieties of wildflowers and milkweed are native to your region? Don’t know! That is okay because the Xerces Society has compiled a list of regional native plants . It is best to purchase seeds from a local source because this will ensure the seeds you get are acclimated to your climate and resistant to disease in your area. If you are unsure of where to buy local seeds, the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center at the University of Texas in Austin has a directory of national seed supplies . Supplies Garden bed, raised bed, or flower pots   Garden tools (hoe, shovel, hand shovel)   Nutrient-rich soil    Mulch   Native pl...