January: Echeveria “Imbricata” (Hen and chicks)
With it's fleshy leaves and low growth pattern this attractive succulent is ideal for fire-wise landscaping. Blue-green rosettes spread freely, forming dense clumps from two to four feet wide. In the spring pink flowers lined in yellow bloom grace 8-inch stems. Drought-tolerant; frost hardy to 20 degrees this succulent prefers light, well-drained soils, and partial shade in our area.
February: Our Portion of the Pacific Flyway
The route that migrating waterfowl and raptors take as they move between their seasonal homes is four thousand miles long, stretching from Patagonia to Alaska. Butte County’s own small portion of the Pacific Flyway attracts millions of birds. This is because we have a lot to offer them: a portion of the tiny percentage of remaining wetlands in the Sacramento and San Joaquin valleys is here; our flooded rice fields are attractive to birds, and our waterways (both natural and those built to carry water for irrigation) also provide food and resting spots for these travelers.
Two easily accessible places for viewing migrating birds are the Llano Seco Viewing Platform on 7-Mile Lane west of Dayton, and the Gray Lodge Wildlife Area west of Gridley. The show started in November but continues through February. Don’t miss this opportunity to see these amazing creatures as they go about feeding and gathering energy for their next big push southwards.
Photo of Gray lodge by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.