Rangelands

When a tiger meets a Tithonia, or a Tithonia meets a tiger, Nature bursts forth in all its glory. Such was the case when we spotted a Western tiger swallowtail, Papilio rutulus, foraging for nectar on a Mexican sunflower, Tithonia rotundifola, in a Vacaville garden.

California water-rights holders are required by state law to measure and report the water they divert from surface streams.

Welcome to Smart Water Living Blog– your local guide to urban water efficiency and conservation in Southern California. From drought-tolerant landscaping to smart irrigation and water-wise policies, we share practical tips, expert insights, and real stories to help you save water without sacrificing comfort…

The Gulf Fritillary, Agraulis vanillae, and the Mexican sunflower, Tithonia rotundifola, seem made for one another. Both are a showy orange. Both are show-stoppers. And both attract a photographer's eye. Especially when a Gulf Frit flutters over a Tithonia on a warm sunny day in a Vacaville garden.

So here's this praying mantis, a female Mantis religiosa, tucked beneath a Mexican sunflower, Tithonia rotundifola, in a Vacaville garden. She's as still as a stone, and you know how still stones are. Along comes a honey bee, Apis mellifera. She's packing a load of orange pollen.

Working as an irrigator seems straightforward at first: if you're not watering plants by hand, you're building and managing systems that can do the watering.

Working as an irrigator seems straightforward at first: if you're not watering plants by hand, you're building and managing systems that can do the watering.

Holiday? What holiday? It's Labor Day, but honey bees aren't relaxing. They're out in force collecting nectar, pollen, water and propolis.

Our blog is a dedicated resource for anyone interested in the vibrant world of urban agriculture and water resources.

Remember Rebecca Jean "RJ" Millena? She's the little Concord, Calif., kindergarten student who declared--on the very first day of class-- "When I grow up, I want to be an entomologist!" And she did.