Nature friendly: Local physicist combines love of art and science
When we were little, we all loved bright shiny objects, but for Physicist Joe Jordan it was a little different. He remembers a favorite family story that started when he was three years old. While visiting his grandmother in the Shenandoah Mountains, someone suddenly noticed he was missing from the dinner table. They found him half a mile down a dirt road. When his family asked what he was doing, Jordan replied, “Just looking at the moon.”
The Mountain Gardener: Local sloughs a harbor for plants, wildlife
Each year I wait for them in my garden and so do the robins, varied thrush, jays, spotted towhees, grosbeaks and band-tailed pigeons. The fruit of sambucus mexicana, a California native plant, is relished by an incredible number of songbirds. The creamy flower clusters in the spring are a favorite of bees and other beneficial insects. My Western Elderberry grows tall and gangly in the shade of a California bay tree, shorter and more compact in the sun. Their exuberance for life makes me happy just to watch them provide for so many other species.
The Mountain Gardener: Fall tips and chores for a healthy garden
I never want summer to end. Who doesn't love those long days and warm nights? The calendar might say fall is near, but Indian summer is one of our best seasons so I love this time of year. But, then I get all excited when spring rolls around and everything is in bloom. It's all good. I have a check list of some garden tasks I need to do at this time of year, so I’d better get to them between hiking and trips to the beach.
News Briefs | Published Sept. 12, 2025
Fun run, emergency preparedness fair set for Saturday
On Saturday, Sept. 13, the City of Santa Cruz will be hosting Race the Wave, a 3K...
