Plant Care

Most California homeowners grab a broom the moment they spot a large circular web stretched between the fence…

By John Miller CA · Aug 18

Spotting a large snake gliding through your California garden can stop you cold, especially if it looks a…

By John Miller CA · Aug 18

Step outside on a warm California evening and you might spot a small, sticky-toed frog clinging to your…

By John Miller CA · Aug 18

Most California homeowners know the western fence lizard, that bold little reptile doing push-ups on every sun-baked wall…

By John Miller CA · Aug 17

Spotting a small covey of California quail picking across your yard on a hot July morning is genuinely…

By John Miller CA · Aug 17

Dragonflies are one of the more satisfying things to watch in a California yard, and they do eat…

By John Miller CA · Aug 17

Most California homeowners who spot a large, patterned snake in the yard reach for a shovel without a…

By John Miller CA · Aug 17

Barn owls are one of California’s most effective natural hunters of small rodents, and a well-placed nest box…

By John Miller CA · Aug 17

A small brown bird scratching quietly under your backyard shrubs might be doing more than looking for lunch.…

By John Miller CA · Aug 17

Spot a small, quick spider darting across your tomato leaves or crouching on a sun-warmed garden wall, and…

By John Miller CA · Aug 16

Mosquitoes are a real problem in California yards, and it makes sense to want nature’s help dealing with…

By John Miller CA · Aug 16

Barn owls are one of California’s most effective nocturnal hunters, quietly patrolling open fields and vineyard edges in…

By John Miller CA · Aug 16

Finding a California quail nest tucked into a corner of your yard this summer is one of those…

By John Miller CA · Aug 16

Somewhere in a California backyard right now, a southern alligator lizard is working its way through the leaf…

By John Miller CA · Aug 16

Western fence lizards are a familiar sight on California fences, garden walls, and sun-warmed rocks, and there is…

By John Miller CA · Aug 16

Bright orange-and-black orioles showing up in your yard feel like a reward for doing something right, and more…

By John Miller CA · Aug 15

Spotting a small frog clinging to a tomato cage or tucked behind a pot on a warm July…

By John Miller CA · Aug 15

Most California gardeners have squashed a spider in their vegetable bed without thinking twice, not realizing they may…

By John Miller CA · Aug 15

Spotting a group of California Quail moving through your backyard this summer can stop you in your tracks.…

By John Miller CA · Aug 15

Most California homeowners never think of dragonflies as a tool for managing mosquitoes, but these insects have been…

By John Miller CA · Aug 15

Spotting one or two western fence lizards on a sunny afternoon is a familiar California moment, but when…

By John Miller CA · Aug 15

Every late summer, certain California gardens light up with a flash of wings around one unassuming native plant.…

By John Miller CA · Aug 14

Spotting a small, sandy-gray frog tucked behind a rock or nestled under a leafy shrub in your Southern…

By John Miller CA · Aug 14

Most California gardeners have squished a tiny spider on a rose stem without a second thought, not realizing…

By John Miller CA · Aug 14

Spotting a crowd of California Quail bobbing through your yard on a summer morning is genuinely exciting, but…

By John Miller CA · Aug 14

Barn owls are one of California’s most effective nocturnal hunters, quietly patrolling fields and open yards for mice,…

By John Miller CA · Aug 14

Spotting a praying mantis perched on your tomato plant feels like finding a tiny garden bodyguard, and plenty…

By John Miller CA · Aug 14

Many California homeowners kill the one native snake that may eat both rattlesnakes and rodents, mistaking a harmless…

By John Miller CA · Aug 13

Most California homeowners who spot a large, patterned snake in the yard reach for a shovel before they…

By John Miller CA · Aug 13

Most California homeowners walk right past one of their yard’s most active ground-level foragers without a second glance.…

By John Miller CA · Aug 13

Finding a small frog clinging to a pot or tucked under a garden bed edge on a July…

By John Miller CA · Aug 13

Spotting a praying mantis perched on your tomato cage or kale plant feels like a small garden miracle,…

By John Miller CA · Aug 13

A small, restless flock moves through your garden shrubs like a wave, picking at leaves and twigs before…

By John Miller CA · Aug 13

Every California rose grower knows the frustration of finding a new flush of growth coated in sticky, crowded…

By John Miller CA · Aug 12

Spotting a white wading bird stalking through a wet corner of your California yard feels like a small…

By John Miller CA · Aug 12

Most California homeowners who spot a large, hissing snake in the yard reach for a shovel, not a…

By John Miller CA · Aug 12

That plain brown bird kicking through the leaves near your fence is not just passing through. The California…

By John Miller CA · Aug 12

Most California homeowners have spotted a bat zigzagging through the evening sky and assumed it was vacuuming up…

By John Miller CA · Aug 12

Spotting a praying mantis perched on a tomato cage or rosebush can stop you in your tracks. These…

By John Miller CA · Aug 12

Most California homeowners never think twice before sweeping down a web stretched across the garden gate, but that…

By John Miller CA · Aug 11

Spotting a small frog clinging to a fence post or tucked under a pot in your California garden…

By John Miller CA · Aug 11

Most California homeowners have chased one off a patio without a second thought, not realizing what they were…

By John Miller CA · Aug 11

Spot a dragonfly making repeated passes over your backyard this summer, and you might wonder whether your yard…

By John Miller CA · Aug 11

Barn owls have hunted California yards and fields for centuries, and a well-placed nest box can give them…

By John Miller CA · Aug 11

Tucked under a sun-warmed rock or perched on a wooden fence post, the western fence lizard is one…

By John Miller CA · Aug 11

Spotting a small frog clinging to a garden wall or tucked under a pot on a warm California…

By John Miller CA · Aug 10

Spot a praying mantis perched on your tomato plant and your first instinct might be to scoop it…

By John Miller CA · Aug 10

Spotting a plump little bird with a teardrop-shaped head plume strutting across your yard can stop you in…

By John Miller CA · Aug 10

Spotting a barn owl near your California yard after dark is one of those moments that stops you…

By John Miller CA · Aug 10