ECO LAND TIPS
2008 ARCHIVE
About this website

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General Information Brochure
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Questions? We are happy to answer any questions you might have about our services and fees.  We have a portfolio of designs and photos from past projects available for review.  In addition, we are happy to provide you with the names and addresses of recent Clients.
©GaiaCreations2008
MARCH 2008
Contact
Gaia Creations today for an initial consultation!

530-321-9715
530-828-6390
P.O. Box 3358
Chico, CA 95927
We started our Eco Land Tips and Image of the Month information March of 2008 in order to help educate and inform people about what it is we do and why.  By taking these photographs each month and writing about the various native flowers etc. we were also able to learn a few more things ourselves.  We hope you will enjoy the photographs and reading about the various months of 2008 and what the seasons brought to us.

2008 Images of the Month,  2009 Images of the Month ,   2009 Eco Land Tips 
Cedar Waxwings (Bombycilla cedrorum) are migratory birds visiting our region from September through May.  They are 'intensive foragers" of fruit; up to 90% of their diet!  Waxwings are incredibly beautiful birds having red tips to their wings and a band of bright yellow on their tail feathers.  They are nomadic birds in constant search for fruit.

Grow native shrubs and trees that bear fruit for these migratory birds rather than an invasive plant like Privet.  While waxwings love the berries the spread of invasive species should be reduced.

Fruit bearing native trees and shrubs include coffee berry, elderberry, toyon, hackberry, currants and also the vine California grape.
APRIL 2008
Culinary and medicinal herbs have been a part of human heritage for thousands of years.  Many herbs used by indigenous peoples have been studied and found to be greatly important in our discoveries of past cultures and their daily life.

Herbs can mean many things to many different people; culinary plants like Thyme and Parsley, shown above, offer a staple place in the garden.  Other plants like Calendula and Feverfew, also shown above, are enjoyed for their medicinal qualities as well as their beauty.

All around the world people enjoy the grace and diversity of herbs.  Let us help you build an herb garden today!
MAY 2008
BENEFICIAL INSECTS

Planting insectary plants into the garden will bring these predators and pollinators to your gardens.  Eliminating pesticides and harmful chemicals is also necessary.

Click on the thumbnails below to view the beneficial insects larger.
LADY BUGSOLDIER BEETLEAPHID MUMMYHOVER FLY ON CA POPPY
JUNE 2008
BEETLES ABOUND!

The enormous amount of carrot seed we have collected since we first saw these beetles a few years ago has been wonderful.  We collect the seed and they finish drying outdoors then are stored in a cool dry place.  These particular carrots produced viable and abundant seed thanks to the pollination from these beetles and others. 

The ‘furniture carpet beetle’ (Anthrenus flavipes) pictured below is considered a ‘pest’ by UC IPM folks at Davis.  Greatly admiring the work of UC IPM we will agree to their advisements, “Examine cut flowers for adult beetles.  Be careful not to bring these pests into the home on cut flowers—with their rounded bodies and short antennae, carpet beetles somewhat resemble lady beetles in shape.”
JULY 2008
TO WEED OR NOT TO WEED…  that is the question!

What is a weed?  "A plant out of place" is the answer given by most horticulture folks.  But what is a weed in the eyes of an ecological landscape?

Only three of the four plants shown below are what we consider to be invasive and should be managed well in the landscape.  Their escape can be time consuming the long run.
Can you guess which plant is not a weed to the eyes of an ecological landscaper? 

Click on the images below for the answer.
Scarlet Pimpernel (Anagallis arvensis) is a weed sold in chain nurseries still to this day. This invasive weed is pretty to look at but not after is has taken over the garden! Manage this weed by manual removal (no chemicals necessary) then mulch heavily (3-6 inches deep).Persian Speedwell (Veronica persica) is a common landscape weed that spreads by seed. The roots are extremely fibrous and will hold the soil in place quite well. Manage this invasive pest with manual removal of entire plant BEFORE FLOWERING (or if not in flower mulch-on-site)! Then MULCH heavily!Creeping Woodsorrel (Oxalis corniculata) is a menacing weed that spreads by underground runners and seed. The seed pods rupture when humidity levels change spreading seed everywhere. Manage this invasive pest with manual removal of all roots and creeping stems BEFORE THEY FLOWER! Then MULCH!Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) is a common plant found in our landscapes. Little do people know of its edibility in salads or steamed but most know even less about a dandelions ability to harness nutrients from deep in the soil they then accumulate in their leaves. A great M-O-S plant & no weed!
AUGUST 2008
DID YOU KNOW?

Lyme disease is caused by a bacterium which lives in the belly of ticks, such as the western black-legged tick here in California.  When a juvenile tick (about 1/20th of an inch in size) ingests the blood a Western Fence Lizard a protein in the lizards’ blood actually kill the bacteria!  This seems to leave the tick unable to transmit Lyme Disease! 

WAY TO GO MOTHER NATURE!!

Read the Berkeley news article from 1998 here: http://www.berkeley.edu/news/berkeleyan/1998/0429/lizard.html

WESTERN FENCE LIZARD (Sceloporus occidentalis)
a.k.a. Blue Belly Lizard
THIS BABY BLUE BELLY IS MAYBE 4 CM LONG -EXCLUDING THE TAIL. IT PROBABLY HATCHED A FEW DAYS PRIOR TO THESE PHOTOS IN MID JULY 2008. *Note the shoe is a child’s size 9 lost in the landscape for a season!! BLUE BELLY LIZARDS HIBERNATE OVER WINTER AND REESTABLISH THEIR HOME TERRITORY IN THE SAME AREAS THE FOLLOWING SPRING. MATING BEGINS IN EARLY MAY WITH EGGS HATCHING BY JULY. THEY DEFEND THEIR SPACE (A ¼ ACRE TERRITORY) THROUGH POSTURING (PUSH UPS) AND THROUGH CHEMICAL CUES AND MARKINGS.CAN YOU FIND THE BABY LIZARD? WHILE NOT THE MOST FOCUSED OF PHOTOS IT DOES CLEARLY ILLUSTRATES HOW WELL CAMOFLOUGED LIZARDS ARE FOR PROTECTION FROM PREDATORS. THE LEAVES NEXT TO THE BABY ARE FROM A COMMON GARDEN SAGE PLANT.THIS SUNNY LOCATION IS PERFECT TO BLEND IN (FOR BOTH PROTECTION AND PREDATION) WHILE WARMING THE BLOOD; LIZARDS ARE REPTILES AND THEREFORE COLD BLOODED REQUIRING WARMTH FROM EXTERNAL SOURCES FOR ENERGY AND SURVIVAL.
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2008
Do you want more garden space without the hassle?   TRY SHEET MULCHING!!!

Sheet mulching is a method for turf eradication and also for building soil health on weedy or infertile ground.
By simply placing out overlapping sheets of clean cardboard, adding 4-6 inches of compost and a final layer of arbor mulch one can easily renovate a lawn into a functional and fertile garden space.

Click on the images below for more information.  Give us a call, mention this webpage and receive a free estimate on turf removal!
This is an image of the front landscape before it was sheet mulched. Our Clients wanted to utilize the afternoon sunshine for vegetables and other plants that have more function than plain old turf. A 6" border of turf was removed prior to the next step. Clean cardboard can be found in various locations around town and if possible free from dyes and minimal tape. Overlap the edges by at least one foot to ensure creeping weeds like Bermuda grass don't migrate through. After this step comes 4-8" of compost evenly spread over the cardboard.After the compost is spread arbor mulch, like shredded cedar shown here, is spread evenly 4" or more thick! The purpose is smother the underlying weeds or turf but without killing the soil biota at the same time. This method boosts soil life and strengthens poor soils tremendously. Bye, bye lawn!The mulch line bordering the turf is straight and should only slightly decompress over winter. This line is important when establishing new garden edges with sheet mulching. Proper cardboard placement and mulching thickness is key.
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2008
MULCH-ON-SITE

During leaf season instead of raking up leaves, bagging them, and/or taking them out to the curb or worse burning them try Mulching-on-Site!  Let annual leaf drop stay in the landscape in a beautiful way to promote healthy and seasonally replenished soils!
•Resource efficient
•Air pollution reduced
•Replenishes soils
•Reduced in/outflows
•Conserves forest products
•Less volume to City/County programs
click on some images to enlarge