Here in dry Southern California, some native plants have adapted to our Mediterranean climate by fruiting and flowering in winter when more water is available. Manzanitas form dormant flowering shoots at the end of the previous year's spring growth that remain dormant until the next growing season, where they act like a "big toe testing the water" (Dr. V. Thomas Parker, Calflora Database) for moisture availability.
[Photo by Diane Etchison - 2019, Calflora Database]

Got my first little red berry and so excited to try one!! Not being a green thumb and really never having an interest in growing anything, I have really enjoyed watching this little thing thrive.

"Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's needs, but not every man's greed." - Mahatma Gandhi

“The environment is where we all meet; it is the one thing we all share." – Lady Bird Johnson

“Consume less; share better.” — Hervé Kempf

"Consume less; share better.” — Hervé Kempf

“Be the change you wish to see in the world." – Mahatma Gandhi

HELLO. MY NAME IS INDIA SMITH AND I AM SUPER EXCITED TO JOIN EARTH MONTH ECOCHALLENGE 2025! TO MAKE THE ENTIRE CONCEPT OF PEOPLE COMING TOGETHER TO HELP OUR EARTH IS AMAZING! WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN OUR WORLD WITH SMALL WASTEFUL HABITS WE ALL HAVE BUT TAKE FOR GRANTED THAT WE DO THESE THINGS ON A REGULAR BASIS. I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO DOING MY PART, WHATEVER THAT LOOKS LIKE.