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SCV Outdoor Report

Santa Clarita Outdoor Report: Juniper “Cones”

Most well-equipped kitchens have a place where the dried spices are kept.  It could be a drawer, or a cabinet shelf or even a spice rack on the counter.  And when we think of spices that we use, we think of bark – like cinnamon.  We think of roots – like ginger.  And we think of dried fruit – like ...

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SCV Outdoor Report Best Of: Juniper Berries

Earlier this year, my husband and I took a drive out to the eastern edge of the Santa Clarita valley.  It was a sunny morning, so we bundled up in our jackets and took the top down.  As we drove along Agua Dulce Canyon road, the junipers caught my eye – they were chock full of plump, greyish-blue berries.  But, ...

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Santa Clarita Outdoor Report, Best Of: Collecting Dust

Thanksgiving is in two weeks…but for many people… the preparation has already begun. Inviting family & friends, menu planning, grocery shopping, cooking and CLEANING.  At our house, it’s time to do a bit of dusting.  It’s amazing how quickly dust can collect on the furniture. That’s also true for the dust that collects on other living things. Take butterflies, for ...

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SCV Outdoor Report Best Of: Twitter Principles

It was the pun that first caught my attention – “Twitter Principles of Social Networking Increase Family Success in Nesting Birds”.  OK, so it wasn’t a great pun.  But it does illustrate that since the first “tweet” was sent on March 21, 2006, tweeting (among humans, not just birds) has become so popular that now even scientists are making puns about ...

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Santa Clarita Valley Outdoor Report: Oak Tale

This Valley Oak tree at the Bridgeport Marketplace was a least 150 years old when it collapsed last April.  Put in the context of U.S. history, it was ancient – a mere sapling when Lincoln was president.  But put in the context of its own species, with a lifespan of about 300-400 years – it was a middle-aged tree. Photo ...

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Santa Clarita Valley Outdoor Report: Contrarian Wildflower

“Hoary Fuchsia” is a contrarian wildflower.  For starters, it’s a contradiction in terms – a combination of words whose meanings are in conflict with one another.  The word hoary means “having grey or white hair”, while fuchsia means “a bright reddish-purple color”.   What were those botanists thinking when they named that flower? But when you take a closer look, perhaps ...

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SCV Outdoor Report: Superpowered Rose Petals

When I think of something soft and delicate, rose petals come to mind.  It could be from a childhood memory – the scent of my mother’s hand lotion.  Or perhaps it could be the memory of a flowergirl scattering rose petals along the bride’s path.  But rose petals may be tougher than they look.  Maybe they even posess their very ...

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Best Of SCV Outdoor Report: Sniff Sniff

For those of you who remember the pre-cellphone era: have you ever scanned a crowd to find someone?  Perhaps a friend you were supposed to meet.  Perhaps a child who wandered away from your group?  Can you remember how your eyes transitioned from a “wide area scan” to a narrow focus when you thought you’d found them?  Well, it turns ...

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Best Of SCV Outdoor Report: You CAN Be Too Rich

Remember the old saying, “You can never be too rich or too thin”?  Well you can be.  Too nutrient rich, that is.  Especially if you’re a salt-water marsh.  Scientists working at Woods Hole Marine Biological Laboratory recently reported “that nutrients—such as nitrogen and phosphorus from septic and sewer systems and lawn fertilizers—can cause salt-marsh loss.” They conducted a study of salt marsh landscapes at ...

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Santa Clarita Valley Outdoor Report: Must Go Faster….

When being chased by predators, it’s best to move quickly.  I remember a scene in the movie, “Jurassic Park”, where the characters were being chased by a Tyrannosaurus Rex.  As the jeep sped down a dirt road, Jeff Goldblum kept repeating, “Must go faster”.  And then there was a scene in the movie, “Independence Day”, where Will Smith and Jeff ...

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