Alisa Varney

I’m elated the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) has awarded my farm with a grant for their Pollinator Habitat Program (PHP). This will expand the existing plantings by adding a double hedgerow to surround the 8 acres, filling the interior with trees and adding wildflower meadows. My submitted design plan featured all CA natives with most self-sustaining after a handful of years even through drought. Some will have the ability to resprout following a wildfire. I’m eager to begin this new phase and support a greater diversity of native bees, butterflies, birds and other insects and mammals over the upcoming years.

@youwillmakemaps @JaredDHardin @stewartwaine @SteveAdamsSoil @amer_icon @cadbitch Thank you! 😊

@JaredDHardin Gardening: @AlisaVarney @stewartwaine @SteveAdamsSoil SMB @amer_icon Hunting @cadbitch

I need more people to follow. Who do you recommend? My interests: - God - Keeping my wife happy - All things SMB - Hunting, fishing, backpacking, survival, foraging (preferably in the Rocky Mountains) - Mountain biking - Health & longevity - Reading - Golf - Gardening

@growplantsgrow Playing with plants in the lab is always fun. 😃🌱

@AlisaVarney How fun!

There were easy herbarium specimens to mount for my return to volunteering at the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden. Feels good to get out of my own garden for a change. 🌱

@virgifar 🙏🏻❤️🇺🇸

Remembering all the families that lost a loved one on this Memorial Day weekend ❤️🙏❤️🇺🇸

@ImMCarvalho A little shot of goodness. Hope you feel better soon. ❤️‍🩹

Have been under the weather, but I got to see this little beauty right outside my living room window!

@ImMCarvalho Thanks! 🌱

@AlisaVarney Nice work! 👏💚

@MikeFrye0511 🦋🪲

@AlisaVarney ❤️❤️

Deliciæ Naturæ Selectæ George Wolfgang Knorr & Philipp Ludwig Statius Müller Dordrecht, 1771 Insects Drawn from the Museo Mülerian Collection Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History (library display)

@umbertosecondo No more than usual and I have twice as many artichokes this year. Maybe they moved to another garden. 😃

@AlisaVarney Maybe a massive attack of lady birds ?

Not sure how it happened, but this year’s crop of artichokes were aphid free.

@Budrip1007 Dazzling 🩷🧡❤️

Making another one of these today, such a fun way to use odd bits.

@youwillmakemaps Because it’s fun?

1) Guess who’s probably the best forklift certified cartographer in the world 2) I showed this to Stef and she just said “Why”

@CallnanSandra Yes, they do

@AlisaVarney They eat an enormous amount of aphids 🐞🥰

@Shultz_PA There’s a long row of green globe and Italian purple artichokes. CA is a major grower. Love them!

@AlisaVarney I never knew how an artichoke grew. This is enlightening.

@CallnanSandra Yes

@AlisaVarney Do you have Ladybug's?🐞

@Perma_Paths 🦋💟

Pollinators are being killed by the thousands through the use of “-icides” in modern farming and gardening. Without pollinators, there is no pollination. Without pollination, there is no food system. We must stop poisoning the very organisms our life depends on.

@readmeye That is curious 🧐

@AlisaVarney This year, I also did not see many aphids around (in CA). Interesting...

@JoannaDeVoe A fuzzy wand. 🪄

✨ front and back :

@JoannaDeVoe Are there tasty fish nearby? Hope they can simply relocate him. 🐻

A large section of Descanso Gardens was closed off today because of a bear on the property. The bear cops were called, and there was some talk of him being put down because he's a "repeat offender." Does anyone know how to check on his status? Neither X nor Google is cutting it. 🐻

@MadYochem They can be a bit persnickety about their climate. 🌱

@AlisaVarney I’ve successfully grown them before, but it’s been a long time. They aren’t crazy about the climate where I live. A little too hot and humid for a little too long … the same way I feel about it! 🌻

@MadYochem They’re easy to grow and return every year. Good luck! 🍀

@AlisaVarney Well done indeed! I absolutely love artichokes, but whenever I’m choosing the most beautiful at the grocery store, I give a little shudder thinking about WHY it’s so perfect. Reclaiming my little garden patch and will try for homegrown again.

@MandyLSimard Nice scoring, too

@AlisaVarney Thanks! I almost didn’t think I’d ever make it there.. took a couple tries to finally get my starter active from scratch

Here’s my third attempt at making a sourdough loaf. How’s it look? 👀