Christie Nowak

My Plant of the Day (79)

Native to Mexico, Mammillaria elongata consists of densely packed clusters of thin oval stems, covered in soft-ish yellow or brown radial spines. Also known as the ladyfinger cactus, they will produce white or pale yellow flowers with pink center lines.

#succulents
#cactus

Ten more half pints of pesto ready for the freezer. Not that there’s any room in the freezer.

My Plant of the Day (78)

This was labeled as a pachyphytum bracteosum. Native to Mexico, this plant has thick and flattened, purplish or bluish green leaves with a thick, powdery coating called farina. Lower leaves grow at a right angle to the stem; upper leaves are erect or curved.

#succulents

My Plant of the Day (54)

My best guess was this is a pachyphytum bracteosum. And I was very wrong. (See plant 78). So now I’m thinking it’s Graptopetalum Amethystinum, or Lavender Pebbles. Native to central Mexico, this plant has plump, rounded leaves of lavender, pink, and green.

#succulents

A summer of sunbathing brings out the bronze.
#succulents

She’s trying to give me flowers!!!

My Plant of the Day (77)

Sedum sediforme, also called turquoise tails, is a stonecrop native to the Mediterranean basin. It has oblong, smooth, blue-green leaves that cluster on stems that can grow 4 - 12 inches long, and will trail over pot edges or along the ground.

#succulents

My Plant of the Day (76)

Crassula arborescens undulatifolia grows wild on rocky slopes in South Africa. Commonly called Wavy jade, it has relatively flat leaves that undulate, creating a ripple effect. It can grow up to four feet tall, and prefers a bit of shade to avoid sunburn.

#succulents

My Plant of the Day (75)

Casual ovata ‘Gollum’ is a cultivar in the jade family, which is native to South Africa. It has long, tube like, glossy green leaves that often flare at the tips into a trumpet like shape. The tips will become red in prolonged, bright sunlight.

#succulents

President Trump Is Right About the Smithsonian The National Museum of African American History and Culture debuted a series to educate people on “a society that privileges white people and whiteness” —

The list of things on display at the Smithsonian that the regime finds “objectionable.”

www.whitehouse.gov/articles/202...

She’s giving me flowers!!! 🌺
#cactus

We have 9 more half pint jars of pesto for the freezer (and still have four more basil plants to harvest), and 12 pints of bread and butter pickles being canned. 😁 and three hens are a-laying. #urbanfarmers

Energy chief suggests Trump administration is altering previously published climate reports | CNN Wright said the Trump administration is updating the National Climate Assessments that have been previously published, which the administration recently removed from government websites.

www.cnn.com/2025/08/07/c...

“When you get into departments and look at stuff that’s there and you find stuff that’s objectionable, you want to fix it,” Wright said Tuesday.

My Plant of the Day (74)

Pilosocereus pachycladus, or blue torch cactus, is native to Brazil. It can grow up to 33 feet (10 m) tall, with branches up to 4.4 inches (11 cm) in diameter. Its areoles have tufts of long white hairs and clusters of translucent, yellowish spines.

#succulents
#cactus

Their smoke reaches us From twelve hundred miles away. One world - connected. CLN

#ClimateHaiku

My Plant of the Day (73)

The Echinocereus rigidissimus, also known as Rainbow Hedgehog Cactus, is native to the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. It has several low ribs with radial spines that range from red to yellow, and produces large, bright pink flowers.

#succulents
#cactus

My Plant of the Day (72)

Kalanchoe tomentosa, native to Madagascar, is also called pussy ears or panda plant. It has many cultivars, including Golden Girl, which has chocolate tipped, golden leaves covered in fine, velvety hairs. It’s slow growing and stays compact when grown indoors.

#succulents

Wildfire in the hills. Evacuation warning. Will our homes survive? CLN

#ClimateHaiku

It’s beyond infuriating. 😡

Record breaking highs. Global temperatures rise. June - the new July. CLN

#ClimateHaiku

Ponderosa pines Became torches in the night. The North Rim is ash. CLN

#ClimateHaiku

Eight more jam jars (plus overflow) of black #raspberry #jam from the wild raspberry patch in our yard. Another 6 pints picked on Monday, and so many more still ripening on the plants. More pectin has been procured. 😁

#homemade
#canning

My Plant of the Day (71)

Trichodiadema densum is a small, clumping shrub in the fig-marigold family. It is native to the Willowmore region of the Western Cape Province, South Africa. It has reddish flowers and densely packed leaves, tipped with about 20 white, radiating bristles.

#succulents

Warm seas alter winds, Affecting weather patterns. Storms stall. Waters rise. CLN

#ClimateHaiku

Three 10oz jars and two 8oz jars (plus overflow) of black raspberry jam from the wild raspberry patch in our yard. Nearly 6 pints picked yesterday, and so many more still on the plants. Time to get more pectin!

#homemade
#canning

Climate change is impacting hops and barley crops, forcing beer industry to adjust In the face of human-caused climate change impacting water access and weather patterns in the Willamette Valley — a region known for hops growing — farmers are using all the new strategies they can ge...

www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/nationa...

Fall and winter floods With hotter, dryer summers Damage barley fields. CLN

#ClimateHaiku

My Plant of the Day (70)

The gymnocalycium mihanovichii is native to South America. They is usually found in stores as mutant cultivars grafted to a hylocereus and called Moon Cactus. Those with enough chlorophyll can be grown on their own, and are commonly called Chin Cactus.

#succulents
#cactus

Grab a bag and go. Wildfire season has begun. It’s our new normal. CLN

#ClimateHaiku