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Bush Cucumber

Bush cucumbers have been bred to take up very little space with their extremely short vines — most varieties only require 2 to 3 square feet per plant. They have the same cultural requirements as vining cucumbers and ripen in about the same amount of time. Cultivars include “Bush Champion,” “Parks Bush Whopper,” “Pickle Bush,” “Pot Luck,” “Salad Bush” and …

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Sunnyvale Landmark – Stowell House

Sunnyvale pioneer Charles Stowell bought the home from F. C. Fry in 1899, who had built the home circa 1890. The Stowell family owned the home for 100 years. Stowell and his brother-in-law Charles Spaulding were prominent businessmen in the community. They built the S&S building on the corner of Murphy Avenue and Washington Avenue. They were also involved in …

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Sunnyvale Heritage Tree – Murphy Park Valley Oak

heritage valley oak in murphy park

Quercus lobata, the valley oak, grows into the largest of North American oaks. It is only found in California, growing in the hot interior valleys and foothills. Mature specimens may attain an age of up to 600 years. This deciduous oak requires year-round access to groundwater. Sunnyvale still has several prominent and venerable valley oaks. The Spanish gave it the …

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Bewicks Wren

bewicks wren

If you come across a noisy, hyperactive little bird with bold white eyebrows, flicking its long tail as it hops from branch to branch, you may have spotted a Bewick’s Wren. These master vocalists belt out a string of short whistles, warbles, burrs, and trills to attract mates and defend their territory, or scold visitors with raspy calls. Bewick’s Wrens …

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Sunnyvale Landmark – Collins-Scott Winery

collins winery

Built in 1881 by the Collins brothers, the Collins-Scott Winery is the oldest brick building in Sunnyvale. In 1889 a private railroad spur was built on the property and more than 300 gallons of wine were shipped daily. In 1927 all of the buildings except the brick distillery were destroyed by fire. In 1965, the present owers, the Duane Heinlen …

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C. J. Olson Cherries

Spring in the Olson cherry orchard. Before it was Silicon Valley, it was the Valley of Heart’s Delight. Ten million fruit trees in 1910, most of them prunes. The Olson family and their orchards are a link to the family farms of the past century. The Olson’s were Swedish immigrants who settled in 1899 in Sunnyvale, before it was a …

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House Finch

rose house finch

The male House Finch (aka Rose Finch) has a attractive red crown and throat. It is larger than the goldfinches and has a heavier beak for cracking seeds. While goldfinches prefer the small nyger seeds, the rose finch can eat sunflower seeds and other larger birdfeed.

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Sunnyvale Heritage Trees – 880-882 Hollenbeck

This pair of sycamores (Plantanus Acerfola) were planted on either side of the entry to Lester E. Bocks’ farm and fruit orchard in 1927. The ornamental trees were purchased from a San Jose nursery, as nothing like them were available in Sunnyvale at the time. The original 50 acre tract from 1850 owned by C. O. Bocks was the largest …

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