The western gray squirrel was first described by George Ord in 1818 based on notes taken by Lewis and Clark at The Dalles in Wasco County, Oregon. The bad news is that in a forty-house area around my home, I am dinner central: fruit, then tomatoes then sunflowers. I have a lawn and about 50 pots perfect for squirrels to …

This map shows the likelihood of liquefaction in Northern Santa Clara County during a magnitude 7.8 earthquake on the northernmost segments of the San Andreas Fault. This earthquake is similar to the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. At each location, the map predicts the approximate probability that shallow wet sands will liquefy and cause surface manifestations of liquefaction such as sand …

American natives, sunflowers are grow for beauty as well as harvested for seed. An annual plant, sunflowers have big, daisylike flower faces of bright yellow petals (and occasionally red) and brown centers that ripen into heavy heads filled with seeds. Tall and course, the plants have creeping or tuberous roots and large, bristly leaves. Some sunflowers grow to over 16 …

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 …

A large coast live oak.

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …