South Valley Magazine May 8-14

THE LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE OF MORGAN HILL, GILROY & SAN MARTIN

A supplement to the Gilroy Dispatch & Morgan Hill Times

MAY 8, 2020

MIND THAT TAP Water conservation a must, not just in dry years P2

HOME OF THE WEEK P6 | REAL ESTATE P7

W WATER CONSERVATION IS KEY TO REDUCING IMPACTS OF DRY YEARS

IS A

drought imminent

BY S H AW N NOVAC K

O

MAY 8, 2020

ur state’s wet season, which generally spans from October through the end of April, has been below average this year. Although late season storms have helped, we have seen about 55 percent of our average precipitation and snowpack since October. The impact of these below average numbers is somewhat dampened because the last couple of years have been dry, but not too dry, so there is decent levels of soil moisture and groundwater. Next year could be different.

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SAVING GALLONS Watering schedules need to be adjusted according to the season.

Most of California’s water users have become prepared for dry years and droughts over the last 150 years by adopting a portfolio of infrastructure and actions. For most major cities and many agricultural areas, these preparations are enough for most multi-year droughts.

By the third and fourth dry years, ecosystems and human water supply systems go from straining to breaking. In long multiyear droughts, cities can be forced to ration water, farmers must consider sacrificing their most profitable crops, more rural drinking water supplies are left dry by declining groundwater, and salmon runs can no longer rely on stored cold water.

The difficulties of managing drought increase with a drought’s duration. Most of California, even ecosystems, are adapted to a long single dry season, preceded by a wet season.

The consequences of drought can be catastrophic, but they are hard to detect. Three important clues that drought is coming—low accumulated rainfall, a lack of soil moisture, and high air temperature usually proceed a drought.

Forecasting drought months into the future is even harder. Weather forecasts stretch out

WAYS TO CONSERVE WATER INDOORS • Replace old toilets with a new, water-conserving models • Make sure showerheads and faucets are water efficient • Run washing machines and dishwashers only when full • Consider replacing old washing machines with water and energy-conserving front-loading models—save up to 50 percent on water and electricity costs • Check toilets regularly for leaks • Repair drips and leaks promptly • Develop water-conscious habits when showering, shaving, brushing teeth and washing dishes

WAYS TO CONSERVE WATER OUTDOORS • Limit turf areas. A lawn requires more irrigation than almost any other landscape feature. Limit its size to just what you need. Consider replacing at least part of your lawn with a deck, paving, or lower water-use plants. Avoid narrow strips of lawn because they cannot be irrigated efficiently. And consider using drip or micro-spray for borders and non-turf areas.

• Change your irrigation timer with the seasons.

Did you know that your landscaping needs different amounts of water during spring, summer, and fall? For example, in April, your landscaping will only need about half the water it uses in July. And many types of landscaping require no irrigation during the winter months.

• Knowing when and how long to water can save you thousands of gallons per year.

Grass needs to be watered when footprints remain after someone walks on it. Watering in the early morning is best because less is lost to evaporation. In the summer, grass should be watered two-three times per week. Shrubs, on the other hand, do well when watered once a week, or less. Large shrubs and trees prefer deep, infrequent watering.

• To reduce weeds, slow erosion, and reduce moisture loss through evaporation, apply a two- to four-inch layer of mulch or compost over soil around plants.

Source: Water Resources Association of San Benito County

Our water supply is also contingent on every citizen making sure they are using water efficiently and not letting any go to waste. It’s essential. only a few weeks. Moving beyond that requires an understanding of large-scale climate patterns that influence weather over months or years. One of the more prominent examples is the El Niño–Southern Oscillation, a pattern of winds and surface temperatures in the tropical Pacific Ocean that shifts every few years, altering global weather in myriad ways. But the connection between the ocean and distant weather patterns are poorly understood, and water agencies can be leery of relying on them for long-term drought predictions. They want evidence from real-time monitoring that drought is on the way.

WHAT SHOULD BE DONE?

storage that includes surface water and groundwater management, water trading, recycled water and water conservation practices and procedures.

But our water supply is also contingent on every citizen making sure they are using water efficiently and not letting any go to waste. It’s essential!

May is Water Awareness Month. It’s a good time to review your family’s personal water usage, check for leaks inside your home and, more importantly as we quickly approach the peak irrigation season, check all outside faucets, sprinklers and valves for any leaks. Get a pool cover if you own a pool. Any small action to conserve water is good. As a community, small actions mean a lot if added up collectively.

For water saving tips, visit www. wrasbc.org or call 831.637.4378 to speak with a Water Conservation Specialist.

Shawn Novack is the Water Conservation Program Manager for the Water Resources Association of San Benito County.

MAY 8, 2020

Although we don’t have good visibility into the future, we must prepare for this year to be dry and prepare for next year to be dry. Preparation is key to reducing the impacts of dry years. The San Benito County Water District, with its partnership with other water agencies, has plans in place for such occurrences. These plans include, but are not limited to, water

Mulch can reduce weeds as well as moisture loss through evaporation.

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GARDENING

TRICKY INSECT Cuckoo wasps pollinate certain flowers, making them beneficial to gardens.

Cuckoo wasps MAY 8, 2020

Secretive pests take over other insects’ burrows

4

By KATE RUSSELL

T

he South Valley has murderers and thieves, but they probably don’t look the way you expect them to, and you might even like them.

These tiny criminals are not after your electronics or your bank account. Instead, they are trying to sneak into the burrows of ground-dwelling solitary bees, wasps, sawflies, silk moths and stick bugs.

Introducing the cuckoo wasp.

There are more than 3,000 different cuckoo wasps in the world and 166 species in California.

They are also known as emerald wasps, jewel wasps, ruby wasps and gold wasps, depending on the color. These wasps don’t look anything like the yellow jackets or paper wasps that most of us see each summer. They look more like harmless beetles. There is debate about whether or not these insects can sting, so be forewarned.

Cuckoo wasps get their name because they lay their eggs in the nests of other solitary bees and wasps, much the way cuckoo birds leave their eggs to be raised by unsuspecting host birds. Some cuckoo wasps are parasites.

Parasitic cuckoos eat the offspring of their hosts. Other cuckoo wasps are kleptomaniacs, stealing the food left for the host’s offspring. In either case, it doesn’t end well for the host’s offspring.

Laying eggs in a bee’s burrow is no mean trick. Female cuckoo wasps watch as dutiful parents drag paralyzed spiders and other insects into their burrows, stocking up a larder for their offspring.

The female cuckoo waits until the host flies off before sneaking inside to lay her eggs. Research has shown that cuckoo wasps are able to mimic the smell of their hosts, rendering them invisible within the darkness of a burrow. Particularly brazen cuckoo wasps will catch a ride on the paralyzed prey, carefully staying out of sight. This is dangerous business.

Luckily for the cuckoo, if she is spotted, her brightly colored, heavily pitted exoskeleton is able to protect her from bites and stings. She is also able to curl up into a ball the same way a sowbug or an armadillo might. If she curls up inside an angry host’s burrow, the host has no choice but to throw it outside unharmed. If you happen to spot one curled up, it may simply be taking a nap.

Adults may be found feeding on nectar from flowers the carrot family, sunflower family, and spurge family. As they collect nectar, they pollinate those flowers, which makes them beneficial. They also reduce populations of sawflies, which is good news for your garden.

Cuckoo wasps are secretive and they move very quickly. If you watch for them, you might catch a glimpse of their jeweled bodies moving through your landscape.

Kate Russell is a UCCE Master Gardener in Santa Clara County. For information, visit mgsantaclara.ucanr.edu or call 408.282.3105 between 9:30am-12:30pm, Monday through Friday.

Due to the COVID-19 quarantine, this year’s Spring Garden Market has been cancelled.

SPOKING MY MIND

Erin Pacheco

CYCLING FOR EXERCISE The Pacheco sisters continue to ride their bicycles while practicing social distancing with others.

Bike Month hope Ways to celebrate during coronavirus lockdown

BY CURT HENTSCHKE

M

school/shop events will still take place; again, you’re just gonna have to wait a little longer. National Bike to Work Week/Day has been moved to September, while Bike to School Day and Bay Area Bike to Work Day have both been bumped to October.

I know what you’re asking.

Can we do anything to celebrate National Bike Month? Yes, of course!

• They know you are sheltering in place, so several online spin classes are offering sign-up deals.

• Local bicycle advocate Zachary Hilton has launched Bike Match Gilroy on Facebook,

borrowing from New York’s successful Transportation Alternatives program. Hilton will provide a simple conduit between folks with bicycles (they no longer use) and nearby folks who are in desperate need of them.

• The California Bike Coalition reminds everyone that cycling for exercise and errands is still permissible. Just be sure to maintain social distancing, wear gloves, carry sanitizer, avoid face touching, and wash hands (and gloves) when you get home. Explore calbike.org for the 411.

SAVE THE DATES MAY 9: I Care Classic, Morgan Hill—CANCELLED MAY 17: Strawberry Fields Forever, Aptos—POSTPONED MAY 22-25: Great Western Bike Rally, Paso Robles—CANCELLED MAY 30: Devil’s Slide Ride, Pacifica—POSTPONED Curt “Cycle Guy” Hentschke has pedaled more than 60,000 miles of South Valley and San Benito County trails. Send your cycle celebrations to heycycleguy@gmail. com. Check for last minute changes before attending.

MAY 8, 2020

ay! The happiest month of the bicycle year! Yep, it’s National Bike Month; unfortunately, we’re stuck inside, riding out the coronavirus storm.

Sadly, many favorite May events just ain’t gonna happen. Lodi’s Delta Century, Morgan Hill’s I Care Classic, and Paso Robles’ Great Western Bike Rally have all been cancelled. But, there’s good news!

Aptos’s Strawberry Fields Forever will take place on Oct. 11, while Pacifica’s Devil’s Slide Ride has been rescheduled for Oct. 17.

Some of your bike-to-work/

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HOME OF THE WEEK

MAY 8, 2020

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Submitted photo

Located in Historic Downtown Gilroy

PRIVATE YARD This Morgan Hill home is

tucked away in a quiet neighborhood.

Let the light in Natural lighting permeates Morgan Hill home

L

ocated on a quiet street in rolling foothills, this Morgan Hill home is close to a park and other essential amenities.

Located at 16725 Cerro Vista Drive, the 3,028-square-foot home includes five bedrooms and three baths. Touches of travertine tile are throughout the floor plan that is designed to fill the house with natural light. The living room has its own fireplace and cathedral ceiling, accented by cinnamon acacia floors.

The kitchen features a greenhouse-style window and stainless steel appliances, quartzite countertops and walk-in pantry with chalkboard barn door. Adjacent to the kitchen is a space for family gatherings and entertaining with a built-in wine refrigerator and access to the private backyard.

The home, built in 1980, is listed at $1,185,000 by Intero Real Estate Services. For information, visit tinyurl.com/rol5jty.

REAL ESTATE

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Food for the

Holidays Made Easy!

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Site at Cafe 152 Bread Co. Audrey’s FinestOn Chocolate Chip Cookies and many other Desserts Here are some ideas!

Here are some ideas!

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