Crown Hill Ranch and Conservation Center is a 157-acre property in Escondido, California.

For the last two decades, Laurie and her husband Van have had the privilege of restoring this property. The restoration included removing invasive plants, researching and adding native plants, and creating wildlife habitats.

 

Fall weather can be very unpredictable,
and the changing weather means resetting and adjusting our face care routine.

 

 

The much-needed rain arrived
early this fall after a scorching, dry summer. Daytime temperatures now range
from 60 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit, while our nights have been in the 50s.

 

Our olives are showing color,
and we will start harvesting and curing them next month.

 

The bees are delighted that
the eucalyptus is blooming, providing them with beautiful fall nectar as they
await the third bloom of lavender. Although the fall lavender blossoms are much
smaller than our spring and summer blooms, they still provide life-giving
nectar to our bees.

 

We are replanting our raised
beds with onions, beets, kale, spinach, radish, and chard, which will sustain
us throughout the winter.

 

Our two-acre pollination
garden has started! So far, we have planted different varieties of lavender,
thyme, and native milkweed. This winter, we will add more native pollinator
plants, including more native varieties of milkweed, wooly blue curls, and
California poppies. In early spring 2025, we will also add sunflowers, borage,
and calendula. Next spring will be beautiful!

 

Our rare Engelmann oak
seedlings, put through stratification, are now 6 inches tall, and we will begin
planting them in late October 2024