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We are finding more Monarch caterpillars everyday in our planters. They are eating a ton of Milkweed and getting bigger with each day. Soon they will get big enough to shape themselves into a J and start spinning a cocoon. From there the transformation from a chubby little caterpillar to a majestic Monarch butterfly will begin.
Answer to the fist picture: 4 Caterpillars are pictured
Did you know that now is the time that the beautiful orange and black Monarch butterfly is laying eggs and baby caterpillars are starting to hatch? Many believe that butterfly bushes attract these majestic creatures and while they will feed from the butterfly bush nectar it is actually Milkweed that Monarch butterflies need to sustain life. To the Monarch the Milkweed plant is their home where mate, lay eggs and hatch baby caterpillars. It is the Milkweed plant that is the perfect nutrition for a baby caterpillar to eat and grow strong enough to cocoon and eventually become a beautiful monarch butterfly.
We have lost much milkweed from the natural landscape with shifting land management practices. Planting milkweed is a great way to help other pollinators too because milkweed provides valuable nectar to many types of bees and butterflies. Planting milkweed will assist the monarch populations, and their incredible migration. Here at PCWD we have dedicated and entire planter to support the these beautiful butterflies.
Last year we started collecting Milkweed seeds from the plants we already had and were even donated some seeds from some of our very generous customers. We currently have a few variety’s of Milkweed blooming in while, yellow and orange in our Monarch garden. The Monarchs are loving the garden and everyday we are we are finding more eggs and newly hatched caterpillars. The caterpillars are growing at a rapid pace and before we know it we will have beautiful little cocoons all over the garden.
Stay tuned for more information, updates and pictures of our Monarch Milkweed Garden.
Last Saturday Pine Cove Water District had the pleasure of hosting a fun and delicious BBQ for the residents of Pine Cove. We’d like to thank everyone who came out and enjoyed the community mingle. A very special thanks to CSA38, Pine Cove Property Owners, Cal Fire Station 23 and all the other first responder personnel that helped put on this event and participated in answering questions to provide better understanding for our community. We hope all who came out enjoyed the delicious food, camaraderie and an ice cream to cool off on that hot summer day. If you weren’t able to make it for this BBQ we missed you! There is more ice cream here at the office, so when you come by to pay your August bill don’t miss your chance to leave with a cool refreshing ice cream treat.
Posted in: Around the District, Community, Company News
Leave a Comment (0) →Around the district there has been a variety of beautiful blooming flowers. A month ago, you could see and smell the beauty of the lilacs around every corner. Here at the District office we have three apple trees that were in full bloom with stunning apple blossoms in may and we were a little concerned when we had those few late May freezes that the apples may not survive. Fortunately, the apples survived the late spring cold weather and now we are looking at hundreds of growing apples. Under our three beautiful apple trees is a raspberry patch that is about to gift us with hundreds of sweet red raspberries. If you drove past the office in the last couple of weeks you may have noticed the incredibly large tea-rose bush that was covered in pink and white little roses. We also have a variety of milkweed plants that are also in bloom here at the district office and around the district office. The most wonderful part about the milkweed plants is that Monarch Butterflies are attracted to them.
Gardening in our little mountain town can come with its fair share of challenges. If it isn’t the droughts, we have experienced in years past complicating our gardens it could be a late freeze, gophers, bugs or even deer. Here at PCWD we want to help our customers in whatever way we can that is why we offer free mulch and woodchips for free to all our customers. We want to help you make your house and garden thrive.
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Leave a Comment (0) →Over this past month we have experienced a few larger sized earthquakes. Luckily for our little mountain town none of them have caused any massive damage here. Earthquakes can be extremely destructive causing down power lines, loss of water, destruction of roads and homes. In the event of a massive quake in our area are we as prepared as we need to be for our survival?
Its great idea to think about how to earthquake proof our home now to minimize the extent of the damage. Starting with anchoring bookcases and large furniture to walls and install latches on drawers and cabinet doors to keep contents from spilling out. Learn more about our community’s disaster preparedness plans. Create a personalized family plan with escape routes and emergency meeting place. Its recommended to establish a contact person to communicate with concerned relatives and it is a good idea that this person be out of state because if all the local lines are tied up they can help. It is important that all adult and teenage family members know where the gas, electric and water main shutoff controls are in your home and how to turn them off if there is a leak or electrical short. Keep the tools necessary for emergency shut offs close by.
Put together an emergency kit and make sure all household members know where it is. Some important items to include in your kit are:
You are invited to join us for an afternoon with fun and food on August 3rd from 12p.m.-2p.m.
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Leave a Comment (0) →Unfortunately at this moment the office phones are down. We are currently working on the issue to get them back up and running. We apologize for the inconvenience. If you have a water emergency please contact the emergency cell (951)294-8282. If you would like to contact the Office Manager Becky or the Office Assistant you can contact us directly by email.
becky@pcwd.org lowen@pcwd.org
Thank you for your patience while we take care of this. ~PCWD Staff
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This week is the 4th of July and thanks to the efforts of Caltrans and Aims Construction SR-74 from Hemet to Mt. Center will be open with a pilot car escort starting July 4th. The schedule for the pilot car from July 4th thru July 7th will be from 4am to midnight. Idyllwild will be celebrating Independence Day with the Rotary’s 53rd annual Parade. The parade starts at 10a.m. and will include Bagpipers, motorcyclist, Corvette Club, a horse drawn stagecoach and much more. There are many festivities happening on the 4th and throughout the weekend including a laser light show on the 4th in the center of town from 9pm-10pm. Various establishments in town with be having live music to enjoy. Please come join us in this beautiful mountain air to celebrate and support our little community.
In Observance of the Independence of our beloved country the Pine Cove Water District Office will be closed Thursday July 4th and Friday July 5th. If you would like to drop your payment off the door slot will be available. If you have a water emergency please call (951)294-8282.
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Leave a Comment (0) →Fire season has started and there is only one way off the mountain. Now is the time to get prepared to evacuate encase of an emergency. It is a good idea to prepare a portable kit and keep it in your car or to grab and go box that will be easily accessible for you and your family. Build an Emergency Evacuation Kit Including:
Talk to your family, make a plan! Decide where to meet, where to stay, where you are going. If you have pets plan ahead for them as well and have prepared go bags for them. If you do not have a car, make a plan ahead of time…ask a friend or a neighbor ahead of time, if you can ride off the hill with them. If you have a car, keep 1/2 tank of gas in it at all times. If the power goes out, the stations may not be able to pump gas unless they have a generator and even then they may only be able to take cash payments. Remember, in case of an emergency the number one priority is safety first. Proper advanced preparations can ease the stress of evacuation and help you make sure all the necessities are not left behind or forgotten.
Posted in: Around the District, Community, Emergencies, Fire
Leave a Comment (0) →Four months after the roads washed out and there is only one way on and off the mountain. Many people have questions regarding how much more work is to be done on SR-74 and how much longer will it take to finish. A community meeting has been set for Thursday June 13 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. located at the Idyllwild School gym. The meeting will be hosted by Caltrans and partnered with Mountain Disaster Preparedness and we hope to be given a little more insight, questions answered and a better understanding regarding the finishing of this project.
