Author | Lightnews

Christie Nowak @xrystabelle.bsky.social · 21d

My Plant of the Day (79)

Native to Mexico, Mammillaria elongata consists of densely packed clusters of thin oval stems, covered in soft-ish yellow or brown radial spines. Also known as the ladyfinger cactus, they will produce white or pale yellow flowers with pink center lines.

#succulents
#cactus

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Christie Nowak @xrystabelle.bsky.social · Sep 2

Ten more half pints of pesto ready for the freezer. Not that there’s any room in the freezer.

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Christie Nowak @xrystabelle.bsky.social · Aug 30

My Plant of the Day (78)

This was labeled as a pachyphytum bracteosum. Native to Mexico, this plant has thick and flattened, purplish or bluish green leaves with a thick, powdery coating called farina. Lower leaves grow at a right angle to the stem; upper leaves are erect or curved.

#succulents

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Christie Nowak @xrystabelle.bsky.social · Aug 30

My Plant of the Day (54)

My best guess was this is a pachyphytum bracteosum. And I was very wrong. (See plant 78). So now I’m thinking it’s Graptopetalum Amethystinum, or Lavender Pebbles. Native to central Mexico, this plant has plump, rounded leaves of lavender, pink, and green.

#succulents

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Christie Nowak @xrystabelle.bsky.social · Aug 30

A summer of sunbathing brings out the bronze.
#succulents

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Christie Nowak @xrystabelle.bsky.social · Aug 30

She’s trying to give me flowers!!!

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Christie Nowak @xrystabelle.bsky.social · Aug 25

My Plant of the Day (77)

Sedum sediforme, also called turquoise tails, is a stonecrop native to the Mediterranean basin. It has oblong, smooth, blue-green leaves that cluster on stems that can grow 4 - 12 inches long, and will trail over pot edges or along the ground.

#succulents

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Christie Nowak @xrystabelle.bsky.social · Aug 25

My Plant of the Day (76)

Crassula arborescens undulatifolia grows wild on rocky slopes in South Africa. Commonly called Wavy jade, it has relatively flat leaves that undulate, creating a ripple effect. It can grow up to four feet tall, and prefers a bit of shade to avoid sunburn.

#succulents

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Christie Nowak @xrystabelle.bsky.social · Aug 25

My Plant of the Day (75)

Casual ovata ‘Gollum’ is a cultivar in the jade family, which is native to South Africa. It has long, tube like, glossy green leaves that often flare at the tips into a trumpet like shape. The tips will become red in prolonged, bright sunlight.

#succulents

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Christie Nowak @xrystabelle.bsky.social · Aug 24

The list of things on display at the Smithsonian that the regime finds “objectionable.”

www.whitehouse.gov/articles/202...

President Trump Is Right About the Smithsonian

The National Museum of African American History and Culture debuted a series to educate people on “a society that privileges white people and whiteness” —

www.whitehouse.gov

Christie Nowak @xrystabelle.bsky.social · Aug 21

She’s giving me flowers!!! 🌺
#cactus

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Christie Nowak @xrystabelle.bsky.social · Aug 17

We have 9 more half pint jars of pesto for the freezer (and still have four more basil plants to harvest), and 12 pints of bread and butter pickles being canned. 😁 and three hens are a-laying. #urbanfarmers

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Christie Nowak @xrystabelle.bsky.social · Aug 7

www.cnn.com/2025/08/07/c...

“When you get into departments and look at stuff that’s there and you find stuff that’s objectionable, you want to fix it,” Wright said Tuesday.

Energy chief suggests Trump administration is altering previously published climate reports | CNN

Wright said the Trump administration is updating the National Climate Assessments that have been previously published, which the administration recently removed from government websites.

www.cnn.com

Christie Nowak @xrystabelle.bsky.social · Aug 6

My Plant of the Day (74)

Pilosocereus pachycladus, or blue torch cactus, is native to Brazil. It can grow up to 33 feet (10 m) tall, with branches up to 4.4 inches (11 cm) in diameter. Its areoles have tufts of long white hairs and clusters of translucent, yellowish spines.

#succulents
#cactus

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Christie Nowak @xrystabelle.bsky.social · Aug 6

#ClimateHaiku

Their smoke reaches us
From twelve hundred miles away.
One world - connected.

CLN

Christie Nowak @xrystabelle.bsky.social · Jul 27

My Plant of the Day (73)

The Echinocereus rigidissimus, also known as Rainbow Hedgehog Cactus, is native to the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. It has several low ribs with radial spines that range from red to yellow, and produces large, bright pink flowers.

#succulents
#cactus

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Christie Nowak @xrystabelle.bsky.social · Jul 19

My Plant of the Day (72)

Kalanchoe tomentosa, native to Madagascar, is also called pussy ears or panda plant. It has many cultivars, including Golden Girl, which has chocolate tipped, golden leaves covered in fine, velvety hairs. It’s slow growing and stays compact when grown indoors.

#succulents

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Christie Nowak @xrystabelle.bsky.social · Jul 18

#ClimateHaiku

Wildfire in the hills.
Evacuation warning.
Will our homes survive?

CLN

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Reposted by Christie Nowak

Jon Cooper @joncooper-us.bsky.social · Jul 17

It’s beyond infuriating. 😡

70 610 1.3K

Christie Nowak @xrystabelle.bsky.social · Jul 16

#ClimateHaiku

Record breaking highs.
Global temperatures rise.
June - the new July.

CLN

Christie Nowak @xrystabelle.bsky.social · Jul 14

#ClimateHaiku

Ponderosa pines
Became torches in the night.
The North Rim is ash.

CLN

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Christie Nowak @xrystabelle.bsky.social · Jul 11

Eight more jam jars (plus overflow) of black #raspberry #jam from the wild raspberry patch in our yard. Another 6 pints picked on Monday, and so many more still ripening on the plants. More pectin has been procured. 😁

#homemade
#canning

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Christie Nowak @xrystabelle.bsky.social · Jul 11

My Plant of the Day (71)

Trichodiadema densum is a small, clumping shrub in the fig-marigold family. It is native to the Willowmore region of the Western Cape Province, South Africa. It has reddish flowers and densely packed leaves, tipped with about 20 white, radiating bristles.

#succulents

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Christie Nowak @xrystabelle.bsky.social · Jul 10

#ClimateHaiku

Warm seas alter winds,
Affecting weather patterns.
Storms stall. Waters rise.

CLN

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