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Heliogen, Inc. (NYSE:HLGN) shareholders should be happy to see the share price up 30% in the last month. But that isn't much consolation for the painful drop we've seen in the last year. Indeed, the share price is down a whopping 74% in the last year. It's not uncommon to see a bounce after a drop like that. The real question is whether the company can turn around its fortunes.

Since Heliogen has shed US$65m from its value in the past 7 days, let's see if the longer term decline has been driven by the business' economics.

See our latest analysis for Heliogen

Heliogen wasn't profitable in the last twelve months, it is unlikely we'll see a strong correlation between its share price and its earnings per share (EPS). Arguably revenue is our next best option. When a company doesn't make profits, we'd generally expect to see good revenue growth. That's because fast revenue growth can be easily extrapolated to forecast profits, often of considerable size.

Heliogen grew its revenue by 810% over the last year. That's a strong result which is better than most other loss making companies. So the hefty 74% share price crash makes us think the company has somehow offended market participants. Something weird is definitely impacting the stock price; we'd venture the company has destroyed value somehow. What is clear is that the market is not judging the company on its revenue growth right now. Of course, investors do over-react when they are stressed out, so the sell-off could be unjustifiably severe.

You can see below how earnings and revenue have changed over time (discover the exact values by clicking on the image).

Balance sheet strength is crucial. It might be well worthwhile taking a look at our free report on how its financial position has changed over time.

We doubt Heliogen shareholders are happy with the loss of 74% over twelve months. That falls short of the market, which lost 7.6%. There's no doubt that's a disappointment, but the stock may well have fared better in a stronger market. With the stock down 25% over the last three months, the market doesn't seem to believe that the company has solved all its problems. Given the relatively short history of this stock, we'd remain pretty wary until we see some strong business performance. I find it very interesting to look at share price over the long term as a proxy for business performance. But to truly gain insight, we need to consider other information, too. For instance, we've identified 3 warning signs for Heliogen (2 are potentially serious) that you should be aware of.

If you would prefer to check out another company -- one with potentially superior financials -- then do not miss this free list of companies that have proven they can grow earnings.

Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on US exchanges.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

Simply Wall St does a detailed discounted cash flow calculation every 6 hours for every stock on the market, so if you want to find the intrinsic value of any company just search here. Its FREE.

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Investors one-year losses grow to 74% as the stock sheds US$65m this past week - Simply Wall St

The Hope and Remembrance memorial was created in 2020 to remember those who have lost their lives to the disease of addiction.

Camden County will host its sixth annual Remembrance and Hope Memorial Vigil in memory of those who lost their lives to a drug overdose on Aug. 31, International Overdose Awareness Day.

Back when we began our opioid addiction task force (in 2014), one of our objectives was to educate the public about the problem of addiction disorders and also to try and remove the stigma that was associated with the disorder, said County Commissioner Louis Cappelli.

We thought by recognizing those who had tragically lost their lives to addiction disorders, we could remove the stigma and educate the public at the same time.

Cappelli noted that factors driving the number of overdoses include abuse of addictive prescription drugs.

When the manufacturers of these pills went to doctors, they said that the pills are not addictive, so our medical community has come to largely depend on opioids for pain treatment, Cappelli explained. Unfortunately, the pills are addictive. The manufacturers knew about it, and therefore we must educate the public on the dangers of taking these prescribed drugs.

A slideshow during the vigil will identify those who lost their lives to overdose and feature speakers who will address the impact of overdose on loved ones. New pavers will also be added to the memorial site.

The CDC estimates that more than 100,000 people in the U.S. have died from a drug overdose between April 2020 and April 2021, an increase of 56,000 compared with the year before. According to nj.gov, New Jersey saw 3,124 suspected drug overdoses in 2021, 335 of them in Camden County.

The vigils keynote speaker will be Mantua resident Tanya Niederman, whose 19-year-old son Justin died earlier this year from fentanyl poisoning.

Im hoping we can find ways to make this (reality) more real so that people can kind of understand, Niederman said, noting that her son was a recreational user of cocaine. I feel like each opportunity I get to tell a story and what happened to him, and our family is an opportunity to save a life.

The reality is that nothing I do or say is going to bring him back, but we can try to keep it from happening to someone else.

Camden County offers many resources on mental health and addiction, including a fentanyl awareness campaign and an addiction task force that recommends policies and initiatives. Cappelli said a policy to make narcan more widely available in schools and buses is in the works.

The Remembrance and Hope Memorial Vigil will take place at 7:30 p.m. at Timber Creek Park in Blackwood. Those interested in having their loved one featured in the slide show should submit their name and picture at https://bit.ly/3dA89L8. People who have submitted pictures in the past will have to resubmit for this year.

Those struggling with addiction can call the county help hotline at (877) 266-8882. To learn more about addiction resources, visit https://www.camdencounty.com/service/mental-health-and-addiction/addiction-resources/

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County vigil to shed light on addictive prescription drugs - The Sun Newspapers

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. Staten Island is the borough of parks.

Its also the borough of wildlife, particularly squirrels as many borough residents can attest to, the furry animals are in no short supply on our streets and backyards.

So its very possible youve encountered one of the critters lying on the ground with its arms and legs spread out in different directions during the steamy summer weve experienced.

Dont worry, the New York City Parks Department says.

Its actually a healthy activity the creatures are performing called splooting, designed to keep them cool on hot days.

If you see a squirrel lying down like this, dont worry; its just fine, said a Parks Department tweet this week, which included a photo of a sprawled out squirrel. On hot days, squirrels keep cool by splooting (stretching out) on cool surfaces to reduce body heat. It is sometimes referred to as heat dumping.

They arent the only animals that do it, either.

A PennLive.com article from 2020 explained:

Squirrels and chipmunks have always splooted, as have rabbits and foxes and raccoons and many, many other creatures. Birds have their own versions of the sploot. Squirrels also regularly sploot on tree branches.

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Splooting squirrels on Staten Island? NYC Parks sheds light on this bizarre behavior. - SILive.com

A worker sorts ordered goods into an automated shelving system during operations on Cyber Monday at Amazon's fulfillment center in Robbinsville, New Jersey, November 29, 2021.

Mike Segar | Reuters

Layoffs and hiring slowdowns have been the top talking points from tech leaders on earnings calls over the past few weeks.

Then there was last week's job report.

More than a half million jobs were added in July, well beyond the expectation of 258,000. Wage growth was up 0.5% for the month (5.2% year-over-year), and the unemployment rate is now 3.5%, tied for the lowest since 1969.

In such a tight labor market, when companies are still struggling to find the talent they need, why are tech companies like Amazon, Oracle, and Microsoft shedding workers?

For starters, economists point out that what's happening in one sector isn't representative of the entire economy. Just as the early days of the pandemic lockdown impacted industries differently (airlines and hotels were slammed, while e-commerce and streaming platforms boomed) so too will this next phase of the economic cycle.

Throughout the pandemic, tech companies added workers at a rapid clip. Now, with worries of a looming recession and sky high inflation dampening consumer spending, many of these same companies are looking to cut costs and shore up capital. Amazon almost doubled in size over the past few years as it needed to staff up its warehouses to meet customer demand. Now it's cutting workers, announcing last month that it reduced its headcount by 99,000 people to 1.52 million.

Shopify began adding workers in 2020 in response to the tremendous growth in the number of stores and restaurants that went digital during the Covid-19 lockdown. In July, the company announced it's laying off about 1,000 people, or 10% of its global workforce. CEO Tobi Lutke, in a memo to employees, acknowledged that he miscalculated how long the pandemic-fueled e-commerce boom would last.

Changing demographics are also at play in the current labor picture. George Washington University management professor Christopher Kayes points out that constricted immigration policies have led to fewer workers, as have the significant number of people retiring, and retiring earlier since the pandemic. Working mothers still on the sidelines because of struggles with childcare are also a factor. It all adds up to fewer workers available for the increased number of jobs that have been created as the economy grew.

"When you combine the growth in jobs with a smaller labor pool and workers who are just more selective about the jobs they're taking, you're going to have this mismatch," Kayes says.

Dannie Combs, chief information security officer at Donnelley Financial Solutions, says he's never seen an environment like this. He works primarily in Austin, Texas "and there's not a recession here that I can see. There are thousands of jobs available." At the same time, he recognizes that inflation is an undeniable factor for the company, and that he's had to be "creative in our compensation packages and our offers in terms of location and flexibility."

Sanjay Macwan, chief information officer and chief information security officer at Vonage, says the digital transformation that has exploded over the past few years has naturally required and attracted huge numbers of skilled tech workers so there's room to reduce headcount.

At the same time, industries like retail, airlines, and hospitality that ramped down quickly and drastically during the pandemic are now struggling to add those workers back onto their payrolls. "There's a lot of friction in those industries," he adds. "Workers can get harassed and abused by customers, so they leave and go elsewhere and that makes the hiring even more difficult."

Even amid layoffs and labor tumult, both Combs and Macwan are bullish on tech long-term. Says Combs: "In segments like technology, I still believe there are endless opportunities."

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Tech companies shed workers even as the talent shortage rages on - CNBC

Authorities search New Jersey residence of Hadi Matar

Fairview police closed Morningside Avenue in the borough on Friday, Aug. 12, 2022 as authorities search the home of Hadi Matar, who was arrested following an attack on Salman Rushdie in Chautauqua, N.Y.

Anne-Marie Caruso, NorthJersey.com

Silvana Fardos, mother of the accused attacker of author Salman Rushdie, darted out of her two-story tan brick home in Fairview on Tuesday afternoon and ducked into a maroon sedan, a hat and medical mask covering her face. Reporters who had camped out on the quiet street shouted questions, but Fardos replied that she had nothing left to say" and drove away.

Four days before, a man authorities say is her son, Hadi Matar, stunned the world when he rushed onto a stage in western New York and stabbed the renowned author repeatedly in the neck, stomach and right eye. Rushdie, 75, remains hospitalized with serious injuries.

Matar, 24, who lives with his mother in Fairview, hadnt been born when the former Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Khomeini, called for Rushdies death over passages in his novel, The Satanic Verses, that some Muslims viewed as blasphemous. But on Friday, authorities said he charged the stage in a frenzy, stabbing Rushdie around 10 times until attendees were able to pull him away.

What we know:Iran denies involvement, justifies attack on Rushdie

Since the brazen and bloody attack, a picture has started to emerge of a young man who in recent years had seemed isolated and depressed to those around him, including his mother. He also had grown fixated on religion and admired Khomeini and Irans Revolutionary Guard, posting images of Iranian figures on his social media.

In a weekend interview with the Daily Mail, Fardos said she was shell-shocked by the news of her sons arrest, which she learned about when her daughter, 14, called her saying the FBI was at their home. Still, his withdrawn behavior prior to the attack had seemed to trouble her.

New Jersey:Suspect in Salman Rushdie attack from Bergen County

Fardos told the tabloid that Matar had been moody and introverted and isolated himself in the basement of their home on Morningside Street. He sleeps during the day and wakes and eats during the night," she said. "He lives in the basement. He cooks his own food.

Matar was born and raised in California and moved to New Jersey in recent years, law enforcement authorities said. His parents divorced in 2004, and his father returned to his native Lebanon. Matar changed after traveling to Lebanon for a month in 2018 to visit his father, Fardos told the Daily Mail.

She hoped the trip would motivate him to finish school and get a job but instead he seemed more withdrawn and more religious upon his return and didnt say anything to me or his sisters for months. He criticized her for not giving him a strict Muslim upbringing, she told the paper.

Fardos shed more light on that trip in an interview with a Lebanese television station late Tuesday. In Lebanon, Matar's father refused to see him, Fardos told Al-Jadeed TV in Arabic, alleging that her son was treated poorly by his father.

She said her son grew up enjoying festivities for Christmas and Halloween and read both the Bible and the Quran, although he identified as Muslim. She said she "raised an angel" and that he was a good boy, but that he had changed after a trip to see his father and returned deeply depressed.

At the State of Fitness Boxing Club in North Bergen, where Matar was a member, staff and gym users described him as quiet and a loner.

Several of our members and coaches made efforts to get to know him and pull him into the fellowship of our tight-knit club, as we do with all our members, owner Desmond Boyle said in a statement posted online. It was, however, obvious that he wanted to keep to himself in a quiet and sad manner.

Health news:NJ adds monkeypox vaccine sites for people at high risk of the disease

Police officials have not explained the suspect's motives. They are looking into his social media accounts, which showed images of Khomeini and appeared sympathetic to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps that Khomeini founded, according to reports.

Khomeini issued a fatwa, or religious edict,calling on Muslims to kill Rushdie for blasphemy, in 1989.

Irans government has long since distanced itself from Khomeinis decree, but anti-Rushdie sentiment lingered. In 2012, a semi-official Iranian religious foundation raised the bounty for Rushdie from $2.8 million to $3.3 million, USA TODAY reported.

On Saturday, Matar pleaded not guilty in Chautauqua County Court to attempted murder and assault charges in connection with the attack at The Chautauqua Institute, a nonprofit education and retreat center. He is being held without bail in the Chautauqua County Jail.

Suspect in Rushdie attack pleads not guilty

The man accused of a stabbing attack on "Satanic Verses" author Salman Rushdie has entered a not-guilty plea to charges of attempted murder and assault. (Aug.13) (AP video: Carolyn Thompson)

AP

In her interview on Lebanese television, Fardos was asked if she wanted to see her son. She said she did not. I always talked to him about the future," she said. "Now there is no future.

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Mother of NJ man charged in Salman Rushdie attack sheds light on life - NorthJersey.com

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Sheryl Crow opened up about what it was like filming her documentary, "Sheryl," and having to relive her darkest moments.

The documentary chronicles Crows rise to fame, starting from when she was a young girl, the challenges she faced early on in her career and all the highs and lows she has experienced both in her personal life and in her career.

During an appearance on "The Today Show," Crow revealed what experiences were the most difficult for her to revisit while filming the documentary.

"There was a lot of stuff I had never talked about in there," Crow said. "There have been some deaths along the way that have really affected me, certainly John OBrians death from Leaving Las Vegas. My battle with the real low lows and having to go get help, its all in there. Actually, to be honest, it was really liberating finally just talking about it."

Sheryl Crow says her documentary features a lot of experiences she had never spoken about publicly, and called the process of filming liberating. (Getty Images)

SHERYL CROW FELT IT WAS NECESSARY TO TELL HER BEHIND-THE-SCENES STORY IN NEW DOCUMENTARY

Despite feeling liberated in finally telling her story, Crow admitted to feeling terrified during the process, and even more so now that the documentary is out there and people are coming up to her saying they watched it. She noted, "It was king of terrifying laying it all out" and knowing people know "all the good stuff and all of the heavy stuff."

Crow explained many of her popular songs give off the impression that her music is always upbeat and happy, leading them to think her life has always been the same. She believes, however, that the songs about her struggles tell the real story of her life and are the ones audiences can relate to, leaving them feeling something after hearing them.

"People think you have All I Wanna Do and Everyday is a Winding Road and youre upbeat and youre happy all the time, and Soak Up the Sun, but ultimately, its your deep cuts that tell the story," Crow explained.

Crow believes that while her upbeat songs are more popular, it is her slower songs which tell a darker story that resonate more with fans and better tell the story of her life. (Photo by Jim Spellman/Getty Images)

Crow's documentary includes her battle with breast cancer, her relationship with Lance Armstrong during his scandal, as well as her other high-profile relationships, her struggles with depression and her time on tour with Michael Jackson.

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While there is some focus on the tougher moments in her life, the documentary also includes some happier moments in her life, and even features her sons. Crow has two sons, Wyatt Steven Crow, 15, and Levi James Crow, 12, who she adopted in 2007 and 2010, respectively.

Crow explained she is usually very strict with her children and their exposure to the public, explaining she doesnt allow them to have a presence on social media, but that they are in the documentary and even inspired her to write her new song "Forever," which is featured at the end of the film.

Crow usually keeps her sons out of the public eye, but the both appeared in her documentary, and even inspired Crow to write a song played at the end of the film. (Photo by Taylor Hill/Getty Images)

"They are living through a pandemic, they are worried about their planet, theyre worried about going to school and not being safe with guns and all, and I didnt have that stress," Crow explained. "The song really is to remind us all that every moment is a gift and we have to stay in that moment. Dont be distracted by a phone in between you and your loved ones and make the most of every moment. I wrote it for them."

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The documentary, "Sheryl," is available to stream on Showtime.

Lori Bashian is an entertainment production assistant for Fox News Digital.

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Sheryl Crow's eponymous documentary sheds light on battle with the real low lows: 'It was really liberating' - Fox News

Tiger Woods remained loyal to the PGA Tour by declining the LIV Golfs offer. Moreover, the star has been acting as a leader to make sure the existing PGA Tour golfers get the proper guidance. Around the 2nd round of the FedEx Playoffs, 22 PGA Tour players including Tiger Woods held a meeting to discuss and set 2 appeals to the Tour commissioner, Jay Monohan.

The meeting was held to discuss the further actions that can be taken by the PGA Tour against the LIV Golf stars. The 15-time Major Champion will not be a part of the BMW Championship in Delaware. However, he made sure to attend the meeting, flying all the way from his Florida home.

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Moreover, Tiger took the initiative to set the mindset of the young PGA Tour stars. He later received appreciation for his leadership in the meeting from his fellow PGA Tour golfers.

In the meeting, two appeals were set by the golfers to give to the PGA Tour commissioner, Jay Monahan. Firstly, to play against each other more often. And the second was to not compete against the LIV Golf stars in any PGA Tour events apart from the Majors.

Woods, who has been part of the PGA Tour for nearly 25 years, was reportedly very much vocal in the meeting. He allegedly declined an offer of $700 million from Saudi funded Tour. So it is quite apparent that the 46-year-old does share a great bond with his Tour.

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Tiger has managed to win 82 PGA Tour wins including his 15 Major titles. This single-handedly depicts his talent, dedication, and contribution to the Tour as well as the sport of golf. One of the PGA Tour pros from the meeting reportedly said, Look at all these build-outs, Tiger Woods built this. And he wants to make sure the place he built continues to be the strongest place in the PGA Tour.

Later on, Woods good friend and fellow PGA star Rory McIlroy too had some wise words for the Hall of Famer. McIlroy added, He is the hero that weve all looked up to. His voice carries further than anyone elses in the game of golf.

The 46-year-old is widely respected among the upcoming stars of the PGA Tour. Moreover, Woods considers most of the golfers as his friends rather than his juniors. This display of leadership and unity is what makes the legacy of Tiger Woods much greater than it already is.

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What are your thoughts on Tiger Woods legacy? Let us know in the comments section below!

Watch this story:Meet Tiger Woods family

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Tiger Woods Built This: PGA Tour Pro Sheds Light on the Idea Behind the PGA Tours Exclusive Meeting - EssentiallySports

Andy Douglas| Press-Citizen opinion writer

Why do we always think we have more time?

More time to address climate change, more time to stop the coral reefs from bleaching?

Fred Meyer, Backyard Abundance director, thinks its because were in a perpetual state of denial. And yet deep down we know our actions are destabilizing the ecosystem to the point where it cannot recover.

You may know Backyard Abundance as a local organization helping people turn their yards into food landscapes. Founded in 2006, the group continues to evolve, especially when it comes to addressing the urgency of climate change.

Meyer and I sat on his back porch last month, overlooking his own abundant yard, musing about the Iowa prairie, a large ecosystem destroyed in the span of 80 years. Before founding Backyard Abundance, Meyer had gone through Master Gardener training, but wanted to do more.

My fascination was with growing food, specifically in ways that helps increase the resiliency of the land, he said.

He soon learned about permaculture, a concept coined in the 70s as a response to the industrialized way growing food was despoiling the planet.

Meyer decided to travel to California for a two-week certification course.

We learned techniques to actually increase the resiliency of land while growing food, he said.

Putting these techniques into practice in his own yard, he felt the joy of working in harmony with nature, especially every time a bee visited the beebalm, or robins communed with the anise hyssop.

I had this idea that people could enhance the environment by making small changes to the landscape. So I thought I should start a group to work on this local level, Meyer said.

He began meeting with people from environmental organizations, and met many folks who had done the work of enhancing their own yards, people who would go on to serve on Backyard Abundances board. As a first project, they created a yard tour to demonstrate what was possible. The first presentation: Meyers own backyard, on a sweltering July day.

One of the first mistakes I made was to have a yard tour in Iowa at noon in July, he laughed.

But 100 people showed up, as well as reporters from two radio stations, and several TV stations and newspapers, demonstrating the level of interest in this approach.

Backyard Abundance established itself as a nonprofit in 2009, and began offering classes. In 2011, it started to offer landscape design services. One of the first projects was the childrens discovery garden on the north side of the Iowa City Rec Center.

Next came the Wetherby Park edible forest. It was a fertile period, as the nonprofit developed a garden in McPherson Park, and an edible classroom also near the Rec Center.

Many people benefitted from this work. Im one of them, as BA consultants 15 years ago helped me start a vegetable garden, which is still going strong.

But Meyer was thinking ahead. Permaculture had taught him to look at the landscape and try to understand its gifts. And his concern about climate change was intensifying.

This carried him down a path of learning wilderness skills, going into resilient landscapes and learning how to thrive on the land.

Basically, observing a healthy ecosystem, he said, and trying to understand what was really going on.

He and I agree that the prevailing human story is too often one of domination, the idea that nature is this messy thing we need to control.

To evolve out of this, to create life-enhancing landscapes, we need a completely different way of thinking, one of cooperating with nature.

Backyard Abundance has recently been organizing wild harvesting workshops.

The first class was named meet our edible friends. Everything we do is about experience and immersion and helping people to learn and connect, Meyer said.

The nonprofitreworked its mission statement, with a focus on "wellness."Meyer sees the mental health crisis as related to our disconnection from the natural world.

Were offering classes around therapy in nature. After all, were a part of nature, he said.

Lately, he has been teaching edible forest gardening classes at the university and saidhis students have a level of awareness that he didn't have at their age. Theyve been handed a future, he said, that is laughable.

The Union of Concerned Scientists did a study and found that Iowa will eventually have the climate of Oklahoma, he noted. Well have the same amount of rainfall but with big deluges and big droughts. Were going to need to learn how to collect rainwater.

Why do we always think we have more time?

Andy Douglas is the author of"Redemption Songs: A Year in the Life of a Community Prison Choir" and"The Curve of the World: Into the Spiritual Heart of Yoga."

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Opinion: Nonprofit shows we can take the time to help the climate - Iowa City Press-Citizen

Along with conserving water and helping the environment, the city of Sacramento is providing rebates to people who convert their lawns to drought-tolerant landscapes

SACRAMENTO, Calif. TheGreat American lawn, the setting for barbeques, wiffleball games, and picnics for generations, could be the next causality of the climate crisis in the west. In reality, experts say the lawn should never have existed in California in the first place.

"It's insane how much goes into keeping this carpet that really never belonged in California. It's just to fit this suburban sort of myth of the Great American lawn," said Haven Kiers, UC Davis associate professor of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Design.

California's hot, dry summers, attributed to the Mediterranean climate, are not conducive to lush green lawns, and as the west gets hotter and drier due to climate change, states like Nevada are banning home lawns in an attempt to conserve water.

As the state's parched reservoirs reach record low levels and the land continues to subside due to overdrawn aquifers, many Californians continue to supply their lawns with water. With lawns covering 2% of the continental U.S., grass can be considered the largest irrigated crop by acres in the U.S., according toNASA.

Grass consumes large amounts of water, water that the west does not have to spare,according to Scientific American.About half of residential water use in a single-family home goes to outdoor watering, like grass, according to Carlos Eliason, spokesperson for the city of Sacramento. Meanwhile, drought-tolerant landscapes use about a third of the water as regular lawns.

New landscaping strategies under the name xeriscapes could assist in alleviating the stress on water systems. Xeri derives from the Greek prefix for dry, so xeriscape is a dry landscape.

However, this can be a bit misleading. Dry in this case refers to the amount of irrigation needed to sustain it. Xeriscapes rely almost solely on water supplied by the environment, meaning the plants selected are accustomed to our climate. In a word, the modern approach to California landscaping is xeriscaping, according toCalRecycle.

There's many misconceptions surrounding drought-tolerant landscapes as well. Many might picture a drought-tolerant landscape as a barren landscape of gravel with a few cacti sprinkled in, but that is not necessarily the case.

I think one of the myths of xeriscapes is that you can just cover your lawn or cover the front yard with gravel, and you know, maybe five plants, and that's good," said Kiers. "In terms of heat retention, the urban heat island, these front yards that are just all gravel or rocks are absorbing so much heat and they're radiating it all back.

By contrast, the city of Sacramento encourages river-friendly landscaping, which they describe as "an environmentally friendly, holistic approach to gardening that works with nature to reduce waste, prevent pollution, and support the integrity of one of Californias key ecosystems -- the Sacramento River Watershed. "

In a place with a great growing climate like Sacramento, there's infinitely many options. Professor Kiers recommends using plants native to California, such as salvias, sages and oaks to reconfigure your yard along with mulch to keep the soil cool and moist. Planting trees in cities and residential areas is key to reducing the urban heat island effect, which can raise city temps by up to 7 degrees, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Resources like the California State Water Resources Control Board's river-friendly landscape guidelines or Calscape.org can provide inspiration in designing your yard and selecting the right plants.

Professor Kiers also says that xeriscapes are far less work than a typical lawn.

"Once things are established, then it really is (less work). You cut it back every now and then and weeding is the only issue," Kiers said.

City-run initiatives and programs are available to encourage people to undertake lawn conversion as well. The city of Sacramento has a program that incentivizes people to rip up their lawns and convert their yards to xeriscapes.Currently, people can receive up to a $3,000 grass converter rebate for replacing their lawns and businesses can get $50,000.

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Why xeriscapes might be the next generation of home landscapes in California - ABC10.com KXTV

Though we are still in summer, the cool days of fall are around the corner, which is the best time of the year to install plants in your landscape as they will not be as stressed due to the cooler temperatures. While planning for an attractive landscape for your enjoyment, consider including plants and other items that will attract wildlife to your yard. Remember that what you include in your design, such as plants, feeders, water features, etc., and where you place these items will affect the kinds of animals and other wildlife, like butterflies that will be attracted to your yard.

First, develop an overall landscape plan for your property. Be sure that your plan includes all the areas of your yard you want to plant. Keep your plan simple and try to avoid a cluttered look. Initially, dont worry about selecting specific plants, but concentrate more on grouping plants. You should decide during the initial planning stages where such items as an ornamental pond or bird feeder will be located. Think about the views that you will have from inside your house.

When deciding what to include in your design, remember the three basic needs of wildlife: food, cover and water. The needs are the same whether in the forest or your back yard.

Food: This is one of the easiest needs that you can provide. The greater the variety of food, the greater the diversity of wildlife you are likely to attract. Food can be provided naturally by the planting of grasses, flowers, shrubs and trees. You can supplement naturally grown food with various products that will attract birds and animals. Food is one of the most significant enticements for attracting wildlife onto your property. Many homeowners who dont have enough land to provide water and cover can enjoy some wildlife by feeding alone.

Water: Most homeowners are not fortunate enough to have a natural water source in their yard. In most cases, it must be provided. Ensuring access to water can be accomplished with something as simple as a birdbath or as elaborate as an ornamental pool or pond. In addition to its wildlife value, a water feature can be a focal point in the yard. Locate it so it can be easily viewed outside and inside the house.

Cover: Protection from the weather and places to rest and raise young are essential components of any wildlife sanctuary. Different animals have different cover requirements:

Rock piles or stonewalls for chipmunks and lizards

Dense shrubs for cottontails

Water for frogs and turtles

Try to locate cover close to the food and water; remember, many cover plants can also be food plants. Arrange plants so they are attractive to look at and two so they fit in with your overall landscape plan.

As your landscape matures and the wildlife habitat develops, it will become increasingly exciting. Your yard can become a stage where different species of wildlife are the stars, and the people are the audience.

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Timothy Daly is the Agricultural and Natural Resource agent with UGA Extension Henry. He can be contacted at 770-288-8421 or tdaly@uga.edu.

Originally posted here:
TIMOTHY DALY: Making your garden attractive to wildlife - Henry Herald