Send your questions to atn@baynature.org.Santa Rosa-based naturalist Michael Ellis leads nature trips throughout the world with Footloose Forays (footlooseforays.com).
April 03, 2013 by Michael Ellis
Barnacles are hermaphroditic – they contain both male and female sex organs. You’re thinking, “Well, they always have a date on Saturday night.” No, it’s a really bad idea to self-fertilize: Inbreeding results in little genetic diversity. Worms, slugs, snails – slow-moving animals with low rates of encounter – are all hermaphroditic. And you could not get any slower than an adult barnacle!
January 31, 2013 by Michael Ellis
Should we worry about asbestos in serpentine rock? Yes, a bit. In California, we have North America’s largest exposures. It’s even our official state rock.
July 01, 2012 by Michael Ellis
Q: What’s the largest underground-dwelling invertebrate in the Bay Area? How does it live?
June 12, 2012 by Michael Ellis
Learn a few secrets of efficiency from the majestic pelican.
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January 01, 2012 by Michael Ellis
Q: When I see bees and hummingbirds feasting on even tiny flowers, I wonder if each flower replenishes the nectar supply, or is it a one-time offering?
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October 01, 2011 by Michael Ellis
Can bees see colors that people can’t? What about birds? How do scientists figure out what can be seen by other animals, especially small animals like insects?
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July 01, 2011 by Michael Ellis
The biggest shark in the Bay is the seven-gill–with two more gill slits than the average shark. Why the extras? Well, turns out they’re probably an evolutionary accident, but these are still fascinating animals–up to 10 feet long, and swimming right out there in the Bay!
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April 01, 2011 by Michael Ellis
Bay Nature reader Rich saw a number of dead barn owls along I-5. What’s going on? Turns out barn owls may be the most widespread birds in the world — and they may be the original ghosts!
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January 01, 2011 by Michael Ellis
Michael Ellis declares that ringtails register a 9.9 on the cuteness scale, and they were reputed to shack up with miners during the Gold Rush. Yet longtime field biologist Wendy has yet to see one of these small mammals. They are elusive, but not as uncommon as you might think.
October 01, 2010 by Michael Ellis
We don’t have fireflies in the Bay Area, but we do have glowworms. What are they and why the heck do they light up?
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