“As a naturalist, educator, and artist, I have found that my journal is the most necessary tool I carry into the field with me; it is even more necessary than my binoculars.”
John Muir Laws
Naturalist and illustrator John Muir Laws is the author of the Laws Field Guide to the Sierra Nevada and Sierra Birds: A Hiker's Guide. Learn more and find class schedules at johnmuirlaws.com.
Naturalist’s Notebook: Meet the Hammerhead Worm
January 1, 2016 •
The alien in your back yard is a large, invasive, predatory land planarian.
Naturalist’s Notebook: How to Tell a Red-Tailed from a Red-Shouldered Hawk
October 1, 2015 •
Red-tailed and red-shouldered hawks are both common in the Bay Area.
Naturalist’s Notebook: Illustrated Guide to Otter vs. Beaver
July 1, 2015 •
How to tell two large aquatic mammals apart?
Naturalist’s Notebook: A Bay Area Housing Shortage for Western Bluebirds
April 1, 2015 •
Western bluebirds make use of abandoned woodpecker nest cavities.
Naturalist’s Notebook: When The Bay Erupts With Herring
January 1, 2015 •
Naturalist John Muir Laws illustrates the great herring migration in the San Francisco Bay
Naturalist’s Notebook: The Life Cycle of a Caterpillar That Lives in Coyote Scat
October 1, 2014 •
What is waste for a coyote is a resource for a moth.
Naturalist’s Notebook: The Ghost in the Lupine
July 1, 2014 •
Ghost moth caterpillars attack yellow bush lupine. But the plant has an ally to fight back.
Naturalist’s Notebook: What Color is a Mallard’s Head Really?
April 1, 2014 •
Naturalist John Muir Laws explains bird feathers that look shiny or iridescent.
Naturalist’s Notebook: San Francisco Bay Skimmers
January 15, 2014 •
Black skimmers frequent the waters at the Radio Road ponds in Redwood Shores.