Cedar waxwing flocks picking through bushes of red berries is a classic sign of late fall.
Author Archives: Sue Rosenthal
Botany
The Native Plants of the Quiroste Valley
Better know some of the common plants of the Amah Mutsun world.
Winter Issue 2016
Mike Vasey: The Magic of Manzanitas
Manzanita expert Mike Vasey wants to share the world of these fascinating shrubs with the public.
Ask the Naturalist, Botany
How Are Wildflowers Coping with the Drought?
It’s tough to be a plant when there’s no water! Rainfall is one of the most critical—and most unpredictable—of all the factors that affect wildflower bloom. So how are they coping?
Winter Issue 2014
Early-Spring Blooming Soaproot Serves as Food, Soap, Glue and Medicine
Soap, food, glue, medicine, poison, and more — all from a hairy, fist-size underground bulb.
Summer Issue 2013
Baylands Public Access
San Francisco Bay is surrounded by amazing wetlands and wetland restoration projects, but they can be hard to find. Here’s everything you need to get there.
Winter Issue 2012
Blitzers Search for SOD
A project out of UC Berkeley recruits citizen scientists to help track the spread of sudden oak death. They do it every spring, and the more people take part, the better the chance we can protect precious oaks from a deadly pathogen.
Fall Issue 2011
Book Review: Walkabout Northern California: Hiking Inn to Inn
By Tom Courtney, Wilderness Press, 2011, 234 pages, $16.95. Imagine hiking from inn to inn carrying only a day pack, following a beautiful trail with a nice meal and room at its end. The Alps or the south of France? … Read more
Urban Nature
Stargazing in the SF Bay Area
Nature doesn’t disappear when the sun goes down–there’s a whole universe out there to explore after dark! If you don’t have your own telescope, you can look at stars, planets, and other astronomical objects through big telescopes at observatories and smaller, portable telescopes at star parties or see them in dazzling indoor planetarium shows. People who share their love of astronomy and stargazing with others are friendly by nature.
Summer Issue 2011
Hidden Life in the Sand
It turns out the sand at your local beach is not as simple as it seems–it’s full of little creatures. From sand crabs and beach hoppers to tiny water bears, there really is a world in a grain of sand, or at least between the grains of sand.
