BAY NATURE
Bay Area PLANTS AND TREES
The San Francisco Bay Area is home to an extraordinary range of plant life, from ancient coast redwoods and fire-adapted oaks to wildflowers that appear overnight after the first winter rains. Bay Nature has been covering Bay Area plants for 25 years: the curious, the misunderstood, and the ones quietly taking over your neighborhood.
The question every Bay Area newcomer asks
If the Green Stuff in the California Trees Isn’t Spanish Moss, What Is It?
It drapes from oak branches across the Bay Area, looks exactly like Spanish moss, and is found nowhere in Europe. Bay Nature’s naturalist explains what it actually is, where it came from, and why it thrives here.
–Botanical Curiosities–
From Parasitic Plants to the Yellow Flower Taking Over Your Yard
Are There Really Plants That Don’t Photosynthesize?
Some plants have abandoned photosynthesis entirely and survive by stealing energy from their neighbors. Bay Area woodlands have more of them than you think.
When Plants Cry
Plants don’t have nervous systems, but new science suggests they feel stress, communicate danger, and respond to damage in ways that look a lot like suffering.
Identifying With Lichen
Lichen is not a plant at all. It is a partnership between fungi and algae, and it grows on nearly every surface in the Bay Area.
A Natural History of That Little Yellow Flower That’s Everywhere Right Now
Every spring, oxalis blankets Bay Area hillsides in yellow. Most people assume it is native. It isn’t.
–Trees and Wildflowers–
From Ancient Oaks to the Bay Area’s Rarest Redwoods
An Enduring Oak Mystery: Why Do All the Oaks Drop Acorns at Once?
Every few years Bay Area oaks produce a staggering surplus of acorns, then almost nothing the year after. Scientists are still not sure why.
Where Can I Find Old-Growth Redwoods in the Bay Area?
True old-growth coast redwood is rare, but small pockets survive within an hour of San Francisco. Here is exactly where to find them.
How Oaks Survive Fire
Thick bark, burl regrowth, deep roots, and cached acorns. California oaks have been outsmarting fire for millennia.
Meet the Rare Dawn Redwood at a Bay Area Park
Known only from fossils until a living grove was discovered in China in 1944, the dawn redwood now grows in Bay Area parks. Here is where to find one.
–Invasive and Native Plants–
The Plants That Arrived Uninvited, and the Ones That Were Always Here
Just How Flammable Is East Bay Eucalyptus?
Eucalyptus dominates the East Bay hills and has become one of California’s most contentious trees. The fire science is more complicated than either side of the debate admits.
How the Mistakenly Named Himalayan Blackberry Became a California Summer Tradition
It is not from the Himalayas, it is nearly impossible to kill, and Californians have been eating its berries for over a century.
Leaves of Three: The Rash Success of Poison Oak
Poison oak is the plant Bay Area hikers fear most, but also one of California’s most ecologically important native shrubs. Here is how to identify it in every season.
Tarweed: The Sticky, Smelly Native That Thrives When Everything Else Has Given Up
In the dry heat of a Bay Area August, when most plants have gone dormant, tarweed blooms bright yellow across the hills.
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Bay Nature Talks and Hikes
from the page to the trail
Bay Nature’s guided hikes and talks put you in the field alongside the botanists, ecologists, and naturalists behind our stories. Whether you are learning to identify native wildflowers on a spring hike, exploring old-growth redwoods with an expert guide, or attending a talk on California’s most invasive plants, every event is a chance to see the Bay Area through expert eyes.
75+
Events Per Year
5,000+
Members and Guests Annually
25+
Years of Bay Nature
Upcoming Bay Nature Events and Talks
Alhambra Hills Open Space Hike with Jamie Fox
This 297-acre preserve including land once owned by John Muir was once slated for development. After 12 years of grassroots organizing led by Jamie Fox it was saved, and it opened to the public in February 2025.
Bay Nature Talk: Mothing with Allen Fish and Cat Chang
Join Bay Nature and expert naturalists Cat Chang and Allen Fish for a virtual talk about moths and those who watch them. We’re surrounded by a world of insects that we barely notice. Tune in to learn more about moth appreciation and how you can dive into the lives of moths on your own. Live Q&A to follow.
Bay Nature Event: The Marine Mammal Center
Join Bay Nature for a private tour of the Marine Mammal Center before it opens to the public. During this 60-minute walking tour led by an expert docent, you’ll hear stories of marine mammal survival and learn how you can make a difference for these vulnerable patients.
Bay Nature Talk: Leucistic Birds with Eric Schroeder
Join Bay Nature and birder Eric Schroeder for a virtual talk about leucism in birds. Leucism is a rare condition in which a bird’s plumage has white feathers that aren’t normally white. Cornell Lab estimates one in 30,000 birds has leucistic or albinistic plumage. Live Q&A to follow.
Become a Member
Join the Bay Area’s essential nature community.
For 25 years, Bay Nature has connected people to the natural world of the San Francisco Bay Area through award-winning journalism, guided outdoor experiences, and a community built on curiosity and care. Your membership makes all of it possible.
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Bay Nature Magazine, Print and Digital Four issues a year of in-depth stories, stunning photography, and original artwork delivered to your door and available online.
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Naturalist-Led Hikes and Field Trips Free access to guided outdoor experiences across the Bay Area led by ecologists, scientists, and expert naturalists.
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Live Talks with Scientists and Writers Free access to online seminars featuring the experts and storytellers behind our reporting. Live Q&A included, recordings available anytime.
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Member Rates to Special Events Discounted access to the annual Local Hero Awards and other ticketed Bay Nature events and gatherings.
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Support Independent Nature Journalism Your membership directly supports independent, nonprofit, award-winning environmental journalism for the San Francisco Bay Area.
About BAY NATURE
Bay Nature is an independent nonprofit publication based in Berkeley, California.
Bay Nature is an independent nonprofit publication based in Berkeley, California. For 25 years we have covered the natural world of the San Francisco Bay Area, from the wildflowers blanketing Bay Area hillsides each spring to the ancient oaks and redwoods that have shaped this landscape for centuries.
We publish a quarterly print magazine, report new stories every week, and run one of the Bay Area’s largest nature events programs, from entomologist-guided walks to expert-led talks. As an independent nonprofit, we rely on the support of readers, members, and donors who believe the Bay Area’s natural world is worth covering.
25+
Years covering Bay Area nature, science, and conservation
1M+
Annual visitors reading Bay Nature’s award-winning stories online.
75+
Events per year including hikes, expert talks and special events.
