Why is this bird attacking my windows?
The Paranoid Jay
October 1, 2008 •
Ask the Naturalist
What do you want to know about the natural world? Thanks to donations from readers like you, Bay Nature has teamed up with the naturalists at the California Center for Natural History to answer your questions about the world every other Tuesday. Some questions find their way to naturalist Michael Ellis, whose answers appear in our quarterly print magazine. Email us your questions at atn@baynature.org!
Photosynthesis in Leaves That Aren’t Green
July 1, 2008 •
Q: How does photosynthesis occur in plants that are not obviously green, such as ornamental plum trees with deep purple-colored leaves? [Paul, Santa Cruz] A: Photosynthesis (which literally means “light put together”) is that very elegant chemical process that jump-started … Read more
Ask the Naturalist: Why Do Dragonflies Swarm?
April 1, 2008 •
What causes dragonflies to take flight in swarms of thousands or millions?
What native land snails live in the Bay Area?
January 1, 2008 •
Q: What native land snails live in the Bay Area? Where do the common garden snails come from, and what’s the status of our native snail populations? [Erica, Mountain View] A: If you are a gardener like me, you eventually … Read more
Are native bees suffering the same colony collapse disorder as honeybees?
October 1, 2007 •
Q: Are native bees suffering the same “colony collapse disorder” as honeybees? [Linda, San Ramon] A: Colony collapse disorder, or CCD, has gotten a lot of media attention, and with good reason. The western honeybee (Apis mellifera) is native to … Read more
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Do local breeding birds mate for life?
July 1, 2007 •
Q: Do any local breeding birds mate for life? Why? [Leo, San Francisco] A: Some local birds do form long-lasting pair bonds of several different kinds. Ravens and scrub jay pairs hang out together all year, not just at breeding … Read more
Why do mushrooms come in so many shapes and colors?
January 1, 2004 •
In technical terms, mushrooms are the charismatic sexual reproductive structures of fungal individuals whose main body (fine, cobweb-like filaments called hyphae) is well hidden in the soil or amongst leaves and rotting wood. The primary role of the mushroom is … Read more
Do mockingbirds have their own specific song or are they mimicking other birds’ songs?
July 1, 2003 •
Northern mockingbirds, year-round residents of the Bay Area (having expanded their breeding range here after the arrival of European settlers), each develop their own songs. Similar to those of other songbirds, mockingbirds’ songs consist of a specific configuration of syllables … Read more
Why is Autumn a Good Time to See Raptors in the Bay Area? Where is Best?
July 1, 2003 •
For many birds, autumn is a flurry of eating and movement to find stuff to eat, before winter sets in. The same is true for raptors and their prey. In north temperate zones, many small birds fly south, and ground … Read more
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Why is manzanita bark so smooth and red?
April 1, 2003 •
What a seemingly simple, but deceptively complex question! Ultimately, perhaps, the least speculative—but not completely satisfactory—answer is that manzanitas inherited this trait from their ancestors. There is compelling evidence that manzanitas (genus Arctostaphylos) are derived from a group of trees, … Read more