Century-old bird nests help scientists time-travel to San Francisco Bay’s lost plant communities.
The study and science of plants.
The Calypso Orchid—Shady Trickster of the Understory
This fancy flower is secretive yet brash, and it’s an expert in the art of deceiving bumblebees.
The Nearly Unkillable Eucalyptus Meets Its Match
Eucalyptus trees on Albany Hill are wasting away from blight. Some people may cheer—but these trees are also home to endangered monarchs.
Meet A West Oakland YouTube Celebrity Who Brings Plants and People Together
Santore is known for Crime Pays But Botany Doesn’t, a self-described lowbrow approach to plant ecology.
An Enduring Oak Mystery: Synchronized Acorn Booms
How do the trees synchronize their reproductive efforts? Oaks, the dominant tree genus throughout much of low- and mid-elevation, temperate California, are full of mysteries.
The Amazing Color-Changing Lupine
Look for the blue blossoms of Lupinus chamissonis all along California’s coast.
Annotated Nature: a Vernal Pool in Spring
Wildflowers bloom like fireworks as winter water dries up in the vernal pool ecosystems of Jepson Prairie.
Naturalist’s Notebook: A Plant That Relies on a Mushroom
The sugarstick is a parasitic plant that relies on the Western Matsutake mushroom.
Learning to Love Dandelions
It’s the epitome of the unwanted weed — but there are reasons to choose to want dandelions.
Redwood Memory
Old redwood trees have seen fire many times in their lives. It’s because of their fire scars—not in spite of them—that the redwood forest thrives.