The Pacific is warmer than usual, again.
Timely news, art, ideas and science from the natural world of Northern California.
Can Better Forestry Jobs Prevent Fires and Restore Rural America?
On an unseasonably warm November day in a rural neighborhood in the western Sierra Nevada, men with chainsaws patrol a tree thicket that burned three years ago. One man, whose chaps have torn on his right thigh and whose shirt … Read more
An Artist Finds the Life Lessons of Seaweed
If you’ve ever stepped into a certain kind of beach town gift shop on the Northern California coast, you are likely familiar with Josie Iselin’s work: an artist, Iselin creates slim coffee table books filled with detailed, dramatically lit photographs … Read more
Voracious Flowers of the Tidepool
Some of the most conspicuous animals in Northern California tidepools don’t look like animals at all. They resemble flowers more than any animal you’re probably familiar with.
On Hidden Camera, a Sight You Never Hope to See
Skunks almost always spray out of sight of humans. A hidden trail camera in Jasper Ridge shows what it looks like.
Butterflies are More than Party Favors
I once spit my dinner across a room. I was watching the local news in the fall of 2008, and the story showed the opening day of the new California Academy of Sciences building. My brains left my body as … Read more
Who’s Knocking at Your Back Door in the Night? Probably Raccoons.
Urban raccoons are everywhere. Some evidence suggests they’re growing smarter from living in an urban world.
California’s Early June Heat Wave Cooked Coastal Mussels in Place
Bodega Marine Reserve research coordinator Jackie Sones has worked in or walked on the rocky shores of the North Coast almost every day for the last 15 years. But while she was surveying the reserve for sea stars in mid-June, … Read more
An Update to the App to Identify (Almost) Anything (Almost) Anywhere
If you ever wander around wanting to know the names of plants and animals around you, Seek, a newly rebuilt app from the iNaturalist team at the California Academy of Sciences, now offers instant identifications through the camera view on … Read more
Letter from the Editor: Change Isn’t Always Beautiful
For 74 issues we’ve chosen cover art and photos that capture the inspirational power and beauty of Bay Area nature. The 75th cover is different.