Moss Knows How to Wait
Mosses are not particularly competitive; they do not crowd out other species. They find a foothold where there are the proper resources: moisture, a place to tuck their rhizoid roots....
Category: Essays
Original essays about conservation, science, and natural history in the San Francisco Bay Area.
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.
When the Air Is an Orchestra: Visually Impaired Birders On Paying Attention
“I think people think that because blind people can't see, we don't know birds. But they're the nearest part of nature,” says poet Susan Glass.
If Oprah Were an Oak Tree
The tree’s survival, not to mention our own as a species, depends on our living connectedness with the world.
Home Away From Home: Meeting the Red-Whiskered Bulbul in San Francisco
What place does a bird away from home hold in San Francisco?
When an Animal Dies in a National Park, What Does the Park Service Do With It?
Large carcasses can't just be wiped up. What are the other options?
They Live in Your Garden, Have Flexible Head Arrangements, and May or May Not Cause Problems. Meet the Land Planarians, About Which We Know Very Little.
“The time is ripe for biologists to unravel the diversity, ecology, and natural history of land flatworms,” one scientist writes
A Process of Survival
In the last century, the federal government has tried to build its way out of California’s water crisis. The parallel story of the Winnemem Wintu’s displacement is a reminder that...
How Laura Cunningham Became a Signature Artist for California’s Former Landscapes
What did natural California look like before the arrival of Europeans? Laura Cunningham paints it.
Learning to Love Dandelions
It's the epitome of the unwanted weed -- but there are reasons to choose to want dandelions.
