Science and Nature
Paddling A Resurrected Wetland
A formerly barren landscape transforms into thriving habitat at Pacheco Marsh in Martinez.
Being a Salamander
In a tiny hollow beneath a log, reflected in my headlamp’s glow, were two gold-flecked black eyes and a dull pinkish snout.
25 Years of Change
A quarter century of hard work has restored nature to the San Francisco Bay Area in places where it was once unimaginable.
Swimming in the Bay: Winter Clean
Even in winter, Bay water is mostly safe to swim in. It smells good. It tastes fine.
Naturalist’s Notebook: The Rainbow Connection
The poet Keats warned that understanding a rainbow may "unweave" it, robbing it of mystery. John Muir Laws disagrees.
California’s Blackbird
The tricolored blackbird traverses the Golden State with cat calls and friends.
That Time We Reared Spider Babies, and Other Memorable Stories of 2025
Stories that delighted us, enraged us, got us outside, got us thinking.
The Zombees Are Here (And That’s Probably OK)
A parasitic fly was found in San Francisco taking over a honeybee.
Why Is That Woodpecker White?
For years, the author has gathered photographs of local leucistic birds: white (or whitish) woodpeckers, hummingbirds, sparrows, turkeys, bald eagles, and more.
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