Naturalist’s Notebook: See the World in a Velella
Did you know that you an find an echo of the spin of the planet in the sails of the by-the-wind sailors that wash ashore in spring and early summer?
Science and Nature
A Flood of Hope
My most inspiring bike ride this past year was not on a mountain or in some exotic destination. It was sixteen flat and muddy valley miles under overcast skies.
Tips for Moth-Lighting
First, tack up a white sheet outside, on a wall, fence, tree, or clothesline.
Volcano Baby
How the Sutter Buttes turned up, all alone, in the Central Valley.
A Burned Big Basin is Reborn
As trails reopen, visiting is a chance to see a forest in progress.
Where the Tides Have Returned
Lookout Slough, the largest wetland restoration in the Delta, provides 26 miles of channels explorable by nonmotorized boat.
Spring 2026 Almanac: Sounds of the Season
Life in spring ... sings.
The Intelligence of Bird Nests
How could a creature with such a small brain create something so exquisite?
Seaside Subterfuge
When you’re tidepooling this spring, an encrusted crustacean might surprise you.
When Summer Heat Arrives in March
In an unprecedented heat wave, we check in on the newts, the bears, the mussels, and all those flowers that just woke up for spring.
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