The study and science of plants.

Sleuthing Sudden Oak Death

October 1, 2006 •  by

By the time that sudden oak death (SOD) began hitting North Bay oaks and tanoaks in the mid-1990s, Ted Swiecki and Elizabeth Bernhardt, husband-and-wife plant pathologists, had been studying oak diseases in California oak woodlands for many years in the … Read more

Watch Your Step

October 1, 2006 •  by

Since 2000, sudden oak death has spread through 14 California counties, including all nine in the Bay Area, threatening our signature oak woodlands. Though rain, wind, and fog have caused much of that spread, some of the blame likely lies with those of us who venture into the woods for business or pleasure: The disease can move on infected plants and firewood, and on the muddy shoes and bicycle tires of recreational trail users.

Betting on Point Molate

July 1, 2006 •  by

With stunning views of the Bay and Marin, Richmond’s Point Molate has seen a lot of changes: It’s been a shrimp camp, a huge winery, and a Navy fuel depot. Now the site of a controversial casino proposal, this modest point of land is home to diverse wildlife and some of the East Bay’s last native coastal prairie.

Invasive Weeds Awareness Week

July 1, 2006 •  by

One of the challenges faced by rare native plants like the buckwheat is the spread of invasive nonnative plants. July 18 to 24 is Invasive Weeds Awareness Week, and weed groups across the state will be spreading the word on … Read more

Rediscovery of Mount Diablo Buckwheat

July 1, 2006 •  by

It’s rare that a species gets taken off what seems an ever-growing list of extinctions, but that’s exactly what happened in May, when Berkeley-based botanist Michael Park found about a dozen Mount Diablo buckwheat flowers (Eriogonom truncatum) growing in a … Read more

From an Entomologist’s Backyard

July 1, 2006 •  by

The sticky monkey flower, common on sunny Bay Area hillsides, hosts an array of insect visitors. Edward Ross’s intimate photos of these visits are but a small sample of the thousands he’s taken over six decades of studying insects near and far.

Ubiquitous Eucalyptus

July 1, 2006 •  by

Some folks love their scent and shade; others resent them for crowding out natives; most of us know they came from Australia and found a niche here. But few know that the East Bay’s eucalypts owe their presence to one entrepreneur who thought the trees would make him rich. They didn’t, but now, love them or hate them, the trees are here to stay. Fortunately, some animals have profited from Mr. Havens’s mistake.

The Mount Diablo Buckwheat One Year Later

July 1, 2006 •  by

Botanists and nature lovers celebrated good news this spring as the Mount Diablo buckwheat (Eriogonum truncatum)—presumed extinct until its rediscovery in 2005—germinated and bloomed for a second year in the wild for and for the first time in carefully-tended greenhouse … Read more

Poolside Beauties

April 1, 2006 •  by

Vernal pools are havens for specialized species, including the endangered Contra Costa goldfield and the native solitary bee that pollinates it.