Nine places to see effusive displays of native wildflowers.
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Fields of Color
April 1, 2002 •
Botany
The study and science of plants.
Wildflower resources
April 1, 2002 •
Books and Other References This small selection of wildflower guides lists those that are most useful for wildflower watchers in the Bay Area. Some of these books have been in continuous publication for decades, a good measure of their usefulness … Read more
How have exotic garden plants impacted our native fauna?
January 1, 2002 •
Animal habits, or behavior, can indeed change due to the presence of nonnative plants. Two examples come to mind. Fennel is a plant native to the Mediterranean region of Europe which became an invasive weed in the Bay Area subsequent … Read more
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Often-Overlooked Lichens are Essential to the Bay Area’s Environment
January 1, 2002 •
Is it a mushroom? A moss? Bacterial scum? Trod on underfoot or passed by in blissful ignorance, lichens are perhaps the least understood element of the Bay Area landscape. But they are everywhere. And when we look closely at them, a colorful and diverse world opens up before our eyes.
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The Changing Nature of Joaquin Miller Park
October 1, 2001 •
Over 100 years ago, poet Joaquin Miller found a refuge in the Oakland hills. Today, thousands of residents from the cities below are doing likewise in the park that bears his name.
Sudden Oak Death Update
October 1, 2001 •
A lot has happened in the battle against Sudden Oak Death (SOD) since Bay Nature reported on it in January. To date, the disease has been identified in black oak, coast live oak, tanbark oak, and Shreve oak trees in … Read more
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The Vale of Tesla
October 1, 2001 •
Nestled in the hills southeast of Livermore, at the border between the San Joaquin Valley and the Bay Area, the old Tesla Mine townsite in Corral Hollow sustains a vibrant mix of inner south coast range plants and animals along with the traces of a rich human history. But a state proposal to create an off-road vehicle park in the hollow threatens to reopen old scars on this tranquil landscape.
Be Careful with Fiddlenecks
October 1, 2001 •
In his article on “The Changing Nature of Joaquin Miller Park” author Rex Burress wrote that the fiddle-heads of young bracken ferns are edible “either cooked or raw.” However, before you head out to pick ferns for your soup pot, … Read more
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Of Hazelnuts and Adder’s Tongue
April 1, 2001 •
A hike on the Hazelnut Trail at Montara Mountain leads you through several scrub communities and straight into a botanical puzzle.
What makes wildflowers so colorful?
April 1, 2001 •
At the precise moment we are looking at them, flowers are sending light rays back to us. But not all of them are sending us the same kind of light in the same way. The different colors are different wavelengths … Read more