The mammoth McApin Tree is not just the venerable elder in its grove. It’s thought the giant redwood holds within its fire-charred rings the surrounding forest’s formative secrets.
Botany
The study and science of plants.
What Do I Do About Poison Hemlock Near My Yard?
June 26, 2018 •
A reader has poison hemlock growing near his yard. What should he do?
Are There Any Plants That Do Not Photosynthesize?
April 17, 2018 •
Can a plant live without photosynthesizing?
Discover the Rare Blooms of Huckleberry Preserve in the East Bay Hills
March 30, 2018 •
Rare plants are common in California. Huckleberry Botanic Regional Preserve sits in an ideal location to display some of the rarest of them.
What Wildflowers Tell You About the North Bay Fires
March 30, 2018 •
In burned areas of the North Bay, spring bloom patterns reveal burn patterns.
Treasure Hunt: Flowers You Might Find After a Fire
March 30, 2018 •
What flowers might botanists see in the North Bay this spring?
A Street Tree Revolution in Silicon Valley
January 2, 2018 •
Urban ecologists hope to inspire a love of nature in the sprawling heart of tech.
Disrupt the Street Tree
December 19, 2017 •
Could trees help Silicon Valley find an identity?
Why Did I Hear Popcorn Sounds In the Recent Extreme Heat Wave?
September 26, 2017 •
When temperatures crank up, an unusual ecological adaptation begins to play out among our native Monterey pine. We explain why in our latest installment of our reader-funded Ask The Naturalist column.
Western Sycamores Speak of an Older California
September 25, 2017 •
In Livermore, a writer walks leisurely among the sycamore alluvial woodland.