Parking the car in front of my house a few weeks ago, I noticed movement across the street. It was a deer—a mature doe, I believe—walking up the sidewalk in the early evening twilight. Aware of my presence, but not … Read more
Urban Nature
Fall Issue 2004
Book Review: The Trees of San Francisco
The Trees of San Francisco, by Mike Sullivan, Pomegranate Communications, 2004, 160 pages, $19.95 (www.pomegranate.com). This is not a book about the native trees of San Francisco. In fact, there are very few trees native to San Francisco, which was … Read more
Fall Issue 2003
Book Review: San Francisco Bay: Portrait of an Estuary
by John Hart (text) and David Sanger (photography), University of California Press, 2003, 212 pages, $34.95 (www.ucpress.edu). Early European explorers sailed right past the mouth of the San Francisco Bay; blinded by sun or fog, or perhaps the monotony of … Read more
Spring Issue 2003
San Francisco Lakes
Today, only three natural freshwater lakes are left in San Francisco—Mountain Lake, Pine Lake, and Lake Merced. In 1995 the lakes were designated Significant Natural Resource Areas by the San Francisco Recreation and Park Commission. Their wetland fringes are an … Read more
Winter Issue 2003
Urban Walks
During the rainy months, when trails often become too muddy for easy walking, consider taking an urban hike. In San Francisco, a new edition of Stairway Walks in San Francisco by Adah Bakalinsky, available through Wilderness Press (www.wildernesspress.com), describes public … Read more
Fall Issue 2002
Starry, Starry Night
We humans have evolved to be outside in the daylight. But there are delights awaiting those who venture forth at night. Revel in the cosmic mysteries of the star-filled sky, and open your senses to the shadowy world of nature’s night shift.
Summer Issue 2002
San Francisco’s Natural Areas Program
Small fragments of San Francisco’s original plant communities still survive today, the last vestiges of the unique grasslands, dunes, oak woodlands, and creeks that are the natural heritage of the City by the Bay. Through site stewardship, the San Francisco … Read more
Fall Issue 2001
Fall Birding
Every year—fall to spring—the Bay Area plays host to millions of birds, some wintering over, others migrating through. Three of the area’s experienced birders offered to share with Bay Nature readers a few of their favorite spots for viewing this … Read more
Fall Issue 2001
How have humans influenced wild animal behavior?
Most of the world’s 5,000 or so species of mammals are already nocturnal, so the effect of urbanization on their circadian activity is probably nil. Actually, even the nocturnal animals are mostly crepuscular in activity; that is, they have a … Read more
Winter Issue 2001
A Natural History of Oakland’s Lake Merritt
Lake Merritt changed dramatically over the centuries, but it still supports estuarine habitat — in addition to the recreation needs of a growing city.
