Plants Are Culture, Too
¡Plantásticas! Our Lives with Plants, a temporary exhibition at the Exploratorium in San Francisco, explores the myriad relationships between people and plants, with a special focus on Latinx and Indigenous perspectives.
Urban Nature
Just in Time for Algae Season, A New Satellite Map Offers Glimpses of Bay Blooms
No one agency is tasked with protecting us from marine algal blooms. So here’s a map worth checking before you go out on the waters of San Francisco Bay.
Tactical Pooping, and Other Ways Birds Survive Summer
Here’s a look at how birds beat the heat along with some ways you can help. As SFBBO researcher Katie LaBarbera says, “these are birds trying to survive in the crevices in our world.”
Why a Mouse Matters
Salt marsh harvest mice are hard to find, and their fates offer a glimpse at our own coastal society’s future. A reporter tags along on an epic rangewide survey of salties—the Bay Area's own endemic mouse species.
Summer 2023 Almanac: Barnacles, Bats, and Berries
This issue's almanac features barnacles, berries, Steller's jays, and more.
The Geology of Lake Merritt, Oakland’s Shimmering Tidal Heart
Our lake is a world-class oddity, an arm of the Bay in the midst of a city. It rises and falls with the daily tides. An inside-out island, a marine habitat surrounded by land, it is truly a mediterranean sea.
Historic Money for Bay Area Nature Has Started to Flow. The Challenge? Spending it.
Meet BIL and IRA—two federal bills with forgettable names that belie their enormous potential impact on the environment.
After the Algal Bloom Cleared Out of Lake Merritt, the Nudibranchs Came to Party in Droves
Oodles of nudibranchs showed up in Lake Merritt after the harmful algal bloom of August 2022. These sea slugs appeared in record breaking numbers, taking Oakland's beloved tidal lagoon by storm.
These Fabulous Flowers Are Spring’s Final Encore
When other plants start hunkering down, clarkias send up a dazzling array of purples and pinks.
