Editor’s Letter: Ecosystem Engineers
Building a magazine is a lot like coaxing a garden or parcel of land into becoming a rich ecosystem.
Underneath California Forever
Tech billionaires are fighting for their proposed 400,000-person city in Solano County. At least 21 imperiled species depend on the ecosystems where the new city could be built.
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LATEST STORIES
From Tidepools to Tracking, Our Favorite Events of 2025
Bay Nature offered a record 85 events in 2025 reaching nearly 6,000 registrants!
IN SEASON IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
Capturing the Flood in California’s Ancient Underground Waterways
Ancient and buried riverbeds can move and absorb excess stormwater, storing it for future droughts.
Why Do Mushrooms Return to the Same Place?
Do mushrooms require a certain kind of substrate?
Which Bay Area Salamanders Drop Their Tails?
How does a salamander drop its tail, and how many times can it do it?
Staff picks
San Bruno Mountain: An Ark of Diversity
The plants that grow on this 2,400-acre island amid a sea of city—including these four endemic manzanita species—help make San Bruno Mountain a world biological hotspot.
Scientists Are Decoding the Love Language of Pacific Chorus Frogs
For a male frog wanting a mate, it is vitally important to stand out, to be heard in his declarations, for listeners to glean his meaning.
The Adder’s-Tongue—Our Fetid Friend in the Shadows
Deep in the shadows of redwood understory, when winter rains still drip on the mosses and ferns, an unusual flower heralds the beginning of the blooms—a sort of “flower new year” before spring.
Ask The Naturalist: How Important Are Red Toyon Berries To the Winter Food Chain?
For a lesson in food chain dynamics, go ahead and observe a fruiting toyon bush this winter.
Why Do Tule Elk Drop Their Antlers Every Year?
Ask the Naturalist: Why do tule elk drop their antlers every year?
Moss Knows How to Wait
Mosses are not particularly competitive; they do not crowd out other species. They find a foothold where there are the proper resources: moisture, a place to tuck their rhizoid roots. The range from which they can acquire nourishment is limited. Humans are on the opposite end of that spectrum, able to move resources long distances,…
