By Maria Jesus For many botanists and plant lovers, our sense of place is inextricably linked to the plants that grow there. It’s difficult to imagine the Northern California coast…
Category: Plants
Why dandelion seeds are so good at spreading widely
You don’t need a dandelion to know which way the wind blows. But it can help. On any given dandelion, some seeds are destined to go north, while others are…
Yes, You Can Create a Native Plant Garden!
Have you always wanted to start a native plant garden, but don’t know where to start? It can seem daunting to figure out which plant is suited for the right…
Save Our Sequoias Act Poses More Threat than Promise
By Susan Britting and Isabella Langone Giant sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum) at the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias; Image: Jeff Bisbee In the last two years, California’s leaders have allocated unprecedented…
A Caribbean island gets everyone involved in protecting beloved species
The coral reef, once bustling with more than 5,000 long-spined sea urchins, became a ghost town in a matter of days. White skeletons with dangling spines dotted the reef near…
A Caribbean island gets everyone involved in protecting beloved species
The coral reef, once bustling with more than 5,000 long-spined sea urchins, became a ghost town in a matter of days. White skeletons with dangling spines dotted the reef near…
How Kenyans help themselves and the planet by saving mangrove trees
On the fringe of Kenya’s Gazi village, 50 kilometers south of Mombasa, Mwatime Hamadi walks barefoot on a path of scorching-hot sand toward a thicket of trees that seem to…
Proposed Federal Wildfire Actions Threaten Environmental Protections
By Nick Jensen and Brendan Wilce Los Padres National Forest – Upper Fir Canyon and Hurricane Deck; Image: Bryant Baker/Los Padres ForestWatch California’s wildfire seasons are longer and more extreme…
The worldwide water-lifting power of plants is enormous
When it comes to hoisting water, plants are real power lifters. For a tall tree, slurping hundreds of liters of water each day up to its leaves or needles, where…
Native Grass Alternatives to Lawns
By Audrey Pongs There are few things more American than the concept of expansive lawns. We love our dutiful blades of grass, all lined up and trimmed, just waiting to…
