Climbing at Dawn
onToday is the first day of summer, the longest day of the year. Often the summer solstice makes me think of long evenings and late sunsets, but of course dawn comes incredibly early too. Today, I remember my earliest morning …
How the Banana Slug Got its Name
onEvery once in awhile, I stumble across something that just makes me laugh. The sight of this banana slug posing on its namesake was no exception! After seeing the yellow slug and banana peel together, it is no surprise to …
Where have all the flowers gone?
on“Where have all the flowers gone? Long time passing.” -Pete Seeger Over 170 years ago, early loggers began extracting redwood from the San Francisco bay area. The trees they cut were monumental and today we can still find the remnant stumps …
Redwoods at the 2013 Chelsea Flower Show
onThis week, a redwood forest came alive at the 2013 Chelsea Flower Show. Our partners, the Garden Club of America, celebrated their centennial with an lush exhibit featuring understory ferns and flowers of the coast redwood forest. Large translucent photographs …
Burl Thieves Attack Redwoods
onLast year, I saw a man ride a bicycle down the road from Ladybird Johnson Grove in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park carrying a large chainsaw. I was baffled at the sight and now realize just how terrible an omen …
Pelican Recovery Brings Hope
onI grew up in Northern California and witnessed the inspiring recovery of an endangered species over the past few decades. As a frequent beach goer throughout my life, I remember it was unusual to see brown pelicans diving along the …
Seen Sorrel Cry?
onThey were perfectly placed drops of water on the outer edge of each redwood sorrel (Oxalis oregana) leaflet. At first, I thought that I was just seeing drops of fog that had not yet evaporated. Then, I realized that these …
Humboldt’s Original Skunk Weed
onIt smells a little skunky along the trail. Did a fellow hiker light up a joint ahead of you or it could be a botanical wonder of the coast redwoods and beyond?! Skunk cabbage emerges early in the year in …
Clone the best, forget the rest?
onPeople are cloning the world’s oldest redwoods. Archangel Ancient Tree Archive is planting their clones en masse around the world in an effort to create robust forests of the future. They say these ancient clones will reverse deforestation across the …
Secret Life of Ferns
onFerns are under-appreciated, despite the fact that as a group they have more than 12,000 species worldwide and their lineage is even older than the redwoods! Maybe I’m a fern nerd (well, no maybe about it actually), but I can’t …
I Smell Cyanide!
onThe fantastic yellow-spotted millipede, Harpaphe haydeniana, roams freely through the coast redwood forest. Often found crawling in the duff on the forest floor, H. Haydeniana is multi-legged invertebrate that demands respect. When it senses danger, this millepede curls up in a ball …
Ferns in the Redwood Canopy
onIn last week’s blog, I described my climb into a large double redwood to help Steve Sillett and his team make measurements for our Redwoods and Climate Change Initiative. While up in this tree, I was suspended alongside enormous fern …
200 Feet Up a Redwood
onHarness cinched. Helmet buckled. Camera and notebook tucked in tightly. Knowing this was one of the last days this spring to collect coast redwood canopy data, we scurried up climbing ropes into the leafy forest canopy of Del Norte County. …
Trillium is toxic!
onHave you ever seen this stunning flower in the redwood forest? It is a Giant Wake Robin, or Trillium chloropetalum, and was recently seen blooming in the Santa Cruz Mountains
Sequoias Suddenly Snowless
onI fastened on my snowshoes and set off for a wintertime hike among the giant sequoias. I quickly realized the snow in the forest was patchy at best and completely melted at worst, and it’s only March! It was shocking …
Bay Lights – 1.5 Redwoods Tall
onOutside our office this week the San Francisco Bay Bridge began twinkling with the artistic illumination of 25,000 new LED lights strung along the west span. After dusk, views of the bridge are spectacular as waves of light pulse along 1.8 …
Another Side of Cemex
onThis week I explored Cemex Redwoods in the Santa Cruz Mountains with my colleagues. I’d been there many times, but this time felt different because I walked into corners of the expansive property that I hadn’t seen before. During my …
Spring is coming!
onPunxsutawney Phil predicts spring will come early this year. As much fun as it is to trust the behavior of a charismatic groundhog, I also love searching for my own signs of spring a little closer to home. Wildflowers are …
Redwood Sorrel Sun Salutations
onEver wonder why redwood sorrel (Oxalis oregano) leaves appear to wilt in the sun? The leaves fold downwards when sun flecks shine onto patches of this tiny plant that carpets the coast redwood forest floor. This is a protective response …
Do salamanders bark in the woods?
onEvery time I talk to a researcher who works in the redwood region, I learn something that makes my jaw drop. It happened again just a few days ago when I was speaking with Prof. David Wake of U.C. Berkeley. …