coast redwoods

How the Banana Slug Got its Name

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Every 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 …

In vitro culture of Aulacomnium turgidum regenerated from emergent Little Ice Age population beneath the Tear Drop Glacier, Sverdrup Pass, Ellesmere Island, Nunavut. Credit: Image courtesy of Catherine La Farge

The Toughest Plants in the World

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It’s not often that I hear about a creature more resilient than redwoods.  After all, they grow faster, live longer, and reproduce more prolifically than just about any other tree.  Be that as it may, some very small, unassuming creatures …

Burl Thieves Attack Redwoods

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Last 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 …

Seen Sorrel Cry?

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They 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 …

Sun through the redwoods. Photo by parmsongs, Flickr Creative Commons

The Healing Power of Redwoods

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“It is like being in a cathedral.” “Ancient spirits of the Native Americans are still living among the redwoods.” “I always feel healed after a visit to the redwoods.” These are the kinds of emotions many of us experience in …

Humboldt’s Original Skunk Weed

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It 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 …

Dudley's lousewort (Pedicularis dudleyi). Photo by asadotzler, Flickr Creative Commons

A Rare Plant Inhabits the Forest – Or Does It?

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It was a beautiful day for a hike along Peters Creek. The ancient forest of the Santa Cruz Mountains was in full bloom; chattering woodpeckers, the tumbling creek, giant redwood and Douglas fir trees all begged for acknowledgement and appreciation.  …

Marbled murrelet nest. Photo by Tom Hamer

Searching for the Elusive Marbled Murrelet

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The League’s Shady Dell property was a busy place on Monday. Armed with binoculars and aerial photo maps, four League staff members were joined by a couple of staff from the Department of Fish and Wildlife and a pair of consultants to search for potential nest sites for the marbled murrelet.

Secret Life of Ferns

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Ferns 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 …

forest floor

200 Feet Up a Redwood

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Harness 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!

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Have 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

Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park. Photo by Jon Parmentier

Three Northern Forests Paint a Picture of Hope

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I don’t get out to the woods for work nearly enough these days (then again, who does?), but last week was an exception.  During a trip to the Northern California forests for some meetings, I was lucky enough to get …

Bay Lights – 1.5 Redwoods Tall

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  Outside 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 …

Redwood Sorrel Sun Salutations

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Ever 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 …

Pablo Cunazza Mardones (on my right) and Patricio Contreras Bravo (on my left), colleagues at Parque Nacional Alerce Costero.

Trees Bring Us Together

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Working for Save the Redwoods League is an honor in many ways.  We are able to serve our nearly 20,000 members, honor the League’s nearly 100-year history, seek to benefit one of the world’s iconic species and, occasionally, work hand-in-hand …

Alerce. Photo by andrea ugarte, Flickr Creative Commons

80 Degrees of Separation

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If you leave Redwood National Park and journey 80 degrees south you will arrive at the coastal town of Valdivia, Chile.  These two areas—equidistant from the equator, north and south—are about to be united through a sister park relationship that …

Swimming beneath the redwoods at the Garden Club of America Grove

Heralding Summer’s End among the Redwoods

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Albee Creek campground in Humboldt Redwoods State Park was full over the Labor Day weekend. Clustered around each fire ring were happy faces enjoying the end of summer and start of fall.  Each year for the past four years, I’ve …