See the schedule of planned road closures at Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks (U.S. National Park Service at www.nps.gov/seki/planyourvisit/road-construction.htm
Mongabay reports
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | April 27, 2024
Road Closures- Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks
Posted in Drives, Park | Tags: Kings Canyon and Sequoia Park Road Closures
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | April 27, 2024
How Sunflowers See the Sun?
UC Davis reports
Sunflowers famously turn their faces to follow the sun as it crosses the sky. But how do sunflowers “see” the sun to follow it? New work from plant biologists at the University of California, Davis, published Oct. 31 in PLOS Biology, shows that they use a different, novel mechanism from that previously thought.
“This was a total surprise for us,” said Stacey Harmer, professor of plant biology at UC Davis and senior author on the paper.
Posted in Wildflowers | Tags: sunflowers
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | April 26, 2024
Regional Parks Botanic Garden Photos 4/23/24
Photographed in the East Bay Regional Parks Botanic Garden in Tilden Park in Berkeley, CA on April 23, 2024.
The Regional Parks Botanic Garden is a California native plant garden. It is located within Tilden Park in the hills above Berkeley, California, It is a 10-acre garden includes many of the state’s rare and endangered plants and a place for visitors to wander among trees, shrubs, flowers, and grasses from plant communities throughout the state. There are free weekend and holiday tours. Admission and parking are free. For more information about the garden visit the Friends of the Regional Parks Botanic Garden.
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | April 26, 2024
2024 Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour May 4 & 5
2024 Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour and Green Home Features Showcase
May 4 (Bayside Gardens) and May 5 (Inland Gardens), 10 am–5 pm each day
This year’s free, in-person tour includes 60 native gardens, and 30 of the homes on the tour also feature energy efficiency upgrades. Register soon to attend.Read more
Posted in Garden | Tags: Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | April 26, 2024
Rattlesnakes on Catalina Island display increased defensiveness
Loma Linda University reports
A new study has found that the southern Pacific rattlesnake on Santa Catalina Island, located off the southern California coast, exhibited increased defensiveness compared to their mainland counterparts, contradicting a phenomenon of “island tameness,” where animals living on islands typically display less defensive behavior due to the lack of natural predators.
Read on Study: Rattlesnakes on Catalina Island display increased defensiveness | News
Posted in Animals
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | April 25, 2024
Iconic Yosemite trail closes indefinitely following massive rockfall
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | April 25, 2024
Total solar eclipses can stress animals out, but for surprising reasons
NPR says
Biologist Adam Hartstone-Rose had one big question on his mind heading into this month’s solar eclipse: Why are animals so stressed out during totality?
On April 8, as the moon crossed in front of the afternoon sun and plunged the area into sudden darkness, he and a team of researchers, zookeepers and high school students observed nearly three dozen different species at the Fort Worth Zoo in Texas. Hartstone-Rose says the animals were considerably less stressed than those he observed during a solar eclipse seven years ago — and thanks to “groundbreaking” preliminary data, he has an explanation.
Read more at Total solar eclipses can stress animals out, but for surprising reasons : NPR
Posted in Animals, Astronomy | Tags: Eclipses impact Animals
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | April 25, 2024
Heat Waves Harm Bird Reproduction on Agricultural Lands
UC Davis News Release
Bird populations are in rapid decline across North America. While climate change is just one of the many factors influencing North American birds, its effects are significant and can interact with other stressors, such as habitat loss. A team of University of California, Davis, researchers found that the effects of extreme temperatures on avian reproduction can vary depending on the type of environment that birds call home.
The findings, published in the journal Science, shed light on how climate change can combine with habitat loss to affect bird reproduction across the United States.
Researchers found that extreme high temperatures significantly diminish bird reproductive success in agricultural landscapes. Birds nesting near farmland were half as likely to have at least one fledgling successfully leave the nest when temperatures spiked. However, forests seemed to provide a protective buffer against high temperatures, offering shaded areas that helped increase nesting success.
Read more at Heat Waves Harm Bird Reproduction on Agricultural Lands | UC Davis
Posted in Birds, Environment, Uncategorized | Tags: Heat Waves Harm Bird Reproduction
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | April 24, 2024
Rock and Roll Botany: An Endangered Plant Named After Legendary Guitarist Jimi Hendrix •
The Revelator reports
With a habitat of just 2-3 acres, the entire Hendrix’s liveforever species could be wiped out by a single tractor.
— Read on therevelator.org/botany-jimi-hendrix/
Posted in Environment | Tags: Hendrix Live forever plant
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | April 24, 2024
Climate Change Impact on Wildflowers
PORTScast, learn about the Antelope Valley and the Mojave desert. Discover why climate change makes the patterns of predicting wildflower blooms more difficult.
EARTH DAY: Mojave Desert Grassland Adaptations
Blazing sun, frigid winter snow, dry, dry, dry! The Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve in the Mojave desert is a harsh place to live. Here native grasses and annual flowers flourish. Visit a California State Park Interpreter in the Reserve to discover how plants have evolved strategies in the battle to survive and why predicting the poppy bloom has become increasingly more difficult due to climate change.
On YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GN8hks8vz08
Posted in Desert, Environment, Wildflowers | Tags: Climate Change Impact on Wildflowers
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | April 24, 2024
16th Annual Cambria Wildflower Show
Immerse yourself in the vibrant display of hundreds of fresh wildflower bouquets at the Cambria Wildflower Show, sponsored by Friends of the Fiscalini Ranch Preserve. Come in Saturday, April 27, from 12 to 5 p.m., or Sunday, April 28, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and explore the diversity of the Central Coast’s flora. The flowers are labeled by both botanical and common names, highlighting rare, endangered, invasive, and poisonous species. Appreciate the extraordinary array of floral colors, scents, and sizes, all conveniently gathered under one roof at the 16th Annual Cambria Wildflower Show.
For more information, please email ranch@ffrpcambria.org.
Posted in Wildflowers | Tags: Cambria Wildflower Show
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | April 24, 2024
What is a Songbird?
National Audubon Society reports
The casual observer may apply the term “songbird” to any bird that sings a cheery melody, but for scientists, “songbird” is about more than just carrying a tune.
So, what gives these sirens their special something? A combination of three important traits: precise control over a highly specialized vocal organ called a syrinx, a unique arrangement of toes that makes perching on branches a breeze, and a natural talent for mimicry.
Read more at National Audubon Society
Posted in Birds | Tags: Song Birds
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | April 23, 2024
Audubon’s best pics of birds being birds
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Posted in Birds, Photography | Tags: Bird photos
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | April 23, 2024
We’re losing species faster than we can find them, study shows
- Researchers compiled a database showing the number of lost species is increasing faster than rediscovered species: since 1800, more than 800 amphibian, bird, mammal and reptile species have not seen by scientists in at least a decade.
- Reptiles as well as small, nocturnal or underground species tend to stay lost longer than larger, more widespread mammals and birds.
- Once found, many lost species remain threatened with extinction as their populations are often small and fragmented due to habitat loss.
- New technologies like camera traps and environmental DNA are aiding rediscovery efforts, but the involvement of local communities is also key to finding lost species.
Read more We’re losing species faster than we can find them, study shows
Posted in Animals, Environment, Wildflowers | Tags: Species Extinction
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | April 22, 2024
UC Berkeley Botanical Garden California Native Plants Sale 4/26 to 5/5
Friday, April 26–Sunday, May 5
HOURS: Friday Evening Opening: April 26, 5:00–6:30 pm
Saturday, April 27
Members only from 9:00–10:00 am
General Public: 10:00–4:30 pm
Sunday, April 28–Sunday, May 5 10:30 am–4:30 pm
Download the plant list below.|
Please note, plant availability is subject to change
For location and more information about the garden go to UC Berkeley Botanical Garden
Posted in Uncategorized
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | April 22, 2024
As cicada emergence approaches, scientists learn more about how they pee
NPR reports
Did you know cicadas produce jets of pee? Scientists say this gross piece of trivia could help advance 3D printing, drug delivery, disease diagnostics and more.
Cicadas, and the way they urinate, offer a ‘perfect’ lab for understanding fluid dynamics at very small scales, researchers say
Read more As cicada emergence approaches, scientists learn more about how they pee : NPR
Posted in Animals | Tags: Cicada Urine
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | April 21, 2024
The Shocking Truth About Sloths
The Revelator reports
As their forests disappear, sloths are climbing on dangerous power lines. Veterinarians and rescue centers are developing new techniques to help.
Read story at The Shocking Truth About Sloths • The Revelator
Posted in Animals | Tags: Sloths Getting Electrocuted.
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | April 20, 2024
Inyo National Forest Road Updates
With Highway 168 reopening, four of Caltrans District 9 eight winter closure roads have also reopened:
• State Route 89 (Monitor Pass)
• State Route 120 E (Mono Mills Road)
• State Route 158 N (North June Lake Loop)
• State Route 168 at Aspendell
Additionally, the Crestview Safety Roadside Rest Area reopened from its winter closure on April 15.
Highways that remain closed include:
• State Route 108 (Sonora Pass)
• State Route 120 W at Lee Vining
• State Route 270 (Bodie Road)
• State Route 203 at Mammoth Mountain
Posted in Drives | Tags: inyo National Forest Road Conditions
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | April 20, 2024
California State Parks face threat of climate change
from Spectrum 1 News
A report details recommendations for keeping parks healthy.
In case you missed it, our own Natalie Hernandez joined California State Parks Foundation ED Rachel Norton to discuss the importance of building climate-resilient state parks & their report, Building a Climate-Resilient California State Park System.
What You Need To Know
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- California State Parks Foundation released a 70-page report entitled Building a Climate-Resilient California State Park System
- Report details dangers facing our state parks, from increasingly intense wildfires to the threat of sea level rise
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- California’s state parks make up almost 25% of the state’s coastline, more than 150,000 acres of coastal redwoods, and protects a wide range of ecosystems
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- The report lists several recommendations for keeping state parks healthy and robust, including acquiring more land
Read more at California State Parks face threat of climate change
Posted in Park | Tags: Climate Change and California State Parks
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | April 20, 2024
Complex canopies help forests recover from disturbances
Earth.com reports
Extreme weather and natural disturbances often capture headlines for their dramatic impact on forests, but it’s the more common, moderate-severity disturbances – like smaller fires, ice storms, and pest outbreaks – that may play a bigger role in shaping ecosystems than previously recognized.
“Since they’re more common, they’re probably playing a larger role in the ecosystem than we might have appreciated before,” said senior author Brady Hardiman, an associate professor of forestry and natural resources and environmental and ecological engineering at Purdue University.
“At any given time, a huge fraction of the forested landscape is undergoing or regrowing from a moderate-severity disturbance, which took out some of the trees but not all of them. The forest is not regrowing from scratch.”
Source: Complex canopies help forests recover from disturbances • Earth.com
Posted in Environment
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | April 19, 2024
Free Admission April 20 at National Parks
Tomorrow, Saturday, April 20, is a “Free Entrance Day” as the start of National Park Week.
Posted in Park | Tags: Free Admission National Parks
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | April 19, 2024
Channel Islands National Park Events
Channel Islands National Park invites the public to upcoming special events to celebrate National Park Week during the week of April 21-28, 2024. The events are free and will feature family-friendly activities, ranger-led talks, junior ranger programs, beach cleanups, and more. All events are at 1901 Spinnaker Drive in Ventura Harbor.
Sunday, April 21, 2024
Join a beach cleanup from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm. Individuals, families, and groups are welcome. Children under the age of…
See more
Posted in Park | Tags: Channel Islands National Park
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | April 19, 2024
East Bay Regional Parks Upcoming Events
The May-June Regional In Nature (RIN) Activity Guide is now available! In this issue: ParkFest on May 11 at Lake Chabot celebrating 90 years of East Bay Regional Parks, Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month activities, the return of swim season, campfire programs, and more! www.ebparks.org/rin #EBRPD #EBParks90 #LoveEBRPD
Posted in Park | Tags: East Bay Regional Parks
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | April 19, 2024
Park Advocates and Community Leaders Celebrate Victory for Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve
National Parks Conservation Association reports
In historic move, Secretary Haaland announced that the Bureau of Land Management intends to halt proposed Ambler industrial mining road through the Brooks Range of Northwest Alaska.
Posted in Park | Tags: Arctic National Park and Preserve
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | April 19, 2024
Very cool: trees stalling effects of global heating in eastern US
The Guardian reports
Vast reforestation a major reason for ‘warming hole’ across parts of US where temperatures have flatlined or cooledO
Trees provide innumerable benefits to the world, from food to shelter to oxygen, but researchers have now found their dramatic rebound in the eastern US has delivered a further, stunning feat – the curtailing of the soaring temperatures caused by the climate crisis.
Posted in Environment | Tags: Tree Impact on Global Heating
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | April 18, 2024
Scientists use AI to predict the extinction risk of all flowering plants
Gardens Illustrated reports
Scientists from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew have used AI to predict the extinction risk for every known flowering plant on earth.
Read article at Scientists use AI to predict the extinction risk of all flowering plants
Posted in Environment, Wildflowers | Tags: extinction risk of all flowering plants
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | April 18, 2024
Apathy Threatens the Planet. How Do We Get People to Care?
The Revelator reports
New research backs up conventional wisdom that getting people outdoors inspires them to conserve nature.
The natural world faces many threats, but to many environmentalists, none are so baffling and heartbreaking as public apathy toward those threats.
How do we get more people to care about the natural world so they’re moved to stand up and defend it? The answer is complex, of course, because humans are complex. But part of it can be found in a simple truth: Some people don’t care much about the natural world because they haven’t experienced nature directly.
Read more at Apathy Threatens the Planet. How Do We Get People to Care? • The Revelator
Posted in Environment | Tags: pathy Threatens the Planet
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | April 17, 2024
Online Lecture: Whale Migrations & Ocean Conservation 4/23/24
from Road Scholar
Join us on Tuesday, Apr. 23, 2024, at 1 p.m. (ET)/ 10 a.m. (PT), for a free one-hour lecture and Q&A to learn about whales and their journeys through our oceans. For more information go to Start
Posted in Animals, Talks | Tags: Whale Migration
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | April 17, 2024
Botanical gardens ‘most effective’ green space at cooling streets in heatwaves
A few excerpt from The Guardian article on the impact of botanical garden on cooling streets during heatwaves
A comprehensive review of research into the heat-mitigating effects of green spaces during heatwaves has found that botanical gardens are the most effective. It is a finding the team at the Global Centre for Clean Air Research (GCCAR) hope will inform policymakers planning cities for a warming world.
This particular research found that sites such as the Chelsea Physic Garden and Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew in London, or the Gardens by the Bay in Singapore, reduced air temperatures during heatwaves in the city streets around them by an average 5C.
Read full story at Botanical gardens ‘most effective’ green space at cooling streets in heatwaves
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | April 16, 2024
Job Openings
Posted in Job Openings | Tags: Job Openings
Natural History Wanderings 