The California Chaparral Institute is a nonprofit, research, and educational organization dedicated to the preservation of native shrubland habitats throughout the world.
Of all the distinct, natural communities in California, only one is found throughout and only one can be said to represent the state’s most characteristic wilderness: chaparral, a special plant community characterized by drought-hardy, woody shrubs, shaped by a Mediterranean-type climate (summer drought, winter rain) and intense, infrequent wildfires. It is within the chaparral where California will find its best and perhaps last chance to reclaim its wildness and preserve the quality of life made possible by the region’s natural, open spaces.
To learn go to: California Chaparral Institute.
Natural History Wanderings 
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