Lookout Local Santa Cruz reports
A hobby naturalist walking in the Santa Cruz Mountains discovered a patch of what turned out to be Humboldt County milkvetch, a rare plant that had never been spotted south of Mendocino County. Scientists believe the plant — known as a fire-follower because it often appears after a great disturbance to the landscape — actually has a far wider range than initially understood, but its seeds lay dormant here for decades until the 2020 CZU Lightning Complex fire. The discovery sheds light on how forestry practices that emphasized fire suppression have reshaped the landscape, reducing the biodiversity of plant life.
Natural History Wanderings 
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