Neuroscience News reports
Exposure to excessive screen time at age two is associated with poorer communication and daily living skills at age four, however, spending time outdoors can mitigate some of the negative effects of screen time.
Read more at Getting Kids Outdoors Can Reduce the Negative Effects of Screen Time – Neuroscience News
Posted in Environment, Park | Tags: Benefits of children being outdoors
You can listen to the Joshua Tree podcast series at Where Two Deserts Meet (U.S. National Park Service)
Posted in Uncategorized | Tags: Joshua Tree Podcasts
The Revelator reports
New research points out the frequent inequity of species’ scientific names, a longstanding problem that creates barriers to conservation.
What’s in a species name?
In some cases, the answers include paternalism, colonialism, sexism and racism.
Take the Townsend’s warbler (Setophaga townsendi), for example. This small, bright yellow North American bird was first scientifically described at Fort Vancouver in Washington state, just a few miles from where I live. We get a ton of them in our backyard every year.
But the Townsend’s warbler, beautiful though it may be, is a bird whose name has a dark history. It was named by American naturalist John Kirk Townsend, who described dozens of species in the early 19th century — right around the same time he was stealing human remains from Native American grave sites and shipping the skulls back East to help support a friend’s racist theory that Indigenous peoples were actually separate species.
As you might expect, in these more enlightened times, several experts have proposed renaming the Townsend’s warbler, along with dozens of other North American birds that bear the names of other ethically dubious researchers or historical figures.
Read more at Decolonizing Species Names • The Revelator
Posted in Animals, Birds | Tags: Decolonizing Species Names
Posted in Park | Tags: Institutional Racism
Anthropocene reports
New study documents how elephants plant the forest with high carbon-density trees and get rid of the weeds.
Elephants been called a lot of things: the world’s largest land creatures, imperiled, majestic, charismatic. Now scientists have a few more terms for describing them: foresters and climate champions.
Read more at Elephant’s appetite coaxes forests into storing more carbon
Posted in Animals, Environment | Tags: Carbon Storage, elephants
The Rvelator reports
Climate activism is most effective when it taps into the pain of grieving instead of repeating statistics that overwhelm people into numbness.
When I read news about the latest IPCC climate assessment report, or predictions of imminent mass extinction, I admit that the statistics — the exact degree of warming, the number of feet sea levels will rise, how many species will die — find fewer footholds in my brain than the overwhelming sorrow they elicit.
Read more at Why Climate Grief Is an Essential for Climate Action • The Revelator
Posted in Environment | Tags: Climate Action, Climate Grief
from Norwegian SciTech News
Even seemingly small changes in the climate can change the number of animals and plants in an area and how species behave, new research shows. Natural history collections provide valuable insights.
It is not exactly a surprise that climate affects life on earth. At least major changes in climate make a difference. We know that not all species thrive everywhere on the planet.
“The climate affects the life cycle of species, the number of individuals of a species, the overall number of species and the composition and distribution of species in an area,” says James D. M. Speed, a professor in the Department of Natural History at the NTNU University Museum.
Read more at Just one degree can change a species
Posted in Environment | Tags: Climate change, Global warming
The Press Democrat reports
A strange-shaped, 3,300-foot-tall underwater volcano has been discovered just 184 miles off the Northern California coast.
The sea mountain, or “seamount,” appears more like a smooth-sided circular tower, with near-vertical sides, than a craggy mountain. It was found in February by an ocean mapping autonomous sailboat as part of a multi-agency survey led by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Read more at Strange-shaped sea mountain discovered off the coast of Northern California
Posted in Environment | Tags: Underwater Volcano
Anthropocene Magazine reports
In a happy accident, a beaver dam built in the middle of a river research project illuminated how their presence improved water quality
Posted in Wildflowers and Other Plants | Tags: Anderson Valley Wildflower Show
Posted in Desert, Park | Tags: Why are cacti so prickly?
from Marin CNPS
Are you an active native plant gardener? Do you dream of a beautiful pollinator garden or converting your thirsty lawn?
We are gathering a community of native plant gardeners to answer questions, share knowledge, and just connect. Over thirty gardeners have expressed interest.
You can join the group by answering this short questionnaire.
Posted in Uncategorized | Tags: Native Plant Gardening
from NPR
Learning about climate change? Here’s a comic for kids about what it is and how it’s affecting the planet — as explained by kids who are experiencing it. And find out how to print this comic at home!
Read more and see printable guide at A kid’s guide to climate change (plus a printable comic) : NPR
Posted in Uncategorized | Tags: kid's guide to climate change
EarthSky writes
When should you begin observing the heavens with binoculars? Now! It’s a great way to get a closer look at the beauties of the universe, without the expense and steep learning curve of a telescope. And, binoculars have other advantages over telescopes. They’re easier to store, and easier to transport to dark sky locations.
Read more at EarthSky | Best targets for binoculars, for beginners
Posted in Astronomy | Tags: Stargazing
UCLA reports
A new paper by UCLA ecologists explores one reason: disturbances to Earth’s magnetic field can lead birds astray — a phenomenon scientists call “vagrancy” — even in perfect weather, and especially during fall migration. The research is published in Scientific Reports.
Read article at : When migrating birds go astray, disturbances in magnetic field may be partly to blame | UCLA
Posted in Birds | Tags: Disturbances to Bird Migration
KPBS reports
The population of the endangered monarch butterfly rebounded for a second year in a row, but this winter’s punishing storms led to a nearly 60% die-off, according to data released earlier this month by the Xerces Society.
The Xerces Society’s Thanksgiving count tallied 335,470 butterflies — a sharp increase from fewer than 2,000 in 2020. Last year’s count was 247,000. This is still a drop compared to the millions in the 1980s and ’90s.
Read more at California’s punishing winter storms pummel monarch butterfly population | KPBS Public Media
Posted in Butterflies | Tags: Monarch Butterflies
The Revelator reports
Wildfire-killed trees are some of the most important structures in a forest. So why are they still being logged?
A forest needs all kinds of trees — even dead ones.Dead trees, known as “snags,” are some of the most valuable wildlife structures in the forest and help support hundreds of animals.
Read more at Learning to Love — and Protect — Burned Trees • The Revelator
Posted in Environment | Tags: Importance of Burned Trees
Joshua tree National Park has a video of a fight between two Desert tortoises at Tortoise fight
Posted in Animals | Tags: Desert Tortoise
ScienceDaily reports
Warming changed timing of budburst, coloration in past century
The growing period of hardwood forests in eastern North America has increased by an average of one month over the past century as temperatures have steadily risen, a new study has found.
Posted in Environment | Tags: Climate Change Impact on Growing Seasons
The New York Times reports
Across the Western United States, wildfires are growing larger and more severe as global warming intensifies. At the same time, new data shows, more Americans than ever are moving to parts of the country more likely to burn, raising the odds of catastrophe.
Read more at As Wildfires Grow, Millions of Homes Are Being Built in Harm’s Way – The New York Times
Posted in Environment | Tags: Home building in hire fire risk areas
from Yerba Buena CNPS
Western Sword Ferns and reports of Die-off
Thursday April 13, 2023 7:30 PM Speaker: Dr. Tim Billo
Zoom Reservation Required: Link Here
The mystery is not yet solved! Dr. Billo has been tracking a botanical disaster. For several years, sword ferns in an area of Seward Park WA had been dying, and the problem was getting worse. He continues to work with a team of scientists and community activists to unravel the issue and will summarize the results of the large ongoing collaborative effort in Seward Park and other sites around the region.
Posted in Talks | Tags: Western Sword Ferns and reports of Die-off
NPR reports on a Study that shows goats beat sheep when competing for salt licks
Goats ram! Sheep scram!
That’s pretty much the four-word summation of a new study looking at what happens when goats and sheep compete for salt licks – naturally occurring deposits of salt – above the tree line in Montana.
Read more Study shows goats beat sheep when competing for salt licks : Goats and Soda : NPR
Posted in Animals | Tags: Big Horn Sheep, Mountain Goats
from Xerces Society
Early spring garden cleanup can disrupt critical invertebrate habitat and leave pollinators out in the cold. So when can you unleash your itchy green thumbs and reach for the rake? That answer can vary based on location and annual climate trends. We’ve curated a list of questions to ask yourself to help determine when the time is right. Read More
Posted in Garden | Tags: pollinators
The New York Times reports
Scientists are studying how the argonaut octopus evolved the ability to produce a floating shell-like structure to care for its offspring.
Read more at It Looks Like a Shell, but an Octopus and 40,000 Eggs Live Inside
Posted in Animals | Tags: argonaut octopus
Sci.News reports
In spring, female thick-shelled river mussels (Unio crassus) were seen moving to the water’s edge and anchoring into the riverbed, with their back ends raised above the waterline; then they squirted out regular water jets, which landed in the water up to a meter away; squirting cycles lasted 3-6 hours. The jets disturb the river surface and attract fish; mussel larvae in the jets can then attach to the gills of the fish and complete their metamorphosis into adults. This behavior has never been seen in any other mussel species.
Read More Biologists Observe Highly Unusual Reproductive Behavior in Endangered Freshwater Mussels | Sci.News
Posted in Animals | Tags: thick-shelled river mussels, Unio crassus
from Marin CNPS
Guest Speaker: Jennifer Dirking, Wildflower Ambassador Santa Clara Valley Chapter
Jennifer will share how to create a “Bee, Butterfly and Bird Restaurant” by growing the ‘keystone plants’ that feed your local ecosystem. Learn how to:
Jennifer’s simple outreach techniques (including free wildflower seeds and promotion via social media) are a model for organizations that want to engage a broader community.
Posted in Animals, Birds, Talks | Tags: Bee and Butterfly Gardens
The Mercury News ports
Mill Valley’s Muir Woods and Sonoma’s Armstrong may get all the glory, but you may have never heard of these gorgeous redwood groves hidden around the bay.
- Woodbridge Metcalf Grove, Berkeley
- LandPaths Grove of Old Trees, Occidental
- Blake Garden, Kensington
- Redwood Grove Nature Preserve, Los Altos
Read story at 4 hidden Bay Area redwood groves to explore on your next hike
Posted in Uncategorized
SF Gate has a story about visiting Pinnacle National Park. It is California’s least visited park. It has caves, dramatic rock landscapes, California Condors and wildflowers. It can be very hot in the summer and parking can be difficult on weekends. Read this article for tips about what to see and when to go at Why you should visit California’s least-explored national park
Posted in Park | Tags: Pinnacles National Park
Natural History Wanderings 