Botanical Wanderings – California Public Group | Facebook has 19 new photos for Modini Mayacamas in n.e. Sonoma County
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | July 13, 2018
Modini Mayacamas Wildflowers 7/13/18
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | July 13, 2018
Mt. Rainier Wildflowers 7/13/2018
Mt. Rainier National Park reports
Currently Blooming
What’s your favorite: glacier lily or avalanche lily? (Or both!) Currently, white avalanche lilies are blooming on the slopes above the Paradise Valley Road, while yellow glacier lilies are carpeting the valley floor.
Please Note: As snow melts away, it may be tempting to skirt remaining patches of snow that are covering trails. However, by going off trail you are walking on and damaging the wildflowers that you may be coming to see! It is better to stay on trail even if that means crossing snow, particularly in the high-visitation meadows around Paradise and Sunrise.
See new reports for Trail of Shadows, Longmire and Paradise and other wildflower areas and 13 photos at https://www.nps.gov/mora/planyourvisit/wildflower-status.htm
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | July 13, 2018
Non-native Moths Impacting Lake Tahoe Aspen Foliage
YubaNet posted a news article from the Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources that reported
Aspen trees have been defoliated due to an influx of invasive white satin moths (Leucoma salicis). The white satin moth is a non-native defoliator of aspen, cottonwoods, willows and other deciduous species. Continued defoliation can threaten aspen stands, which provide important habitat for a variety of native species.
Read full article at Non-native satin moths impacting aspen foliage in Lake Tahoe | YubaNet
Posted in Animals, Environment, Fall Foliage | Tags: Tahoe Aspen Foliage, white satin moths Leucoma salicis)
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | July 12, 2018
Planting Trees Can Combat CO2 and Particulates
The Regional Park Botanic Garden Newsletter has an article on how planting trees can have a positive impact on CO2 and dust
As planetary weather patterns shift, green patterns around the globe are also shifting, but homeowners and gardeners can make meaningful changes to combat local pollution by planting trees. Roughly half the cause of global warming can be attributed to carbon dioxide, or CO2. Deciduous and evergreen trees both have positive attributes in battling CO2 and dust: leaves use CO2 and release water and oxygen during photosynthesis, and many trees trap large amounts of small air pollutants, or particulates, on leaf surfaces. This article will address tree species commonly found in California, link to tree databases, and reference local and international research.
Read full article at Tree to Combat CO2 and Particulates
Posted in Environment | Tags: Trees to Combat Pollution
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | July 11, 2018
Carson Pass Wildflower Photos
Randall Brynvold has posted 90 photos from the Meiss Trailhead area north of Carson Pass and south of Lake Tahoe, at altitudes of 8,600-9,000 feet. The trail went through a mix of moist and dry meadows, and drier rocky slopes. Protected areas still had patches of melting snow and ice. See his photos at https://www.facebook.com/randall.brynsvold/posts/10217577841177156
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | July 11, 2018
A Guide To The World Of Mosquito Repellents
NPR has an article comparing different insect repellents and their effectiveness against Mosquitoes. DEET , picaridin, IR 3535 and oil of lemon eucalyptus came out as most effective. Read story at A Guide To The World Of Mosquito Repellents : Goats and Soda : NPR
Posted in Walks & Hikes | Tags: Mosquito repellents
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | July 10, 2018
Carson Pass Wildflowers 7/10/18
submitted by Ter Sullivan
The flowers are so plentiful and varied right now in the Carson Pass area, I want to encourage every plant enthusiast to get going right away to see the display at its peak. Our natural history group, which. by the way, has an entire condominium buidling at Kirkwood to itself, hiked to Round Top Lake yesterday. Here’s a list of some of the plentiful flowers along the trail that you can photograph: thousands of subalpine daisy; wavyleaf, giant red, and dwarf alpine paintbrushes; sulfur and marumleaf buckwheats; Sierra, royal, and firecraker penstemons; Brewer’s, Torrey’s, largeleaf, and spurred lupines; scarlet gilia, roundleaf snowberry, fernleaf biscuitroot, Norwegian mugwort, Shasta knotweed, Gordon’s mousetail, California valerian, antelope brush, stemless goldenweed, roundleaf snowberry, Sierra tiger lily. Back to the Kirkwood area: Suprisingly to us, we could simply walk the paved road and spend hours botanizing both sides of the two-mile road, and there’s no traffic during weekdays.
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | July 10, 2018
How The EPA Delays Freedom Of Information Requests
Public Employees for Environment Responsibility Press Release
A FOIA DELAYED IS A FOIA DENIED
Even When Sued Agencies Deploy Stalling Tactics That Consume Years
To avoid or delay the production of records requested under the Freedom of Information Act, federal agencies employ a myriad of stratagems, even after they are sued for failure to meet FOIA deadlines, reports Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). As a result, FOIA backlogs are ballooning, more lawsuits are filed, and prospects for transparency dim.
As a byproduct of its work on behalf of public employees across the federal government, PEER has a robust and wide-ranging FOIA docket. By tipping off PEER about which documents to seek, employees eliminate the need to leak documents or become whistleblowers.
Posted in Environment | Tags: EPA, Freedom of Information Act
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | July 9, 2018
Oregon Wildflowers 7/8/18
Oregon Wildflowers reports
Saddle Mountain – A perfect display of various colors at both lower and higher elevations was observed. Below are what we saw, though there would`ve been many many more: Columbia Tiger Lily, Harsh and Scarlet Indian Paintbrush, Saxifrage, Oregon Sunshine, Wood Rose, Thimbleberry, Goatsbeard, Yarrow, Iris, Littleleaf Miner`s Lettuce, Thistle, Crimson Columbine, Pink Beardtongue, Vetch, Subalpine fleabane, Oregon Stonecrop, Candy Flower, Salmonberry, Delphinium, Western Coneflower, Arctic Starflower
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | July 9, 2018
Eastern Sierra & White Mt. Wildflowers 7/9/18
I have spent the last few days in the Eastern Sierra and at White Mt. Wildflower blooms are good at high elevations. Here is a quick report.
On White Mt. the flowers only really start above 10,000 feet. they are found along the unpaved road above Shulman Grove that goes to the Patriarch Grove and Barcroft Gate. Lots of small “belly flowers”. There are thousands of the tiny paintbrush in bloom if you look carefully.
In the Eastern Sierra wildflowers are plentiful. Most are at about 8500 feet and up. I found most of the usual flowers in bloom on Rock Creek Road and Bishop Creek road. Of special note was the abundance of Lupine this year on Rock Creek Road and the little trail that goes off to the left at the beginning of the South Lake Trail that has many species in bloom and is a lush wildflower garden.
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | July 9, 2018
The Strange Reason Owl Theft May Be On The Rise
The BBC reports that the theft of owls and other raptors has increased and the surprising reason why at BBC – Capital – The strange reason owl theft may be on the rise
Posted in Birds | Tags: Owl Theft, Raptor Theft
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | July 8, 2018
Marin Wildflower Report
Marin CNPS has a new post with photos from
plants seen at the end of last week in the Limantour area of Point Reyes, and one on the way back. They include the salt marsh area and the coastal scrub.
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | July 8, 2018
A Successful Project Reduces Human Disturbance Of Canadian Shorebirds
Bird Studies Canada writes about the success of the Space to Roost Project whose goal has been to reduce human disturbance to shorebirds at high-tide roost sites in Nova Scotia’s Minas Basin.
Compared to what we observed in 2016, in 2017:
• Fewer shorebirds were disturbed by people at both Shorebird Resting Beaches;
• 100% of anglers respected the Shorebird Resting Beaches;
• The proportion of people interviewed who knew the importance of the area to shorebirds increased from 47% to 78%;
• The proportion of beachgoers staying on the dyke above the Guzzle Shorebird Resting Beach increased.
Read article at Space to Roost Project Makes a Difference for Shorebirds in NS
Posted in Birds | Tags: Reducing Human Disturbance to Shorebirds, Space to Roost Project
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | July 7, 2018
New Threat To Endangered Species Act
Defenders of Wildlife News Release
PROPOSED REWRITES TO THE ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT DENY SCIENCE, FEDERAL OVERSIGHT
Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY) wants to drastically rewrite the Endangered Species Act (ESA), our nation’s most effective law for protecting wildlife in danger of extinction. In newly proposed legislation, he would shift key authority for conserving threatened and endangered species to individual states, which lack the laws, resources and political will needed to protect imperiled wildlife and their habitat. The ESA already allows for flexibility in protecting endangered wildlife, empowering federal, state, local and tribal officials to work together to prevent extinction.
Posted in Animals, Environment, Wildflowers and Other Plants | Tags: Threats to Endangered Species Act
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | July 6, 2018
Bay Area Gains 730 Acres Redwood Reserve
Bay Nature reports
Bay Area Gains 730 Acres of “a California Treasure” at Soon-To-Be Harold Richardson Redwoods Reserve
In a historic acquisition by Save the Redwoods League, a privately-owned forest of old-growth redwoods (larger in acreage than Muir Woods!) will become available to the public for the first time. Now called Harold Richardson Redwoods Reserve, the forest will take on a renewed importance as a “refuge of resilience and forest health as climate change continues”.
Read more at Bay Nature Magazine: Discovery of The Oldest Redwood in the Bay Area Bay Nature
Posted in Park | Tags: Harold Richardson Redwoods Reserve
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | July 6, 2018
Wildflowers Around California 7/6/18
Two Facebook pages with recent wildflower photos and reports:
Marin CNPS has a new posts and photos for Mt. Tamalpais
- Lundy Canyon
- Marble Mountains
- Eastern Sierra
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | July 6, 2018
Mt. Rainier Wildflowers 7/2/2018
Mt. Rainier National Park reports
Currently Blooming
It’s finally starting to feel like summer! The scarlet paintbrush along Stevens Canyon road is particularly lush this year. Its bright red color is contrasted with blue-purple lupine, yellow tiger lily, pink rosy spirea and more.
Read more about Sunrise, Paradise and other wildflower areas and see photos at https://www.nps.gov/mora/planyourvisit/wildflower-status.htm
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | July 6, 2018
Henry Coe Wildflower Update 7/6/18
Henry Coe State Park has a new wildflower bloom report for July 6, 2018 at the Pine Ridge Association website with photos and a list of flowers now in bloom at: Henry W. Coe – Wildflower Guide.
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | July 6, 2018
Gray Jays Get Their Old Name Back: Canada Jay
CornellLab of Ornithology reports
Perisoreus canadensis was known as the Canada Jay from the 19th century until 1957—when the American Ornithologists’ Union changed the bird’s common name to Gray Jay.
The name change was considered a double slight by many Canadian ornithologists and birders: the loss of a national moniker compounded by an Americanized spelling of gray (not grey). [See Canada’s Gray Jay Debate, Winter 2018]
But now, the bird is the Canada Jay again, after a 9-to-1 vote by a committee of the American Ornithological Society (as the AOU is now called) to restore the species’s official common name.
Read full story at Gray Jays Get Their Old Name Back: Hello Canada Jay! | All About Birds
Posted in Birds | Tags: Canada Jay, Gray Jay
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | July 5, 2018
Scott Pruitt Resigns
Posted in Environment, Uncategorized | Tags: Scott Pruitt Resigns
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | July 5, 2018
Migratory Bird Treaty Act Turned 100
Defenders of Wildlife News Release
Washington,July 03,2018
Migratory Bird Treaty Act Turns 100
Today marks the 100th anniversary of the signing of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA). The MBTA protects more than a thousand species of migratory birds from overhunting and commercial activities; it has prevented the extinction of migratory birds like the snowy egret and red knot, and has long incentivized industries to work with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to minimize migratory bird deaths. But in December 2017, the Trump administration abruptly reversed decades of management and enforcement policy by reinterpreting the MBTA on the eve of its centennial. Under a legal memorandum issued by Department of the Interior, incidental take caused by industries such as utility and energy companies is entirely exempted from the law’s prohibitions. Under the Trump administration’s new policy, the MBTA will only protect migratory birds against purposeful killing and unauthorized hunting.
Posted in Birds, Environment | Tags: Migratory Bird Treaty Act
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | July 4, 2018
2 Percent Of New York City’s Buildings Emit Half Its CO2 Pollution.
The Huffington Post reports
Properties owned by the families of President Donald Trump and Jared Kushner rank among the biggest contributors to the city’s carbon footprint.
…the biggest contributors to carbon dioxide pollution in New York, where just 2 percent of buildings produce nearly 50 percent of the city’s climate-altering emissions, according to a report released by New York Communities for Change, the People’s Climate Movement NY, the Working Families Party and two other city-based environmental nonprofits.
Read full story at 2 Percent Of New York City’s Buildings Emit Half Its CO2 Pollution. They’re Luxury Towers. | HuffPost
Posted in Environment | Tags: Polluting Buildings
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | July 3, 2018
Flowers, Birds, Butterflies Of Sweden
I have put together a collection of photos of Wildflowers, Birds, Butterflies and a few others from a recent Natural History Trip I did with Greentours Natural History Holidays to the Swedish Islands of Gotland, Stora Karslö and Fårö between May 27 and June 3, 2018. You can see an album of the photos at Gotland Sweden.
If you prefer to see them as a slide show click the little icon of a computer screen that is third from the right on the top left hand corner of the screen when you get to the album
Posted in Animals, Birds, Butterflies, Photos (Sandy's), Walks & Hikes, Wildflowers and Other Plants | Tags: Birds, Butterflies, Fårö, Gotland, Stora Karslö, Sweden, Wildflowers and Other Plants
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | July 3, 2018
New Park In South San Francisco
The California Native Plant Society reports on south San Francisco getting a new park
21 Acres of Sign Hill in South San Francisco have been permanently preserved as open space to be known as “Liberty Park“, thanks to a generous donation provided by Cheryl and Ross Liberty, the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors, and City of South San Francisco. This victory is celebrated longstanding advocates of this preservation including San Bruno Mountain Watch, Friends of Sign Hill, and CNPS members Chuck Heimstadt and Loretta Brooks, who perform upkeep on the native plant garden they installed adjacent to the parking lot, and have helped maintain the Sign Hill Ridge Trail for many years.
Read more about the new park at Liberty Park.
Posted in Park | Tags: Liberty Park
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | July 2, 2018
Henry Coe Wildflower Update 7/2/18
Henry Coe State Park has a new wildflower bloom report for June 30, 2018 at the Pine Ridge Association website with photos and a list of flowers now in bloom at: Henry W. Coe – Wildflower Guide.
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | July 2, 2018
Wildflowers Around California 7/2/18
Three Facebook pages with recent wildflower photos and reports:
Marin CNPS has a new posts and photos for Rock Springs, Mt. Tam
Botanical Wanderings – California has new posts and photos
- San Jacinto Mountains, Riverside County.
- Beaudry North fire road, Verdugo Mountains
- Kern Plateau in the Sequoia National Forest at 7400′ this summer’s bloom is ready for your liking! Just above the confluence of Jackass and Fish Creek on Forest Road 21S01 off Sherman Pass Road.
- Riverside
- Yolla bolly-Middle Eel Wilderness
- Lake Elsinore
- Modini Mayacamas in the mountains on n.e. #SonomaCounty.
- Apple Canyon Creek and the PCT north of Fuller Ridge.
- Emerald lake trail near Mammoth
- Near Hartley campground near Mammoth
- Mammoth Lakes
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | July 2, 2018
Edgewood Park July Wildflowers
Friends of Edgewood Park have updated its website to show what plants are typically blooming in July. There are photos of plants you might see. Explore plant locations, plant species, which plant blooms when, and answers to a host of other questions at What’s Blooming This Month.
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | July 2, 2018
Canadian Program Successfully Helping Shorebirds
Bird Studies Canada reports on the success of a program to reduce the impact of human disturbance to shorebirds in high-tide roost sites in Nova Scotia’s Minas Basin. Read story at Space to Roost Project Makes a Difference for Shorebirds in NS
Posted in Birds | Tags: Canadian Shorebirds, Nova Scotia’s Minas Basin
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | July 1, 2018
2018 San Francisco Orchid Show July 21 & 22
Posted in Garden | Tags: San Francisco Orchid Show
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | June 30, 2018
Lakes Basin and Sierra Valley Report
submitted by Ter Solomon on 6/30/18
Although our natural history group completed this week-long trip a week ago, I will include evidence explaining why I think readers who may want to visit this area in the coming week will be richly rewarded. Our first few days were spent concentrating on birds with close-up viewing in Sierra Valley marsh of a pair of sandhill cranes foraging in the grasslands, various ibis taking off and landing, a peregrine falcon consuming a female mallard, and a three-foot (!) aquatic garter snake “submarine” stalking American coot fledglings. Up at Yuba Pass a few birds were just starting to set up nests, and only the earliest meadow flowers started to bloom, including elephant snouts, mules ears, blue camas and meadow penstemon. The first snow plants were sprouting fresh along with budding spring king boletes, so spring will be at least two more weeks in development.
We concentrated on spring flowers the rest of the week, and the earliest species were out in force, including single stem butterwort, western columbine, small checkerbloom, mountain pride, and wavyleaf paintbrush. Not a single flower of these mid to late spring flowers were seen: triangle-leaf butterwort, corn lily, leopard lily, monkshood, and stream orchid. This coming week should offer nice sightings of more nesting birds and mid-spring flower displays. By the way, several in our group recommend staying at the River Pines Lodge in Graeagle for a reasonable price and a nice restaurant on site.
Natural History Wanderings 