Garden’s holiday hours:
• Mon, Dec. 23: Early closure at 2:00 pm
• Tues, Dec. 24 & Wed, Dec. 25: Closed
• Tues, Dec. 31 & Wed, Jan. 1, 2025: Closed
The Garden is open Thurs, Dec. 26 through Mon, Dec. 30.
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | December 23, 2024
UC Botanical Garden Holiday Hours and Closures
Posted in Garden | Tags: UC-Berkeley Botanical Garden
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | December 23, 2024
Regional Parks Botanic Garden Closures- Updated
The garden will be closed Christmas and New Year’s Day.
Additionally, the Botanic Garden will be closed Jan. 5 to 10 To ALL (except staff) for several days for major maintenance projects. The closure will start at 5:00 PM on Saturday January 4, 2025 and will reopen at 8:30 AM on Saturday January 11, 2025.
Please check the Botanic Garden’s website: https://nativeplants.org/ for news or updates during that week.
Posted in Garden | Tags: Regional Parks Botanic Garden
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | December 23, 2024
Baby mammoth in Russia is the ‘best-preserved’ ever found
The Guardian reported
The 50,000-year-old female, nicknamed Yana, is one of only seven whole remains discovered in world
Read on www.theguardian.com/science/2024/dec/23/baby-mammoth-russia-best-preserved-ever-yana
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | December 23, 2024
Cute, hungry otters gobble up invasive green crabs in California
USA Today reports
A California ecosystem has gotten a big boost from an adorable, fluffy and hungry friend.
At Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, a newly-reinvigorated population of native southern sea otters has eaten so many invasive European green crabs that researchers say the otters have locally solved a problem that has plagued the West Coast for years.
Read more at Cute, hungry otters gobble up invasive green crabs in California
Posted in Animals | Tags: European Green Crabs, Southern Sea Otters
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | December 23, 2024
Miles of new hiking trails open at Bear Creek preserve in the Santa Cruz Mountains
SF Gate reported
Visitors to the Santa Cruz Mountains now have miles of new hiking trails to explore thanks to a recent expansion at Bear Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve.
Read more at Miles of new redwood-laden hiking trails open in Santa Cruz Mountains
Posted in Park, Walks & Hikes | Tags: Bear Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | December 23, 2024
Impact of Thinning Treatments on Fire-Resilient Redwood Forests
from Cal Poly Humboldt
Cal Poly Humboldt Forestry Professor Jeff Kane, along with graduate student Megan Joyce, is working in collaboration with Redwood National Park and the United States Geological Survey to study the effects of the 2023 Lost Fire in redwood forests that received restoration thinning treatments.
The research aims to assess changes in surface fuels, tree mortality, regeneration, and the general health of secondary redwood forests. This research is not only significant for its contribution to understanding fire ecology in redwood forests but also for its potential to guide future management practices. The findings could inform decisions on the use of restoration thinning and controlled burns as tools to enhance forest resilience to wildfires, ultimately supporting the long-term goal of promoting old-growth conditions in Redwood National Park.
Read more at Impact of Thinning Treatments on Fire-Resilient Redwood Forests
Posted in Environment
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | December 22, 2024
Regional Park Botanic Garden Photos December 20, 2024
Photos taken in the Regional Park Botanic Garden in Tilden Park in Berkeley, CA on December 20, 2024.
The Regional Parks Botanic Garden is a botanic garden of California native plants. The Garden is open Monday through Sunday from 8:30 AM to 5 PM. It is located within Tilden Park in the hills above Berkeley, California. It is a 10-acre garden for 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. To learn more about the garden visit the website at www.nativeplants.org .
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | December 22, 2024
A 1,000-Year-Old Seed Grows in Israel
The New York Times reported
For 14 years, scientists have been growing a tree akin to the Judean balsam — the source of the balm of Gilead — but with no modern counterpart.
Read on www.nytimes.com/2024/12/22/science/archaeology-seeds-gilead-sheba.html
Posted in Wildflowers and Other Plants | Tags: 1000 year old seed grows
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | December 22, 2024
Who or Whom?
From Alt National Park Service 
Posted in Uncategorized
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | December 22, 2024
Christmas Trees’ Distinctive Aroma Helps Ward off Pathogens and Pests
UC Davis reported
Each year, nearly 30 million Americans purchase a real tree for the holidays. Growing the perfect Christmas tree takes about seven years, during which farmers need to keep insects, fungal pathogens and hungry deer at bay. While researchers suspect the distinctive piney smell the trees emit plays a role in deterring these pests, not all trees smell the same, and which chemical blends confer resistance is unclear.
Read more Christmas Trees’ Distinctive Aroma Helps Ward off Pathogens and Pests | UC Davis
Posted in Animals, Environment | Tags: Christmas Trees ward off Pathogens and Pests
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | December 21, 2024
National Park Science Internships
Applications are now open for Bay Area national park science internships starting in summer 2025!
Are you a seeking to pursue a strong interest in 
or freshwater ecology? Or perhaps 
are your thing, and you’d love to get intimately acquainted with native Bay Area plant communities? If so, these internship opportunities may be for you!
or freshwater ecology? Or perhaps are your thing, and you’d love to get intimately acquainted with native Bay Area plant communities? If so, these internship opportunities may be for you!The San Francisco Bay Area Inventory & Monitoring Network and Golden Gate National Recreation Area are looking for:
A BIOLOGY ASSISTANT to assist the Coho & Steelhead Monitoring Team in collecting habitat and population data for endangered coho salmon and threatened steelhead trout.An ECOLOGY ASSISTANT to aid Golden Gate’s Aquatics and Restoration Programs with projects related to rare damselfly conservation and Redwood Creek restoration and water quality. A BIOLOGY ASSISTANT to join the Plant Community Monitoring Team, re-visiting established plots, ID-ing plants, and collecting data in target plant communities.Find these opportunities—and others at parks and networks across the country—at https://go.nps.gov/sip
Applications close after 75 applicants or by Sunday, January 19th, so apply today!
Posted in Job Openings, Park | Tags: National Park Internships
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | December 21, 2024
Over 500 fossilized poops show how dinosaurs came to rule the Earth
NPR reported
Researchers have conducted what could be the largest study ever of dinosaur poop. The findings shed new light on how dinosaur’s diets allowed them to dominate the planet.
The analysis of hundreds of fossilized droppings (plus a little bit of petrified vomit) from roughly 230 million years ago shows that dinosaurs persevered because they were not picky eaters.
Read more Over 500 fossilized poops show how dinosaurs came to rule the Earth : NPR
Posted in Animals | Tags: Dinousaurs
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | December 20, 2024
After a century, California’s biggest invasive species is dying out
SF Gate reported
the bison on Catalina Island are technically an invasive species, which means their very existence threatens the island’s ecosystem. For decades, the bison have toed this line between their iconographic role and as a potentially damaging non-native species
Read full article on www.sfgate.com/la/article/catalina-island-bison-19984080.php
Posted in Animals | Tags: Bison, Catalina Island
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | December 20, 2024
Research reveals an inexpensive fix for California’s struggling wildflowers
Phys.org reported
California’s native wildflowers are being smothered by layers of dead, invasive grasses. A new UC Riverside study shows that simply raking these layers can boost biodiversity and reduce fire danger.
The study, published this week in Restoration Ecology, tested whether removing thatch—dead leaves and debris—could allow native seeds to germinate and grow. Compared to other techniques for managing invasive grasses, such as controlled burns, hand weeding, and spraying herbicides, raking is decidedly less labor-intensive and more ecologically friendly
Read more Research reveals an inexpensive fix for California’s struggling wildflowers
Posted in Wildflowers and Other Plants | Tags: How to help wildflowers
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | December 20, 2024
Bay Area squirrels are killing and decapitating en masse
SF Gate reported
In June 2024, Jennifer E. Smith of the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire received a disturbing report from her research team conducting fieldwork at Briones Regional Park in Contra Costa County. It’s a sprawling expanse of grasslands and oak woodlands known for scenic trails, views of Mount Diablo and a thriving bird-watching scene. However, Smith’s students had documented something far more unsettling than a rare bird or damage on a trail: an unsettling description of a California ground squirrel actively hunting, killing and ripping apart the bodies of tiny California voles.
Read more at Bay Area squirrels are killing and decapitating en masse, study finds
Posted in Uncategorized | Tags: California ground squirrels
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | December 20, 2024
How a plant app helps identify the consequences of climate change
ScienceDaily reported
By leveraging millions of time-stamped observations, researchers can identify plant rhythms and ecological patterns year-round
A research team has developed an algorithm that analyses observational data from a plant identification app. The novel approach can be used to derive ecological patterns that could provide valuable information about the effects of climate change on plants
Read more How a plant app helps identify the consequences of climate change | ScienceDaily
Posted in Environment, Wildflowers and Other Plants | Tags: Climate change, Flora Incognita
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | December 19, 2024
Caution when buying packets of native plant seeds
The Cool Down has a story about possible problems with packages labeled native plant seeds
Gardener issues warning after suffering consequences of deceptive product: ‘Should be illegal’
A gardener recently had a bit of a shock after they planted a packet of seeds described as “Native Northeast U.S. Wildflowers.” They weren’t native, it turned out. At least not all of them.
When the gardener went to Reddit and posted a photo of invasive morning glories growing among what were supposed to be native flowers, they were told this wasn’t unusual.
Read more Gardener issues warning after suffering consequences of deceptive product: ‘Should be illegal’
Make sure you read the label on the packets to see ALL of the seeds enclosed.
Posted in Garden | Tags: Invasive Plants, Native Plants
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | December 19, 2024
Congress passes bill making bald eagles America’s national bird
NPR reported
The bald eagle has been a symbol of the United States for centuries, with its iconography plastered across currency, documents, flags, stamps, government buildings, military uniforms and more.
You’d be forgiven for thinking it’s America’s national bird. But the fine print doesn’t officially say so — at least not yet.
On Monday, the House of Representatives passed a bill amending the U.S. Code to officially designate the bald eagle (aka Haliaeetus leucocephalus) as the country’s national bird.
Read more at Congress passes bill making bald eagles America’s national bird : NPR
Posted in Birds | Tags: Bald Eagle, National Bird
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | December 19, 2024
Pythons Have Surprising Social Lives
The New York Times reports
Ball pythons were long assumed to be solitary, but scientists discovered the snakes in captivity prefer each others’ company when given the chance to live socially.
Read more at The Surprising Social Lives of Pythons
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | December 18, 2024
Stop Calling It Poinsettia
reposted from December 23, 2021
from Xicano Renegades
The poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima) is a commercially important plant species of the diverse spurge family (Euphorbiaceae). Indigenous to Mexico and Central America. The Red and Green are foliage. The flower is the small center of the plant.
Thanks to Floyd Brown who made me aware of the true origins of the plant.
Posted in Wildflowers and Other Plants | Tags: Cuetlaxochitl, Euphorbia pulcherrima, Poinsettia
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | December 18, 2024
Endangered whales found entangled in rope off Massachusetts
ABC News reported
The federal government says that two endangered whales have been spotted entangled in fishing gear off Massachusetts and that one is likely to die from its injuries
Read more at Endangered whales found entangled in rope off Massachusetts – ABC News
Posted in Animals | Tags: Right Whales
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | December 18, 2024
Are Monarch Butterflies near extinction risk?
SF Gate reported
Last year, the mottled orange, black and white wings of 26,000 western monarch butterflies blanketed the forested grove of Ellwood Mesa in Goleta as the species embarked on its annual migration to Central California to escape the chill of winter. But in recent months, the swarms of easily recognized insects have been markedly absent — an indication of a trend revealing their numbers are “severely down” across the state, according to the Xerces Society, a nonprofit that closely monitors the population as part of its conservation efforts focused on invertebrate species.
Read more at Scientists stunned as endangered California species nears extinction
Posted in Butterflies | Tags: Monarch Butterflies
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | December 18, 2024
Burn revives plant in Bay Area preserve for first time in 100 years
SF Gate reports
A rare native plant is making a remarkable comeback at Stanford’s Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve following the site’s first intentional burns in over half a century. The species, commonly known as the western bewildering bushmallow, is endemic to the San Francisco Bay Area and considered “fairly threatened” by the California Native Plant Society. Now, it’s thriving around the edges of burned chaparral piles, marking a significant ecological and cultural milestone.
Read more Burn revives plant in Bay Area preserve for first time in 100 years
Posted in Wildflowers and Other Plants | Tags: Western Bewildering Bushmallow
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | December 18, 2024
Calflora Pollinator Information
Calflora illustrated plant lists for:
- Plants Associated with Native Bees
- https://www.calflora.org/app/ipl?list_id=px4350
- Plants Associated with Honey Bees
- https://www.calflora.org/app/ipl?list_id=px4351
- Plants Associated with Butterflies
- https://www.calflora.org/app/ipl?list_id=px4352
- Plants Associated with Monarchs
- https://www.calflora.org/app/ipl?list_id=px4351
And search here for your plant(s) of interest. When you land on the plant’s page with its distribution map, click “Plant Characteristics” to right of map: https://www.calflora.org/search.html
Posted in Garden, Wildflowers and Other Plants | Tags: Planting for Pollinators
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | December 18, 2024
Coal use to reach new peak – and remain at near-record levels for years
The Guardian reported
The world’s coal use is expected to reach a fresh high of 8.7bn tonnes this year, and remain at near-record levels for years as a result of a global gas crisis triggered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
There has been record production and trade of coal and power generation from coal since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine inflated global gas market prices, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).
Read more at Coal use to reach new peak – and remain at near-record levels for years
Posted in Environment | Tags: Record Coal Usage
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | December 17, 2024
It’s monarch season at Natural Bridges State Beach!
From California State Parks Foundation
Every year, thousands of these delicate butterflies find sanctuary among the overwintering grove, creating a magical sight. If you visit, remember to admire them from a distance and respect their habitat — these incredible creatures are fragile and vital to our ecosystems. Enjoy the beauty of this coastal wonder!
Posted in Butterflies, Park | Tags: Monarch Butterflies, Natural Bridges Park
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | December 17, 2024
How to Create a Butterfly Garden with Native Plants
from the National Wildlife Federation
How to Create a Butterfly Garden with Native Plants
Create a butterfly garden with native plants, offering essential resources for butterflies to thrive. Follow this 8-step guide for a flourishing, pesticide-free habitat that brings all the butterflies to the yard. Learn more
Guide to Milkweed Plants and Monarch Butterflies
It’s not a weed, and it doesn’t produce milk, but the humble milkweed is one of the most important plants you can have in your garden. Learn all about milkweed. Learn more
Posted in Butterflies, Garden | Tags: How Create A Butterfly Garden
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | December 17, 2024
First-Of-Its-Kind Predator Caught 8,000 Meters Deep In The Atacama Trench
MSN reported
A new-to-science predator has been identified from the hadal depths of the Atacama Trench, a first for this island-like ecosystem in the Southeast Pacific. Here, scientists had loaded bait traps with some chicken in an effort to lure in some scavengers and instead found themselves with a whopping great predatory amphipod– something that had been documented in other hadal subduction trenches, but never the Atacama.
Read more and see photos at First-Of-Its-Kind Predator Caught 8,000 Meters Deep In The Atacama Trench
Posted in Animals | Tags: Dulcibella camanchaca, Predatory Amphipod
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | December 16, 2024
Huge catch in Cambodia boosts hopes for giant catfish survival
MSN reported
The catching of six rare giant catfish in Cambodia in the space of five days, some weighing more than 120 kg (265 lbs), has raised hopes of a revival of a critically endangered species that is among the world’s largest freshwater fish.
Read more at Huge catch in Cambodia boosts hopes for giant catfish survival
Posted in Animals | Tags: Giant Catfish
Posted by: Sandy Steinman | December 16, 2024
EU votes to weaken protection for European wolves
MongaBay reports
Wolves across Europe are set to lose their “strictly protected” status. The move is seen as a win for farmers concerned about loss of livestock, but conservationists warn that removing protections will jeopardize stable wolf populations.
Read more at EU votes to weaken protection for European wolves – Conservation news
Posted in Animals | Tags: Loss of Wolf Protections
Natural History Wanderings 