It was my obsession with the intricate and architectural form of leaves that inspired me to major in the plant sciences as an undergraduate. Enjoying leaves in nature is fortunately easy to come by in California and in recent years I’ve taken to translating my fondness for foliage into textile arts. Embroidery and now felting … Continue reading
We walked through a misty eucalyptus forest near the San Francisco Bay at Point Pinole Regional Park yesterday until we made it to the shoreline. At high tide, the sun shown onto the fog and a perfectly white semicircle arched before us over the gentle bay. Known as a white rainbow, or fog bow, this … Continue reading
In the depths of winter, an amazing emergence of emerald green ferns appear on cliffs, rocks, and forest tree trucks throughout the coast redwood forest. These delicate beauties are Polypodium glycyrrhiza, commonly known as licorice fern. The species name, glycyrrhiza, means sweet root in Greek and is aptly named because the fern’s rhizome tastes faintly of licorice. This … Continue reading
Last month, redwood scientists and forest stewards from as far away as New Zealand gathered for the fourth Coast Redwood Science Symposium in Eureka, CA. Twenty years after the first symposium, this three-day event showcased a tremendous amount of progress in the field of redwood science in topics ranging from genetics to wildlife. Highlights from … Continue reading
The beautiful Alerce trees, Fitzroya cupressoides, grow in the cool rainforests of Chile, just to the west of the Andes. The Alerce are members of the same conifer family as the redwoods (the Cupressaceae) and the two species share many striking similarities. As Ruskin mentioned, the Alerce live as far south of the equator as … Continue reading
New research by Redwoods and Climate Change Initiative scientists Robert Van Pelt and colleagues reveals no forest on Earth has more biomass – wood, bark, and leaves – than the ancient coast redwood forests of Redwood National and State Parks (RNSP). At the northern end of RNSP, the redwood forest on the slopes of Jedediah … Continue reading
Redwoods are in the news this week, reminding the world once again that Earth’s tallest trees are truly ecosystems in their own right. Teeming with life from quite literally their roots to their highest leaves, the magnificent coast redwoods are home to hundreds of other species. With the pioneering redwood canopy research that began in … Continue reading
