Right after another rain, this week’s redwood hike revealed so many natural glistening things, like a large golden drop. A misshapen spider web had caught a sphere of amber liquid, which sparkled like a jewel. I wonder if the web’s host would drink it. Our hike on the Bridle and Orchard trails showcased birds, moss…
Who’s Living in the Plains?
My friend and colleague Rashida and I are heading into Carrizo Plain National Monument in southern California for a field class on the largest remaining segment of valley grasslands in the US. We drive alongside a riverbed where water once filled the ten-foot wide channel. Now dust-covered shrubs and trees fill the canal. As dusk…
“Lucy in the Sky with Islands”
The Sky Islands are the mountains of the Santa Rita range, including Madera Canyon. This relatively small region in the Coronado National Forest boasts more than 240 species of birds, a wide range of succulents, including cactus, yucca and agave, and an intermix of conifers, oaks, madrones and other plants that host fascinating insects and spiders.
