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Of Lego and Redwoods
Spot the Ewok! A lego treehouse takes us closer to the amazing Star Wars world on Endor. Over the holidays, I entered the surreal and amusing world of Legoland. To my surprise, I found myself in a...
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Giant Huntsman Spider!
My colleagues just returned from a canopy expedition to Australia and found an 11-cm long giant huntsman spider near the treetop. This eight-legged monstrous beast was hanging out in the crown of the...
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Chief Fluffiness Officer
My household cat was promoted today to CFO – Chief Fluffiness Officer. This well-deserved advancement comes without a pay increase due to the high cleaning costs associated with her accelerating...
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When Tree Rings Become Music
What story does this old snag tell? All the elements combine to shape the trees we walk among every day. We see the result in glorious towering and sometimes twisting trees that curve and arc above us....
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#TBT Early Green Thumb
I have such a vivid memory of planting nasturtium seeds as a child and watching them sprout leaves and eventually flowers. Was that the moment when I decided to become a botanist? Who knows! All I know...
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Ocean’s Forest
Today I had the quintessential first day of summer experience. I paddle boarded above kelp forests off the coast of Malibu. The blue ocean was unseasonably warm and the kelp swayed calmly below me. I...
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Berry Picking at its Best
White flowers of thimbleberry turn into spectacular red berries in the summer. Are the berries ripe in your neck of the woods? In the redwood forest, one of the most fabulous transitions every year is...
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Bacteria aid search for extraterrestrial life
Crystalline salt pattern created by E. coli. Photo by J. M. Gómez-Gómez, courtesy of Science Daily. You’ve all heard of the bacteria E. coli, right? Well it turns out that a recent discovery about...
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Caffeine Evolution
This week, we learned from scientists at the University of Buffalo that caffeine evolved independently in coffee plants, meaning it didn’t likely share a caffeine-producing common ancestor with tea or...
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#TBT Science Fair
My Mom just unearthed this old photo of me proudly standing with my middle school science project. I set out to find out if peanut embryos could still grow if you remove part or all of their...
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Origins of Grace Cathedral’s Redwood Altar
Iconic Grace Cathedral atop San Francisco’s Nob Hill. Grace Cathedral stands on top of San Francisco’s iconic Nob Hill. A large redwood altar has been a prominent feature of the Cathedral since 1964,...
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Rosie the Riveter
Last weekend it was such an honor to be part of the Rosie Rally at the Richmond waterfront! I joined forces with 1083 other Rosie the Riveter lookalikes, breaking the world record for Rosies gathered...
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Leaves Leaves Leaves
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...
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Meet Monsoon
Funny story. I was driving home from work and didn’t realize the 70-lb tortoise I rescued from a busy eight lane road was THAT big until I got home. My husband’s reaction to the size of my latest...
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