Environmental News

A curated set of environmental news stories brought to you by the Gottlieb Native Garden team.

Climate change negatively affects waterbirds in the American West

New research shows that recent climate change is having profound effects on wetlands across the American West – affecting birds that use these wetlands for breeding, migration and wintering.

Climate change is hurting migrating waterbirds across the West.

A warming climate has made that migration more challenging by altering how mountain snowmelt flows into the network of lakes and rivers stretching from the Sierra Nevada to the Rockies, according to a new study based on 25 years of climate, weather and avian population data.

What’s the world’s most widely used herbicide doing to tiny critters?

Glyphosate-based herbicides are not supposed to harm wildlife. But lab studies keep finding otherwise.

Beyond Walker Canyon: 4 places to see the super bloom and wildflowers

: The bloom is unfolding in Chino Hills State Park, Griffith Park and Carrizo Plain National Monument. And don’t despair if you can’t get away just now: The bloom will last into June at the higher elevations.

Where to Find Wildflowers: 11 Places That Are Not Lake Elsinore

The area around Lake Elsinore has been teeming with late-winter visitors due to a major flower bloom, but that’s not the only place to see wildflowers

‘Plant blindness’ is a real thing: why it’s a real problem too

There’s a name for this inability to notice or recognise plants in one’s own environment: “plant blindness”. Part of the reason for this is that urban dwellers have been separated from nature; there’s a disconnect between us and the environment, and we’re blind to the natural world around us.

Ventura County Adopts First-of-its-kind Measure Protecting Wildlife Connectivity

The approved ordinance heightens protections for areas designated as important wildlife corridors and requires environmental review for developments that might degrade those areas.

Role of sea urchins on California kelp

The new research provides valuable information to understand and protect California’s quintessential kelp forests

It’s not just wildflowers—rain brings millions of painted lady butterflies to Southern California

The butterflies are feasting on plants as they travel north from Mexico

Iconic Forests Reaching Climate Tipping Points in American West, Study Finds

Ponderosa pine and Douglas fir forests are struggling to regrow after wildfires in parts of the West as temperatures rise and the air and soil become drier.