Environmental News

The western monarch breeding season is coming to a close for 2020 and we are in the midst of the fall migration—the time when monarch butterflies are making the long journey back to their overwintering grounds.

When you learn there’s a popular piece of property on the Southern California coast taking up more than 750 acres, you wouldn’t be faulted for imagining a marina, a golf course, a resort – or all three.

In an email interview, UCLA’s Eric Fournier explains why the architecture of California’s grid isn’t well suited for such extreme conditions and what it would take to improve it.

Fewer than 30 of the California birds existed in the 1980s. Now there are more than 450.

We are in uncharted territory. Birds are on the move to escape the smoke and stress. What will happen to them and the habitat they need to survive?

Native thistles bring beauty to any landscape as well as a rich source of nectar that sustains many insects, including migrating monarchs and many native bees.

The seeds of our native thistles help sustain enormous flocks of songbirds, including the American goldfinch (Spinus tristis), Iowa’s state bird.

Hummingbirds are miraculous.  They have the ability to cool their bodies down to just a few degrees above the outdoors at night.  Among vertebrates, hummingbirds have the highest metabolism for their size. With a metabolic rate roughly 77 times that of an average human, they need to feed frequently.  

In this webinar we will provide an introduction to Bee City USA and Bee Campus USA, outline the commitments involved in joining, and walk participants through the application process. 

California is one of the most biodiverse regions in the world, with more than 30,000 species of insects, 6,500 plants, 650 birds, 220 mammals, 100 reptiles, 75 amphibians, 70 freshwater fish and 100 species of marine fish and mammals. We celebrate the unique diversity of living things found in our state, and encourage actions to protect them, on California Biodiversity Day, was held on Sept. 7.