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Plants Fungi

Nursery program at Oceana High School in Pacifica
Park E-Ventures Article

Growing Season: Nurseries Spring into Action

Just as it is for the home gardener, spring means planning and planting seeds for our park nurseries. See how we’re gearing up for another big season of growing plants for restoration projects in the Golden Gate National Parks.
Poison Oak
Park E-Ventures Article

The Four-Season Field Guide to Poison Oak

“Leaves of three, let it be. If it’s hairy, it’s a berry. If it’s shiny, watch your hiney.” That famous rhyme can help you pick out poison oak—for part of the year. But, because Toxicodendron diversilobum is deciduous, what about the other seasons?
Volunteers take a break in Muir Woods
Park E-Ventures Article

Catch the Spring Service Fever

It’s time to head out to your nearby national parklands for lots of spring cleaning and restoration. Celebrate Earth Day, National Volunteer Week, National Youth Service Day, and National Park Week by pitching in for your Golden Gate National Parks. There’s something for everyone!
Blue-eyed grass (Sisyrinchium bellum)
Park E-Ventures Article

Early Spring Wildflowers: A Viewer’s Guide

While the East is still buried under 3 feet of snow, harbingers of spring have begun to bloom all across the Golden Gate National Parks. What can you expect to see in March, as you explore one of our many park trails?
Strawberry plant
Park E-Ventures Article

Our Romantic Plant of the Season

Love is in the air! With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, there will be many sweet treats popping up on grocery store shelves and on restaurant menus to entice you and your Valentine. Many will contain one of nature’s sweetest offerings: strawberries.
turkey
Park E-Ventures Article

Family Dinner: Holiday Foods' Park Relatives

At your next holiday feast, impress friends and family with some fresh knowledge. Read on to learn the origins of popular holiday foods and discover their closest relatives, found in our parks. Please don’t forage for these items (quite a few are inedible)—but fill your plate with some food for...
toyon, Christmas berry
Park E-Ventures Article

Holly-daze: A Case of Mistaken Identity

This plant, erroneously identified as “holly,” gave Hollywood its name. And its merry berries certainly lend a festive air to the parks during the holiday season. Read on to unmask this mystery plant.
Acorns
Park E-Ventures Article

Critical Mast: The Boom and Bust of Acorns

How many times have I walked under the same trees and failed to look up, staring at my own two feet as I walk? Well today was different, someone told me that the oak trees of California are masting, and I wanted to see if it was true.
Franciscan Manzanita
Park E-Ventures Article

Back from the Brink of Extinction

It was three years ago that the Franciscan manzanita was discovered along the old Doyle Drive. How is that manzanita doing in its new home? And what are the plans to re-establish a sustainable population of the plant and the other species that historically grew with it?
Coyote Brush
Park E-Ventures Article

The Importance of So Much Little White Fluff

One sure sign of “summer” in the Golden Gate National Parks is the sight of fluffy white seed blanketing hillsides. But where do these seeds come from? Where are they going? And why do we care? A Presidio seed collector takes a closer look.