How to Recognize Spiders By their Webs - Bay Nature Magazine
WEBSep 29, 2015 · Illustration by Rachel Diaz-Bastin. Orb webs are the classic, wheel-shaped webs that have inspired everyone from engineers to poets to, well, designers of computer networks. They are primarily associated with their namesake, the family Araneidae, commonly known as the orb-weaver spiders, and have …
The Enduring Mystery of Oak Tree "Mast" Years - Bay Nature
WEBJul 5, 2022 · Figure 1. The mean acorn crop of valley oak at Hastings Reservation (mean number of acorns counted per 30 second visual survey), 1980-2021; dashed lines divide years into those where the crop was <25% and >75% of the maximum acorn crop. Divided like this, only 3 of 42 years were “mast” years, while 16 were “medium” and 23 were “poor ...
Feeling Bats - Bay Nature
WEBJun 21, 2020 · As the sun sets in Sunol Regional Wilderness Preserve, winged mammals emerge. Some burst from oak woodlands and flutter above the canopy. Others swoop low, sending out sound waves to echolocate their prey. They feast on bugs—mosquitoes, moths, beetles, arachnids—before disappearing back into their secret roosts in caves and trees.
Bay Nature Magazine: Can a Plant Live Without Photosynthesis?
WEBApr 17, 2018 · Typically, plants “fix” carbon from the air as CO 2, mix it with water, and convert it to glucose through photosynthesis. Powered by energy from sunlight, this reaction takes place in specialized structures called chloroplasts — organelles contained in the cells of plants. Each chloroplast acts like a small solar factory, bringing in raw ...
Changing Climate Means Risks for California Spiders - Bay Nature
WEBDec 15, 2021 · A rearing Calisoga longitarsis, or false tarantula.(Photo by Ken-ichi Ueda, iNaturalist / Creative Commons CC-BY-NC) Climate Change. We Urgently Need More Information about Spiders, as Climate Change Means New Risks for Them As temperatures rise and ecosystems change, spider scientists still …
How California Policy Harms Beavers - Bay Nature
WEBNov 11, 2021 · Just a few months later, in fall 2020, the city public works department removed the beaver dam, citing the potential for flooding in the rainy season. Holsworth watched as the cattails wilted and birds quickly devoured the newly exposed crawfish. Laurel Creek in April 2020 and after the city removed its beaver dam, in September 2020.
Meet Nature's Extreme Athlete, Elephant Seals - Bay Nature …
WEBJanuary 6, 2020. Male elephant seals are among the loudest mammals ever recorded, and they can weigh more than two tons. (Photo by Steve Zamek, Feather Light Photography) On a sparkling blue January morning, I meet marine biologist Patrick Robinson, who will escort me around Año Nuevo State Park, a patch of dunes and bluffs an hour’s drive ...
Not Just a Pretty Face - Bay Nature
WEBOct 1, 2018 · Not Just a Pretty Face — the Banana Slug is One of the Weirdest Animals On Earth. In the early 1890s a Philadelphia naturalist named Henry A. Pilsbry set out to create a guide to the land mollusks of North America. An Iowa farm boy turned New York City proofreader turned malacologist, Pilsbry was still in his 30s but already the foremost ...
Science Explainer | Deep-Sea Sea Stars on the Hunt - Bay Nature
WEBOct 15, 2019 · It’s called Rathbunaster californicus, and it’s a pretty large animal. Most are about a foot across with some reaching a foot and a half. Each has between 8-22 arms, covered by spines bearing round wreaths of tissue which cover the surface and sides of the animal. Rathbunaster is a deep-sea species, occurring at depths between 100 and 800 ...
ENature.com Website Launch
WEBApr 1, 2002 · Share This: If you haven’t checked out eNature.com, now’s the time. The website has been acquired by the National Wildlife Federation and offers a tremendous resource and tools for exploring Bay Area nature. Local-Guides on the site provide you with a zip-code-based photographic primer on the wildlife common in any area, including birds ...