Missteps by agribusiness giants allowed the invasion. Now they’re off the hook for cleanup.
Plants
Posted inArticles
Cottonwoods host a world of microbes within their leaves
That community of fungi and bacteria may be the key to keeping plants healthy.
Posted inMay 28, 2018: The River of Lost Souls
Why Compton said no to legal marijuana sales
The California city tries to move on from a painful history scarred by illegal drugs.
Posted inArticles
What to plant as spring approaches
It’s time to peruse seed catalogues and plan for the gardening months of summer.
Posted inFebruary 19, 2018: Unfrozen North
In Oregon’s Coast Range, a writer explores identity
A collection of essays ranges through the histories, trees and wildlife of the state.
Posted inDecember 11, 2017: Scorched Earth
What fire researchers learned from California’s blazes
In California, land managers use fire as a tool.
Posted inNovember 27, 2017: Profit and Politics
Threatened plants on state lands have few protections
Politics, land ownership and imperiled plants collide in New Mexico.
Posted inArticles
Tucson’s seed library fosters food sovereignty in a desert
With help from Pima County’s public libraries, Tucsonans grow urban gardens.
Posted inOctober 2, 2017: Following Ancient Footsteps
Latest: Park Service to cull part of Grand Canyon’s bison herd
The burgeoning North Rim population threatens vegetation, water and cultural sites.
Posted inSeptember 18, 2017: No Hoax
In Glen Canyon, a fight against invasive grasses
A young researcher seeks to make the Southwest more resilient to climate change.
Posted inArticles
How many golf trips is public funding for the arts worth?
Consider the saguaro cactus — and celebrate it with your tax dollars.
Posted inArticles
Why I obsess about the names of plants and animals
Naming things makes individuals out of a landscape of birds, trees and bumblebees.
Posted inAugust 7, 2017: Los Promotores
Flirting with extinction, but looking for love
And you thought endangered species couldn’t get more vulnerable.
Posted inArticles
Why the Endangered Species Act can’t save whitebark pines
Politics, money and climate change threaten one of the West’s iconic trees.
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Climate change is unraveling natural cycles in the West
Spring’s early arrival creates more mismatches in ecosystems.
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The wine industry’s battle with climate change
Vineyards deal with drought, temperature swings and fruit that ripens too early.
Posted inArticles
California’s desert wildflowers burst into bright ‘super bloom’
Following the ideal combination of rain, sun and wind, blossoms abound.
Posted inArticles
Invade, steal water: The plant spreading in Utah’s wetlands
Battling a nonnative reed to protect Great Salt Lake bird habitat.
Posted inArticles
The dramatic changes in our planting zones
Early blooms and cold snaps turn gardeners’ lives on end.
Posted inFebruary 6, 2017: River of Healing
How to see the urban wild
Practical advice for the nature-lonely city-dweller.