California Naturalist

Primary Image
Flat-tailed horned lizard(Phrynosoma mcallii) sunning on a rock.
California Naturalist: Article

Baby Animals are the Icons of Spring (Unless You are a Lizard)

November 4, 2020
A "Natural History Note" From UC California Naturalist's new lead scientist, Dr. Cameron Barrows. The more clearly we can focus our attention on the wonders and realities of the universe about us, the less taste we shall have for destruction.
View Article
Primary Image
A naturalist from the Hopland CCC course holds a willow branch
California Naturalist: Article

Why Do We Need Naturalists?

October 30, 2020
A colleague recently posed a rhetorical question, Why do we need naturalists? It gets to the question, Why is the UC California Naturalist program important?
View Article
Primary Image
Western Poplar Sphinx moth
California Naturalist: Article

Spooky Staff Picks

October 21, 2020
Warning: this blog post discusses some creepy crawlies. If you have an insect or arachnid phobia you may want to skip this post.
View Article
Primary Image
cambarrows lizard
California Naturalist: Article

Participatory Scientists Make a Huge Contribution

October 2, 2020
A "Natural History Note" From UC California Naturalist's new lead scientist, Dr. Cameron Barrows. Back in 2016 I published a paper that quantified the added value of volunteer community scientists contributing to field surveys of lizards in Joshua Tree National Park.
View Article