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Happy Anniversary, Happy Earth Day and most of all Thank You!

Today is the Notes from Nature projects 12th anniversary! We first launched Notes from Nature on Earth Day 2013. We are beyond grateful to still be here today and to be continuing this important work with you all every single day.

We are also thankful for all the support of our colleagues, the National Science Foundation and the Zooniverse team!

Here’s to 12 more years! As always there is more work to be done, so please stop by Notes from Nature when you can and help us spread the word about the importance of biodiversity data.

– The Notes from Nature Team

We closed out the last day of WeDigBio April 2023 with over 2,700 classifications. That puts Notes from Nature at over 12,200 for the event. Thanks to all that made it possible!

Digitizing Biological Collections in Canada was particularly popular this time around with 4,896 classifications!

There are still lots of expeditions from plants to salamanders, bees and more available on our site. As always feel free to stop anytime and help by spreading the word about the importance of open data about biodiversity.

— The Notes from Nature Team

Our new expedition at #PlantstoPixels highlights the botany of the California Central Valley. Nestled between the Sierra Nevada and California Coastal Ranges, few areas in California have undergone more manmade change than the Central Valley. Before widespread agriculture, the Central Valley was home to vast wetlands and grasslands that supported fauna such as pronghorn antelope, elk, and migratory birds. The Central Valley was also once home to Tulare Lake, the largest lake by area west of the Mississippi River.

During the 20th century, vast irrigation projects combined with an explosion in agricultural output caused a sharp increase in the use of groundwater and natural water sources in the area, leading to the disappearance of marshes and lakes and subsidence due to groundwater depletion. The Central Valley is estimated to be about 28 feet lower in elevation on average than it was in 1850 due to aquifer usage. Today, the Central Valley produces one-quarter of all food in the United States and 8% of the total agricultural value, making it one of the most productive agricultural areas in the country.

Despite these dramatic changes to the Central Valley’s natural landscape, there is still a significant role that botany can play in the region. There are still remaining areas of inland chaparral, woodland, and marsh that need study and preservation. Historic botany collections also play an important role in documenting the changes the Central Valley has undergone throughout the centuries, including climate change, habitat destruction, droughts, and the introduction of invasive species.

Be sure to check out our California Central Valley Botany expedition!

Here are some native plants you may encounter while transcribing collections from the California Central Valley:

Phacelia douglasii: Phacelia douglasii or Douglas’s Phacelia is native only to California where it grows mostly in the central valley, California coastal mountain ranges and northern Mojave desert. It is a member of the Hydrophyllaceae Family, a subfamily of Boraginaceae.

© Cricket Raspet – Some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

Epilobium obcordatum:

Epilobium obcordatum or the Rockfringe Willowherb lives up to its name by growing in mats along rocky outcrops , fringing cracks in rocks. Although not present in the central valley itself, it can be found in the Sierra Nevadas and Sierra Nevada foothills as they rise out of the valley. This plant is in the family Onagraceae and can be found in several western states including Nevada, Idaho and California.

© wikimedia commons – Dcrjsr

Linanthus pungens:

A member of the family Polemoniaceae Linanthus pungens or the Granite gilia is native to California and west coast North America. It is a very resilient plant, able to grow in desert washes ,grassland, pine forests as well as both high and low altitude environments. This plant is very dominant in El Dorado County for example, where it thrives in white pine forests of the Sierra Nevada foothills, although it can also be found in other environments throughout the central valley and surrounding areas.

© wikimedia commons – Dcrjsr

Our new expedition at #PlantstoPixels, explores the rich botany of California’s central coast—a region known for its stunning natural beauty and remarkable biodiversity. From towering redwood forests and dramatic sea cliffs to coastal salt marshes, this landscape supports an impressive array of plant life. This area also serves as a transition zone for marine life, sitting at the confluence of major ocean currents.

Beyond its ecological significance, the region is steeped in California’s cultural history and landmarks. South of Monterey Bay, the Santa Lucia Mountains rise to form the dramatic coastline of Big Sur. Inland, you’ll find the Salinas Valley—one of the most fertile and productive agricultural regions in the United State. The Salinas Valley and Monterey Bay region inspired many of John Steinbeck’s classic novels. Continuing south on Highway 1, you’ll pass Hearst Castle, the opulent former estate of William Randolph Hearst, before arriving in Morro Bay and San Luis Obispo. Further along the coast, in Santa Barbara, nestled against the Santa Ynez Mountains, you can see Chumash cave paintings and remnants of Spanish colonization at Mission Santa Barbara. To this day, Catholic and Buddhist monasteries can be found dotted up the coast of Central California thanks to the region’s natural beauty and isolation.  

We hope you find inspiration in the incredible plant life of this region. Be sure to check out the Coastal California: Monterey to Santa Barbara expedition!

Here are just a few native plant species featured in our expedition:

Eriastrum densifolium:

Eriastrum densifolium, also commonly known as the Giant Woollystar, is a member of the Phlox genus. This flowering plant is native California and Baja California, and grows primarily in sand dunes or dry washes.

© James Bailey – Some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

Extriplex Californica:

Exptriplex Californica is also known as California Saltbush and resides in coastal Salt marsh habitats of the California and Baja California coasts. Sometimes members of the Extriplex genus are called “Orach”,  a name given to them in Latin by roman polymath Pliny the Elder.

© itazura- Some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

Zeltnera muehlenbergii:

Zeltnera muehlenbergii is also known as the “Monterey centaury” but can also be found in other regions along the coast. This plant can be found mostly in forests and moist environments. Unlike many plants that flower in the Spring, this species flowers in the Summer and early Fall.

© Afton Kern- Some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

WeDigBio is now underway! Please stop by Notes from Nature today to get involved.

For this event we are featuring California Plants and Salamanders. Visit one of those projects and select an expedition to work on or feel free to contribute to any project that interests you.

Thank you,

— The Notes from Nature Team

WeDigBio starts is less than a week. The event takes place April 10-13, 2025. People from all over the world join together to digitize museum specimen data and to celebrate biodiversity collections. We hope you can join us.

Notes from Nature will have lots of great expeditions to contribute to. We’ll be featuring bees, salamanders and California plants so please stop by. It’s also very helpful if you can spread the word about this unique and important event.

Looking forward to it,

— The Notes from Nature Team

The next WeDigBio is a month away! The event will take place April 10-13. People from all over the world join together to digitize specimen data and to celebrate biodiversity collections. We hope you join us!

This is can be a fun and festive weekend at NfN. We’ll have a “classifying blitz” online at Notes from Nature, where we’ll classify as many Subjects as we can during the event. There will be new expeditions, and some of our data providers will host events such as online talks, tours, and discussions (and possibly some in-person events as well), so you’ll have opportunities to meet them and learn about their work.

Please invite your family, friends, and colleagues to participate. They can support biodiversity research by digitizing natural history collections data. We’ll post updates as we get closer to the event.

— The Notes from Nature Team

Our new expedition, Notes from Nature: 1935-present: Bay Area Collections, continues our journey into San Francisco Bay Area botany, following our previous expedition, which focused on 1800–1935. As botanical work became more established in the Bay Area, so did its growing cities. In the post-war era, the Bay Area became increasingly urbanized. While some development projects succeeded, others (in some cases, thankfully) failed. One such failed attempt was the “Reber Plan,” a proposal to dam the bay. This plan was abandoned after the Bay Model, a to-scale hydraulic model of the San Francisco Bay, demonstrated that it would cause catastrophic flooding. Another unsuccessful development was the proposed city of Marincello, which would have been built in what is now the Marin Headlands. Fortunately, large areas of the Bay Area remained protected, preserving crucial habitats and allowing botanizing in the region to continue. As botanical collections grew, several new facilities were built, including the Eastwood Hall of Botany, completed in 1959, and the Wattis Hall, completed in 1975. Here is a selection of photos from our CAS Herbarium photo album, showcasing some of the places and people involved in 20th-century Bay Area botany. Don’t forget to check out our new expedition to learn more about the Bay Area’s botanical heritage!

A. 1946: A. Howell and Minerva Hirst in Cramped Botany Quarters of the North American Hall. B. 1959: Eastwood Hall of Botany, newly constructed.
C. Howell, Anita Noldeke, and Javier Peñalosa in botanical quarters of Eastwood Hall of Botany 1967 Dr. Elizabeth McClintock, curator of Botany from 1949-1977. The first curator with a PhD, and who worked towards the conservation of plants in the San Francisco Bay Area. Dr. Peter H. Raven teaching a field class near Stanford University 1969. Former member of the Academy of Sciences and President Emeritus of Missouri Botanical Gardens. A. Thomas J. Howell in 1938, Curator and former assistant to Alice Eastwood. B. Thomas J. Howell in his office as Curator Emeritus 1983 A. Wattis Hall , which housed the Botany Department from 1975-2003.  B. Elizabeth McClintock in the herbarium halls 1976. C. Academy Associate Peter H. Raven with Academy President George Lindsay 1976. A. Lewis S. Rose collecting in the Ben Lomond San Hills 1962. B. Lewis S. Rose in the Herbarium 1962. C. Thomas H. Kearny at work in the herbarium 1952 D. A young Peter H. Raven with student section instructor Joan Taylor ca. 1950 Former Curators and current curators emeritus of the CAS Herbarium: A. Former curator and current curator emeritus Frank Almeda. Photograph in 1992. B. Former curator and current curator emeritus Thomas F. Daniel. Photographed in 1996
C. Former curator Peter W. Fritsch. Photographed in 1997
D. Former curator Kim E. Steiner. Photographed in 2000

Credit for the information in the captions and compiled photos goes to “One Hundred and Fifty Years of Botany at the California Academy of Sciences 1853-2003” by Thomas F. Daniel. You can click on the link to learn much more about the history of botany at the California Academy of Sciences.

Notes from Nature is currently down. Please note that there is a Zooniverse system wide outage. We know the Zooniverse Team is working to resolve the issue as soon as possible, and will continue to provide updates on their progress. Please check https://status.zooniverse.org/ for updates.

Thanks for your patience

— The Notes from Nature Team

In our newest expedition at #CASPlantsToPixels, we will focus on a sampling of plants from several bordering but distinct regions in California. The Trinity Alps, Klamath Mountains, the Shasta-Siskiyou national forest and Lassen National Park form a vast expanse of wilderness, stretching from Trinity County in the west to Lassen County in the east. This region also serves as a transition zone between the Northern Sierra and the Cascade Mountains. Some areas, like the Trinity Alps, are extremely botanically diverse. The Trinity Alps and Klamath Mountains ecoregion serves as an intersection between the warmer Californian Mediterranean climate and the wetter Pacific Northwestern climate. Flora native to the Sierras, Pacific Northwest, and Coast all converge in this region, making it a biodiversity hotspot. For example, the Trinity Alps boast the second-highest diversity of conifer species in the world.

Come check out our expedition on the Notes from Nature – CAS Plants to Pixels and help transcribe this unique and beautiful ecoregion! 

Here are some notable plant species you can find in our expedition…

Phacelia greenei
Phacelia greenei, or the Scott Valley phacelia, is endemic to the southern Klamath Mountains and belongs to the Boraginaceae family. It is only observed in the Scott Valley and its surrounding mountains. Phacelia greenei prefers growing in serpentine soils.

By Danika Carlson, USDA FS, Public Domain

Gayophytum diffusum

Gayophytum diffusum, also called spreading ground smoke, grows in the mountainous habitats of California and western North America. It is a member of the taxonomic family Onagraceae, or the willowherb family. Gayophytum diffusum grows to about half a meter tall and has small white flowers with thin stems.

c) Moosicorn Ranch, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND)

Streptanthus tortuosus

Streptanthus tortuosus, also called mountain jewelflower or shieldplant, is native to the mountains of northern California, Nevada, and Oregon. Streptanthus tortuosus is a member of the taxonomic family Brassicaceae, or the mustard family. It prefers to grow in rocky and sandy areas of forested regions. Its flowers can come in several colors, including shades of purple, pale yellow, or white.

(c) Ken-ichi Ueda, some rights reserved (CC BY)