Matt Ritter

Grew up in rural Mendocino County, California. After earning a bachelor’s degree in microbiology from U.C. Santa Barbara, he attended U.C. San Diego for a Ph.D. in plant biology. He’s a botany professor in the Biological Sciences Department at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, California, where he teaches plant biology, ecology, and field botany. He’s the author of several books, including a guide to California’s flora, California Plants: A Guide to Our Iconic Flora. He also wrote the best-selling guide to California’s urban forest, A Californian’s Guide to the Trees Among Us (Heyday, 2011). He recently won the National Outdoor Book Award for his children’s book, Something Wonderful. His writing has appeared in several magazines, including Pacific Horticulture. He won the Cal Poly’s Distinguished Teaching Award, the International Society of Arboriculture Award for Excellence in Education, and the Indie Book Award for his climate change novel Rainwalkers. He is the California Coordinator of the National Big Tree Registry, studies California’s native plants and trees in the urban forest. He’s an avid woodworker, mason, and gardener.