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California’s Deserts

November 15, 2022 by Backcountry Press Leave a Comment

California Desert Plants
California Desert Plants

Desert environments have always held a fascination for many, their stark landscapes notwithstanding. At first glance these seemingly-lifeless landscapes are actually home to hardy woody shrubs and succulents with amazing adaptations to survive in harsh desert conditions. In California’s deserts, all this changes when the onset of winter rains bring carpets of brightly colored annuals and flowering shrubs. California Desert Plants celebrates how elevation, climate, and vegetation define the Great Basin, Mojave, and Sonoran deserts in California. What follows is an excerpt from that book.

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Plant Life in California’s Deserts

May 14, 2022 by Backcountry Press Leave a Comment

California Desert Plants
California Desert Plants

For the past 15 years, Philip Rundel, has been developing this book through his long-term relationship and travels in deserts of the Southwestern United States, northern Chile, and Southern Africa. His vision is now a reality. California Desert Plants: Ecology and Diversity is a new book written by Philip Rundel, Robert Gustafson, and Michael Kauffmann that explores plant life in California’s deserts. Published Backcountry Press, it describes traits and strategies that allow plants to survive in some of world’s harshest environments. In addition to describing major desert habitats, the book includes over 400 photographs to complement the text.

Philip Rundel, Professor Emeritus of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of California Los Angeles is a desert ecologist with extensive experience in arid and semi-arid landscapes all around the world. He would be the first to admit that California’s deserts are his favorite—and his new book goes a long way to showing why.

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Nature Nerd Protip: Cactus Compass

January 9, 2022 by Allison Poklemba 1 Comment

Never get turned around in the Mojave Desert again. As long as you can find this plant, it will point you south!

Directionality is seen in many cactus species, with our barrel cactus (Ferocactus cylindraceus) serving as a good example.

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Events

  • 8:00 am – 3:00 pm, April 16, 2023 – Conifers & Birds of Horse Mountain
  • July 14, 2023 – July 16, 2023 – Celebrating the Siskiyou Crest: A Festival of Arts, Culture & Science

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Our most recent Podcast

Trivia Challenge: Wildflowers of the Klamath Mountains

https://backcountrypress.com/podcast-player/21109/trivia-challenge-wildflowers-of-the-klamath-mountains.mp3

Download file | Play in new window | Duration: 19:11 | Recorded on July 8, 2022

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Look who’s popping up! Does this mean it’s off Look who’s popping up! Does this mean it’s officially #wildflowerseason in the redwood forest?

#scoliopusbigelovii #slinkpod #fetidadderstongue #californianativeplants #redwoodforest
9 Years Ago: Our family on the front page (below t 9 Years Ago: Our family on the front page (below the fold!) telling the story of our first book and the creation of @backcountrypress.

Lots of changes to our #familybiz since then!

• minus 1 dear pup
• plus 1 dear cat
• plus 1 little brother
(• plus serious growth of big brother!)
• plus the publication of a dozen more books AND the creation of this fabulous Backcountry Press community!

Thank you so much for being a part of it!!
A new look for your head coming at ya later this w A new look for your head coming at ya later this week!

We just need to find a more competent model. Any volunteers?!?
 
(P.S. Stay safe and cozy, California! 💦)

#itsafamilybusiness #childmodel
Just a bit breezy out there!! For our fellow weath Just a bit breezy out there!! For our fellow weather fans: Surface Wind Speeds. I could watch this map all day…

You can too. Find it at our L I N K.

(Thank you for the hot tip on this #mesmerizing #interactivemap @marie707antoine !)

#bombcyclone #wind #iloveweather #weatherwatchers #atmosphericriver #map  #stormscoming #pacificcoast #pacific #californiastorm #westcoast

http://earth.nullschool.net
The Smith River is the most undeveloped and protec The Smith River is the most undeveloped and protected river remaining in California, and the largest completely undammed river from source to sea in the state.

It drains the high elevation flanks of the western Siskiyou Mountains, who’s thin, rocky soils shed water from winter storms faster than any other watershed in the Klamath Mountains.

This River commonly rises insanely fast—from 5,000 to 80,000 cfs within 24 hours.

It’s an absolute joy to watch this wild river flowing swift and clear, full of welcome winter rains.

- - - - -

We were turned on to the concept of Slow TV by @b_funke.jpg and @gabriellegopinath. We love watching the rivers flow, the mountains catching morning light, the fog slowly settling between ridges. Apparently when you record this it’s called Slow TV! Would a YouTube channel featuring such *shows* from the Klamath Mountains interest you?

Also, please support the @smithriveralliance. They do such important work to care for this watershed!

#klamathmountains #smithriver #slowtv #delnortecounty #delnorte #northerncalifornia #wildrivers #smithrivercalifornia #serpentine #siskiyou #wildcalifornia #river #atmosphericriver
#protip: *How to keep your tot-sized hiker happy w #protip: *How to keep your tot-sized hiker happy while also decreasing your holiday sweets stash so you don’t have to eat it all.

HINT: Tie the @lindt chocolate to a stick with a blade of grass and dangle it in front of your tot as you hike along. Allow them to grab it only when the laughter subsides. This should buy you an extra mile or two.

*This pro tip will not be included in Hiking Humboldt Kids, a new book we’ve been working on with @first5california Humboldt, due out this spring!

#hikingwithkids #hikinghumboldt #redwoods #redwoodforest @ospreypacks #takeahike #parentingtips #parentlife #humboldt #humboldtcounty
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Recent Posts

  • Cultivating Place January 28, 2023
  • Headline Humboldt January 7, 2023
  • SF Chronicle: Best Books of 2022 December 9, 2022
  • California’s Deserts November 15, 2022
  • THE KLAMATH MOUNTAINS: A NATURAL HISTORY August 31, 2022

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