Seasonal almanacs- CCNH collaboration with Bay Nature!

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We’ve just finished the third installment of the seasonal almanac we’ve been doing in collaboration with Bay Nature, and it’s been loads of fun! The amazing Jane Kim of Ink Dwell does the illustrations, and we’ve been tasked with selecting the species and phenomena to highlight, as well as writing the descriptions with Bay Nature staff. So far we’ve covered Fall 2018 (Oct-Dec), Winter 2019 (Jan-Mar), and Spring 2019 (Apr-Jun). The summer installment will be out soon, so stay tuned!

Being part of creating this almanac has been a reminder to think seasonally and consider who might be most active or abundant. It’s also a way to think more deeply about what species might be doing at different times of year when they’re not so ‘obvious’; our sentinel species we’ve followed throughout each almanac edition has been the red-tailed hawk. They’re so common that we often barely give them a second glance, but what do we really know about them and how they spend their time in the Bay Area and beyond? Having a lens of seasonality is an excellent opportunity to explore what different species do throughout the year, and why.

We invite you to read the most current edition of the almanac, and check out past issues! Though the seasons have progressed, things always come full circle- these almanacs will be useful for years to come. Use them as a way to structure your outdoor wanderings, or as a treasure map to seek out new species.

Happy wandering!

Spring almanac illustrations by Jane Kim

Spring almanac illustrations by Jane Kim

Throwback Thursday... Sagehen Bug Camp!

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So… this is admittedly not from the deep past. But as the weather cools, the days shorten, and we head into the last part of the year, it’s inevitable that we start to remember previous seasons and adventures of 2018 with fondness.

Here’s a photo gallery of the awesome bug camp we did with the Insect Sciences Museum of California (ISMC) in July 2018 at Sagehen Field Station in Truckee, CA. It was glorious… we spent 4 days looking at bugs, drawing bugs, photographing bugs, talking about bugs, and eating bugs (a little entomophagy to expand our palates)! We’re planning on partnering with ISMC to do it again in 2019, so stay tuned!