Herbarium specimens are far more than preserved plants—they are a powerful record of where plants occur, how they vary, and how they interact with their environments across space and time.  Join Katie Pearson in this presentation where she’ll trace the evolution of CCH2, showcase exciting ways researchers are using specimen data, and reveal some of the portal’s lesser-known tools and features that can help unlock even more from these foundational collections.

There are many pests and diseases that cause decline in oak trees. Invasive beetle species are especially concerning: the Gold-spotted Oak Borer (GSOB), Invasive Shot Hole Borers (ISHB), and the new and potentially devastating Mediterranean Oak Borer (MOB) are killing both native and landscape trees. Michael Jones and Curtis Ewing will explore common and emerging pests of oaks, including a discussion of the biology of the pests and common symptoms and signs of infection.

View the presentation here.

Join Chico State entomologist Don Miller to learn about the distinct changes in butterfly species abundance and composition in the Big Chico Creek Ecological Reserve following the 2024 Park Fire.

View the presentation here.

Discover one of California's most extraordinary yet under-recognized landscapes, located less than 2 hours drive west and south of Chico – the Berryessa Snow Mountain region. Our speaker, Marc Hoshovsky, will help us better understand this region, why the region is so fascinating, and why it is now designated as the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument.

View the presentation here.

Joanna Clines will describe her work with photographer Stephen Sharnoff to produce their new book, Flowering Plants of the Sierra Nevada, featuring over 1,000 species of flowering herbs and shrubs.  The book covers the entire Sierra Nevada range, from the western foothills over the crest to about 6,000 ft elevation on the east slope.

View the presentation here.

Invasive plants often outcompete co-occurring natives, in part due to higher photosynthetic capacity. However, it remains unclear whether these advantages arise from evolutionary shifts after introduction or reflect preadaptation in their native range. In this talk, Dr. Griffin-Nolan presents a large-scale home-away comparison of 27 invasive species (and 17 co-occurring native species) across temperate forest and field habitats on three continents.

View the presentation here.

UC Jepson Herbarium volunteer and researcher Vanessa C. Stevens has been organizing and curating the collection of California botanist, Mary E. Pulsifer Ames (1843-1902).  Specimens in the Ames collection range from 120 to 150 years old, and include vascular plants, marine algae, and cryptograms collected in California, the continental United States and around the world.  Vanessa is working to integrate this collection into the University and Jepson Herbaria, housed at UC Berkeley.

View the presentation here.

We hear about prescribed fires, forest thinning projects, and post-fire restoration projects. But how do people actually choose when and where these projects should happen? And, in a changing and much-changed world, how should we decide if they're even good or not? Wolfy will discuss the challenges, compromises, and new ways of seeing that resulted from some ecological restoration projects she took on.

View the presentation here.

Join land managers from CSU, Chico’s Big Chico Creek Ecological Reserve (BCCER) to hear about management and research projects happening on the reserve in the wake of the 2024 Park Fire. They will present ongoing projects, including longer term post-fire management planning, post-fire research and monitoring, prescribed fire reentry, and spring and oak savannah restoration projects. They will also highlight some of the new botanical discoveries on the BCCER after the fire.

View the presentation here.

Ephemeral geophytes at high elevations are only available for study for five to six weeks after snowmelt and therefore are rarely investigated.  From 2009 to 2021, Hal Mackey and Rob Schlising collected life history data on the closely related Dicentra uniflora and Dicentra pauciflora in the Cascade Range of northeastern Butte County, California, through field surveys and plantings. Join us to learn how these 16 years of data have provided insights into recovery times and persistence after major forest fires.

View the presentation introduction here.

View the full presentation here.

Presented by Tawny Bolinas, 2023 Jim Jokerst Field Botany Grant Award Winner.

View the presentation here.

Join renowned botanist Jon Keeley to learn about the fire regimes in herbaceous, shrubland and forest types throughout California and how different regimes have selected for different fire-adaptations.

View the presentation here.

Join Kyle Mason from the Big Chico Creek Ecological Reserve to hear about the history of fire in Butte County, how it's been used, and why.  Kyle will follow-up with a discussion of how fire management might look in the future.

View the presentation here.

Join the authors of Firescaping Your Home: A Manual for Readiness in Wildfire Country to explore paradigms that get in the way of landscaping for defensible space or supporting native biodiversity.  We will focus on psychological conventions in landscaping that often complicate the adoption of firesafe strategies, including foundation plantings, fences, wind patterns, and habitat fragmentation.   We will wrap up with a discussion on support for biodiversity and fire insurance challenges.

View the presentation here.

The Siskiyou Crest has one of the highest concentrations of officially designated botanical areas on National Forest lands in the country. This presentation will take you on a photographic exploration of these unique Botanical Areas and highlight many of the rare and endemic species that grow in each area.

View the presentation here.

Join Forest Service Ecologist, Kyle Merriam to learn about the status and distribution of Baker cypress and Macnab cypress, two iconic, fire adapted species in northern California.

View the presentation here.

Join John Whittlesey, author of Plant Lovers Guide to Salvias to learn about the evolution and adaptation of salvias generally, their specific California habitats, and the pollinators with whom they co-evolved.

View the presentation here.

Herbarium specimens form an invaluable record of plant diversity and distribution. Join the Curator of the Ahart Herbarium, Lawrence Janeway, to hear about the importance of collecting plant specimens, how anyone can do it, and get some helpful hints on how you can ensure that what you collect is useful to the herbarium and researchers in general.

View the presentation here.

The 2024 Park Fire impacted a diverse range of woodland and forest habitats, including the Beaver Creek Pinery, a unique old-growth forest shaped by frequent fires. Join US Forest Service Research Ecologist Eric Knapp to learn about the factors that allowed the Pinery to withstand historical fires and how his research may inform forest management strategies under today’s fire climate.

View the presentation here.

Fire is an integral process in many California Ecosystems which have largely been shaped through Indigenous fire stewardship. In this presentation, Dr. Don Hankins will illustrate the interconnected nature of Indigenous knowledge to shape ecocultural relationships through fire stewardship to restore ecosystems and enhance climate and social resilience.

Here is some background on ecocultural stewardship in a paper that Dr. Hankins published in PNAS: Climate resilience through ecocultural stewardship

View the presentation here.

Join Naomi Fraga, Director of Conservation Programs at the California Botanic Garden, to learn about rare alkali wetland plants and her research supporting conservation of four at-risk species.

View the Presentation Here

Join Aaron Sims, Director of the Rare Plant Program for the California Native Plant Society (CNPS) to celebrate five decades of rare plant conservation and the people that make it possible.

View the presentation here.

During the first portion of this pictorial reminisce (All Things Botanical, May 16, 2024), John Dittes introduced us to Lowell, retired rancher and farmer, renowned Northern California botanist and plant collector, and namesake of the Herbarium at CSU Chico. We learned of Lowell’s early days, growing up on The Peter Ahart Ranch, and how he became the accomplished botanist we know today. We’ll continue from there, enjoying photos and stories of botanical projects, Northern California landscapes, and interesting people met along the way, from 2013 to present.

View the presentation here.

Dr. Frankie will touch on a variety of topics that illustrate his concern for pollinator conservation: The use of bee hotels (pros and cons), collecting pollinators, data basing of collections and value of museums, bee conservation and the need for citizen action. He will also discuss developing pollinator habitat gardens and native versus non-native plants in these gardens.

View the presentation here.

Nevada County and the cross-section of the Sierra Nevada it spans offer diverse habitats and a diverse set of plant species that inhabit them. For the first time, a true Flora of Nevada County is in the works. Join Shane Hanofee to hear about the process of making a flora, the botanical history of Nevada County, and some exciting discoveries made in the production of this work.

View the presentation here.

Join us as we reminisce on the botanical works and travels of renowned Northern California botanist and plant collector Lowell Ahart, in accompaniment of John and his life and business partner, Josephine. Seasoned botanists and those “new to botany” alike will enjoy this story and visual overview of the landscapes explored, botanical discoveries made, and interesting people met along the way.

View the presentation here.

Every year, thousands of visitors traverse North Table Mountain Ecological Reserve in Butte County, California. Most are drawn to the spectacular patterned displays of native wildflowers that peak for a few weeks during each spring. Which species are responsible for these displays? And how do the climate, geology, and hydrology of the Table Mountain mesa combine to create these striking floral designs? Learn from our speaker, Samantha (Sam) Hillaire, who is a co-author of the popular field guide, “Wildflowers of Table Mountain, a Naturalist’s Guide.”

View the Presentation Here.

Join BLM biologist Steve Laymon and botanist Brooke Thompson to learn about the unique flora of Hog Lake and the exciting Rancho Briesgau riparian restoration project in Tehama County.

View the presentation here.

Andrea Craig will take you on a tour of the rugged, remote, and richly biodiverse landscape of the Lassen Foothills. This conservation story will focus on Dye Creek Preserve and is about getting to know an elusive volcanic landscape, with over a century of grazing and development, and the diversity that has persevered.

View the presentation here.

Through soil seedbank studies ‘lost’ vegetation may be rediscovered, past composition highlighted, resiliency potential established and future trajectory imagined. Join Chico State Masters student Kaylie DeLuca to hear about her research on the seedbank of a restored meadow in Lassen Volcanic National Park.

View the presentation here.