If you’ve been hiking in California, odds are you’ve encountered the chaparral, the most widespread native plant community in the state. Here’s everything you need to know about this amazing (but often under-appraciated) ecosystem: Home to 20 percent of California’s plant species, chaparral is defined by dense, low-lying shrubs like sagebrush, ceanothus, manzanita, and chamise,…
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Learn More About Your Own Trees With The Help Of TreePeople and the Forest Service
August 1, 2024Have you ever wanted to learn more about the trees and plants in your very own backyard? What are they called? And what positive impacts do they have on your life and in your neighborhood? TreePeople is partnering with the U.S. Forest Service to answer some of these questions, and we need your help. At…
“Good” Plants vs. “Bad” Plants: unpacking the invasive species discourse
July 15, 2024Native, non-native, and invasive. If you’re passionate about plants, you’ve probably heard these terms thrown around a lot. They’re used to describe the origins of different species, and often the connotation is that native plants are “good,” while other plants are “bad” or unwanted, and should be removed. But is this always true? Can plants…
Pruning 101: the TreePeople guide to proper tree pruning
May 9, 2024If you’re a homeowner, a landscaping professional, or someone who just cares a lot about the health of your local trees, you’re probably familiar with the practice of pruning. In its simplest form, pruning involves removing branches from a tree for a specific purpose. But how often should you be doing this? Which branches should…
Eight Native California Wildflowers to Look for This Spring
March 13, 2024It’s been a wet, rainy winter here in Southern California, and as we look towards the warmer days ahead, nature-lovers are wondering — does that mean there’s another superbloom in store? The short answer is: it’s too soon to tell. While rain can help usher in the dramatic floral displays that blanket our hillsides in…
The Health Benefits of Nature
January 29, 2024In a world glued to screens and constant connectivity, it’s not just a feel-good myth—nature’s got some serious perks for our well-being. Besides the “get off your phone” and “touch grass” cliches, science backs up the fact that spending time outdoors can benefit your health. We’ve compiled a non-exhaustive list of ways that nature can…
Meet Toyon: The Official City Plant of Los Angeles
January 22, 2024Have you noticed red berries around southern California lately? Chances are they might belong to heteromeles arbutifolia, a California-native shrub also known as toyon or “California holly.” Toyon — a perennial found throughout western California and the Sierra foothills — has dark green, toothed leaves and white flowers in the summer that yield to red…
How to Prevent Your Trees From Falling During Storms
January 8, 2024If you were in Los Angeles over the weekend, you no doubt felt the wrath of the winds! A wind advisory remained in effect across Los Angeles, Ventura, and Santa Barbara counties throughout the weekend with gusts ranging from 25 mph to 50 mph across the region. Unfortunately, the winds brought dangerous conditions to the…
The Magical Relationship Between Fungi and Our Trees and Plants
April 14, 2023Recent research has revealed that the relationship between fungi and trees is much more complex than previously thought. Fungi have long been known to form symbiotic relationships with trees, exchanging nutrients and helping trees absorb water. However, scientists have now discovered that these relationships extend beyond individual trees to form a complex network of underground…
What I Learned Planting My Native Garden
February 15, 2023Are you thinking of replacing your lawn with a native garden? Turning your yard into a native landscape can be a powerful tool in protecting local habitat, saving you money on your water bill and lowering your carbon footprint. It can seem like a daunting challenge: where do you start, how hard is it to…
Los Angeles Is Not A Desert
October 24, 2022It’s hard to go a day in Southern California without overhearing someone say, “Well, you know LA is a desert.” Let’s get this out of the way immediately — Los Angeles is one hundred percent, categorically not a desert. Southern California does have desert environments, but you have to go out to say Joshua Tree…