Every web site should have official mascots and these are mine. Barney and Madeline are gone from this world but being ever curious, I'm sure they're watching with much interest wherever they are.

It had been my hope to one day know a natural area well enough to recognize its major plants. After a few years of volunteering at the Presidio Native Plant Nursery, occasionally planting in the Presidio and finally by working as a weeder on the dunes for several months, I have become at home at Lobos Creek Dunes. I know most of the plants' common names (remembering them on demand is another matter) and am now working on learning about them and dune ecology . This web site is my record of what I'm learning along the way.