It's 4 p.m. on a peaceful Sunday in Griffith Park. Hikers stroll on the trails while children climb on a play structure. Suddenly, there's a commotion in the trees. Woodpeckers squawk and crows caw. A…
The other day, I walked out to my garden to discover a strange sight: two of my California poppy seedlings had leaves that looked completely different. They still looked roughly like the same plant. I…
People don’t often think of mid-November as a month for spending lots of time outdoors. In many places, temperatures are falling, along with the first flurries of snow. The fall foliage might be…
We think of springtime as the season for planting gardens, but that’s not the case here in Southern California, where summers can be scorching and rains only come in the winter. Here in L.A. County…
Jack-o’-lanterns, trick-or-treaters, clever costumes and spooky decorations—Halloween is one of the most beloved holidays in the United States. But where exactly did Halloween come from? What customs…
Temperatures are rising, the environment is suffering, and income inequality is widening. Amidst the confusion, a charismatic politician takes the presidency with the promise to, “Make America great…
We tend to think of chamomile as a gentle herb, with effects that are mostly psychological. A cup of chamomile tea is nice before bedtime, but is there anything to this pretty little herb beyond the relaxing ritual of a steaming mug?Yes! I felt chamomile’s powerful effects firsthand when I...
“What does shame require to stay alive? What is the antidote to shame?”When Ariel finds herself pregnant at 18, she gets a crash course in shame. Her grandmother tells her she’s irresponsible and her mother lectures her on the dangers of stretch marks. Her neighbors, finding out she’s on food stamps...
The year is 40,000 BC, give or take a few millennia, and only a handful of Neanderthal families are left on earth. Girl, who has just come of age, is determined to find a mate and start a family at the annual fish run. But with the Neanderthals’ numbers so...
