past posts from the thicket
search by subject
overstory (links)
Author Archives: fromthethicket
botanical garden: california section prime time
The next couple of weeks are going to be prime time for California wildflowers in the Botanical Garden in Golden Gate Park. You can wander through drifts of irises and poppies, with backdrops of ceanothus and currant . . . … Continue reading
golden gate park’s skating ‘mayor’
One of the wonderful things about Golden Gate Park is how it accommodates so many people following their particular passion, whether it be sailing a model boat, swing dancing, bird-watching . . . the list is so long! Here’s a … Continue reading
california lilacs: brilliant shades of blue!
Ceanothus plants are brilliantly blooming throughout Golden Gate Park right now. The Ceanothus genus, of which there are 50-60 species ranging from low-growing shrubs to small trees, belongs to the buckthorn family (Rhamnaceae). These iridescent blue-flowering plants stand out from … Continue reading
Posted in blooming, plants, san francisco botanical garden
Tagged golden gate park, native plants
2 Comments
exquisite black and white photos capture moody park
Walking around Stow Lake these days you might encounter a dapper, white-haired gentleman with a gorgeous 4 x 5 camera on a tripod, lens focused on a group of stones at the water’s edge or a distant, misty view of … Continue reading
Posted in arts, people, trees/urban forest
Tagged golden gate park, nature photography, urban parks
Leave a comment
feeding feral cats in golden gate park
The definition of “wildlife” in urban parks is far from precise! Here’s an excerpt from a story by Matt Smith from SF Weekly that illustrates evolving urban ecology and some of the dilemmas that attend this evolution. “It’s 7 o’clock … Continue reading
Posted in people, urban ecology, wildlife
Tagged feral cats, golden gate park, urban parks, urban wildlife
7 Comments
who really designed golden gate park?
Frederick Law Olmsted did not actually design Golden Gate Park, but given the many similarities between Golden Gate Park and Central Park in New York City (which Olmsted did design, famously!), I think he deserves a lot of the credit! … Continue reading
Posted in history, people
Tagged Frederick Law Olmsted, golden gate park, walk in the park
Leave a comment
report says closing roads increases park use
jfk drive on a sunday (photo: http://www.foundsf.org/index.php?title=JFK_Drive) It’s difficult to measure the public health benefits of urban parks, although intuitively we believe they must be good for our health and well-being. But some interesting statistics about Golden Gate Park are … Continue reading
Posted in health and safety, people, recreation
Tagged golden gate park, urban parks, walk in the park
1 Comment
japanese tea garden in full bloom!
This week is prime time for viewing the Japanese Tea Garden in bloom. Everything is in bloom at once! And cherry blossoms, of course!
some gorgeous plein air paintings of golden gate park!
Cameron Chun lives in the Richmond, not far from Golden Gate Park. I think his paintings beautifully capture the park’s moods in various weather conditions. I particularly like how he paints the park’s trees . . . so much … Continue reading
a segway through golden gate park?
The Segway — a two-wheeled, self-balancing electric vehicle — has been appearing with increasing frequency in Golden Gate Park lately. I assume that the inventor of this device came up with the name by way of the word segue, which means: to … Continue reading
golden gate park: views from the thicket 