The Pacific Northwest is known for its beautiful forests, streams, and wetlands in which native plants, lichen, and fungi thrive.  As the region’s population has grown, native plant habitat, a necessity for native fish and wildlife, and a vital cultural resource has declined and become fragmented, threatening many species.  Three Science Stories projects focus on the hopeful message of habitat restoration.  On a large scale, The Making of a Meadow project focuses our attention on the transformation of the Union Bay Natural Area from a lake to a city dump to a restored coastal wetland and urban park.  The Pacific Northwest Native Plant Website and Magic Books project entices readers to restore native plant habitats on a micro-level in urban backyards, schoolyards, and neighborhoods, by learning about native plant and animal relationships through the seasons. The Herbarium project was inspired by a new native plant garden in the artist’s yard and focuses our attention on the beautiful patterns that plants create.  Burgeon explores the tension between beautiful, picturesque images of nature and the near-constant threat of environmental change. Finally, Enmeshed, helps us to understand that lichen, is more than a symbiotic relationship between a fungus and an alga.  Instead, it is a micro-ecosystem of many interdependent species and can be a metaphor for human relationships.

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To learn more about Dr. Crandell, Lou Cabeen, and The Making of a Meadow at Union Bay Natural Area in Seattle, click here https://blogs.pugetsound.edu/sciencestories/the-making-of-a-meadow/.

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To learn more about the Pacific Northwest Native Plant Website and Magic Books, click here: https://blogs.pugetsound.edu/sciencestories/pacific-northwest-native-plant-website-and-magic-books/

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To learn more about artist Deborah Greenwood and the Herbarium project, click here: https://blogs.pugetsound.edu/sciencestories/herbarium/

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To learn more about Nicole Pietrantoni and her artist book installation, Burgeon, click here: https://blogs.pugetsound.edu/sciencestories/burgeon/

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To learn more about Dr. Calabria, Anne Greenwood-Rioseco, Daniela del Mar, and Enmeshed, click here https://blogs.pugetsound.edu/sciencestories/enmeshed/