May 2026

Alpine habitats are found above timberline on only the highest mountains and are characterized by high winds, cold winters, and short growing seasons. Plants that are hardy enough to grow in the alpine tend to be low-growing (to avoid being shredded by the ever-present wind) and perennial. Many alpine species in the Rocky Mountains, Cascade-Sierras, […]

Back in college as a budding biologist, I remember learning of Jean-Baptiste Lamarck, the late 18th and early 19th century French scientist widely derided for his hypothesis of evolution based on acquired morphological traits (such as a longer neck in giraffes, or beefier biceps in blacksmiths) being passed on to subsequent generations. Lamarck’s ideas were […]