Phytopagan
PHYTOPAGAN is about plants—a website focused on botany and plant ecology in California. As the site grows and develops, we intend to provide digital and text resources related to California plant life, including articles, links to print and web-based references and other recommended reading, a photographic library, and announcements about educational opportunities and plant- and ecology-related events. Intermittent blog posts will offer perspectives not only on plants and ecology, but how humans depend on plants and the ecosystems of which they, and we, are part.
Please return as the leaves unfurl and the pages blossom.
PLANT IDENTIFICATION
The Plant Identification pages provide information about how identification fits within the scientific discipline of plant systematics and taxonomy, and will also discuss available resources and references, including web links, to assist in identification. This section will also provide plant photographic galleries, educational PowerPoint presentations about plant identification, and links to additional web-based galleries of plant photos and other natural history interests. Phytopagan.com and our subscribers will collaborate to offer assistance in plant identification through the submission of photographs and associated observational details. If you don’t find what you’re looking for about plant identification in this section, let us know – providing you reliable, readily available assistance in solving your plant mysteries is our business!
Botany Classes & Workshops
Consistent with Phytopagan.com’s essential goal to provide educational resources about plants and ecology, we will offer short courses (and perhaps some longer ones) about botanical and ecological topics pertinent to the natural history of California – please note that we will not offer courses about plant horticulture or agriculture. All courses will rely primarily on a hand’s- and eyes-on approach to learning more about the magnificent ecological diversity of the American west, as we take to road and trail to study what’s green and growing in Sonoma County and the mountains, valleys, coast, and deserts of California and beyond. Contribute your ideas about possible course topics, and we’ll see about taking up the challenge.
Consultations
Phytopagan.com offers fee-based consultation and contracting services to assist landowners and managers in promoting ecologically oriented land management planning, prioritization, and practices. Ranging from basic plant identification to fully comprehensive floristic plant surveys to development of appropriate management strategies and techniques, we aim to promote ecological conservation in partnership with our ecologically conscientious clients. Please contact us to initiate a discussion about your interests in conservation and providing for future generations of plants and people.
Plant Walks
Since most plants won’t come our way, we’ll go out of our way to lead you into the wonderful wilderness of wild plants — on their terms! In addition to offering botanically oriented walks for various organizations, we’ll endeavor to find new places to explore and new ways to look at the familiar. Please refer to the Events Calendar to see the schedule of upcoming opportunities in observational ecology, in which you are invited to participate. Bring your cameras and your curiosity!