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Sourgrass Natural Dye Video Tutorial

There’s more to sourgrass than its lip-puckering powers. Dig a little deeper with this natural dye video tutorial.

Sourgrass (Oxalis sp.) is a plant of extremes: children love its strong flavor, pollinators gorge on its abundant nectar, many adore its ability to overwhelm a field when in bloom, and many still detest the invasive qualities of some of its species. Oxalis pes-caprae, native to South Africa, has made itself comfortably at home in California, forming dense mats that outcompete native plant species for light and space.

Whether you love it or can’t stand it, sourgrass has an interesting hidden quality that is both useful and exciting: it dyes fabric a vibrant, neon, highlighter-yellow color. Watch our video tutorial to learn how to play with its pigment and explore more resources below:

Post by Marisa. Explore other resources from The Museum At Your Side.

All Resources

Yvonne Byers painting a watercolor of a cactus

“The Museum At Your Side” is a collection of hands-on activities, informative articles, and engaging videos to connect you with nature and science wherever you are!

Below are all of our activities at a glance:

A Collection of Resources

4 blackbird eggs

We’ve compiled some of our favorite online resources for digging-deeper into natural history. From virtual tours of other natural history collections to digital field guides that can supplement your outdoor adventures, explore what our community (both local and global) has to offer!

Digital Field Guides

  • Animal Tracks: Nature Tracking compiles animal tracking resources in order to “make learning to identify animal tracks as easy and fun as possible.” We also have our own animal tracking activity, here.
  • Feathers: The Feather Atlas is an image database dedicated to the identification and study of the flight feathers of North American birds.
  • Amphibians: Get to know our slithery and slimy friends through AmphibiaWeb, an online field guide and database of amphibians.
  • Birds: Identify your backyard birds, keep track of what you observe, and get to know the many birds that you encounter any given day through the definitive resource for birds and bird watching in North America — the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and their Merlin Bird ID app.
  • Marine Animals: The Marine Species Identification Portal offers information on thousands of different species in the world’s oceans and seas.

Digital Databases, Virtual Tours, and More

  • Biodiversity Heritage Library: An open access digital library for biodiversity literature and archives. BHL’s global consortium of natural history, botanical, and research libraries cooperate to digitize and make their collections accessible as a part of a global “biodiversity commons.”
  • Cloud Appreciation Society: Get a little poetic about nature and explore the Cloud Appreciation Society who urge you to “Look up, marvel at the ephemeral beauty, and always remember to live life with your head in the clouds!”
  • National Parks: Maybe your vacation was postponed, but you can still explore our National Parks through these virtual tours.
  • Duke University: A database of 3D images of specimens for “Educators Organizing Online Courses Using Biological Specimens.”
  • The American Museum of Natural History: AMNH hosts a long list of activities, articles, videos and more, for educators, families, students, and anyone interested in teaching or learning about science.
  • Brains On: An award-winning science podcast for kids and curious adults from American Public Media.
  • NASA: A vast collection of images, videos, and articles all about space.
  • Smithsonian Museum of Natural History: Virtual tours of the museum and its collections.

Local Resources

Post by: Marisa

Naturalist Award Recipient 2025: Jeb Bishop

Jeb Bishop Ecologist, Volunteer, and Advocate for Native Plant Restoration

The Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History is pleased to announce Dr. Jeb Bishop as the 2025 Laura Hecox Naturalist Award recipient. Jeb Bishop is a passionate ecologist and community leader dedicated to native plant restoration and ecological conservation. With an innate curiosity for the natural world, Jeb earned a Ph.D. in biochemistry from the University of Michigan and enjoyed a successful career in the medical diagnostics industry before retiring in 2014.

Jeb’s interest in sustainable landscaping and drought-tolerant plants was sparked when he moved to California in 1990 during the tail end of a seven-year drought. His early efforts taking on the landscaping for his local homeowners association engendered his appreciation for native ecosystems and propelled him into volunteering in habitat restoration across Santa Cruz County. Over many years, he gained extensive knowledge of native flora and invasive species through hands-on experience and collaboration with fellow volunteers. Linda Brodman, leader of the local CNPS habitat restoration team, was a seminal influence on Jeb’s early development in restoration, providing inspiration, education, and mentoring.

Jeb gravitated over time towards two restoration projects both within walking distance of his home in the Seabright neighborhood. A few years before his retirement, he became the first volunteer in the new group formed by Nancy Lenz to restore Pilkington Creek to native habitat. Gaining experience with Nancy’s support, he became more knowledgeable in riparian woodland ecology. He later went on to lead this project for four years.

At the point of retiring in 2014, Jeb shifted his focus to a second restoration project, on Seabright State Beach, being led by Bill Henry, the founder and director of Groundswell Coastal Ecology. Acquiring new perspectives and learning dune and coastal bluff ecology under Bill’s mentorship, Jeb went on to lead a team of volunteers for eight years. They successfully transformed this area, reducing invasive species cover from about 90% to just 10% and replacing them with thriving native vegetation.

Jeb was a longterm volunteer with restoration projects at Pilkington Creek and Seabright Beach. Both within walking distance of his home in the Seabright neighborhood and the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History.

In both his work at Seabright Beach and Pilkington Creek a hallmark of Jeb’s approach to ecological restoration was his meticulous attention to soil conditions, sunlight, and seasonal factors to ensure the long-term survival of native plants. Another hallmark was persistence – returning to the same locations again and again and again over years, weeding and watering repetitively until the plants were well established and self-sustaining. These efforts revitalized the local environment, creating vital habitats for native wildlife and pollinators, including bumblebees, butterflies, snowy plovers, a burrowing owl, and many other species. Pilkington Creek is now also an acknowledged birding hotspot.

Even as Jeb faced health challenges in very recent years, the organizational and team structures he built ensured that these projects remained vibrant. His collaborations with the City of Santa Cruz, the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History, California State Parks, and Groundswell Coastal Ecology helped establish sustainable practices that continue to support them. By mentoring others and passing on his expertise, he fostered a culture of environmental stewardship that endures beyond his active involvement. His leadership inspired a community of
naturalists and volunteers and created a lasting legacy of ecological restoration. Today, Jeb’s efforts serve as a blueprint for community-driven conservation, exemplifying the power of collective action and education in preserving and restoring natural ecosystems.

3/23 Intro to Plein Air Painting – Sandhills

Go outside and learn to paint gouache and watercolor landscapes while surrounded by nature as inspiration. This open-air art workshop will teach the techniques necessary to capture environmental perspectives through the creative use of negative space, layering, various stroke techniques, and more.

Using the Museum’s exclusive access to various vistas as reference, participants will be guided through the basics of transferring the beauty of beaches and shorelines to canvas with step-by-step instruction.

No prior experience required. Participants will have a completed art piece to take home at the conclusion of the workshop. Open to ages 16+/all experience levels. All supplies included.

Sunday, March 23, 2024
10 AM  –  1 PM

Register


Location:  To be released closer to the date of the program, with the goal of featuring seasonal environments.
Class Size: 18 Students
Class Fee: $43 – Museum Members receive a special discounted price applied at checkout.
Materials:  All supplies are included in the class fee.
Instructor: Taylor Seamount

This class takes place outside; dress appropriately for the outdoors. Supplies may get messy, so casual attire is recommended.

About the Instructor

Website: taylorseamount.com

Instagram: @taylorseamount

Growing up in the natural beauty of Santa Cruz, CA, Taylor was set on a winding path between science and art. She received her bachelors in biochemistry at UC Davis and later spent two years at the Mark Kang-O’Higgins Modern Painting Atelier in Seattle. After the atelier, Taylor moved back home to Santa Cruz due to a worsening of her invisible disability, POTS. Adapting to her new limitations, Taylor’s artistic practice refocused from large imaginative realist oil paintings to small works in gouache. She came to aspire to the visionary landscape styles of gouache illustrators, James Gurney (Dinotopia) and Kazuo Oga (Studio Ghibli), and accordingly began to study natural color and light through plein air (i.e. painting landscapes on location outdoors). As plein air became central to her creative practice, she developed a distinctive crisp flat-brush style. Additionally, she began a successful business designing and selling her own unique ultra-light-weight plein air sketch easels, fabricated here in Santa Cruz. As a UC Certified California Naturalist and climate justice artivist, Taylor uses plein air and solar punk illustration to envision a regenerative future for her community. In this work, she often collaborates with local activists and environmental stewards. Hobbies not yet incorporated into her work are napping and saying hi to the native plants that are walking distance from her house. Her pronouns are both they/them and she/her.  

2/28 Fluorescent Fungi & Bioluminescent (DNA) Barcodes

Glowing, glowing, gone! For the last lecture of Fungus February, explore the brilliant world of bioluminesce. In this illuminating lecture, learn about the fluorescing fungi that glow under ultraviolet light, mushrooms that create their own light, even in complete darkness, and what in their DNA is coded for them to exhibit these beautiful characteristics. Using hundreds of high quality photos, explore the mysterious world of bioluminescent and fluorescent fungi, and shine some light on the science of their unique DNA.   

  • Class Fee: $16 – Museum Members receive a special discounted price applied at checkout.
  • Instructor: Alan Rockefeller, Mycology Taxonomist and Founder of mycena
  • Class Size: 60 participants
  • Materials: Light refreshments will be served prior to the start of the program.

Early Members Registration opens Tuesday, January 14th at 12 a.m.

Slots fill up fast! Become a member to access early registration and other perks!

General Registration opens Wednesday, January 15th at 12 a.m.

Date: Friday, February 28th

Time: 6 – 8 p.m.

Location: Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History

1305 East Cliff DR, Santa Cruz, CA

Register

Explore more Fungus February events!

2/26 Sky Islands, Sea Islands, Dry Islands, & the Biogeography of Macrofungi

Making maps of the distributions of organisms is one of the most fascinating topics in all of natural history. The theory of island biogeography serves as an ideal starting point in understanding broader patterns of how life travels from adaptation to extinction. How do fungi behave in comparison to other groups of organisms? In what ways do island-dwelling individuals differ from their mainland cousins? Come on an expedition to uncover the geographical mysteries of mushrooms!

  • Class Fee: $16 – Museum Members receive a special discounted price applied at checkout.
  • Instructor: Christian Schwarz, Research Associate at the Norris Center for Natural History at UCSC & Santa Barbara Botanical Garden
  • Class Size: 60 participants
  • Materials: Light refreshments will be served prior to the start of the program.

Early Members Registration opens Tuesday, January 14th at 12 a.m.

Slots fill up fast! Become a member to access early registration and other perks!

General Registration opens Wednesday, January 15th at 12 a.m.

Date: Wednesday, February 26th

Time: 6 – 8 p.m.

Location: Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History

1305 East Cliff DR, Santa Cruz, CA

Register

Explore more Fungus February events!

2/22 East Glenwood Mushroom Exploration

In collaboration with the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County, adventure through exclusive areas as you partake in a fungus exploration! Guided by a master mycologist, prepare to venture into the unknown as you scout for seasonal mushrooms. Open to ages 12+. Appropriate for all skill levels. 

  • Class Fee: $35 – Museum Members receive a special discounted price applied at checkout.
  • Instructor: Liv Fragiacomo, Applied Mycology Fieldwork Lead for the University of California, Santa Cruz
  • Class Size: 15 participants per timeslot  
  • FYI: This program runs rain or shine. Please dress appropriately for all weather and a light hike. 

Date: Saturday, February 22nd

Timeslots: 10 – 11 a.m. | 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. | 1 – 2 p.m.

Location: East Glenwood Open Space Preserve

300-414 Glenwood Dr, Scotts Valley, CA 

Early Members Registration opens Tuesday, January 14th at 12 a.m.

Slots fill up fast! Become a member to access early registration and other perks!

General Registration opens Wednesday, January 15th at 12 a.m.

Timeslot A

10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.

Register

Timeslot B

11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Register

Timeslot C

1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Register

Explore more Fungus February events!

2/21 Spore Prints & Mushroom Painting

Capture the intricate beauty of mushrooms using the mushroom spores as the painting medium. Utilizing local Santa Cruz County mushrooms as both the reference and art material, participants will learn how to paint and print mushrooms using the spores and gills. In addition to learning two different art techniques, there will also be a scientific lecture on mushroom spores, reproduction, and biology.

Learn the basics of spore pressings and printings with step-by-step instruction by a master mushroom artist. Using spores, apply your mushroom observations to hue, composition, color theory, layering, and more. This class is perfect for aspiring artists or creative nature lovers with no prior experience, only a passion for the arts and sciences.

Mushrooms for reference will be provided by the artist, but participants are welcome to bring their own mushrooms as well. Participants will have two completed art pieces to take home at the conclusion of the workshop. Open to ages 16+/all experience levels. All supplies included.

  • Class Fee: $45 – Museum Members receive a special discounted price applied at checkout.
  • Instructor: Chloe Rickards
  • Class Size: 22 Students
  • FYI: This class takes place indoors. Supplies may get messy, so casual attire is recommended.

Date: Friday, February 21st

Time: 6 – 8 p.m.

Location: Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History

1305 East Cliff DR, Santa Cruz, CA

Register

Early Members Registration opens Tuesday, January 14th at 12 a.m.

Slots fill up fast! Become a member to access early registration and other perks!

General Registration opens Wednesday, January 15th at 12 a.m.

Explore more Fungus February events!

2/19 Cordyceps, Cappuccinos, & Mind Control

Fungus February just got a whole lot spookier, especially when the topic is parasitic zombie fungi! Learn about the sinister Cordyceps mushroom that infects insects using mind-controlling spores and turns them into the walking dead. Why is this the same mushroom people are using for an energizing coffee replacement?! Learn how the zombification process works, if it really is a caffeine substitute, and if humans are at risk of being its next zombie victim. If you dare…!

  • Class Fee: $16 – Museum Members receive a special discounted price applied at checkout.
  • Instructor: Chloe Rickards, Entomology disease ecologist at the City College of San Francisco
  • Class Size: 60 participants
  • Materials: Light refreshments will be served prior to the start of the program.

Early Members Registration opens Tuesday, January 14th at 12 a.m.

Slots fill up fast! Become a member to access early registration and other perks!

General Registration opens Wednesday, January 15th at 12 a.m.

Date: Wednesday, February 19th

Time: 6 – 8 p.m.

Location: Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History

1305 East Cliff DR, Santa Cruz, CA

Register

Explore more Fungus February events!

2/15 & 2/16 Fungus February Flameworking & Glassblowing

Looking for a fiery way to enjoy Fungus February? Experience the excitement of glassblowing in this special hands-on flameworkging program hosted by the talented artists of “Little Wolf Glass!”

This workshop will teach the process of melting and molding glass into a beautiful molten masterpiece. Under the supervision of a master glass artist, all participants will be assigned their own glassblowing station and learn to use specialized torches and tools to shape glass into a one-of-a-kind glass mushroom pendant to be brought home! Open to ages 16+. Appropriate for all skill levels. All materials and safety supplies are included. 

  • Class Fee: $95 – Museum Members receive a special discounted price applied at checkout.
  • Instructor: Matt Szidik, Master glassblower from Little Wolf Glass   
  • Materials Fee: All supplies and safety equipment are included in class fee. 
  • Class Size: 4 participants per timeslot, with each timeslot lasting 50 minutes.

Weekend Two: Saturday, February 15th & Sunday February 16th

Timeslots A, B, C, D, E, F detailed below

Location: Tyrrell Park, behind the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History

1305 E Cliff Dr, Santa Cruz, CA 95062

Early Members Registration opens Tuesday, January 14th at 12 a.m.

Slots fill up fast! Become a member to access early registration and other perks!

General Registration opens Wednesday, January 15th at 12 a.m.

Saturday, February 15th

Timeslot A

10 – 10:50 a.m.

Register

Timeslot B

11 – 11:50 a.m.

Register

Timeslot C

12 – 12:50 p.m.

Register

Timeslot D

2 – 2:50 p.m.

Register

Timeslot E

3 – 3:50 p.m.

Register

Timeslot F

4 – 4:50 p.m.

Register

Sunday, February 16th

Timeslot A

10 – 10:50 a.m.

Register

Timeslot B

11 – 11:50 a.m.

Register

Timeslot C

12 – 12:50 p.m.

Register

Timeslot D

2 – 2:50 p.m.

Register

Timeslot E

3 – 3:50 p.m.

Register

Timeslot F

4 – 4:50 p.m.

Register

Explore more Fungus February events!

2/15 Saturdays in the Soil

We are coming together as a community to steward Tyrrell Park through the City’s Adopt-A-Park program. At the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History, you gain new wisdom about local ecology, native plants, and sustainable gardening while connecting with nature outdoors. It’s time to get your hands dirty! Join us and volunteer in the Museum’s Garden Learning Center and Pilkington Creek.

Saturday, February 15th, 2025| 10 a.m. to noon
Every third Saturday at the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History

Email volunteer@santacruzmuseum.org to RSVP. Space is limited.

What to Expect

  • This project requires volunteer support with general landscaping, occasional watering, weeding, and replanting.
  • Please let us know if you need special accommodations when you email to RSVP.
  • This program happens rain or shine, but we will cancel in the case of muddy conditions or inclement weather.
  • All ages are welcome; children under 14 require adult supervision. Volunteers under 18 require a parent/guardian to sign waivers.
  • Please follow latest guidelines for covid safety at the time of the program.

2/15 Antonelli Pond Mushroom Exploration

In collaboration with the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County, adventure through exclusive areas as you partake in a fungus exploration! Guided by a master mycologist, prepare to venture into the unknown as you scout for seasonal mushrooms. Open to ages 12+. Appropriate for all skill levels. 

  • Class Fee: $35 – Museum Members receive a special discounted price applied at checkout.
  • Instructor: Liv Fragiacomo, Applied Mycology Fieldwork Lead for the University of California, Santa Cruz
  • Class Size: 15 participants per timeslot  
  • FYI: This program runs rain or shine. Please dress appropriately for all weather and a light hike. 

Date: Saturday, February 15th

Timeslots: 10 – 11 a.m. | 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. | 1 – 2 p.m.

Location: Antonelli Pond

Antonelli Pond, Santa Cruz, CA

Early Members Registration opens Tuesday, January 14th at 12 a.m.

Slots fill up fast! Become a member to access early registration and other perks!

General Registration opens Wednesday, January 15th at 12 a.m.

Timeslot A

10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.

Register

Timeslot B

11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Register

Timeslot C

1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Register

Explore more Fungus February events!