What does it take to turn a heavily altered landscape into a productive ecosystem? At the Cuyama sites, we’re learning that there’s no single answer. Transformation is an experiment: by carefully monitoring what happens, we can learn which approaches help native plants establish, which conditions matter most, and how those early successes translate into long-term…
What if a garden wasn’t designed for people at all? What if it were designed for bees, butterflies, moths, beetles, and the many other pollinators that keep ecosystems alive? This question sits at the heart of Pollinator Pathmaker, an internationally celebrated artwork by Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg. Santa Barbara Botanic Garden is excited to help bring…
For 22 years, scientists at Santa Barbara Botanic Garden have been asking what genetic diversity might mean for a rare tree. Then, in 2026, a wildfire changed the stakes. One of the Rarest Trees on Earth Every day, visitors pass two Torrey pines (Pinus torreyana) near the Garden’s entrance without realizing how special they are.…
Santa Rosa Island, also known as Wima by the indigenous communities who originally inhabited it, is the second largest of the four islands in the Channel Islands National Park system. It supports some rare and endemic plant species, including the island subspecies of Torrey pine (Pinus torreyana subsp. insularis), which is almost entirely limited to…
Over the past year, we’ve shared the excitement of bringing native, water-wise plants to working landscapes across the Cuyama Valley. Planting days are often the most visible part of restoration, but they’re only the beginning. Once the plants are in the ground, the real work begins: caring for them, learning from them, and watching how…
Santa Barbara Botanic Garden Call to Action The United States Department of Agriculture has extended its original 30-day window for the public to submit comments on the proposed rescission of the popular 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule (ie., Roadless Rule). Santa Barbara Botanic Garden strongly opposes this proposed rule change and encourages everybody to submit…
Combustion Testing recommends Low Flammability, Waterwise Native Taxa for Defensible Space Landscaping. Throughout my Ph.D., I pursued questions about plant flammability, guided by the philosophy that more information will lead to improved safety outcomes and help us move towards a future where native ecology complements fire protection. With my start as the Garden’s Fire Scientist…
On May 12, 2026, the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden partnered with Channel Islands Restoration and University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR) to host its first Goldspotted Oak Borer (GSOB) Blitz and training event at the San Marcos Foothills Preserve. Six volunteers joined Garden staff, along with representatives from local environmental organizations and the Fire Safe Council, to…
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