San Diego is renowned as a biodiversity hot spot, but its reputation became official when the region placed among the top three regions in the City Nature Challenge, an international contest to tally plant and wildlife sightings over a four-day period.

The event, which ran April 27-30, enlisted 17,329 outdoor enthusiasts from 68 cities in the Americas, Europe and Asia, to capture images of local flora and fauna, according to the website for the app iNaturalist, which participants used to upload their photos and data.

http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/communities/north-county/sd-me-nature-challenge-20180504-story.html

More than 40 free events are set for this weekend and next weekend throughout the county as part of the 15th annual San Diego River Days.

The two-weekend celebration of the 52-mile San Diego River starts Saturday, May 12, and Sunday May 13, with more events Saturday, May 19, and Sunday, May 20.

http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/communities/east-county/sd-se-river-events-20180509-story.html

Findings suggest that coastal sage scrub, Southern California’s dominant native plant, is generally resilient to wildfire and can reach pre- burn cover within four years, but it is vulnerable to drought conditions.

Researchers also found that wildlife managers can assist scrub and other native plant species growth by removing non-native species, as such plants grow abundantly in burn areas and risk crowding out native types.

https://timesofsandiego.com/tech/2018/05/25/study-provides-look-into-native-plant-recovery-following-wildfires/