The incredible diversity of flora and fauna at Muir Woods can be daunting some times, elusive at other times. The redwoods themselves dominate the scene, but Steller’s jays often steal the show. Ladybugs clustering by the thousands on ancient horsetail ferns boggle the imagination, while the slimy banana slug is able to disgust and fascinate all at once. Plants adapt to low light levels on the forest floor, while whole plant/animal communities bustle in the canopy above our heads.
John Muir was ahead of the Internet revolution when he wrote,
“When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the universe.”
