Media
As a freelance writer, Madroño founder Geoffrey Coffey studies the native flora of the Bay Area and explores the benefits of using local native plants in the built landscape.
Collected here are Coffey's "Locals Only" columns from the
San Francisco Chronicle. For other written works, please see the archives page at his home site.
All articles © by Geoffrey Coffey, All Rights Reserved.
 May 17, 2006
Earth Stewards get a look beyond the street
Working with native plants helps at-risk youth
stay out of jail
 February 18, 2006
To Learn about Native Plants, Just Dig Right In
New book opens the door for gardeners interested in planting California natives
 January 1, 2006
View from
Dinosaur Peak Reveals Old Treasures
A new year's ode to the joys of off-trail hiking among the ancient oaks of the East Bay
 December 3, 2005
Bonny Doon: Exploring
the Silver Strand
Rare plant community in the Santa Cruz Mountains gives inspiration for new color and texture in the garden
 July 13, 2005
Treasure
Hunting on Yerba Buena Island
San Francisco's newest neighborhood to be landscaped with locally appropriate native plants
 May 18, 2005
A Tale of Two Pools in the Valley of the Moon
Ecological stewardship can save Sonoma County's rare and fascinating vernal pools
 April 20, 2005
Brisbane
Acres and the Blood of the Lamb
An Easter meditation on jeopardy and salvation in these privately owned native grasslands
 March 16, 2005
Native Plants
Survive on Bernal Hill
San Francisco's best display of urban wildflowers puts on a fabulous springtime show
 February 19, 2005
Living Large
in Muir Woods
Old-growth redwood forests can still be found within 15 miles of San Francisco
 January 19, 2005
Cedar
Mountain Ridge
An epic and quixotic journey in search of the tallest manzanita in the world
 December 15, 2004
A Study
of Ancient History on Strawberry Hill
Small pockets of the original native flora still growing in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park
 November 17, 2004
Connections Run Deep in Lagunitas Creek
Rich riparian corridor in Marin enjoys water-loving flora and the annual return of spawing salmon
 October 20, 2004
Born from the
Salt
Ancient cycles of life, death, and rebirth on Bair Island
 September 15, 2004
Step Back in
Time to Leona Canyon
Open space in Oakland at the intersection of natural and urban, of knowledge and the unknown
 August 18, 2004
A Call for Mercy
at Lake Merced
Sand-loving native plants still thrive among golf courses and trout fishermen in the heart of the city
 July 28, 2004
Going in for
Natural Solitude on Mt. Wanda
Historic oak woodlands in hilly Martinez were formerly John Muir's hometown haunt
 June 16, 2004
Taking the Waters
at El Polin
Freshwater spring in the Presidio of San Francisco was the legendary source of pre-Columbian viagra
 May 22, 2004
Mariposa Lilies
and Monoliths on Ring Mountain
Open space preserve in Marin holds great botanical, archaeological, and spiritual treasures
 April 24, 2004
Role Reversal
on Coyote Ridge
Common cattle come to the rescue of rare and endangered butterflies
 March 27, 2004
Nursing Biodiversity
on Twin Peaks
Remnant native grasslands and abundant urban wildflowers at the breast of the Franciscan flora
 February 28, 2004
Natural Longevity on Montara Mountain
An attractive quid-pro-quo: take care of the mountain and the mountain will take care of you
 January 24, 2004
The Fire and
the Bloom Are One
A poetic exploration of natural succession at Oakland's Huckleberry Preserve
 December 27, 2003
Hark, the Woodland
Angel Sings
A walk through the divine oak woodlands of Angel Island helps to keep the old stories alive
 November 29, 2003
A Congress of Voices on San Bruno Mountain
History speaks through native plants, rare butterflies, Indian shell mounds, and contemporary conflicts
 October 25, 2003
Sympathy for
the Devil
The native flora of Mount Diablo gives us
both tricks and treats
 September 27, 2003
Gold and Green
and Pearls Everlasting
Chasing botanical wealth on Sweeney Ridge in the historic footsteps of Conquistador Portola
 July 26, 2003
A Wrangling
of Species on Mount Davidson
"Survival of the Fittest" applies to native plants, exotic trees, and the human victims of genocide
 June 28, 2003
Intersection of Seabed and Sky
The red chert hills of Corona Heights, former ancient sea floor, now a lofty hotspot for local native plants
 May 31, 2003
Splashes with
Wolves
Lobos Creek is the last natural open waterway still flowing in the city of San Francisco
 March 8, 2003
Fabulous
Fynbos
South African plants thrive in the familiar Mediterranean climate of the San Francisco Bay Area
 December 18, 2002
Manzanita Charms
Bay Area Terrain
The "little apple" can be all things at once to the lover of shrubs, for complete satisfaction at any time of year
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