Sometimes we get sidetracked with bunnies and baskets at this time of year. But we can get beyond those to see the beauty and bounty in our everyday biological world.

For those of you who aren’t aware that live oak trees drop their leaves every year despite the fact that we describe them as evergreen, look at the ground now. If you have live oak trees ...

One of the country’s more whimsical-looking trees, the live oak is also one of the strongest. Indeed, it has saved the lives of thousands of people who have clung to its limbs during hurricanes.

A mature Englemann oak in Escondido’s Daley Ranch. The trees can eventually reach 60 feet tall and just as wide, but they don’t grow as fast as coast live oaks. / Photo by Robert Krier But Crouch ...