Most chaparral plants have small leaves that conserve water, one way they survive hot summers with virtually no rain. "We're standing in a biodiversity hotspot right now, and chaparral is unique ...

HABITAT: The Hermes copper is dependent for survival on its spiny redberry host plant, common in cismontane California coastal sage scrub and chaparral vegetation communities. But for unknown reasons, ...

Joseph Algiers of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area says the native chaparral plants are being replaced by invasive grasses, which are even more flammable. In the mountains north ...