Inflorescence

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In·flo·res·cence: noun. 1. A cluster or arrangement of flowers which tops wildflowers and grasses. Visible if you bend to look closely in a Point Reyes coastal prairie, perhaps on a warm day.

Inflorescence is a series exploring the biodiversity of Point Reyes’ coastal grasslands, and what land stewards are doing to preserve and restore this endangered habitat. Read on to meet the characters of this unfolding ecological story—the landscape is rare, teeming with life, and worth getting to know.


Wading Through Coastal Grasslands, California’s Quilted Refuge

July 21, 2025 – It’s an early summer afternoon in Point Reyes, and Kelsey Songer—botanist at Point Reyes National Seashore Association (PRNSA)—wades through a vast ocean of green. Waves of wind shake the grass and an alligator lizard scampers at her feet. Arriving at her destination, Songer outlines a small one-square-meter patch—a seemingly insignificant space in this vast landscape, like a single grain of sand on a beach.

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About the Author

A woman wearing her brown hair in braids, a headband, and a black puffy jacket smiles in front of historic ruins.

Avani Fachon (she/her) is a multimedia storyteller inspired by stories of interconnection in the natural world—the magic which happens when dust from the Sahara flutters across oceans to nourish far-away trees and when a hummingbird’s beak evolves just-right to sip nectar from a flower. She holds a B.A. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology with a minor in Media Production from University of Colorado Boulder, where she was involved with several art-science projects.

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About the Artist

A woman in a black sweater and red hat smiles in front of a body of water and cliffs.

Sophie Wood Brinker (she/her) is a science illustrator who works with paint and pencil to communicate the brilliance and intricacy of the ecosystems that surround us. Her art scales from drawing the texture of butterfly wings to painting 15-foot protest banners. She has a BA in Peace and Global Studies from Earlham College and is a graduate of the Science Illustration Program at California State University, Monterey Bay.

Two brown owls with white spots sitting on a tree branch looking to their right with big black eyes. Text says "Support the Seashore" and "Take action today!"