Woah, these guys are pretty cute! ABC7 News got a sneak peek of the new Earthquake exhibit that opens this Saturday. The story takes a decidedly adorable turn as they introduce us to the baby ostriches that are being hatched and put out on the exhibit floor.

What do ostriches have to do with earthquakes? Well, yes, adult males at 9 feet are probably tall enough to hide under during a quake, but it’s more scientific than that…

The ostrich’s closest relatives are other flightless birds such as rheas, emus, and kiwis that evolved on separate continents – a direct results of the supercontinent “Pangea” splitting apart thanks to continental drift. So these cute little birds are there to illustrate how earthquake and evolution affect each other.

Science AND cuteness, sounds like a fun exhibit.

Sarah B.

Photo by @SFRecParkGM

Warren Hellman isn’t the only local celebrity to get a piece of Golden Gate Park named after themselves.

This afternoon, Middle Drive East in Golden Gate Park got a new name: Nancy Pelosi Drive. Its a stretch of road that connects Martin Luther King Jr. and John F. Kennedy Drives in the park, near the Academy of Sciences and tennis complex.

According to Huffington Post SF, today’s 2pm ceremony – which included Mayor Ed Lee – was designed to highlight “Pelosi’s efforts to combat HIV/AIDS over the past three decades… Pelosi will also be honored for helping to preserve the Presidio, rehabilitating Crissy Field Air Field, securing billions in earthquake relief and helping to expand public transportation around the city.”

More photos from the naming ceremony

Sarah B.

Inside the Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park. Photo by caruba

Photo by Nina Sazevich | Conservatory of Flowers

It’s too bad the dinosaurs died off millions of years ago. If they’d survived, they would have found some tasty treats at the new Plantosaurus Rex exhibition that opened yesterday at the Conservatory of Flowers in Golden Gate Park.

We’ve all learned the names of the dinosaur greats like Stegosaurus, Tyrannosaurus Rex, but how much do you know about what they ate and how they survived? Platosaurus Rex recreates a prehistoric paradise, displaying the giant ferns, spiky horsetails, and primitive cycads that grew in abundance and fed many of the monstrous reptiles that roamed the earth millions of years ago.

Tucked in with the plants on display are larger than life dinosaur models – you may have spotted the T-Rex’s head popping through the ceiling of the Conservatory as you passed by on JFK Drive. In one section of the exhibit, visitors come face to face with a scale model Meganeura, a massive dragonfly-like creature with a wingspan of over 2 feet. It’s the largest insect that ever lived.

The exhibition follows a timeline through various prehistoric eras, starting with the Triassic Period (250 to 205 million years ago), when the hot, dry climate forced plants to be near water to survive. Ferns, cycads, and lycopods (club mosses) are the horticultural heroes of this period.

Next up is the Jurassic Period (approx. 206 to 144 million years ago), known as the heyday for dinosaurs. Pangea had split in two creating new coastlines, and a warmer, wetter climate – the perfect environment for plants to thrive. The dominant land plant species of the time were non-flowering, fruitless seed plants including Gingko and conifers like Araucaria along with another important dinosaur food, horsetails.

Last up is the Cretaceous Period (approx. 144 – 65 million years ago), when flowering plants first came on the scene. Orchids, water lilies, and magnolias dominate this section of the exhibition. Well, the real dominate character is the giant, 23 foot tall T-Rex model among the plant life, but unlike the real thing, this one won’t bite.

The Conservatory has created a booklet for the exhibition that helps guide visitors through the different eras, and includes activities for younger dinosaur seekers. Docents are also on hand to share fossils.

Plantosaurus Rex runs through October 21, 2012. The Conservatory of Flowers is open Tuesday through Sunday from 10am until 4:30pm (last entry at 4pm). Put on your best paleontologist gear and head on over!

Sarah B.

Photo by Nina Sazevich | Conservatory of Flowers

Photo by Nina Sazevich | Conservatory of Flowers

This Sunday is Mother’s Day and SF Rec & Park is getting in on the celebration with a free flower promotion in the park.

Bring Mom by one of three Golden Gate Park landmark gardens this Sunday and she’ll get a free flower at the entrance.

Swing by the Conservatory of Flowers and you can check out their new Plantosaurus Rex exhibition that opened this week. Or stop by the Japanese Tea Garden for a little sushi or tea and stroll through the grounds. And if a longer walk is more what Mom has in mind, stop by the Botanical Garden to explore plants and trees from all over the world, and watch some feathered friends frolic in the pond.

Free flowers are available for the first 100 moms who grace the entrances of each garden, so be sure to get Mom fed and out to the park early! The Botanical Garden and Japanese Tea Garden open at 9am, the Conservatory of Flowers opens at 10am.

Happy Mother’s Day!

Sarah B.

We got word last week that a local Pedicab company is looking to expand across the city, including adding routes in the Richmond District.

Cabrio Taxi, known for their glittery red cabs, currently operates on the Embarcadero, offering rides to locals and tourists via their fleet of bicycle-powered taxis. According to their website, they also offer tours and services for special events.

Apparently business is booming and Cabrio wants to add more routes in the city. In their route map application to the SFPD and SFMTA (view application (PDF)), the company says they have plans to “grow into the cultural and commercial pockets of San Francisco such as the Marina, North Beach, SOMA, Mission, Polk St., Haight and the GGPark/Panhandle areas.”

Officer Tobius Moore, Permit Officer for the Richmond District station, said in an email that Cabrio Taxi wants to offer transportation between Golden Gate Park and the Presidio, and to support large events happening in Golden Gate Park (like Outside Lands, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass).

“Their main focus for the Richmond District is to provide “green transportation” for people between The Presidio and Golden Gate Park on normal days and nights. When there is a large event or festival in Golden Gate Park, the company’s focus is transporting people from Golden Gate Park to businesses and bus routes along Geary Boulevard, Clement Street, and California Street to help alleviate pedestrian congestion around Fulton Street and Golden Gate Park,” Moore wrote.

The route map in their application shows service running along JFK and MLK Drives in Golden Gate Park, as well as along Lake Street. Pedicabs would use 25th Avenue to exit and enter the park during the day, and 8th Avenue as well in the evenings.

No word on how much Cabrio Taxi plans to charge for rides. I haven’t been in a pedicab for years and the last time I inquired about a ride down on the wharf, I was pretty surprised at how high the price was. One Yelp reviewer notes that it’s “about twice as expensive per mile as a cab, but they can go up all the walking streets too!”

In addition to providing green transportation, Cabrio Taxi says the presence of their drivers can also help reduce crime in local neighborhoods. “Part of our legacy contribution to the City will be the fact that we will help in crime prevention. We hope to have our operators work with the local stations to become educated and certified for simple emergency response procedures. This has proven to be effective in other cities,” they wrote in their proposal.

Cabrio’s goal is to be permitted to operate their pedicab service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, but note that they would likely not have any in operation between 4am and 10am in the mornings. Their “staging” areas would be at fire hydrants, per suggestion from the SFMTA.

Officer Moore notes that the pedicab company has engaged in ample community outreach about their plan, yet no Richmond District organizations made their contact list. In his email, Moore reached out to local groups like the Planning Association for the Richmond (PAR), the Geary Merchant’s Association, The Richmond Review newspaper, as well as local business owners and landlords for feedback.

What do you think about a pedicab service operating in the neighborhood? Leave a comment to let us know.

Sarah B.

It’s not just the Great Blue Herons that are nesting and raising babies at Stow Lake right now. The Canadian Geese are busy too. Thanks to Thomas K. Pendergast for snapping this cute pic of a mom with her babes.

“What’s amazing to me is this is really the newest generation of dinosaurs, that is, birds in general are direct descendants of the dinosaurs who managed to survive the asteroid 65 million years ago. With these little goslings I can see them as tiny baby raptors,” Thomas wrote.

Sarah B.

Photo by Hanson Switzky

You still have a couple more weekends to spy on the Great Blue Herons that are nesting at Stow Lake!

Sarah B.