Factual errors

by Steve Fry
(Hermosa Beach, CA)

Hi,
I just discovered your site and was perusing several screens and noticed a number of errors. I'll only talk about the Big Trees now; if you respond I'll look over in more detail for the other errors.

I lived in the Mariposa grove for two years, and the Giant Sequoia is my favorite plant. I currently have nine trees growing in my back yard. First question is why you refer to them as Sequoias or Redwoods? They are called Giant Sequoia, and are also in the Redwood family along with the coastal redwood and the Dawn redwood. When you say "and redwood" it may be confusing to people who might think these trees are the same as the coast redwood. The scientific name is Sequoiadendron Giganteum, which is in a completely different genus than the coast redwood, which is Sequoia Sepevirons.

You only mention the Mariposa grove, yet there are two other fine groves in Yosemite -- the Tuolumne grove and the Merced grove.

You say the the Rangers wear a sequoia emblem on the belt and hatband. That is wrong -- it is an emblem of a sequoia cone.
I remember looking my father's belt (he was a ranger) and the engraved cones.

Regards,
-- Steve Fry