Endangered species—those at risk of going extinct—often tend to get a lot of press and attention. Aside from climate change, they are among the best known environmental issues. Groups like the IUCN spend huge amounts of time and mone...
Almost anybody who has spent time around trees has seen or dealt with sap. For homeowners and gardeners, dealing with trees and their sap can be a regular chore. Sometimes it’s runny and watery, while other times it can be a sticky mess....
Plants are so widespread in natural places that it’s easy to overlook them. Almost everywhere you go at certain times of year, the plants form a wall of green. But how do plants find their habitats in the first place? After all, they can...
If you’re an outdoor adventurer or nature lover, finding new ways to connect with nature can add a new dimension to your experiences. Birdwatching is an increasingly popular pastime among young people around the world. In this post, I’ll...
If you’ve ever picked up an ecology textbook or read some interpretive signs in a natural area, chances are you’ve heard of keystone species. People throw this term around a lot when talking about ecosystems, food webs, and conservation....
As the winter holidays approach, we are reminded of familiar, longstanding traditions. Even though they may be popular, they can also be mysterious. Where did they come from in the first place? One of my favorite examples is mistletoe. B...
Invasive species are a problem in natural areas just about anywhere on Earth. Some, like spongy moths (Lymantria dispar), can damage plants on your property and be a major nuisance. If you live in the Northeastern U.S., you might have pr...
People who love the outdoors often march to the beat of their own drum. While that can make for excellent conversation, it can also make gift-giving a nightmare. Whether you’re shopping for yourself or a nature lover in your life, this g...
The 5 Best Field Guides for the Birds of North America
December 8, 2022Birds, Birdwatching Basics, Book Reviews, Outdoor Tips
One of the most exciting things for a naturalist is running into new and unfamiliar species. This makes field guides an essential part of any nature-lovers go-bag for outdoor adventures. Field guides can help you sleuth out and identify ...
If someone asked you how birds have changed history, you’d probably think of Darwin’s finches or Thanksgiving turkeys. But Phillip Hoose has a very different, unexpected, and fascinating bird story to tell. In this post for Book Reviews,...
Giving Tuesday is a chance to step outside of the consumerist mayhem of the holidays and give something back to the world. If you’re a nature lover, consider supporting an environmental NGO (non-governmental organization). Many NGO’s are...
What’s the difference between butterflies and moths?
November 23, 2022Animals, Bugs, Naturalist Answers
Butterflies and moths are active, fascinating insects that you’ll find all over the world. With over 160,000 species, these bugs in the order Lepidoptera are a fixture in outdoor spaces. Although most people will be quick to tell you tha...
Whether you’re on the road or at the gym, podcasts are a great way to keep your brain active and entertained. Podcasts are a great way to learn about new topics while you’re on the fly. In this Outdoor Tips post, I’ll tell you about 10 n...
Some people say it’s good luck. Most of us, though, aren’t too thrilled to find a white splat on our car or new sweater. And we know just who to blame: birds. Unlike all the other poo in the animal kingdom, theirs is distinctly white. Bu...
Often called “rainforests of the sea”, coral reefs are an iconic marine habitat. Furthermore, they’re a fixture of advertisements for tropical vacations. Tourists are dazzled by the vibrant colors and incredible biodiversity of these bus...
People often uses phrases like “going belly up” to describe dead or dying things. The idea of dead animals with legs sticking up in the air seems especially iconic for insects. For instance, exterminator companies’ logos will often featu...
Although spending time in nature has its own benefits, many people go outside to watch wildlife. Activities like birdwatching or visiting a pollinator garden are almost sure to deliver sightings during spring and summer. However, dependi...
12 scary nature facts for spooky season
October 22, 2022Animals, Biologist Ruins Everything, Fall / Autumn
It’s always worth having cool nature facts at your disposal, whether it’s for a conversation starter or trivia night your local pub. In this Biologist Ruins Everything post, I’ve collected 12 spooky, horrible nature facts to shock and te...
In Fall 2020, some viral photos seemed to imply that our friendly neighborhood squirrels have some superhero flair. The pictures showed squirrels in the same super-cool pose that action movie stars use for dramatic landings. “The Superhe...
By the time Fall comes around, people are too ready to leave the mosquitoes behind and enjoy the cooler weather. Too often on my own Fall picnics, I’ve been about to enjoy a candied apple or cup of cider when the wasps show up. They aggr...
In many parts of the world, the familiar drone of insects is a welcome sign of summer. While crickets serenade us by night, cicadas are among the loudest and most active daytime singers of the bug world. These big, loud, and surprisingly...
The natural world is filled with beautiful colors. If you’ve ever been stung by a bee, then you know that not all colors mean good things. Many plants, animals, and fungi actually have bright colors to say “stay away.” Scientists call th...
Almost every time I pick up a bug to show someone, they ask me the same question. “Does it bite”? Bug bites are certainly one of the most realistic downsides of spending time outdoors. For example, dangers like bear attacks and snake bit...
With their terrific strength, mysterious nature, and stunning beauty, tigers have fascinated people for thousands of years. These incredible predators are the epitome of wild, and inspire awe and admiration worldwide. But how well do you...
While spending time outdoors has many benefits, biting bugs are always an unwelcome reality. While mosquitoes and other biting insects are most active in summer, we tend to imagine that we’re safe from pesky bites in the Fall and Winter....
The science of nature can be intimidating for beginning nature-lovers thanks to the many specialized terms and words it uses. One of the words that naturalists and scientists throw around all the time nowadays is biodiversity. But what e...
America’s National Parks have been a quintessential getaway for city-weary tourists since their establishment more than a century ago. From Yosemite and Yellowstone to Acadia and the Everglades, these parks include some of the most beaut...
The difference between hawks and eagles comes up often when I take people birding. Dazzled by some large bird of prey, we’ll admire it through our binoculars for a while. Sooner or later, someone asks, “”well, is that a hawk or an eagle?...
Many interesting bugs are night-flying or nocturnal, becoming active after dusk. If you’ve ever left a porch light on or had a campfire in the summer, you also know that nighttime bugs are attracted to light. Expressions like “like a mot...
In late Summer and Fall, you may find strange shapes on the stems of plants or tree leaves. These odd growths come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and sometimes even colors. Upon closer inspection, what you might think are fungi or insect...
Forests are perhaps the most iconic and recognized biome on Earth. When most people hear the word nature, a forest is what comes to mind. And with good reason! Forests make up around 1/3 of all the land on Earth. Meanwhile, all of those ...
If you’ve done any research into wildflowers or wild gardening, you’ve probably heard about milkweeds. These pretty and widespread wildflowers are super important for native biodiversity and can attract a lot of fascinating pollinators. ...
If you’ve read other posts from my Nature and Health mini-series, you know that the number of ways that nature improves our health is staggering. Spending time in natural spaces benefits us in so many ways it can be hard to keep track of...
My friend Steve recently sent me a video of some mystery animals from his home in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. When he walked outside on a spring day after some rain showers, he spotted a weird, blue-gray puddle on the pavement. It didn’t...
Summer is a fantastic time to enjoy the outdoors and connect with nature. Unfortunately, in many parts of the world, it’s also when mosquitoes are most active. This means getting snacked-on while you’re trying to enjoy being outside, and...
Natural gardening is an increasingly popular way to reduce environmental impact while creating beautiful outdoor spaces. These spaces can also support wildlife, which is another good thing for the planet. In addition, they provide opport...
During the spring and summer, people often tend to find baby birds in parks, gardens, or at home. Every April I start receiving texts and e-mails from friends worried over the safety of a young bird in their yard or by their office. Ador...
Developers release new outdoor mobile apps all the time. If you’re learning birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology‘s birding app Merlin is one you can’t miss. The app’s new features provide great tools for birdwatchers of all skill levels. Si...
Have you ever heard the expression “higher on the food chain”? Alternatively, another common and related expression is the “web of life” or “circle of life”. All of these terms sound cool and important, but what do they mean? More import...
Outdoor activities and nature study give us a way to escape the daily grind, get some fresh air, and take a break from the indoors. However, beyond just being a source of fun, recreation, and learning, time outdoors also benefits our hea...
For many people, nature helps us slow down and escape the pace and stress of our lives. For others, it’s an opportunity for mountain biking, backpacking, climbing, or birdwatching. Beyond that, an increasing number of people are going ou...
Sometimes of the coolest things in nature are small and hard to notice. Using a magnifying glass, we get a window into entire micro-worlds in our back yards or on a bouldering cliff. In this Wildlife Spotlight post, I want to introduce y...
For me, choosing my first pair of binoculars was a major first step in my naturalist journey. They opened up a whole world of nature and let me get a closer look at all kinds of wildlife. However, getting started with a pair of binocular...
Bugs, and invertebrates in general, have all sorts of superpowers. Marvel’s Spider-Man is a great example of our cultural appreciation for invertebrates’ incredible abilities. Among other things, your friendly neighborhood super-hero can...
Trying to sleep in on a weekend morning in early June, I was awakened by my neighbors. It wasn’t a loud phone call, a.m. dance party or super-loud footsteps upstairs. A Brown thrasher, American robin, and Northern mockingbird had started...
One of the most pleasant parts of spring and summer is the arrival of butterflies. These colorful, lively, harmless insects tend to delight people and symbolize natural beauty. Like the sound of birdsong, butterflies put people at ease a...
How can I attract hummingbirds to my yard?
June 7, 2022Birds, Gardening for Wildlife, Naturalist Answers
Hummingbirds are no-doubt one of the most delightful groups of birds in the Western hemisphere. They’re fast, energetic, spunky, and fly like insects, achieving feats that most birds cannot. In many ways, hummingbirds also symbolize an i...
Sloths are increasingly receiving much-deserved attention and love from animal lovers across the internet. Their odd brand of cuteness, peaceful lifestyles, and exceedingly leafy diets seem to have won many hearts. Sloths are getting a l...
If you want a better look at objects that are close-by, you may want to bring along a magnifying glass....
In early spring, wisteria (Wisteria sinensis) vines and honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica) bushes bloom fragrantly all over North America. The plants are abundantly green, and their elegant blossoms pour their perfume out into the warming a...
Going up thousands of feet or meters in elevation, it's easy to notice temperatures getting cooler, and air getting "thinner". You may also notice the air getting less humid, or the dirt beneath your feet changing. The soil itself may...
In this Wildlife Spotlight post, I’d like to put in a good word for an animal that people see all the time but tend to misjudge: the Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana). These cat-sized, fuzzy, long-whiskered beasts tend to have a po...
As you may have read in my post on describing outdoor places, biomes are the largest category for classifying the natural environment. From scorching deserts and frozen tundra to the endless blue of the marine pelagic zone, biomes highli...
How to garden for wildlife
May 6, 2022Birds, Bugs, Gardening for Wildlife, Naturalist Answers, Outdoor Tips
No matter where you live, it's possible to find an array of wildlife right around your home. Your yard or garden can attract a wealth of fascinating critters for you and your family to enjoy....
The insect world is filled with weird and impressive animals with under-appreciated abilities. Since they’re so small and short-lived, we often fail to notice their miraculous feats and fascinating lifestyles. This means that we end up m...
Does birdsong actually make people more relaxed? Is this ancestral association the reason that people find birdsong relaxing? Do birds really stop singing when there are predators around?...
How to describe outdoor places like a naturalist
April 25, 2022Beginner Naturalist Tips, Outdoor Tips, Tropical Nature
One of the most delightful parts of nature adventures is getting to share them with others. The huge variety of outdoor places is part of what makes the outdoor lifestyle so exciting and rewarding. On the other hand, it can be hard to de...
Being a beginner naturalist means learning the answers to lots of what, why, where, and how questions. What is a lichen? Why do bugs gather around streetlights? Where do you go if you want to spot a kingfisher? How do trees move their se...
The part of my conservation work that people are most interested in is bird banding. Folks see pictures of me holding gorgeous feathered animals and understandably have a lot of questions. How do you catch them? What are you trying to fi...
I recently had my first encounter with the animal celebrity of this week’s Wildlife Spotlight, the kinkajou (Potos flavus). During a visit to Costa Rica last month, some friends and I stayed up chatting long after sunset. We were savorin...
Why do species have scientific names?
March 31, 2022Beginner Naturalist Tips, Outdoor Tips, The Deep Stuff
If you’ve looked at any field guide or read a scientific paper in ecology or biology, you’ve probably run into scientific names. These are the fancy, often Harry-Potter-sounding words written in italics and describing a species. Often ti...
Trees, shrubs, and other plants make a lot of mess when they drop their leaves in the fall. All of the leaves, twigs, branches, and other plant matter can pile up quickly over the course of a year. Within a few weeks or months it can cov...
Observing nature is a fantastic way to track the seasons. After a long winter, most people are eager for signs of spring. We may find ourselves looking for the first robin in our back yard, or for trees to start leafing out. In today’s W...
5 Household bugs that you should know about
March 19, 2022Bugs, Common Household Bugs, Naturalist Answers
Despite our best efforts, invertebrate visitors are common in our homes. As explained in the first installment of this mini-series, household bugs can be charming, harmless, or potentially dangerous depending on the species. These posts ...
Why are there suddenly so many bugs in my house?
March 12, 2022Bugs, Common Household Bugs, Fall / Autumn, Naturalist Answers
Even if you like spiders and insects, it can be unsettling when they show up at home. It is always worth knowing whether or not bugs in your house could potentially be harmful. However, most invertebrates in our homes are pretty harmless...
Do you use field marks when you’re watching birds? Let’s imagine a typical situation: You’re walking to your car after work, or starting a hike on a gorgeous Saturday morning. Or maybe you’re stopped at a traffic and looking out the wind...
How to use binoculars
March 3, 2022Beginner Naturalist Tips, Birds, Birdwatching Basics, Outdoor Tips
Whether or not you’re a birder, binoculars can really enhance time spent in nature. Animals are often wary of people, making it hard to see them up close. Binoculars can bring you up-close and personal with animals at medium distances, o...
Spring is a fleeting and fickle season. Warm weather often comes and goes a few times before it finally settles in for good. Flowers start to bloom on trees and out of the ground as it thaws. In many temperate areas and higher latitudes,...
Have you ever looked up at the sound of honking geese or crying gulls to see a big group of birds winging by overhead? Perhaps they’re so close you can hear the air rushing around their wings. The birds may fly in a ‘V’ or check-ma...
Summertime is always marked by an explosion of life. The air is filled with birdsong, flowers are blooming, and frogs sing from ponds and wetlands. Perhaps the busiest lives in summer, though, are invertebrates. These are small animals w...
Part 1 – Winter is dangerous! Do you ever wonder how plants and animals survive the winter? It can be a brutal time of year in seasonal climates. While we’re wrapping ourselves up in blankets or bickering over the thermostat, the world...
How do plants and animals survive the winter? (Part 2)
February 22, 2022Birds, Bugs, Naturalist Answers, Plants, Winter
Strategies and adaptations All wildlife at higher elevations or latitudes face the challenge of adapting to winter. In part 1 of this post, we explored the challenges that wildlife faces during winter. To recap quickly: Food can be scarc...
Rick and Morty is a hilarious sci-fi show on Adult Swim that is no stranger to scientific references. A recent episode brought up an unexpected natural history fact that left fans wondering. The climax of “Rick & Morty’s Thanksploitati...
The COVID-19 pandemic turned a lot of people’s lives upside down. Between losing their jobs, working from home, and needing to isolate indoors, many lost a sense of the routine. Whether they wanted to or not, people simplified their sche...
It’s a surprisingly common “nature fact” that I hear from people of all ages. A spindly spider-like invertebrate is trundling along a log and someone says, “Did you know that daddy long-legs have the deadliest venom in the world, but the...
Smartphone apps offer a variety of fantastic resources for getting more from your time outside. The right outdoor apps can bring huge amounts of information right to your fingertips. Some might help you plan a hike or stay oriented, whil...
Pictures of a “baby crow” have been all over Pinterest and Reddit for a couple of years now, winning hearts with their poofy goth aesthetic. Notably not a single nature account is involved in all the sharing, and a few have specifically ...
The American Robin is one of the most widespread and familiar American birds. Known for their energy, cheeriness, and musical voice, they’ve got more than a few theme songs. But that’s not their only claim to fame. The American Robin is ...
Fall Foliar Fruit Flagging: Are trees talking to us?
February 3, 2022Fall / Autumn, Plants, The Deep Stuff
The dramatic color changes of autumn leaves in some parts of the world are captivating, seemingly magical, and widely appreciated. Dazzling reds and oranges pop up every year while we’re planning our Halloween costumes or breaking out a ...
Green is such an ever-present and widespread color in nature that it symbolizes the health and vitality of our natural world. Almost anywhere you go in springtime, you can expect to see green; from mosses and algae to all kinds of herbac...
Why do trees lose their leaves in the fall? For people living in temperate or northern climates, the Autumnal transition into winter usually involves lots and lots of leaves. Leaves turning beautiful colors, leaves blowing in the wind, l...
The most iconic sign of autumn is the turning of the leaves. But why do the trees turn colors? If you’re lucky enough to live somewhere with dramatic “fall colors”, then you’ve experienced the incredible beauty of landscapes pain...
Is this bug in my house dangerous?
January 27, 2022Bugs, Common Household Bugs, Naturalist Answers, Bug in house, Cockroach, house, silverfish
No matter how much we love the indoors, some of us would prefer that it stays, well, outdoors. It’s disconcerting when wildlife starts to cross boundaries and show up in our human spaces. Also, since they aren’t familiar with household...
