Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been categorized as “Tropical Nature”
Tropical rainforests capture people’s imagination as exotic, mysterious natural places. They conjure up images of hanging vines, colorful birds, big cats, huge flowers, and areas vibrant with life. But what makes a tropical rainforest? And why are they, and the wildlife they support, so different? In this Deep Stuff post, I’ll share what I’ve learned in my time living and …
Have you ever owned an air plant or Tillandsia? These hardy, pretty, and low-maintenance plants are popular home, office, and garden decorations. However, they also represent a diverse, fascinating group of plants that live a very particular lifestyle. These epiphytic plants spend most or all of their lives in the air, sometimes never touching the ground! But how is that …
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 busy undersea ecosystems. But what are coral reefs? And how do they form? In this Naturalist Answers post, we’ll learn about coral reefs, what they are, …
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 lot of attention, from Youtube channels to types of Pokémon. And sloths need all of the attention that they can get! Two of the six …
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 highlight differences in nature at a huge scale. But what makes them different? What makes some biomes cold and others hot, or …
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 describe the outdoor places you’ve been and the things you’ve seen. Conversely, if you’re looking for certain …
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 savoring a cool evening after the swelteringly hot days of the dry season in Guanacaste. “Something’s moving in the trees!” my …
