Halloween has come and gone – it’s November and already the Christmas decorations are available in stores! Let’s face it, it’s almost time to swap out the pumpkin and gourd decorations for holly wreathes. So, what should we do with those old gourds? They’re organic and can’t properly decompose without soil microbes and air, so …
Based out of Chester County, PA, United States
mjacobs@theartofecology.com
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The Art of Ecology
Building visual connections between people and nature.
As part of my Aquatic Ecosystems graduate class, I wrote a little interpretive story of a feature of a local water body system. I chose to narrate the importance of riparian zone trees and their leaves on aquatic creek life. “It is a cool, misty sort of autumn day at Hollow Creek. The trees along …
Throughout the year, we can hear the resounding “Rap-tap-tapping” of woodpeckers slamming their chisel-like beaks into the sides of trees, so why might we see more of them in autumn and winter? The primary reason is because there is a lack of foliage to get in the way of our sight! Many of our local …
In the ecotone—a transition area between two habitats—that is the entire region where I live (Southeastern PA), where nature butts up against suburbia, we can expect to have more engagements with wildlife than our city cousins. Some encounters may be welcome, like watching a cottontail rabbit romping past or a bald eagle ascend overhead, while …
Celebrate National Pollinator Month with some all-natural and sustainable crafts, designed specifically for native pollinators! Below are some ideas that can support butterfly populations, protect declining bee populations, and increase the amount of pollinator-friendly native plants found in your community. This is part 4 of my “Eco-friendly” & sustainable art projects. Find more projects and …
Summer is here, and many of us love nothing more than a big carton of deep blue-ish purple blueberries! Wherever we can get them from the grocery store, farmers markets, or local community agriculture programs is so exciting, but did you know that blueberries are native to the eastern United States? We can go out …
They may seem ultra-exotic and tropical, however fruit-eating birds do live in North America along the East Coast. In fact, while kayaking along the Delaware River in Philadelphia the other week, I had the incredible opportunity to watch a Baltimore Oriole creating a nest! Not all fruit-eaters are mango or papaya-loving tropical birds. Some are …
Could you imagine a world with no berries or melons? No pumpkins during the fall or chocolate to indulge in? Or what about a world with no coffee in the morning and no flowers to water? Unfortunately, this is most likely the path we are headed on due to the declining population of pollinators. According …
Marissa Jacobs | NatGeo Certified Educator | Photographer
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