“Galaxy Print” – What is it Made of?

Galaxy print is trendy right now. There are Galaxy print leggings, back-to-school supplies decorated with galaxies, and I’ve even seen Galaxy print bed sheets! In fact – I have a galaxy tattoo (long story….) We find space to be mysterious, beautiful, and awe-inspiring, but do we even know what galaxy print is made of – …

Colors of the Rainbow as Seen in the Garden

Flowers have so many beautiful colors, but other than just to make us humans happy, why are flower colors so diverse? Pollinators have the important job of transferring genetics from one flower to another to allow for fertilization and ultimately growth of future generations of flowers and plants. In order to attract the most effective …

American Goldfinch vs. Climate Change

For my most recent course with National Geographic, I was learned all about Teaching Climate Change and Scientific Modeling – which was absolutely fascinating! Despite having a degree in Wildlife Conservation and therefore taking so many classes that talked about the implications of human-caused climate change, there was still plenty to learn! The goal of …

Clean Water For All – Frogs and Humans Alike!

August is nationally recognized as “Water Quality Month”, but really, we should be caring about water for more than just one month per year! Not only is clean water important for humans to stay hydrated, but it’s also important to all animals and plants. The word Amphibian literally means “to Live a Double Life”. Frogs, …

Challenge Yourself to a #PlasticFreeJuly (or whenever – really!)

We all have heard of (hopefully!) the #SkipTheStraw campaign and about several bans on plastic grocery bags, but there is more to reducing plastic waste than just straws, bags, and bottles! So, why should we reduce plastic use? After all, plastic is SUPER convenient! Have you heard of the Great Pacific Garbage patch? This floating …

Sand Swept and Wind Blown Plant Adaptations

It’s summertime and one of my absolute favorite things is going to the beach and getting a big whiff of salty air in the green salt marshes! I love the look of a white beach with green plants and a blue sky and ocean! It’s the best.  But how do those plants in a sandy, …

Pollination – Amazing Plant & Animal Relationships

Last month, I had a wonderful opportunity to learn more about pollinators, like the honeybee, at the nationally recognized botanical garden – Longwood Gardens! This professional development opportunity allowed me to not only learn about these amazing plant & animal relationships, but to witness first hand active pollination in the outdoor gardens and photograph some …

Creating a Safe Haven for Feathered Friends

So far, we’ve discussed creating a backyard habitat, attracting butterflies and other pollinators, and creating a haven for snakes and beneficial predators, but we haven’t talked about how to get birds to your garden! Aside from the obvious of sticking up a feeder, there are some other great ways to attract your feathered friends! By …

TreeHugger – Yup, That’s Me and Here’s why!

There are so many reasons to love trees beyond “they look nice”. Even hugging trees has it’s benefits (click here for more information on getting immersed in forests). Here are my top reasons for getting excited about trees: Provide Oxygen – You know, the stuff we breath! We inhale oxygen (O2), and exhale Carbon Dioxide …

Malacology – A funny word for a funny group of animals.

While we may first think of these tiny creatures as garden pests, snails are very important members of the ecosystem and should be valued! Snails eat leaves – yes, they do like leaves in your garden – but their favorite food is rotting vegetation and fungi. Sometimes they will also ingest soil in order to …