The Art of Ecology
Building visual connections between people and nature.
Tag: Animals
Classic Blue – Pantone Color of the Year
Sky, Water, Butterfly wings, Bird Plumage, and flowers…. What do these all have in common? They can be “Classic Blue”, the Pantone Color of the Year! This color was chosen after lots of careful thought, study, and trend analysis, by Pantone color specialists because: “A timeless and enduring blue hue, PANTONE 19-4052 Classic Blue is …
Happy Squirrel Awareness Month!
October is Squirrel Awareness Month, so let’s celebrate by learning more about them. Many people see Eastern Grey Squirrels as pests – critters that eat all of their birdseed, hang out around urban trash cans searching for pizza crusts, critters that make homes in walls of houses, or garden pests – but squirrels are so …
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, …
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 …
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 …
Everyone can be a scientist – Here’s how!
Not everyone who likes science, or finds it fascinating, is a scientist – and there’s nothing wrong with that! Science makes up the world around us, from the animals, to the microorganisms, and how they all interact with their environment, to how our own human lives work! I have a science degree and loved my …
Keeping our Feathered Friends Happy – Especially in the Winter
Birds are amazing – and if you read my previous winter bird blog, you’ll know that birds can definitely take care of themselves, but that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t feed them and give them a little help! After all, just because I can cook for myself and know how to grow a veggie garden …
National Geographic Educator Certification
For a while now, it has been my super unrealistic goal of becoming a National Geographic Photographer. While I am competing with so many extremely talented photographers all over the world who have access to more “interesting” subjects, better equipment, and have more experience, you gotta have goals, right? Much to my surprise and delight, …
