It’s nearing summer and a lot of us are thinking about making our gardens beautiful, bbq-ing, and heading to the beach or pool! What do these all have to do with nature? They all consume an extraordinary amount of water – something that is a valuable resource! Yes, water naturally recycles itself through the water …
Category: Backyard Habitats, Climate Change, conservation, Gardening, Plants, sustainability, The Art of Ecology Tags: Animals, Climate Change, conservation, earth, ecology, efficiency, environment, food, Gardening, nature, oceans, Plants, rain, recycle, science, sustainability, The Art of Ecology, virtual water, water, water on earth, watershed
As a Christian, I find God’s creation absolutely amazing. In fact, this is why I started my studies in biology and science in the first place and guess what – I can see God’s hand at work in all of nature, life, and yes, science. In Job 38-39, God humbles Job by explaining to Job …
Tags: Animals, bible, biology, birds, christianity, conservation, creation, earth, ecology, environment, evidence, Flowers, God, habitats, interconnection, nature, photography, Plants, praise, religion, science, science and religion, scientific, The Art of Ecology, weather
If you’re into gardening or just being out in nature, chances are, you enjoy flowers! Their vibrant colors, textured foliage and sweet fragrances are pleasing. In fact, it’s not just flowers that you like by many other plants including fruits and vegetables! Without pollinators like birds, bats, bees, butterflies, moths and other insects, these beautiful, …
Category: Backyard Habitats Tags: Animals, art, art sale, backyard habitat, bats, bees, birds, blog, botany, butterflies, conservation, earth, earth day, ecology, Endangered Species, environment, Flowers, Gardening, moths, native plants, nature, photography, Plants, pollinators, Seasons, The Art of Ecology, wildflowers, wildlife, Wildlife Behavior, wildlife habitat
Snakes are wonderful for so many reasons! I can see it, some of you are thrilled by this and others…. not so much, but yes – snakes are good, even if they’re not your cup of tea. Snakes don’t have to be your favorite animal for you to realize that they play a vital role …
Category: Backyard Habitats Tags: Animals, backyard habitat, conservation, diy, ecology, ecosystem, environment, food chain, habitats, hibernaculum, nature, pennsylvania, reptiles, snake, snake home, The Art of Ecology, wildlife, Wildlife Behavior, wildlife habitat
Fungi in Winter Typically, we think of winter as a time for plants and animals to go dormant and settle down. Really there are hundreds of thousands of organisms growing during these cold, wet, dreary months! During the winter, we can go out and see so many different types of (drum roll, please…) – FUNGUS! …
Tags: conservation, decomposer, ecology, ecosystem, fungi, fungus, Gardening, interconnection, mold, mushrooms, mycology, nature, nutrients, parasite, Plants, science, Seasons, spores, The Art of Ecology, trees, winter
Did you know that by 2050, roughly ⅓ of all bird species might be extinct? Protecting these animals is important if we want to not only keep these wonderful birds around for future generations to enjoy, but also to keep healthy ecosystems! Migratory Bird Treaty Act & Protections Fortunately, 100 years ago, one of the …
Category: Animals, birds, Climate Change, conservation, Endangered Species, The Art of Ecology Tags: Animals, bird feeding, bird habitat, bird walk, bird your world, birds, citizen science, Climate Change, coffee, conservation, ecology, Endangered Species, environment, make a difference, migratory bird treaty act, photography, songbirds, sustainability, The Art of Ecology, year of the bird
One of the things I remember my father saying the most when I was a child was – “There’s always evidence!” This was typically said because I would wonder how he knew that I didn’t do a certain chore, but it definitely applies in the ecology world too. Mammals are among some of my favorite …
Tags: animal tracking, Animals, deer, diet, ecology, environment, evidence, fox, Identification, mammals, nature, pennsylvania, photography, raccoon, scat, skeleton, skull, skunk, squirrel, teeth, The Art of Ecology, tracks, wildlife, Wildlife Behavior, woodland
Right now there is a trend in “owl-love”. People think they’re so cute and decorate everything from paper-products, to clothes, to wall art with rather cartoony looking owls. Is there anything wrong with that – NO! Owls definitely are super cute, but they are so much more than just fluffy balls of feathers. They are …
Tags: Animals, barred owl, birds, cute, diet, ecology, environment, food, food chain, great horned owl, owls, photography, predators, rodent, screech owl, The Art of Ecology, wildlife
We always think of birds as migrating south for the winter (wish I could too!), but obviously, some birds do stick around. There are many bird adaptations to the cold to allow them to stick around chilly Pennsylvania! How do Birds Adapt to the Cold? Birds adapt in many ways that are similar to humans. …
Category: Adaptations, Animals, birds, Seasons, The Art of Ecology, Wildlife Behavior Tags: Adaptations, Animals, bird feeding, birds, cardinal, chickadee, cold, ecology, education, photography, Seasons, songbirds, sparrow, The Art of Ecology, weather, wildlife, Wildlife Behavior, winter
Sometimes you visit a place, not knowing what impact it’ll have on you, and when you leave it, all you want is to return! For me, that place is Kenya. I have been to Kenya, to a small village on the coast of Lake Victoria to do some missions work in orphanages and for other …
Tags: Animals, art, baby animals, birds, blog, conservation, ecology, education, egret, elephant, Endangered Species, giraffe, international, kenya, nairobi, ostrich, photography, The Art of Ecology, Travel, wildlife