Did you know that there are islands all over Los Angeles County? In fact, Debs Park is one of them. (So are Verdugo Hills, Baldwin Hills, and Griffith Park, just to name a few.) “Debs Park is an island within the sea of urbanization that is Los Angeles,” says wildlife biologist Tom Ryan. This hidden…
Tag: natural history
Pics or It Didn’t Happen?
Around 4 a.m., Jeff and I crept out of our open-air bungalow. Our little stray jungle cat with the crooked tail and orange fur—we called her Naranjica (small orange)—scuttled around our feet along the gravel path to our rented Montero. The phrase “It’s always darkest before the dawn” seemed so true as we jounced over…
5 Beautiful Bugs That’ll Change Your Mind About Creepy Crawlers
I’m not exactly an insect enthusiast, but every now and then I can’t help but be captivated by their tiny, tiny bodies just trying to make it in this great, big world. When a beetle crosses my path, I can think of nothing more logical to do but to patiently let it be. (What has…
Road to the Grand Canyon (Part 3): The Grand Finale
Around mid-morning I make my way to the Grand Canyon, about an hour-and-a-half west on the 40 and north via 64. I reach civilization in the form of some very generic restaurants and chain hotels that threaten to lead me into a tourist trap. There’s no hint at all that I’m actually approaching a gargantuan…
This Wildlife Conservation Film Festival Video Will Make You Cry Your Eyes Out
Today is the first day of the Wildlife Conservation Film Festival & Biodiversity Conference in New York! If you’re in the city between now and October 23 and want to learn about natural history and how wildlife conservation helps protect the Earth’s resources of food, water, and clean air, check out the schedule. Watch this…
The Spirit of the Sea Turtle
I dipped into a hidden lagoon on the leeward side of Oahu, and right there, one of my dreams came true. Snorkeling in the coral, I felt something graze my leg. I looked over and found a sea turtle the size of Smart Car gliding by and saying “hey.” He had a much smaller friend…
Endangered Baby: Pangolin
It looks like a Pokémon. That’s cause it totally inspired one (Sandshrew). The pangolin is like some kind of freakish armadillo-dragon hybrid. But it’s no fearsome, fire-breathing reptile. It doesn’t even have teeth. It’s just a gentle, solitary mammal quietly roving its habitats across Africa and Asia in search of a tasty meal of ants….
An Ode to Crows—the Ultimate Birdbrains
When George RR Martin nicknamed the men of the Night’s Watch (I’m talking about Game of Thrones—if you don’t know, you better ask somebody!) “crows,” I bet it wasn’t merely because they’re cloaked in black. I like to think it’s because, like the birds themselves, they get a bad rap, but most people don’t know…
Endangered Baby: Northern White Rhino
In Vietnam, if you have a rhino horn, you’re (supposedly) a big deal. They’re worth up to $60,000 per kilo on the black market—more valuable than diamonds or cocaine. Sometimes they’re even ground up and snorted as a party drug. And some proponents of Asian medicine actually believe they can cure hangovers … and cancer….
Phase II: New Look, New Life
You know when you get caught up in someone else’s vision and you forget all about your own? That’s where I’ve been. All it took was a template change and I’m inspired again. (Seriously, this new-look everything is nature is giving me heart palpitations!) I’ve always believed that if you really want to make your unique…
Endangered Baby: Amur Leopard
It’s so difficult to choose the first endangered species to highlight here, because there are so many. Obscure ones like tapirs, okapis, saolas, pangolins; and the famous black rhinos, Sumatran elephants, and South China tigers – you’ll learn about them all here at one point or another. I decided to start with the exquisite creature…
everything is nature 