Jun 08 2025
From a blue whale large enough to dwarf almost every animal that has ever lived to a tiny seahorse clinging to a blade of seagrass, the ocean contains an astonishing variety of life. Some marine animals cross entire ocean basins. Others spend nearly their whole lives within a coral reef. Some breathe air, some filter …
Jun 05 2025
Every June 5, World Environment Day brings attention to the environmental challenges facing the planet and the ways governments, communities, businesses, and individuals can respond. Led by the United Nations Environment Programme and observed annually since 1973, it has grown into a worldwide occasion for environmental awareness and action. Environmental problems can feel enormous, which …
May 31 2025
Parrots are easy to recognize but surprisingly difficult to summarize. Some are tiny enough to sit comfortably in your hand, while others are among the largest and heaviest birds capable of calling themselves parrots. Some live in enormous flocks, some form close pairs, some climb through trees almost as much as they fly, and one …
May 22 2025
A rainforest filled with thousands of species is biodiversity. So is a prairie buzzing with insects, a coral reef crowded with fish, a teaspoon of living soil, and an old orchard containing varieties of apples that have nearly disappeared from commercial farms. Biodiversity is the extraordinary variety of life on Earth—and the relationships that connect …
May 20 2025
A garden full of bees is a garden full of activity. Bumble bees disappear into tubular flowers, tiny native bees gather pollen from blossoms most of us barely notice, and honey bees move methodically from one flower to the next. Those visits aren’t just pleasant signs of summer. Bees are among the world’s most important …
May 08 2025
Donkeys rarely receive the attention given to horses, elephants, or other animals with a more glamorous reputation. Yet for thousands of years, these strong, sure-footed animals have carried people and goods, helped farmers work the land, transported water and food, and made life easier in places where roads and machinery were unavailable or impractical. World …
May 03 2025
Few animals are as immediately recognizable as a koala. With their round ears, thick gray fur, large black noses, and habit of curling up in eucalyptus trees, koalas have become one of the best-known symbols of Australian wildlife. Behind that familiar appearance is an animal with some extraordinary adaptations. Koalas survive on a difficult diet …
Apr 25 2025
Penguins may be famous for their tuxedo-like feathers and slightly awkward walks, but these remarkable seabirds are built for a life most birds could never manage. Their wings have become powerful underwater flippers, their feathers protect them from icy seas, and some species can dive hundreds of feet below the surface in pursuit of fish, …
Apr 21 2025
Earth Day arrives every April 22 with a simple invitation: pay attention to the planet we share and do something constructive for it. That “something” does not need to be enormous. You could spend the morning collecting litter from a neighborhood trail, plant flowers that provide food for native pollinators, finally learn what can actually …
Mar 18 2025
Guerrilla gardening is the practice of planting flowers, vegetables, trees, or other greenery in neglected spaces, often with the goal of making a neighborhood more beautiful, useful, or ecologically valuable. The idea has a rebellious history. Some early guerrilla gardeners planted on vacant lots or forgotten strips of land without formal permission, treating unused urban …
