Jan 02 2025
Foraging can make an ordinary walk feel completely different. Once you begin learning to recognize edible plants, berries, nuts, and mushrooms, the landscape starts to look less like a backdrop and more like a living collection of species with names, seasons, habitats, and histories. But foraging is also a skill that rewards patience. The safest …
Oct 23 2024
High in the mountains of Central and South Asia lives one of the world’s most elusive wild cats.Snow leopards move across steep cliffs, rocky valleys, and snowy slopes with such effective camouflage that they can seemingly disappear into the landscape. Their thick gray coats, enormous paws, powerful hind legs, and extraordinarily long tails are all …
Sep 20 2024
High in the temperate forests of the Himalayas, a small reddish animal moves carefully through a canopy of moss-covered branches and bamboo. Its face resembles a mixture of fox, raccoon and teddy bear. Its thick rust-colored coat stands out beautifully in photographs but can blend surprisingly well among reddish mosses and lichens. A long, ringed …
Jun 29 2024
Practicing yoga on the beach sounds almost effortlessly peaceful: bare feet in the sand, the sound of waves nearby, warm sunlight, and a wide horizon instead of four studio walls. The setting can make a familiar practice feel completely different, but sand also changes the way your body moves and balances, while sun, heat, wind, …
Jun 20 2024
A bee disappearing into a squash blossom, a butterfly resting on a coneflower, or a hummingbird hovering beside a trumpet-shaped bloom may look like an ordinary moment in the garden. Behind each visit, however, is a biological partnership that helps flowering plants reproduce and supports food webs, wildlife habitats, farms, and gardens around the world. …
Jun 01 2024
Coral reefs may look like colorful underwater gardens, but they are actually living ecosystems built by tiny animals called coral polyps. Together, those animals create some of the richest habitats on Earth. Reefs provide food and shelter for fish, sea turtles, crustaceans, mollusks, and countless other creatures. They also help protect coastlines from waves and …
May 13 2024
Every spring and fall, billions of birds embark on journeys that can stretch across countries, continents, and oceans. Some travel only a few hundred miles, while others make astonishing migrations of several thousand miles. Even more remarkable is their ability to arrive in the right place, often returning to the same breeding grounds, wintering areas, …
Feb 27 2024
International Polar Bear Day is celebrated every year on February 27, shining a spotlight on one of the Arctic’s most recognizable animals and the rapidly changing environment it depends on. Polar bears are remarkable animals. They can swim through frigid Arctic waters, survive months when food is difficult to find, locate seals beneath snow and …
Feb 10 2024
Flowers have been used to express affection, grief, celebration, remembrance, hope, and devotion for centuries. A bouquet can say “I love you,” honor someone who has died, celebrate a new beginning, or simply let someone know they are being thought of. Many of the meanings we associate with flowers today come from a mixture of …
Jan 27 2024
Winter may seem like a quiet season in the backyard, but look closely and you may discover that some of the year’s most interesting birdwatching happens when the leaves are gone and the landscape has settled into shades of brown, gray, and white. Some birds remain in the same area throughout the year, while others …
