If something is beautiful or cute we tend to think of it as friendly, happy or, at the very least, benign. But few things look and act that simply.
Animals Community Environment Featured News/Perspectives Health Knowledge Nature & Science People Video Wellness
Location Isn’t Just A Place, It’s An Environment
The first, second, and third rule of real estate is — Location, Location, Location! But location isn’t just a place. And, it isn’t something static. Location is an entire environment… — A dynamic relationship that is constantly changing and evolving in an ebb and flow of elements both large and small; seen and […]
Walking In Nature — A Basic Tool For Creative Multitasking
Author Julia Cameron points out that one of the most valuable tools for creativity is one of the simplest — walking. When she wrote THE ARTIST’S WAY she didn’t address exercise until week 12 in the program. In IT’S NEVER TOO LATE TO BEGIN AGAIN: Discovering Creativity and Meaning at […]
Mule Deer Shows Some Tough Love
This mother mule deer in Arizona, doting and attentive just a week before, warns her young buck away. Why? It turns out she is pregnant with a new fawn, and that she’s taught the year-old buck all she can about survival. Her hormones have kicked in, and her brain is […]
Pondering The Possibilities: Dinosaur Webs
Dinosaur webs? When we think of what is possible… we tend to be limited — by our knowledge by our perspective by our experiences by our curiosity and by our imagination. So why ponder dinosaur webs? It was something I saw in a web comic… As far as I know, no […]
Fun Must Share Twitter Animal Tales – Part I
I love to read around the internet and frequently come across engaging, funny or insightful news and superb storytelling that are “must shares.” Since I often find them through twitter (sorry, not a facebooker) I just automatically “tweet” or “retweet” the links to share them with other twitter users. Of course, that […]
The Pain And Glory Of Being A Nature Nerd
Back in October, I experienced a bit of a surprise as I was weeding our rock-wall shelves. Perhaps more surprising to some may be my reaction to what happened – a true indication of just what a nature nerd I am. Bending under an acacia bush and tugging at weeds, I felt […]
Lost & Found News: Human Migration, Solar Impulse, Discerning Dogs
News to ponder that you may have missed: Lost: Holiday Vacation Travel to Human Migration Mapping When someone says “holiday vacation travel” what comes to mind? Do you envision new sights and familiar haunts? Do you remember the hustle bustle, joys and frustrations of moving luggage and people from point […]
Behind the Scenes
At night I’ve been known to stare into the quiet darkness beyond our windows, so different from the fierce sunlight of the day and its illumination. And I wonder: what really happens out there, after the sun slithers behind the mountains? What happens behind the scenes? A lot, it appears. […]
A Cool Thing Happened at Work: Baby Chinese Crocodile Lizards
It’s no secret that I love my job. Becoming a reptile keeper at the Knoxville Zoo last year was a dream come true. Incredible things happen there every day, and I’m so honored to be a part of it. We have a new exhibit. It’s a series of exhibits, actually; […]
Majestic Crested Saguaros
I’ve been on a bit of a scavenger hunt lately for the majestic Crested Saguaros. It all started about a year ago when I realized that the misshapen form I saw on a distant hill (from my kitchen window) was a rare crested saguaro. From my vantage point, it resembled […]
Mighty Saguaro Bones
Mighty Saguaro bones. I didn’t realize, until I was culling through my photo library, that I appear to have a fascination with decaying saguaros. It seems my camera gravitates toward them, capturing their unique personalities, even in death. There is a beauty in their decline. An elegance in their passing. […]
Book: HOUSE BROKEN by Sonja Yoerg
“introspective character-driven women’s fiction with smart writing” I first discovered Sonja Yoerg when her nonfiction book about animal intelligence, CLEVER AS A FOX, popped up on Goodreads (“How interesting!” said the animal lover in me). I was fascinated by this author’s professional experiences and grew even more so as I […]
Desert Diversity, Saguaro Style
Those of us who feasted on a diet of Looney Tunes and Doritos each Saturday morning as children probably grew up thinking that those funny desert plants zipping past the roadrunner and coyote were all pretty much the same: deep green, trident-looking in their shape, with three equidistant arms. If […]
What if Fresh Produce Had A Mascot?
When we think of fresh fruits and vegetables, we immediately think “healthy.” And not about actually feeling better. We think more about all the work — storing, cleaning, chopping, slicing, cooking that it takes to prepare them, and less about the wonderful taste and texture that comes with them. And somehow, we […]
Animals Arts & Tech Community Environment Inspiration Knowledge Nature & Science People Science Sustainability Video Wellness
Nectar Thieves In The Night
The first few times it happened in 2008, it was a mystery. We’d awake to the hummingbird feeder completely drained each morning, nectar splashed against the window. So we set up our Cudde camera. And what we suspected was true: ~ ~ Yep. Bats (with long tongues that CAN get […]
Animals Arts & Tech Environment History Inspiration Knowledge Science Social Sustainability Technology
Invisible Desert Dwellers
Desert dwellers are accustomed to the monsoon season and the rain it ushers in, a glass of water raised to cracked, thirsty lips. We also know that with rain, the normally dry riverbed near our home begins to ebb and flow, its banks rising with churned-chocolate liquid. And while we […]
Unexpectedly, A Mighty Mite
My goal yesterday, when I set out with my friend and hiking buddy Kathy, was to show her a secret hot spring in the middle of the desert (shared with me earlier by buddy Roxanne). The plan was to drive the quad to the site, take a peek without disturbing […]
A Herd Of Wild Horses: Genetics And Preservation
About a month ago I was able to see the wild horses of Corolla, North Carolina for the first time. What a sight they are to watch in their natural habitat. Our guide told us that the wild horses came to the area about 500 years ago when the Spanish […]
Javelina Encounter
This morning, as I am concluding my daily jog, I come up over a little hill – pushing myself to finish strong as I run faster on that last stretch of desert earth. My shoes are crunching away, I’m breathing heavily, the humidity is kicking my butt, and I “think” […]
The Nature of Nature
As bipedal, thinking creatures, we seem to crave order. Predictability and patterns alleviate apprehension for most and help us get from point A to point B. If you look at the natural world, it seems to yearn for the same organization and structure. A clear pecking order exists down the […]
Remembering Lonesome George
In 2012 the world lost something unique. I wanted take a minute to remember Lonesome George. He was the last of his kind, the sole representative of the Pinta Island subspecies of Galapagos tortoise. A $10,000 reward was offered to anyone who could find a female like him. None did. His […]
About That Easter Bunny…
There are lots of things I love about Easter. It’s a time of renewal of both spirit and nature as the earth comes alive again with the promise of Spring. It’s the pinnacle of my family’s faith, this year to culminate in a sunrise service. I adore seeing the delight […]
Thanks, Mr. Bill!
Sometimes you only think you’re taking one for the team. It’s Spring Break. I know. Technically, it’s not even Spring. I don’t get to make these decisions. When given an entire week of nothing, I’ve learned it’s good to plan at least a little something lest the critters get restless, so I […]
For The Joy of Animals: Nature’s Ball Return
A dog with a ball
but no one to throw…