Natural History Journal

"I'm so glad we live in a world where there are Octobers." L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gable s Like Anne Shirley, I adore the season of autumn and the month of October, but, it must be said, I loathe Halloween.  America's fastest growing consumer holiday, I could probably write for days about why I despise it so much... but suffice it to say much of my reasoning is bound up in that one word, "consumer." This year, Americans are expected to spend  over $8 billion  on Halloween paraphernalia.  That is a disgusting amount of [largely plastic] costumes, masks, decorations, candy wrappers and other stuff which will, mostly, end up in the garbage. But since I do enjoy colorful fall foliage, old-timey barn dances, pumpkins and apples, harvest celebrations and that piece of classic literature, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow ( read it here ), the season still holds its charms.  (It would hold more of its charms if Halloween hadn't become  an ecologi...

Riparian forests are invaluable in all regions and climates around the world, but as one might imagine, they are especially critical in arid regions like southeastern Arizona.  While a plethora of bird species cluster along the rivers, breeding in the complex, multi-level gallery forests, even more incorporate these riparian corridors into their migratory pathways.  With this in mind, I knew that a good portion of our time birding in southeastern Arizona would need to be spent along such rivers, and we found a few locations that lived up to their reputations as particularly good spots to find neat birds. (In case you missed it, in Part I of this series, we visited  Madera Canyon .) The San Pedro River, near Sierra Vista The Santa Cruz River, which we visited near Tubac, has its headwaters in high grasslands to the east of the town of Patagonia.  From there, it flows south into Mexico before changing its course to flow north past Tucson where it eventually ...

Today is Earth Day!   And this year's theme is ending plastic pollution!  Our reliance on single-use plastic has gotten entirely out of hand, and as a direct result of our consumer choices plastic pollution is negatively affecting our health as well as the health of the planet (particularly marine life). I urge you - I plead with you - take some time to consider ways you can personally eliminate single-use plastic from your life.  Then, start taking steps to implement your plan for a future free of plastic pollution! For further inspiration and ideas for living without single-use plastics, check out these posts: Kick the Plastic Habit: Plastic Bags and Other Single-Use Packaging Kick the Plastic Habit: Plastic Water Bottles and Other Single-Use Beverage Containers At Home With A Naturalist: In The Kitchen Happy Earth Day!

Last Saturday, I spent a very enjoyable day touring 13 of the 21 gardens featured in the 2018 Gardens Gone Native Tour, hosted by the Sacramento Valley chapter of the California Native Plant Society. The centerpiece of this front yard is a young Valley Oak (Quercus lobata).  It is surrounded by plantings of Silver Bush Lupine, Western Redbud, Deer Grass and more, all interlaced with inviting pathways and scattered with annual California Poppies. According to their website , "The purpose of the Gardens Gone Native Tour is to support the mission of the Sacramento Valley Chapter of the California Native Plant Society by raising awareness of the beauty and environmental functions of California's diverse native plants.  Our goal is to provide members of our community with the opportunity to view outstanding examples of native plant gardens, promote the benefits and use of California natives in home and public gardens, and provide information on how to ...

A mother sea otter attempts to remove a plastic bag from her pup. Photo credit: SeaOtters.com As residents of this beautiful planet we call Earth, we are charged with its stewardship.  Regardless of nationality, economic status or religious beliefs, we are all temporarily tethered to this breathtaking sphere of rock, suspended miraculously in space.  From the earth, we all derive life-giving sustenance: clean air, pure water, nutritious food.  We bathe in its waters, feast on its abundance, and revel in its beauty.  The care of our planet and our finite resources should be the easiest thing in the world (no pun intended) for us all to agree on. And yet... we are clearly failing, somewhat miserably. Worldwide,  one million plastic bags are used every minute .  In one year, our world of brilliant, talented, beautiful human beings manages to use 500 billion  single-use plastic bags.  For ...

I'm a few days late (blame another beautiful camping trip!) but... Happy  Plastic Free July !!!  Single-use plastics have become a HUGE problem in recent decades, persisting in the environment indefinitely and posing life-threatening hazards to wildlife.  Even if you don't care about the sea turtles, birds, whales and the like, realize this: plastics do not "break down."  They break up into little pieces, and those little pieces become part of the food chain.  If you remain unconvinced... surely you can relate to the feeling of disgust that comes with seeing plastic trash covering our roadsides, beaches and other wild areas. The premise of having of Plastic Free July (or summer, or life !) is simple: Refuse the single-use plastic items in your life.  They have GOT TO GO.  All of them. This sea turtle died after trying to eat a plastic bag, which turtles commonly mistake for jellyfish.  (Photo courtesy of marineparks.wa.gov.au) ...

The Great Central Valley has been experiencing much-needed rainstorms recently, but a break in the weather a few days ago provided the perfect opportunity to explore another local protected area, the San Joaquin River National Wildlife Refuge.   It was good to see the river full and waterfowl enjoying the adjacent flooded areas.  But California's water woes are far from over.  So many people seem to be fairly short sighted: it's raining today, in fact it also rained yesterday and is supposed to rain tomorrow, therefore we have abundant water again!  Not quite so.  Water conservation and a massive shift toward wiser water use are still in order, for everyone from farmers and businesses to homeowners and to those insulated in the city.  If you're interested, check out  this article about factors influencing California's water crisis, why the rain won't really help that much, and why almond orchards are caus...