Nature Moments

Nathaniel T. Wheelwright

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Benefits of Obesity in Woodchucks

June 14, 2018


Woodchucks are called groundhogs and whistle pigs for a good reason: they spend six months gorging themselves before going into hibernation. If they don’t double their weight, they might not survive the winter. (Thanks to Chris Mayer for sharing her expertise and Ariana van den Akker for her photography.)

Filed Under: Spring Tagged With: Animals, April, Mammals, May

Lichen Partnerships

June 7, 2018


Those splotches on rocks, tree trunks and twigs? Lichens! Lichens are actually a symbiosis between two major divisions of life, neither of which is a plant. And you can find them everywhere, as long as the air is not polluted.

Filed Under: Fall, Spring, Summer, Winter Tagged With: April, August, December, February, Fungi, January, July, June, March, May, November, October, September

Birdsong Baby Babble

May 21, 2018


Songbirds aren’t born with the ability to sing proper songs. Instead, they have to listen to adults in order to learn their songs, and then they need to practice. Adult females can distinguish the perfected songs of experienced males from the “baby babble” of young birds. If you listen carefully, so can you.

Filed Under: Spring Tagged With: Animals, April, Birds, May, October

Packing Leaves into Buds

May 11, 2018


How do plants pack their growing leaves inside such small buds? There are four main methods: leaves can be folded, rolled up, coiled, or pleated. The way a particular species packs its leaves has less to do leaf size or shape than with the plant’s evolutionary history.

Filed Under: Spring Tagged With: April, May, Plants

Faith in Trees

May 7, 2018


Trees provide us shelter, fuel, food, protection from climate change, and beauty. But they also have deep spiritual importance. In a treetop conversation, forest ecologist Nalini Nadkarni points out the connection between trees and religion.

Filed Under: Fall, Spring, Summer, Winter Tagged With: April, August, December, February, January, July, June, March, May, November, October, Plants

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Acknowledgements

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