Taking “forest baths” and recording your observations can be wonderful therapy for modern times. Here are some tips from acclaimed natural history writer Bernd Heinrich for keeping your own nature journal.
A Close Look at Mosses
Have you ever taken a close look at mosses? They’re simply elegant, and you can find them almost anywhere. They’re not that hard to tell apart especially with Ralph Pope’s moss field guide, so why not get to know them?
Red-backed Salamanders, Forest Heavyweights
If you took all the moose or deer in a northeastern forest and put them on a scale, they wouldn’t weigh as much as the superabundant but often overlooked red-backed salamander. (Hard to believe, I know, but check out the study “Salamander Populations and Biomass in the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest, New Hampshire” published in the scientific journal Copeia in 1975!)
Fungi on the Move
Fungi use mushrooms to disperse their offspring, much like plants use fruits. The spores of fungi can be spread by wind, by animals, or by a combination. The oddest fungi are stinkhorns, which do it by smelling like rotting meat, attracting flies to transport their spores.
Sex Ed for Botanists
Gender in humans turns out to be more complicated than we once thought, but gender in plants is pretty complicated, too. Plants can have separate sexes, like most animals, or they can be hermaphroditic — but in two different ways. Next time you pass a flower, check it out!