“Momma had a baby and the head popped off.” Remember the childhood chant? The dandelion caught between finger and thumb. The flick of the thumb. The yellow flowerhead sent flying?
Articles with Conservation
Photo by Viridi Green on Unsplash
Photo by Enrico Carcasci on Unsplash
Australia’s furry little beast could be the perfect symbol
News from Down Under: Koalas are under siege.
Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash
Look around, Noah, the clouds are darkening
Dear Noah, Forgive this informal way of communicating, but I have a bad case of laryngitis and must curtail my thundering from on high. I have good news and bad news.
Red-tailed hawk in New York City • Photo by D. Fletcher (CC BY-ND 2.0)
Will blue elephants be next?
When I leave home to walk to school, my spouse always says to me, “Chet, keep your eyelids up, and see what you can see.”
Hetch Hetchy Dam, Yosmite National Park, California • Photo by tosh chiang (CC BY 2.0)
Lest the tap run dry
In the last years of the 19th century, the thirsty citizens of San Francisco covetously turned their eyes on the Hetch Hetchy Valley of the Tuolumne River in Yosemite National Park. A dam across the valley, a 150-mile-long aqueduct, and the city’s water supply problems would be solved forever.
Photo by Oscar Guinane on Unsplash
The demise of the hedgerow
Much has been written lately about the rampant destruction of tropical rain forests. Another well-known natural habitat is disappearing at an equally alarming rate: the hedgerows of Europe. Although not as significant as rain forests on the global scale, hedgerows are nearer and dearer to the hearts of many Americans because of our cultural heritage.
The American Midwest at night from space • NASA (Public Domain)
Lighting up the world
Long before humans actually set foot on the moon they visited that place in their imaginations. One of the earliest lunar travelers was Francis Godwin, who in 1638 published a book called The Man in the Moone about a Spaniard named Domingo Gonsales who travels to the moon and back by attaching himself to a flock of wild swans.
Photo by Vincent van Zalinge on Unsplash
Mr. Toad doesn’t live there anymore
Water Rat and Mole were sitting on the River Bank listening to the sound of the wind in the willows. “Whatever became of old Mr. Badger?” asked the Rat.
Photo by James Rajaste on Unsplash
The sadness of captivity
Twenty-five years ago I took my kids to Boston’s Franklin Park Zoo. I swore I’d never return.
Photo by Derek Oyen on Unsplash
Welcome propaganda
Some weeks ago I swam with a wild dolphin. Well, not quite wild. This particular dolphin has taken up residence in the cold waters of Dingle Harbor in southwest Ireland and seems pleased to swim with whatever person comes his way. A lot of people have availed themselves of the opportunity, so many that the Dingle dolphin has become an important tourist attraction.