Erasing the Green Blur: Eternal Snow of the Northwest
The snow comes early to the Pacific Northwest. Especially here in the Willamette Valley, we do not have to wait for winter to see our first sign of winters approach. Underneath the conifer and mixed-deciduous forests and along the streambanks, the snow begins to...
Pill Bugs: From Sea to Land – unlikely allies of climate change
Butchy boys, timberpigs, granny greys. Whatever you call them (regionally it varies quite a lot!), pill bugs are one of the most common critters in gardens worldwide. Personally, I called them roly-polies when I was a kid exploring my backyard. I remember poking them...
Agile Wallaby
The agile wallaby’s tail is long and flexible and roughly the same length as the wallaby itself! Their tail is mainly used for balance.
10 Simple Ways You Can Help Conserve Birds
Wild birds need your help. In the last 50 years, the total population of North American birds has declined by almost 30%. Conserving birds and preventing extinctions will require everyone’s participation. In this article, you will read about 10 simple ways you can...
Erasing the Green Blur: The Complicated Beauty of Poison Oak
Oh my, I thought to myself, of all the days to wear shorts. Warily I beheld the botanical nightmare that stretched before me. A massive patch of plants was located above my head. As I glanced further down the road, I could see even more clusters. They were growing...
Red-Eared Slider Turtles: Invasive and Cute
Red-eared slider turtles are a popular pet in the U.S because of their small size and large population numbers. They soon grow quite large and outgrow what most pet owners can provide for them. The most common solution, even though it's illegal, is to release these...
Zebra dung research: non-glamorous but also non-invasive
While in college at Princeton University, I was lucky to spend time in Kenya for summer research and study abroad opportunities. In my research, I studied gut parasites that infect Grevy’s zebras – an endangered species – and plains zebras. Many dog or cat or horse...
Moon Jellyfish
The moon jellyfish has just enough muscle control to stay near the water’s surface but otherwise uses currents to travel.
How to tell if a snake is dangerous
Snakes and humans have been intertwined for all of recorded human history. Snakes have represented both good and evil, have been important symbols in religion and mythology, and have even made important contributions to modern medicine. Part of the reason why snakes...
Liopleurodon
Ancient marine mammals were split into pliosaurs and plesiosaurs with the Liopleurodon being in the first category.
