Tag Archive | Nature
Discover the Wonders of Nature Through the Eyes of a Biologist
Did you know that millions of dragonflies migrate each fall? Did you know that shrews traverse their underground tunnels using echolocation? Did you know that some plants need fire to survive? These are some of the fascinating discoveries I reveal about the plants and animals found along the Connetquot River on Long Island in New […]
How Do I Know if My Fig Cookies Have Dead Wasps?
The fig tree (Ficus carica) is one of the earliest plants cultivated for its sweet fruit. Originally a native of western Asia, the Romans and Greeks dispersed figs throughout the Mediterranean. Spanish missionaries brought figs to North America in the early 1700s. Here in the United States, there are two fig species—the Florida strangler (Ficus […]
Saharan Dust: The Impact of an African Phenomenon
During a recent trip to our resort in Orlando, Florida, the sun was obscured by a thick haze reminiscent of a New York City sky during ozone alerts when stagnant air is filled with pollutants from car emissions, power plant smoke, and industrial air contaminants. But this haze was different. The atmosphere was laden with […]
Witnessing the Shift: Anecdotal Evidence of Climate Change
At Connetquot River State Park Preserve on New York’s Long Island stands an ice house constructed in the 1800s that denotes a time when the planet was cooler. It was constructed with a brick foundation that formed a cellar with wooden walls above the ground and sheltered with a steep wooden roof. During the winter, […]
What Happens to Birds When a Tornado Strikes?
About 1,200 tornadoes slam the U.S. yearly. These tempestuous storms flatten homes, schools, and businesses, toss trucks, and hurl cars. People seek shelter to survive the ferocious and destructive winds, but what do birds do to live through tornados? We do not really know. Birds’ keen sense of hearing detects the hum of a tornado […]
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