Category: Nature
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Study shows we can hear when a forest is alive
No formal training. No field guides. No binoculars. And yet, we still know the sound of life when we hear it. That’s the premise of a new study out of Germany’s iDiv biodiversity research center. Researchers asked people with zero scientific background to sort forests by how biodiverse they seemed, just based on photos and…
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No forest, no deal: Norway rewrites the rules on public spending
Norway just became the first country in the world to make its public spending deforestation-free. That means no government contracts for companies that can’t prove their products were made without razing tropical forests. No palm oil tied to burned peatland. No soy grown on cleared Amazon acreage. No wood cut from unverified logging zones. The…
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Wind and solar just got taxed. Here’s who benefits.
Late last week, while most of the country was heading into the weekend, Senate Republicans quietly slipped a new provision into their 940-page budget bill. The provision is an excise tax targeting future wind and solar projects. Not just a rollback of clean energy support. A penalty. Under the proposed bill, any wind or solar…
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Strange Beauty At 10,000 Feet: Kilimanjaro’s Towering Green Guardians
They don’t look like anything you’d expect to find on Earth, but you’ll see them as soon as you step into Kilimanjaro’s high moorland: towering rosettes with thick stems that store water like living canteens. These giants are Dendrosenecio Kilimanjaro, the Kilimanjaro giant groundsels. They’re only found between about 10,000 and 13,000 feet on the…
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Enigmatic Flora: The Remarkable Dragon Blood Trees of Socotra
The Socotra archipelago sits off the coast of Yemen in the Arabian Sea. It’s an isolated realm with harsh winds and towering limestone plateaus. Yet one living icon truly commands attention here: the Dragon Blood Tree (Dracaena cinnabar). With stout trunks and umbrella-like crowns, these ancient monocots look otherworldly. Explore more on Dragon Blood Trees…
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7 Stunning Wisteria Gardens to Visit in Japan
Japan is known for its enchanting floral displays, and wisteria blooms are among the most unforgettable. These delicate, trailing flowers, called fuji in Japanese, drape elegantly over trellises and tunnels, creating a scene that feels like a springtime dream. Visiting wisteria gardens in Japan is a chance to witness nature’s artistry in vivid shades and…
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Devil’s Fingers unfurled: The strange odyssey of Clathrus archeri
Clathrus archeri looks like it belongs in a fantastical film set. Crimson arms emerge from a small, white egg, then splay outward in a dramatic pose. It’s hard to believe such a creature is a fungus, but this is the so-called devil’s fingers (not to be confused with dead man’s fingers), also known as the…
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5 enchanting ways to treasure your Christmas tree post-holiday
The holiday season often brings the delightful tradition of decorating Christmas trees, but many people wonder what to do with their trees once the festivities end. These options help preserve the spirit of the season and benefit the environment in various ways. Exploring creative and eco-friendly solutions for Christmas tree disposal ensures a responsible and…
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Kilauea’s Dawn Eruption: A Molten Surge Across the Hawaiian Crater
Kilauea’s summit stirred in the pre-dawn hours of December 23, sending arcs of molten lava surging through Halemaʻumaʻu Crater. Many on Hawaii’s Big Island had been monitoring trembling seismographs, but the sudden glow and thick plumes of steam still took some by surprise. Families who recall the volcano’s 2018 outburst, when flows engulfed roads and…