Today’s Friday Film features a fascinating and enlightening TED talk by Janine Benyus, natural sciences writer, innovation consultant, author, co-founder of the Biomimicry Guild and founder of the Biomimicry Institute. One reason nature is so important to us as humans is the lessons we take from it. Observing the workings of the flora and fauna in our own backyards and daily [...]
How can butterflies help develop faster electronic and optical devices? Through their gyroids of course. Scientists are studying gyroids in butterfly wings in an attempt to better understand this complex shape. A gyroid is a shape that gives some butterflies their color, what is called structural color. The light interacts with these complex shapes, which [...]
The second post in the Why series is going to look at a significant aspect of the importance of wildlife, the cultural perspective. Most species of wildlife have played important roles in human culture in the spiritual realm, fashion, the arts, folklore and myth, food, literature and many further aspects. Insects may often be overlooked [...]
The first question many people will ask when you tell them you want to create habitat is why, which often comes before the how. It’s important to formulate an educated response to the why whether it’s a homeowner or city planner asking. There are many answers to that question and I plan to address many [...]
For the last few years a Red-tailed Hawk has nested on the fire escape of an office building downtown Portland. The nesting, egg laying, hatching and fledging of the hawks has all been watching by many people through a partnership with the Audubon Society of Portland and local news station KGW. The hawk is again [...]
A new study published in Nature has discovered how spider webs are able to catch water and create the amazing sight that I caught in the photograph above. Many times we only think about mammals and birds when we consider habitat but there are many insects that are easily overlooked that also provide many benefits. [...]