News
- Green Roofs:: An informative article by green roof expert Dusty Gedge discusses the benefits of small-scale green roofs for biodiversity.
- What kind of meadow is best for wildlife?:: This interesting article from the Guardian’s garden blog discusses the benefits and differences between and urban meadow and traditional meadow.
- Do Golf Courses Make Good Bat Habitats?:: An article from ScienceNOW which features a wildlife ecologists recent study on the potential benefit of golf courses for bats and found that they can indeed be good bat habitat.
- Wildlife In The City In The Desert:: This interesting article features urban wildlife not common to most regions, desert wildlife such as rabbits, roadrunners, quail and lizards.
- From Country Bumpkin to City Dweller: Urban Wildlife:: Another interesting article about urban wildlife, this one celebrates the ingenuity of urban dwellers and how successful some species such as birds and foxes, have been.
- Minneapolis proposal for au naturel lawns advances:: Addressing the recent movement of more natural landscapes, particularly replacing lawns with meadows, Minneapolis City Council is introducing a proposal to allow homeowners to plant maintained, natural landscapes in their yards.
- City? What City?:: This article exposes the natural wonders of Winnipeg through the many walking trails which take residents into forests, wetlands and grasslands and the multitude of wildlife which inhabits the spaces.
- Take a beaver-filled swamp tour right in the heart of Seattle:: Yet more urban wildlife, this article features the life of beavers in Yesler Swamp, a landscape near the University of Washington campus.
- Dorset ‘BioBlitz’ wildlife study shows over 700 species:: This amazing study which only recently released the results, “prove beyond doubt that our villages, towns, gardens and public spaces are vitally important for nature. The information gained from the BioBlitz will help protect wildlife across urban and village areas right around the county.”
- Batavia Wastewater Treatment Plant, one of city’s hidden treasures:: An interesting article which demonstrates that even necessary infrastructure can be beneficial wildlife habitat when designed and managed in an intelligent manner.
- City gardens grow to a whole new level:: Another article about green roofs, this time focusing on the green roof movement in Sheffield, England and how fast they’re growing and how they’re attracting wildlife.
- Science Blogger Targets Inner City Youth:: This wonderful article features a blog called Urban Science Adventures focuses on introducing inner city kids to urban ecology and features things they can find right outside their door.
- Up on the roof:: This article describes the efforts of the RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) to encourage city dwellers to add habitat to where they live. The article discusses how even a simple window box, balcony or rooftop can provide valuable habitat for wildlife, particularly insects.
Resources
- City of Light: Insomniac Urban Animals:: This is a thoroughly informative article about the effects of night lighting on urban wildlife and how it impacts their internal clocks.
- It’s Time to Watch for Migrant Meadowhawks:: Not everyone may realize that some dragonflies migrate, but in the Pacific Northwest some species do move although their actions aren’t entirely understood yet. This article discusses what we know and what we still need to learn and how you can help record data.
- Summer stock:: This great post from the Next-Door Nature blog features the Killdeer and their methods of protecting their ground nests from predators, or people.
- The Carpenter Bee and the Tiger Bee Fly:: Another great post from the Urban Wildlife Guide blog features two insects, one a solitary bee and the other, a fly which is a predator of the bee.
- Design Strategies for Wild Bees:: This article from the Living Architecture Monitor describes how green roofs can be suitable habitat for solitary and ground nesting bees.
- Birds in Backyards:: This excellent program in Australia is “a research, education and conservation program focusing on the birds that live where people live.”
- Festival of the Trees at Slugyard University:: This creative Festival of the Trees was hosted by the Slugyard blog and features a focus on the way wildlife interacts with trees.
Design
- Animal Architecture Awards Announced:: The 2011 Animal Architecture award winners are featured in this post. Winning designs include an apiary, farmland world, a birdscraper, bat station and many other creative ideas.
