News Experimental Landscapes: Alexander Felson on Ecology and Design:: A very interesting interview with ”Alexander Felson, an assistant professor at Yale in both the School of Foresty & Environmental Studies and the School of Architecture, is a different kind of urban ecologist. In his research and his design work, he calls for an ecological practice that moves from [...]
News Bloomin’ lovely gardens brighten up London’s East End:: A competition for residents of London’s East End, the winners were chosen for showing “ what they can do with plants, wildlife and the environment.” Can biodiversity be accommodated in today’s urban environment?:: Posing the question, this piece from The Ecologist looks at recent efforts including the International [...]
News Access to wildlife should be a right, not a privilege:: An interesting article from the Guardian which discusses “that every child and young person has the right to grow up and live in a high-quality, wildlife-rich environment with ready access to the physical and mental health benefits, developmental advantages and play opportunities it affords.” Do not [...]
The newly released 3rd edition of Bumblebees, number 6 of the Naturalists’ Handbooks series for ecology and identification by Pelagic Publishing, is a phenomenal resource. Focused on British bumblebees, this book is full of information about all aspects of the ecology of bumblebees which makes it a valuable resource for readers in any location. It’s [...]
Today marks the beginning of National Pollinator Week, a good time to think about pollinators. Many posts from The Metropolitan Field Guide have focused on pollinators, so to begin Pollinator Week, here is a roundup of the posts. Once you learn about pollinators, visit Pollinator Design and Butterfly and Moth Design for many resources to learn how to [...]
The California poppy (Eschscholzia californica) is an unmistakable bright splash found everywhere from roadsides and traffic circles to rocky slopes and vineyards. In fact early visitors by ship along the California coastline saw the sun hitting the fields of poppies and declared this was a land on fire. It’s native to the west coast of [...]
Featured Stories Book Review: Biophilic Cities by Timothy Beatley This is a great book review on Biophilic Cities: Integrating Nature into Urban Design and Planning. Source:: Local Ecologist Goodbye to grass This article features several homeowners who have ditched the grass for a landscaped yard. Source:: StarTribune Like moths to a flame An fascinating look at the relationship [...]
In the Pacific Northwest there are over a dozen different species of bumble bees and close to 50 in North America. There are over 250 species world-wide but the majority of them live in the more temperate climates of the northern hemisphere. Bumble bees are members of the Apidae family which also includes honey bees [...]
News Requiem for a Moth:: This half-hour radio program from BBC Radio 4 is a delightful blend of science and music, all focused on moths. What’s the buzz – the conservation and ecology of urban pollinators:: “Some ecologists see urbanisation as one of the major causes of insect decline, through its effects on the availability of [...]
As the 2011 Integrated Habitats Design Competition is getting launched, I’m looking at the winning entries from the 2010 competition in a series of posts. Satoyama was another shortlisted entry, by the team of Hiroyuki Ichihara and Atsumi Sako. Their project proposal stated: “Around 36% of bee colony over the Europe had been lost due to Colony Collapse [...]
Once in awhile there are certain books that come along that every home library must have. Attracting Native Pollinators: The Xerces Society Guide to Conserving North American Bees and Butterflies and Their Habitat is one of those books that should sit on every shelf. It has solidly placed itself as the reference book for designing [...]
There are a couple of varieties of Oregon-grape, a common evergreen shrub growing in the Pacific Northwest, Dull Oregon-grape and Tall Oregon-grape, which is the state flower of Oregon. From the Barberry family (Berberidaceae) is Dull Oregon-grape, or also simply called Oregon-grape (Mahonia nervosa) and Tall Oregon-grape (Mahonia aquifolium). Both have pinnate, glossy green leaves [...]