Citizen Science - The Metropolitan Field Guide

Foragings:: The latest news, resources, designs and more

Nov 162012

Bringing natural life into buildings:: Eco-architect Dr Ken Yeang’s attempts to introduce more nature into architecture are highlighted in this article. “Many buildings have been ‘de-natured’. Human beings have simplified and fragmented nature.”
Loft ambitions: why green roofs are the future of urban gardening:: This article from The Ecologist discusses the many benefits of green roofs.
Do Wildlife Corridors Really Work?:: From the Smithsonian blog is a discussion about whether corridors actually work and a new crowd-sourcing project to find the answer.
Citizen scientists vital for wildlife data collection:: A great article about how scientists rely heavily on their volunteer data collectors and how important citizen science is.
Gardens: sharp practices to encourage hedgehogs:: One more reason to encourage hedgehogs into European gardens, they are excellent for pest control.
Biodiversity project maps urban ants:: An in-depth article about the School of Ants program and what it hopes to achieve. Continue reading »

Nov 082011

Unleashing the Scientist in the Student:: A fantastic citizen science project enlists seventh grade students to help study salamanders in New York City.
WA prison inmates raise imperiled butterflies:: This is an interesting story about local inmates trained with raising butterflies in a prison greenhouse to be released. This is a great program to help prevent a decline in the population of at-risk species and at the same time giving inmates skills and responsibility.
Yellow belle on a green roof:: What is believed to be the first breeding colony of yellow belle moths in Yorkshire was recently discovered….on a green roof.
Nature Studies by Michael McCarthy: In a city of falcons, it’s worth looking up:: This article is a fascinating look at London’s peregrine falcons.
Where Is the Love for Bugs?:: An interesting article discussing the true value of invertebrates and how they are largely neglected in policy making and conservation. Continue reading »

Aug 052011

London’s a real hoot after dark, say twitchers:: This article discusses another aspect of London nightlife, the owls. Owl Prowl, taking place in August is run by the the London Wildlife Trust and aims to survey urban owls to raise awareness of the city’s owl population.
Troops called in to scare storks with eye contact:: A fascinating article about a conflict between birds and an air show and a creative, non-violent solution found where people stared at the storks making them uncomfortable enough to leave the area.
‘Weeds’: In Defense Of Botany’s Cockroach:: This NPR story features a look at a new book by British nature author Richard Mabey and discusses the resilience of weeds in post-industrial wastelands and war sites. He also discusses that if we understood the ecology of plants a little better, we may have a better response to those that cause us trouble.
Greening the City, One Rain Barrel at a Time:: Chicago is growing their Sustainable Backyard Program by offering rebates to homeowners who install compost bins, rain barrels or plant native plants and trees. They recently hit a milestone of 100 participants in the program.
“Nature Trails” is newest addition to Chicago’s urban landscape:: A new garden at a nature museum in Chicago provides somewhere for city dwellers to get a taste of nature in the city. The garden features savannas, wetlands and woodlands with native plants. Continue reading »

Nov 172010

The Beautiful Wildlife Garden Blog features a guest post by myself today titled “Be a Citizen Scientist in Your Wildlife Garden“. Head over and check it out and while you’re there, browse through the many other excellent posts about wildlife gardening from some experienced gardeners, it’s a really great resource. You can also find the Wildlife Garden on Facebook and Twitter.