Travis Beck is author the newly published Principles of Ecological Landscape Design, which I recently reviewed. He kindly agreed to an interview so I could ask him some questions about his book, what inspired him and his views on the current state of Landscape Architecture. What inspired you to write this book? For a long time I [...]
This video discussion took place at the recent ICLEI Urban Nature Forum in Belo Horizonte, Brazil this month and discusses the value of urban biodiversity and how to bring that diversity back to the cities. It’s presented by the Stockholm Resilience Centre. Oliver Hillel discusses how nature used to be in the cities and how we simply have [...]
This is the third and final post in a series looking at wildlife movement, corridors and roads. Read the first post, Ecology Lesson: Population Movements, which was followed by Corridor Ecology and Planning. Roads Roads crisscross the entire country covering much of the land. Highways take us through states or across the whole country, streets cover [...]
Discovering Moths: Nighttime Jewels in Your Own Backyard, by John Himmelman, is a truly wonderful book which I really enjoyed reading. It’s full of information about moths, written in a way that educates without feeling like a text book. While the author takes pride in writing in a way that a layperson can understand, that [...]
This is the second post in a series looking at wildlife movement, corridors and roads. The full series: Ecology Lesson: Population Movements, Corridor Ecology and Planning and Road Ecology and Wildlife Crossings. Wildlife needs to move for many reasons which were discussed in Ecology Lesson: Population Movements. There are many barriers in the urban landscape that prevent [...]
This is the first post in a series looking at wildlife movement, corridors and roads. The full series: Ecology Lesson: Population Movements, Corridor Ecology and Planning and Road Ecology and Wildlife Crossings. This is also the second post in the Ecology Lesson series, the first being The Basics. There are three categories of wildlife movement, the first being contained [...]
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 [...]
News Urban biodiversity beyond the grave:: This story from the BBC features a look at a documentary by a student titled Beyond the Grave. The film aims to show the importance of cemeteries as habitat in urban areas. Included in the story is a short video clip. Urban Ecology:: While not a new broadcast, still an [...]
While perhaps not the most exciting topic of wildlife design, dead wood is a very important one. From snag to downed logs, a huge variety of wildlife make many uses of wood. Over 85 species of birds in North America find ways to use snags including Wrens, Northern Flicker, Nuthatches, Screech Owl and even the [...]
We talk about ecology a lot, but what is it really? Chances are, unless you took some ecology classes you may have missed out on some aspects of ecology. A better understanding of ecology can help with designing and creating any wildlife habitat. Additionally, the more you know about ecology the better you’ll understand articles [...]
The Pollinator Pathway is planned along a one-mile stretch in Seattle from Seattle University to Nora’s Woods replacing grass strips with pollinator gardens. The brainchild and creation of Sarah Bergmann, the Pollinator Pathway currently consists of two installed gardens with another 16 planned and has 20 total homeowners signed up to participate. I visited one [...]
Artificial lighting affects not only our ability to see the stars, but it affects a great many aspects of the ecology of wildlife. Light can impact wildlife directly by streetlights or lit buildings, or more indirectly with sky glow, the light from combined city lights. It can affect many difference facets in the lives of [...]