News
- 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.
- Birds sing louder amidst the noise and structures of the urban jungle:: “Urban birds sing differently and at a higher frequency than woodland birds in an effort to penetrate the wall of constant noise produced by traffic, machines and human activity. However, architecture also has a profound affect on their songs.”
- Inspiring Backyards:: This great feature from BirdWatching Magazine highlights several backyard habitats from very different parts of the country.
- Goldfinches wooed from farmland to British gardens:: European Goldfinches are finding the gardens more and more to their liking as the Garden BirdWatch program has found.
- Just attracting, naturally:: “Native flora planted at an urban L.A. school draws insects, birds — and students’ interest. Also growing: science test scores.”
- Birds Know Where They Are Not Wanted:: “These results indicate that human attitudes translate into predictable suites of human behaviors that, in turn, have predictable impacts on local wildlife.”
- Nature-Spotting in Your Neighborhood:: A great guide from the New York Times about how to find nature close to home including sidewalk cracks and items inside your home.
- Certified Success:: “A scientific study finds that NWF certified habitats provide more habitat and sustain more wildlife than do other properties located nearby.”
Resources
- Urban Development:: Another fascinating post from the Next-door Nature blog, this time about raccoons and how they’ve adapted so well to the built environment.
- Seeing Red: Cardinal Meadowhawk:: An interesting species profile from the Northwest Dragonflier about a common urban dragonfly.
- The Story of the Most Common Bird in the World:: This Smithsonian article about the humble House Sparrow may just change your view of them.
- City Bee Habitat:: An interesting post about creating nesting habitat for solitary urban bees.
- The Fifth Dimension:: The Finnish Museum of Natural History has an interesting page dedicated to green roofs in urban areas.
- Facade Greening:: A fascinating look at the history of facade greening
- Spiders do not bite.:: A must read article that would fit nicely in with the On Being Misunderstood feature which discusses this all too common misconception.
- Butterfly and Moth Plants:: If you’re in the UK, this is an excellent resource for matching plants to the moths and butterflies they attract.
- Urban Development:: A fascinating look at raccoons from the Next-Door Nature blog.
- The Naturescaping Workbook Review:: The Ecologist gives this new book about landscaping for nature a good review.
- Mental Health and Function:: This excellent page from the University of Washington highlights the ways urban nature can help our mental health.
Design
- Integrated Habitats Design Competition:: The winners of the IHDC can be found along with a variety of resources including podcasts.
- Diary of a window box garden: The wild window box:: “My rented window and balcony space will never offer anything other than temporary accommodation for a few wild-ish plants, but let’s explore its potential as a makeshift, miniature nature reserve.”
- A balcony wildlife garden:: A great feature about a wildlife garden on a balcony in Manchester.
