EwA’s Latest Posts

What the grieving mother orca tells us about how animals experience death For many weeks, news of a mother orca carrying her dead infant through the icy waters of the Salish Sea captured the attention of many around the ...

About the Endangered Species Act and the non-controversy over its widespread support (contrary to what we currently are 'led' to believe)... In short, a study published very recently found that: (a) ∼4 in 5 Americans support the ESA, whereas ...

Shilpa's Wildflower Highlights » Self-heal The Self-heal (Prunella vulgaris) is a herbaceous perennial plant from the mint family, it looks a lot like mint but it does not have the minty or other aromatic fragrance. The genus name "Prunella" comes ...

Killing sharks, wolves and other top predators won’t solve conflicts In French Polynesia, fishing is an integral part of everyday life. The people living here fish on the flats and along the reef using nets, hooks and line, harpoons, spearguns ...

Shilpa's Wildflower Highlights » Buttonbush Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis) is an obligate wetland species found at the margins of lakes, ponds, swamps, creeks, in moist, poor drainage and standing waters. The genus name came from two Greek words, "cephalo" meaning "head" ...

Rainforest collapse in prehistoric times changed the course of evolution Over 750,000 square kilometres of Amazon rainforest have been cleared since 1970 – a fifth of the total. As a result, many of the animals that live there are threatened ...

Shilpa's Wildflower Highlights » American White Waterlily This one is hard to miss, especially as they are spectacular showy flowers with sweet fragrance! American white water lily (Nymphaea odorata) or fragrant water lily is a beautiful aquatic plant, native to ...

I’ve heard that a lot of companies are just a front and aren’t really about volunteering. Is that true? Yes, that is true and even more so when volunteering is about supposedly preserving species that happen to be majestic, beautiful and/or ...

Shilpa's Wildflower Highlights » Common Milkweed Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) is the most frequently encountered milkweed among 115 known species of the genus Asclepias. It's a perennial herbaceous plant that can grow 4-6 feet tall. The name "milkweed" comes from ...

Extinction is a natural process, but it's happening at 1,000 times the normal speed When Sudan the white rhino was put down by his carers earlier this year, it confirmed the extinction of one of the savannah’s most iconic subspecies ...

Forest Explorations January in the Fells
I have such mixed feelings about the unseasonably beautiful weather we had for our walk this weekend. On the one hand, it was absolutely delightful to be out in near-60 degree weather. On the ...

Forest Explorations November in the Fells
It sure felt like winter today, with temperatures in the 30s and a brisk wind that chased us away from the pond edge into the shelter of the trees. It’s easy to dismiss this ...

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Forest Explorations October in the Fells The air is crisp. The whole forest is dressed in oranges, reds, and yellows that flash in the autumn light. It's a feast of colors today but one can feel that Fall just passed ...

Forest Explorations September in the Fells It didn’t feel much like fall this Saturday on our Forest Exploration in the Fells, given the unseasonably warm weather. But all through the forest, we found evidence of the coming of autumn. The ...

"In the majestic Mongolian landscape, where the vast grasslands meet the endless dunes, herds of horses rove. Neither tethered nor constrained by fencing, they run and graze on the arid, windswept steppes..." —Jane Palmer Wild Encounter with the Last "Man’s ...

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Shilpa's Wildflower Highlights » Self-heal The Self-heal (Prunella vulgaris) is a herbaceous perennial plant from the mint family, it looks a lot like mint but it does not have the minty or other aromatic fragrance. The genus name "Prunella" comes ...

Shilpa's Wildflower Highlights » Buttonbush Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis) is an obligate wetland species found at the margins of lakes, ponds, swamps, creeks, in moist, poor drainage and standing waters. The genus name came from two Greek words, "cephalo" meaning "head" ...

Shilpa's Wildflower Highlights » American White Waterlily This one is hard to miss, especially as they are spectacular showy flowers with sweet fragrance! American white water lily (Nymphaea odorata) or fragrant water lily is a beautiful aquatic plant, native to ...

Being a Grebe Guardian in Patagonia After having volunteered abroad on several occasions, I felt I owed it to my country and to myself to do something in Argentina. Without searching very hard, The Hooded Grebe Project came across. And ...

Shilpa's Wildflower Highlights » Common Milkweed Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) is the most frequently encountered milkweed among 115 known species of the genus Asclepias. It's a perennial herbaceous plant that can grow 4-6 feet tall. The name "milkweed" comes from ...