“And now we welcome
the new year,
full of things
that have never been.
Rainer Maria Rilke
Coming in autumn 2023,
a new love nature story
from
Favorite World Press.
Lisa S. French
January 7, 2023
The FWP weekly digest of wondrous wildlife happenings
and other interesting items from the natural world
Creatures to meet | Things to learn
Things to do
Lisa S. French
1.5-minute read
Coexistence is about care, not control. It is about reciprocity, not retribution.
Peter S. Algona from The Accidental Ecosystem.
Over the course of the past year, we’ve written about creature life, the beauty, benefits, and science of nature, and some of the people and organizations working tirelessly to protect and preserve the living world that we love. In the spirit of the giving season, we dedicate this year-end blog to one of our favorite conservation non-profits in the hope that they will become one of yours.
Big Life Foundation: Conservation Supports People. People Support Conservation.
Protecting 1.6 million acres of wilderness in the Amboseli ecosystem in East Africa, Big Life has partnered with local communities for over a decade to safeguard nature, benefiting both people and wildlife.
Across alpine meadows, mountain forests, savannas, and wetlands, the holistic conservation organization secures habitat and migratory corridors for elephants, giraffes, zebras, wildebeest, gazelles, hartebeests, and other native species by creating economic opportunities for native people to participate in protecting the ecosystem they depend on to survive.
And that collaborative approach to preserving nature has been incredibly effective. Thanks to Big Life’s community-based conservation and anti-poaching campaign, wildlife numbers in the Amboseli are on the rebound—giraffes have quadrupled, and there are ten times more lions and more elephants roaming the ecosystem in the past year than any time in the last half-century—much-needed hopeful news as global wildlife numbers continue to plummet.
Devastating Drought: A Call to Action
Following years of success implementing strategic interventions to sustain East Africa’s wildlife and wildlands, Big Life and their conservation partners are now facing a heart-wrenching climate-based crisis. The fourth year of the worst drought in decades across the Horn of Africa has devastated the region.
Prioritizing vulnerable communities and children, Big Life is providing school lunches across the Amboseli ecosystem and environmental work for women to help feed their families. Until the rains return, they are also pumping water into remote areas for migrating wildlife and providing hay and food pellets to prevent starvation. The effects of this environmental crisis will likely last for months. Right now, the conservation organization is in critical need of assistance. If you would like to pitch in to help save Africa’s iconic animal species and provide relief for drought-impacted communities, please visit BigLife.org to learn more about their life-sustaining work—for the love of the living world.
ICYMI Nature News
A Big Plan for the Entire Planet
This week’s really big news is that international negotiations are underway in Montreal to develop a roadmap to protect biodiversity and keep our home planet’s ecosystems chugging along, providing life essentials and soul-soothing extras. What’s at stake? Oceans, rivers, lakes, wetlands, forests, prairies, woodlands, the climate, all creatures great and small—life on Earth. Here’s an explainer. And here are the biodiversity numbers. And here is a visual tour of nature in crisis.
Glow-in-the-Dark Crustaceans
Described as “the most spectacular natural wonder most people will never see”, tiny Caribbean male crustaceans light up their underwater world. Actually, you lucky people can see it here.
Honeybee Half-Life
According to scientists at the University of Maryland, the life span of honeybees is 50% shorter than it was 50 years ago. Fifty percent! We need to bee better.
City Cougar Quadruplets
The world’s largest wildlife crossing is about to get more big cat traffic. A cougar in the Santa Monica mountains near Los Angeles has delivered four healthy cubs, and the mother and adorable babies are doing fine. You can have a peek at the new arrivals here.
Lisa S. French
December 12, 2022
2-minute read
Could protecting Earth’s largest mammals help tackle the two most critical items on our planetary to-do list: reducing the impacts of both climate change and biodiversity loss? According to new research from Oxford University, by virtue of their size, the most mega of megafauna may have a role to play in maintaining the healthy functioning of ecosystems negatively impacted by global heating.
One of the greatest hazards we face in a warming world is more frequent and intense wildfires. Between 2002 and 2016, 10.45 million acres a year were destroyed by fire globally—67% of the loss was in Africa. As the planet becomes hotter, drier, and more fire-prone, scientists are examining how protecting and increasing populations of endangered species of megafauna like elephants might help lower the temperature and limit the damage.
Beloved for their oversized ears, twisty trunks, keen intelligence, and exceptional empathy, elephants are also prolific stompers, chompers, and seed dispersers; those daily activities can reduce both CO2 in the atmosphere and the threat of wildfires. How so? It’s complicated, but the short story is that by consuming potentially flammable vegetation (and lots of it, up to 375 pounds a day), creating natural fire breaks by trampling soil, and dispersing seeds of trees with high capacity to store CO2, elephants, and other large herbivores, could limit the spread of fires and reduce the conditions that create them.
Elephants aren’t alone in their ability to influence the health of wild places. Conservation projects aimed at protecting ecosystem-engineering wildlife like whales, bison, sea otters, and wolves can help increase the resilience of natural environments under intense pressure from global heating. By continuing to examine the interdependence of wildlife and Earth systems and by creating conditions that allow nature to heal and flourish, amazing things can happen—like this.
ICYMI Nature News
Mighty Forest Mice
Even mini mammals can have a mega impact on the health of ecosystems. According to The New York Times, mice scurrying around forest floors are also important seed dispersers that help ensure the survival of trees exposed to environmental stressors.
Remember the Manatees
Pollution and habitat loss continue to take their toll on the Florida megafauna–over 2,000 manatees have perished in the last two years. It’s well past time to re-classify the charismatic creatures as endangered before they disappear.
NYC’s New Old Tree
In the spring of 2023, visitors to NYC’s High Line Park will be seeing red. A new rosy-hued sculpture installation, Old Tree, by Swiss artist Pamela Rosenkranz, will explore the indivisible connection between human and plant life. Have a look at the preview and swing by in the spring!
Christmas Bird Count
Okay, citizen scientists, if you need a good reason to tear yourself away from the fireplace and holiday cookie pile, Audubon’s 123rd annual Christmas Bird Count runs from December 14th through January 5th. Grab your binoculars and get those cookies to go. You can sign up here.
FWP Carbon Capture Report
We believe trees make a big difference in the health and well-being of people, wildlife, and the planet, and that’s why we keep planting them with the help of our partners at Tree-Nation. The trees that we’ve planted from April through November bring our carbon capture to 2,200 tons of CO2. That is equivalent to 2,235,456 pounds of coal burned, 247,604 gallons of gasoline consumed, and 267,669,777 smartphones charged. Oh, yeah, treeing is believing!
Lisa S. French
December 2, 2022
1-minute read
Somersaults, pirouettes, and disco-arms shake.
Body drumming, water splashing, and ice skating.
What may sound like new-fangled cross-training combos are actually some of the dozens of body movements that gorillas use to make themselves understood.
According to researchers at the University of St. Andrews, although gorillas are only capable of a fixed number of vocalizations, when it comes to communicating through gestures, they have a flexible and extensive repertoire of voluntary moves. And those gestures aren’t random; they’re intentional acts of communication aimed at achieving gorilla life goals.
Does This Gorilla Get Me?
Studying three groups of the primates in captivity and one group in the wild, researchers recorded 102 different gestures. Which gestures these movers and shakers used as invitations to travel, play, and cuddle, or requests to calm down, or back off depended on who they were communicating with and how they were responded to. If it was clear that a message was understood, a gorilla would continue the same gestures with the same partner for the same purpose; if not, the persistent primate would switch to a different combination of communication signals to get a point across. They don’t call the clever creatures great apes for nothing!
ICYMI Nature News
A Universal Language
Speaking of creature communications: this chimp mama’s loving gestures towards her newborn are universally understood.
Primates Share Cool Things
And scientists can add another great ape gesture to the list. A wild chimpanzee in Uganda was filmed by Universities of York and Warwick researchers showing an interesting leaf to her mother for no other reason than sharing something cool. Look, mom, beauty!
Rats Get Their Groove On
University of Tokyo researchers have discovered that rats have an innate ability to bop their heads to a good beat. And what’s on these rhythmic rodents’ playlist? Queen, Michael Jackson, Lady Gaga, and Mozart. Eclectic!
Octopuses Are Mad Flingers
Australian researchers have discovered another way that octopuses put those plentiful arms to good use: throwing objects—at each other. Whether they’re playing or fighting, only the octopuses know for sure. Either way—”Take that, balloon head!”
Have a lovely weekend, everyone. Stay safe and warm, Upstate New Yorkers.
Lisa S. French
November 18, 2022
2-minute read
Wren you’ve got it, you’ve got it!
The pīwauwau rock wren, the little songbird with the really big feet, has hopped and bopped past its competitors to be crowned 2022 New Zealand Bird of the Year. And what makes the diminutive mountain dweller a winner? For starters, the feathered rock climber is New Zealand’s only true alpine bird, spending its entire life flitting around the unforgiving, rugged terrain of the island country’s mountain regions. Despite weighing less than a double-A battery and lacking an insulating layer of down, the rock wren manages to endure months of bitter cold temperatures that can drop below -10℃ at elevations as high as 3,000 meters.
You might think that an ancient bird species robust enough to survive 62 million years in such a harsh environment could handle just about anything nature throws its way, but the rock wren is in serious trouble. Unfortunately, human-introduced predators have pushed the intrepid avian mountaineers to the brink of extinction.
Even though our Bird of the Year pick, the rockhopper penguin, failed to capture the crown, we’re happy to congratulate this little endangered underbird on its much-deserved big win. With 49% of bird species globally in decline, drawing attention to the plight of rare and at-risk fliers like the New Zealand rock wren can promote conservation strategies that ensure they stick around to prettify the planet for another few million years.
You can find out more about the rock wren and other amazing New Zealand bird species from Forest & Bird. And if you’d like to offer your support to all of the winged wonders of our world, Birdlife International has lots of ways you can lend a hand. Faced with the triple threats of climate change, habitat loss, and invasive species, our beloved birds might just survive with a little help and TLC from their fwrens.
ICYMI Nature News
Prescription Bird Benefits
We’ve said it before, but we’ll say it again, being around birds is good for you. In case you need another great reason to spend time in nature with the feathered songsters, researchers at King’s College have concluded that seeing and hearing birds improves overall mental well-being. So, if you’ve got a stubborn case of the blues, you may benefit from a daily dose of prescribed birdsong.
Bees Just Want to Have Fun
Apparently, all work and no play makes for very dull pollinators. We knew the brainy, little insects were hard workers, but according to scientists at Queen Mary University, bees are also fun seekers that like to play with toys given the opportunity. Note to self: add teeny-tiny toy chest to garden.
Mapping Pachyderm Facial Feels
Have you ever wondered how elephants maintain such effortless control of their trunks? According to Science Advances, it’s because they have tens of thousands of nerve cells in the grape-sized brain region that controls their facial muscles—63,000 cells for African elephants and 54,000 for Asians. We humans, by comparison, have only 8-9000 nerve cells in our facial control center. Now you know why you can’t pull out tree trunks with your nose.
Nose-Picking Primates
It’s long been accepted that Mother Nature provides each unique species on the planet with the essential tools and abilities needed to survive. In the case of the Madagascar aye-aye, it seems the primate needs to pick its nose, so is equipped with an 8 cm extra-long middle finger to do the job. Researchers believe that the nose-picking habit (hobby?), also common in other primates, is likely a form of self-cleaning. Tissue, little fellow?
FWP Carbon Capture Report
We’ve got another month of tree planting and carbon capture updates to report. But before we get to the number crunching, we’d like to provide a bit of info about why we plant where we plant.
Almost every region on Earth can get a boost from tree planting, but picking spots that provide the optimal social, biodiversity, and environmental benefits is critical to our mission. Through our partnership with Tree-Nation, we plant the majority of our trees in the tropical zone, where they receive the most sunlight to expedite growth and CO2 capture.
Tropical regions also host about 85% of all terrestrial species. Planting trees in the tropics helps combat deforestation and habitat loss that threaten many species with extinction. The Tree-Nation platform also enables us to plant drought-resistant crop trees that support communities most at risk from famine and malnutrition. Our goal is to plant the right trees in the right places for the greatest all-around benefit.
From April through October, the trees we’ve planted across 11 projects bring our carbon capture total to 2020 tons of CO2. That’s equivalent to 2,235,456 pounds of coal burned, 227,350 gallons of gasoline consumed, or 5,015,197 miles driven by an average gasoline-powered passenger vehicle.
Lisa S. French
November 1, 2022
2-minute read
If you took the city… and turned it upside down and shook it, you would be amazed at the animals that would fall out.
Yann Martel, Life of Pi
What kinds of creatures would fall out if you turned your city upside down? Here in NYC, we’d shake out 1.1 million domestic animals of the woofing, meowing variety, and a surprising assortment of wild ones, including coyotes, deer, raccoons, possums, skunks, hawks, and the occasional snowy owl. As habitat loss and climate change continue to take their toll on natural ecosystems, wild animals looking for a home away from home can end up in unexpected places, like a green patch of park in the middle of a 23-square-mile island inhabited by 1.63 million people.
By 2050, it’s estimated that 7 billion people will live in urban areas. Whether it’s coyotes in Manhattan, sea lions in San Francisco, or cougars in Los Angeles, cities will be supporting more diverse animal species in response to the impacts of ongoing environmental change. As wildlife and urban dwellers try to adjust to sharing the same habitat, cities that plan for peaceful co-existence will be critical to the survival of some of our increasingly endangered animals.
Because coyotes are going to coyote, and cougars are going to cougar, managing the ecological challenges of making room for urban wildlife takes innovative thinking so that animals can do what they normally do without stressing out their human neighbors.
So, what would a wildlife-friendly city look like? It could look like Los Angeles, the second most populated city in the U.S., which is in the final stages of planning and fundraising for the world’s largest urban wildlife crossing, a 210-foot span over ten lanes of the 101 Freeway, which will create a vital connection for a population of at-risk cougars and other native wildlife.
The average home range of a cougar is 240 square miles, but the fragmentation of habitat by roads and ongoing development is a threat to their survival. By reconnecting the Santa Monica Mountain ecosystem over the 101, the Liberty Canyon Wildlife Crossing will give big cats like P-22, aka the Brad Pitt of cougars, the ability to freely move between regions, helping to save the iconic animals from isolation and extinction.
The wildlife crossing will also provide other California creatures—bobcats, grey foxes, coyotes, and mule deer—with a safe passage between patches of critter-friendly habitat. And human inhabitants of the sprawling city will get a nature boost too. The conservation project’s green space will include a multi-use trail and recreation areas for hikers, bikers, and equestrians—all-around good news for nature-loving Angelenos.
Studying how wild animals live, move, and adapt when faced with the accelerating pressures of habitat loss and climate change is helping conservationists, city planners, and concerned citizens to create resilient urban ecosystems that will make cities healthier and more livable for humans and wildlife on a rapidly changing planet.
You can read about the big cats of the Santa Monica Mountains here and learn more about how a short walk over a ten-lane freeway could be vital to helping these endangered cougars to keep on cougaring from the good people at Save LA Cougars Campaign.
ICYMI Nature News
A Purr-fect Ending
Speaking of big cats, we think you might need to take a look at this unbelievably adorable video of chirping cheetahs at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo. Did your heart swell to ten times its normal size at the end? Yeah, we thought so.
The Beary Chunky Chompion
Did you predict the winner of Fat Bear Week? If you bet on 747, aka Bear Force One, congratulations on your astute sense of future bear fatness. If you’d like to learn why hibernating bears are able to pack on the pounds and stay healthy, The Washington Post has some interesting insights for you here.
A Brand New Whale
The good news: scientists named a new species of baleen whale this week. The bad news: the 60,000-pound marine mammal, dubbed Rice’s whale, is on the verge of extinction. Geez, give us a chance to get to know the finned fellows…
A Pest-Beating Flowering Plant
Scientists have discovered a Costa Rican plant that turns crop-destroying pests into pollinators. Crafty!
Audubon Migratory Bird Explorer
Have you checked out Audubon’s guide to bird migration yet? You can track the annual journeys of over 450 bird species and learn about the challenges they face to surviving along the way with this cool bird tracking tool. Also, we just wanted to mention the fifth and final beautiful installment of the Birdsong Project is now available—from Audubon to your ears.
Underbirds Are Go
Voting for Forest & Bird’s New Zealand Bird of the Year is now open. Exciting! Which finely feathered candidate will earn your nod of approval? We’re going with the Rockhopper penguin again this year. With those outstanding head tufts, it has to win eventually. Choose your five favorites here.
And that’s all for now. Have a super week!
Lisa S. French
October 17, 2022
2-minute read
More than any other member of the feline family, Felis catus, the domestic cat, has a lot to say for itself and a surprising number of ways to say it. Humans have lived contentedly alongside domestic cats, a.k.a. petite home purr machines, for 10,000 years. While cats rarely vocalize to other adult cats, over the course of that long human-cat friendship, they’ve evolved to communicate their internal states—hunger, loneliness, relaxation, or stress to their primary people to the best of their meowing, chirping, and chattering abilities.
According to research by Seoul National and Cornell Universities, not only have cats learned to modify the pitch of their meows to sound more appealing to human ears, their vocal expression is more complex than initially believed. Typical cat chat includes at least 21 different vocalizations, and researchers believe those vocalizations are combined or repeated to produce phrases. That’s right, phrases. And you thought your cat was just saying food, food, more food, when they may actually be saying, “food, petting, catnip, nap, plus treats”, for example.
Cat communications that produce signals directed at human housemates are not all about the mew-meow, however. Results of a recent animal behavior study at the University of Sussex have shown that a series of half-blinks followed by a prolonged narrowing of the eyes may also be an important form of positive emotional communication between cats and their humans. Because an unbroken stare can be perceived as potentially threatening, a slow blink sequence from a cat is a sign that you’ve been approved for feline friendship. If you’d like to test your cat communication skills, try the slow blink sequence on your resident feline and see if you get a “hi, friend” blink back. Full disclosure, we attempted the meow-free Morse code with Favorite World Press in-house Maine Coon, Stella, and only received a “hmm, seems to be bonkers” stare in return. Apparently, we need to work on our technique.
Adapting their vocalizations to appeal to humans has clear benefits for domestic cats, but our furry friends give as good as they get. Research from the University of Zurich has shown that cardiovascular disease risk rates are significantly lower for both current and past cat owners compared to non-cat owners. And interacting with your cat is also a mood booster, reducing fear, anxiety, and depression. Somebody deserves a petting. Here, kitty, kitty…
ICYMI Nature News
Big Cat Transfer
While domestic cats number close to 600 million globally, wild cats have not been as successful in their ability to survive. To increase the number of wild cheetahs from a dismal low of 7,000, the Project Cheetah initiative has reintroduced 12 cheetahs to India as part of efforts to ensure the magnificent animals have roaming room.
Fat Bears and Best Birds
Fire up your chooser; it’s creature contest season. Today, October 5th marks the start of Fat Bear Week, the all-you-can-eat challenge for the bears of Alaska’s Katmai National Park. The feasting festivities run through October 11th so be sure to cast your vote for the most corpulent salmon scarfer here. And mark your avian event calendar, voting for the New Zealand Bird of the Year 2022 opens on October 17 and runs through October 30.
Building Better Corals
Would you like to support innovators working to develop corals that can withstand the impacts of climate change? Check out the forward-thinking reef restorers at Coral Vita to learn how you can help.
FWP Carbon Capture Report
Keeping the biodiversity-protecting, forest-restoring carbon capture going, with the help of our friends at Tree-Nation, the trees that we’ve planted from April through September bring our carbon capture total to 1,782 tons of CO2. That’s equivalent to 200,568 gallons of gasoline or 4,127 barrels of oil consumed, or 347 homes’ electricity use for one year.
Lisa S. French
October 5, 2022
2-minute read
Octopuses, dolphins, and whales. Oh, my!
It’s fair to say that wall-to-wall, bumper-to-bumper modern-day Manhattan would never be mistaken for a wild kingdom. Although the city island that is notoriously short on elbow room once had enough roaming room to accommodate the same number of animal species that occupy the 3,741 square miles of Yellowstone National Park, Gothamites now think of nature with a capital “N” as just about anywhere but here.
While we don’t have the spare acreage to recreate a wilderness area on Wall Street or a savanna in Central Park, there’s still enough space offshore for some of the planet’s most charismatic creatures. Just 100 miles southeast of the Statue of Liberty, extending out 350 miles, is one of the largest deep-sea canyons in the world.
Rivaling the scale of the Grand Canyon, everyone’s favorite massive gorge, and 10,500 feet below sea level at its deepest point, the Hudson Canyon is home to hundreds of species of magnificent marine animals—octopuses, squid, sharks, corals, endangered sea turtles, whales, and dolphins to name a precious few. An ecological hotspot a boat ride away from the most densely populated urban area in the United States—who knew?
Now, thanks to the efforts of the good people at the Wildlife Conservation Society and planet-appreciating citizens across the country, the 10,000-year-old canyon is in the final stages of NOAA designation as a National Marine Sanctuary. At a time when both humans and wildlife struggle to adapt to rapid environmental change, the sanctuary designation will create another much needed permanent haven for marine animals that also supports the livelihoods of local communities.
There are currently 15 National Marine Sanctuaries in the NOAA network dedicated to conserving unique and valuable marine ecosystems as well as economic, cultural, and historical resources. You can read all about them and find out how to help here.
ICYMI Nature News
Your Ant Allotment
Scientists have finished tallying the number of ants on Earth—ant, ant—ant, ant, ant—and the estimated number is… 20 quadrillion. That’s 2.5 million ants for every person on the planet. Whoa, we are seriously outnumbered. Sleep with one eye open.
Sneezing Sponges
Did you know that sea sponges can sneeze? Did you even know that sea sponges have the equivalent of a nose—or should we say noses? Well, they can, and they do. Behold a sneezing sponge. Gesundheit!
Spiders Go Electric
Researchers have finally discovered the secret to long-distance spider travel. It seems that our multi-legged friends can harness the energy of Earth’s electric field to get where they need to go without the benefit of wings or charging stations.
Avian Art, Awe, and Action
The Audubon has invited artists to reimagine the artwork of John James Audubon in their own unique style. You can awe-scroll the aviary here.
Walk the Walk for Wildlife
Would you like to make a commitment to conservation that’s also good for your health? Throughout October, you can contribute to the protection of the world’s amazing animals and wild places by joining the World Wildlife Fund Species Step Challenge. Take on either 5,000 or 10,000 steps a day to help secure a future for people, wildlife, and the planet. Sign up to walk the walk with WWF here.
Road Trip Reminder
It’s officially autumn—the time of year when many of our national parks reach peak splendor. If you’re tempted to hit the highway for a dose of leaf peeping, it just so happens that Saturday, September 24, every park in the U.S. is free. Check this list for a beauty spot near you and go, go, go!
Happy trails!
Lisa S. French
September 22, 2022
2-minute read
Can you hear me now?
The lilting birdsong that adds beauty to the soundscape of our planet plays an essential role in avian social interaction, mate attraction, and territory protection. But for feathered songsters nesting in urban areas, maintaining bird-to-bird communications above the din of a bustling city is no small tweet. Urban dwellers of all kinds are regularly exposed to the stress of noise levels above 85 decibels (equivalent to a perpetually running food blender) compared to the 30-40 decibels of a wilderness area. So how do city birds make themselves heard over the honking? They’ve learned to pump up the volume.
According to researchers at Ohio State and the University of California at Davis, birds adapting to survive in cities may adjust the volume, pitch, or timing of their chirps, whistles, and warbles to break through the background noise. Sparrows, northern cardinals, American robins, and red-winged blackbirds are some of the species that can modify their songs to improve vocal transmission.
Because belting out birdsong takes more energy, larger birds have a greater capacity to sing over street racket. Some of the clever critters have also adjusted the timing of their dawn chorus so that it starts ahead of rush hour. Not only do early birds catch the worm, but they also know to trill before traffic starts.
With bird populations down by 2.9 billion across North America since 1970, understanding how and if our avian friends can adapt to environmental change and continued habitat loss is critical to their conservation. Perhaps the meaning of those early morning urban tweet storms roughly translated is “C’mon, people, work with us. We’re trying to sing out here!” If you’d like to find out how to keep the birdsong going, the Audubon Society and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology have lots of innovative ways to help.
ICYMI Nature News
Even More Bird Beauty
The winning photos of the Bird Photographers of the Year for 2022 have been announced, and they are stunning. Have a look! And if you’ve been following along with the Audubon Birdsong Project, Volume IV is now available for your listening pleasure.
Endangered Migration
Like other winged species, monarch butterflies are struggling to adapt to a rapidly changing world. The WWF has released a magical new short film on the threats to monarch migration. You can watch here.
Knock, knock. Who’s there? Land shark.
According to researchers at the University of Florida, a small species of carpet shark found in the South Pacific is adapting to warming seas by learning to fin-walk on land. Time to break out the shin guards.
Shake, Shake, Rattle, and Glow
Meet the Elvis worms. Researchers at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography have discovered four new species of deep-sea worms whose shimmery scales rival the King’s sequined jumpsuits. Iridescent worms? We’re all shook up!
FWP Carbon Capture Report
As scientists continue to discover more ways that trees and forests add to our happiness, we’re glad to have the opportunity to contribute to those positive vibes thanks to our planting pals at Tree-Nation. Since April 2022, the trees we’ve planted across eleven projects bring our carbon capture to 1,562 tons of CO2. That’s equivalent to 3,878,347 miles driven by a gasoline-powered passenger vehicle, 190,061,769 smartphones charged, or 1,728,720 pounds of coal burned.
Lisa S. French
September 10, 2022
2-minute read
As the world turns, if you find yourself in need of a mood boost this summer, we’ve got just the thing—make friends with a local forest. According to public health researchers at the University of Parma, inhaling a forest atmosphere swirling with naturally occurring, mood-elevating aerosols can influence the release of dopamine and GABA, the feel-good neurotransmitters that improve cognitive function, increase feelings of well-being and relaxation, and improve quality of sleep.
Any type of forest in particular? Cone-producing pine, fir, and cypress trees release the highest concentration of beneficial aerosols limonene and pinene, so forests where conifers are king are your best bet to brighten your spirits. Hitting the trail two hours after dawn through to early afternoon is the optimum time for a one-hour forest wander when well-being-enhancing phytochemicals are at peak release.
In addition to tree aerosol inhalation being good for your headspace, regular visits to a forest can improve your overall health. On average, we spend about 90% of our daily lives indoors, under artificial light, which keeps our minds and bodies in a constant state of low-level stress. Exposure to the green scenery, fresh air, clean water, and soothing sounds and scents of nature reduces excess cortisol and adrenaline, stress hormones that can lead to high blood pressure and heart disease.
The International Society of Nature and Forest Medicine recommends forest therapy as an effective, evidence-based, low-cost public health treatment for stress-related symptoms—not to mention doomscrolling induced brain wobble. So, if you’re looking for a free and easy way to crush the cortisol, head out to a forest near you—the conifers are calling.
Lovely, trusty trees—releasing healing aerosols and absorbing greenhouse gas—providing nature-based solutions to everyday stress and climate change. So worth hugging.
ICYMI Nature News
No Bowling for Pandas
Scientists have concluded that pandas developed a long, large thumb-like digit for gripping bamboo six million years ago. Modern-day pandas forfeited the big thumb for a shorter, flatter, hooked digit that enables them to grip tasty greens while also better distributing their weight when roaming. No bowling—or texting—for today’s pandas, but they’re still masters at manipulating bamboo.
Every Frog’s Dream Pad
A newly identified water lily species discovered by researchers in Bolivia has broken the world’s record for leaf size—10.5 feet across. Holy leaping lily pads, that’s one mighty leaf!
Chomping Down on Climate Change
Bison reintroduced to the Oklahoma prairie are taking a bite out of climate change and helping to protect native plants and wildlife through selective grazing. This is how they do it. Chomp on, big fellas.
Wake Riding Whales
For the first time, humpback whales have been recorded wake-riding behind a ship. Scientists believe that the migrating marine mammals hitched a ride to conserve energy. Because, why swim when you can ride—clever cetaceans.
Audubon Bird Beauty Twofer
The Birdsong Project Volume II is now live, featuring works from Elvis Costello, Yo-Yo-Ma, and The Flaming Lips, among beautiful others. Listen here. And Audubon has announced the tremendously talented winners of the 2022 Audubon Summer Photography award, which happens to include a snap of our friendly local snowy owl perching in Central Park. See here.
FWP Monthly Carbon Capture Report
We’re happy to report that the trees we planted in June across five projects through Tree-Nation bring our 2nd quarter carbon capture total to slightly over one kiloton (1,007 tons). That’s equivalent to 11,330 gallons of gasoline utilized, 1,114,006 pounds of coal burnt, or 2,331 barrels of oil consumed.
That’s all for now. It’s going to be too darn hot out there next week, stay safe, good people.
Lisa S. French
July 17, 2022
