Even though it’s only February, I’m beginning to hear my local birds becoming far more vocal each morning; which tells me that it’s time to think about the spring migration. It’s also time to begin thinking about new field guides – the most recent example of which to arrive on my desk being the new The Stokes Essential Pocket Guide to the Birds of North America.
Of all the effects commonly noted in discussions of global climate change, ocean acidification and its effects on the shells of the myriad creatures dwelling within them to be found in the seas is generally high on the list. But for as ubiquitous as seashells are to us today, how much do most of us really know about them?
If you’re anything like me, you find the stories behind the names of species of significant value in acquiring an understanding of those species themselves. Indeed, in many cases, a knowledge of both the former and the latter can shed otherwise imperceivable light upon them both.
From New York City’s iconic Central Park to the much smaller and now significantly modernized Morton Park in Newport, Rhode Island, Olmsted’s designs for areas of recreation and nature-inspired rejuvenation are still with us in a host of ways beyond our everyday awareness.