Warning: Graphic Content Life in urban areas is not always great for some species. They are prey to other species that might be doing a little better than they are. Here is a peregrine falcon chomping a bird it caught: Thanks Kam-Yung Soh for this picture! Do you have a photo or video of an... Continue Reading →
Urban Observation of the Week: Mating Skinks
Last week we brought you breaking news on campus of baby deer being born. The other sure fire way to tell it is spring, mating season! Here is a pair of 5-lined skinks, Plestiodon fasciatus, doing a mating ritual: Do you have a photo or video of an urban species doing something unusual? What about... Continue Reading →
Urban Observation of the Week: Baby Deer Born on Campus
Spring is finally here! How can we tell for sure, well how about a baby deer being born. We were fortunate enough to capture the birth of twins on campus here at the University of Toronto Mississauga. Check out the thread on twitter: Do you have a photo or video of an urban species... Continue Reading →
Urban Observation of the Week: Grill Possums
Did you know that opossums are the only marsupial in North America? They are also fairly common in some urban areas. These are great animals to have around because they eat the ticks that would otherwise chow on you and your pets! Do you have a photo or video of an urban species doing something... Continue Reading →
Proc. B Special Issue: Invasive Grass in Urban Areas
This post is part of our series covering the large number of urban evolution manuscripts that were published in August 2018 in the special issue "The Evolution of City Life" in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B. Urbanization can create new pathways of introduction for invasive species. The recently introduced invasive grass Brachypodium... Continue Reading →
Urban Observation of the Week: Kangaroo Mob
Did you know that kangaroos are really common in parts of Australia? Here's a mob of kangaroos passing through a neighborhood! Do you have a photo or video of an urban species doing something unusual? What about a rare plant or animal that you were surprised to find in a city? If so, let... Continue Reading →
Even Low Intensity Urbanization Can Influence Evolution
A recent article published in Conservation Genetics by Gizelle Hurtado and Karen Mabry found that even low levels of urbanization can influence genetic structure of Merriam's kangaroo rat. Researchers collected the kangaroo rats from Las Cruces, NM in 5 urban and 5 non-urban sites to compare genetic diversity and genetic structure between the two habitat... Continue Reading →
Urban Observation of the Week: Car Nesting Birds
Spring is in the air and birds are nesting... Sometimes on your car?!?
Evolution in Urban Environments Talk
For those of you who follow us and live in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), I'm giving a talk at the Riverwood Conservancy this Saturday, April 20th at 9:30 am. You can register for the event here. I will be talking about how urbanization can influence evolution for a lot of different organisms, including plants... Continue Reading →
Urban Observation of the Week: Campus Ducks
Springtime is here! In the northern latitudes we are seeing birds coming back from their winter grounds.These ducks are enjoying a "pond" made by the runoff pipes. Thank you Rose Wood for the great duck pic! Do you have a photo or video of an urban species doing something unusual? What about a rare... Continue Reading →
Urban Observation of the Week: Neighborhood Coyotes
Coyotes seem to be everywhere in North American neighborhoods. Here is a spotting from @evoecolab in his front yard. We have explored aspects of urban evolution in coyotes in a previous post by Kevin Aviles-Rodriguez. Do you have a photo or video of an urban species doing something unusual? What about a rare plant... Continue Reading →
Urban Observation of the Week: Eastern Phoebe
We get a whole lot of New York City's wildlife observations here. For your viewing pleasure, here is the Eastern Phoebe, which may look like it is in pristine wildlife, but listen closely and you can hear the sounds of the city. Do you have a photo or video of an urban species doing... Continue Reading →
Urban Observation of the Week: Early Birds
There's an old saying, "the early bird gets the worms." Well in Washington D.C., the early bird, a Peregrine Falcon, gets the better parking spots! This week our observation comes from iNaturalist, a web and mobile app that allows users to record, share, and discuss observations of plants and animals. You can read more about... Continue Reading →
Urban Observation of the Week: Milkweed
These milkweeds are still hanging on. Most milkweed plants are not visible, they have retreated to under the soil, especially in urban areas that mow. This population has been holding on, protected by the narrow patch of land, shielded from many of the elements in this nook. These are hearty plants, found in rough patches,... Continue Reading →
Urban Observation of the Week: Four-leaf Clover
This weekend is Saint Patrick's Day and what better way to celebrate than to show off a four-leaf clover, Trifolium repens. They are more common than you'd think, if you were collecting hundreds of samples across the world like graduate student Simon Innes. Usually these plants have three distinct leaves (hence trifolium in the name).... Continue Reading →