Category: Urban observations
Blog news (3) Books (2) Citizen Science (20) Conference Proceedings (73) Defining Urbanization (6) Guest Post (9) How To (13) Museums/Natural History Collections (3) Natural History Notes (10) New Lit Abstracts (101) New Research (181) New Research Tools (7) Notes from the field (15) Public Outreach (21) sustainable development (2) Uncategorized (39) Urban Environments (54) Urban Evolution in the Media (12) Urban observations (87) Urban Wildlife (13)
-
Arms race in the war on raccoons
“Madrid declares war on plague of raccoon and parrot invaders” The Guardian (2013, July 22) “Toronto wages war on Raccoon Nation”The Canadian Press (2015,…
-
Urban Paleontology: The Hidden Diversity in Cities
Many of the posts on this blog discuss the wide variety of life you can find in urban environments. But have you ever considered…
-
Urbanization and Local History Affect the Saguaro Cactus in the Sonoran Desert
With the rapid expansion of the city, the degradation of the natural environment has gradually aroused widespread concern in society. In recent years, the…
-
The fox and the bag: a modern fable
A statue of a fox, as long as 16 meters with a height of over 10 meters, with a bag between its teeth sits…
-
Reptiles in the city: Should we welcome our reptilian overlords?
Think about a classic urban species. The first ones that come to mind are usually rats, pigeons and cockroaches. I’d bet that less than…
-
From Twigs to Trash: The Surprising Evolution of Bird Nests
Did you know that it has been estimated that the anthropogenic mass, representing all human-made objects, would exceed the living biomass in 2020 ±…
-
Wall Lovers: Plants that can turn canal walls into urban ‘rock gardens’
Urban environments consist mostly of bricks, concrete, asphalt, metal and glass: not very alluring substrates for many terrestrial organisms. Certain mosses and lichens can…
-
Dandelions by the Roadside
Do you remember when was the last time you blew dandelion seeds? Do you remember the last time you stopped your busy schedule and…
-
Mating season is coming! Are you ready for the termite air raid?
Around May, enormous swarms of termites wing up, coming out from the ground, trying to find the perfect match and establish their own families.…
-
Cats versus rats in the city – a surprising winner
Cats are a staple in human culture. They have been fed by us, housed by us, even worshipped by us, and are still helping…
-
Colletes hederae: The new bee in town
At first glance, a city is a hodgepodge of buildings, busy streets and public squares, people, traffic, and overall bustle. Yet, if you manage…
-
(Sub) Urban Observations: Greylag geese nesting in trees & nest hijack by a leucistic duck?
Knotted willows characterise many Dutch landscapes, where they are often seen in a row along creeks that have existed for decades. These willows are…
-
Urban Observation: Little Ringed Plovers on Urban Tidal Marshes
Who would ever have expected to see plovers on the banks of the Huangpu River in Shanghai? The Huangpu River is the “mother river”…
-
Urban Eastern Red-Backed Salamanders (Plethodon cinereus) and a New Kind of Leaf Litter
Lurking beneath the trash laden leaf litter of the 5 boroughs lurks a secretive little amphibian that exemplifies the struggle between the forces of…
-
Urban Observation: Groundhogs in Central Park
Have you ever seen a groundhog in Central Park? Or any other urban park? According to @BirdCentralPark, these adorable rodents are not a common…