In the last decade, it is estimated that over 1 million pangolins were poached from the wild. World Pangolin Day, on February 17th, is a good time to reflect on this incredibly unique and endangered mammal. Fascinating Pangolin Facts One adult pangolin consumes an average of 70 million insects in one year – great pest […]
April is National Frog Month! Resources to learn more about frogs Link to amphibian educational materials Threats to Frogs The video below introduces a new movie by the folks at Frog Rescue and Jonathan Kolby, a National Geographic Emerging Explorer who is studying threatened frogs in remote regions of the world. Learn more about his […]
Why learn to sketch beetles? Well, did you know that approximately 25% of earth’s animal species are beetles? That’s right, entomologists believe that there are over 350,000 species of beetles in the world. So, it’s likely you’ll encounter one on your nature explorations. They can be found worldwide on every continent except Antarctica, in every habitat […]
How to Sketch a Newt In this video, you’ll learn about newts, salamanders, and amphibians while also learning to draw them. Download the Newt Sketching Cheatsheet and follow along. I filmed this tutorial live in my Nature Sketching Challenge Facebook group. If you enjoyed it and would like to learn more about plants, animals and how to […]
Hummingbirds are a diverse and fascinating family of birds, and easier to sketch than you’d think. I’ve been lucky in my travels to see and draw such colorful hummers like Violet Sabrewings in Honduras, Red-billed Streamertails in Jamaica and Magnificent Hummingbirds in Arizona. As you can see, hummingbird names are as whimsical as their behavior. […]
Georgia O’Keeffe was born on November 15th, 1887 on a farm near Sun Prairie, Wisconsin. She has been an inspiration to me all of my life, with her love of nature and her subject matter that included the hauntingly beautiful landscapes of New Mexico, and the animal bones she found there. So, in her honor, […]
Boo and happy All Hallows’ Eve to you! As a naturalist, Halloween is my favorite holiday and there’s no better place to spend it than deep in a rainforest jungle where there’s certainly no shortage of Halloween-themed wildlife, from cave centipedes and their cockroach prey writhing in bat guano to blood-sucking tiger leeches and golf-ball sized […]
Does the thought of painting in watercolor intimidate you? Is it even harder for you to imagine how you might do it outdoors, in a park or meadow? Let me help get you started! Fall leaves are a great subject to start your painting journey with, since they come in so many different colors which […]
They may not be beautiful, but vultures play a vital role in keeping disease in check. They do so by stripping carcasses quickly and efficiently. It’s a dirty job, but someone’s gotta do it! I consider vultures to be endlessly fascinating in their habits and lifestyles. They are truly the garbage men and recycling team […]
It’s World Rhinoceros Day! World Rhinoceros Day is celebrated on September 22 each year. Let’s take a moment to learn about these impressive animals and the threats they face. Rhinoceros are at risk of extinction throughout their range, especially from poachers who hunt them for their horn with the false belief that it has medicinal […]