Links: Back from Costa Rica Edition

We've been back from Costa Rica for a week and a half, but it feels like we're just now adjusting back to being home. It was beautiful -- there was ocean, there were mountains, there were waterfalls, and there were lots and lots of critters. We sat for hours and watched monkeys swing through trees. We tromped around in the rain and looked for quetzals. And we couldn't walk long distances because we kept stopping to look at birds. And that's the way we like it. Costa Rica doesn't have the same edge as some other places in Latin America that we've travelled to -- there's no "if I eat this, will I be puking my guts out tomorrow?" and a lot less visible poverty. Sometimes it feels a little like Disneyworld, full of tourists. But it's no Disneyworld -- that beauty is real, and they've done a great job of protecting it. Our pictures are here.

Have you taken our survey yet? We'd love your feedback on the Natural Capital. This is your chance to tell us what you missed -- and what you didn't -- while we were gone. And you can win some of our favorite native plant seeds for filling it out!

Other things that caught our eye this week:

• Wha? A meteorite hit a doctor's office in Lorton,VA this week. See the footage, or check out this Q&A with Smithsonian experts from NMNH.
• Does Spending Time Outdoors Prevent Myopia? (NPR)
  
• Scientists Reject Mountaintop Mining Methods (NYTimes)
  
• Update your Netflix queue...All-Time Top 10 Environmental Films (Audubon Magazine Blog)
• MD General Assembly may take a hatchet to environmental programs protecting the Bay.
• There are some fun links in this story from the National Wildlife Federation for Squirrel Appreciation Day.
  

And a quote for your week:

"In wilderness I sense the miracle of life, & behind it our scientific accomplishments fade to trivia." - Charles Lindbergh

See you out there!

Links: Solstice Edition

I've always thought of the solstice as the shortest day of the year. It is that, but astronomers actually determine the moment of solstice -- which, this year, will be Monday at 12:45 PM. It's the exact time out of the entire year when the Earth's axis is most inclined away from the sun. Enjoy your lunch!

Other things that caught our eye this week:

• Capital Weather Gang (our favorite weather forecasters) are now predicting a 100% chance of snow on Saturday.
  
• Mike Tidwell says -- To fix climate change, stop going green.
• I really believe in drinking tap water, but stories like this NY Times article about water polution are starting to make me wonder. What do you drink?
• Christmas shopping this weekend? Check out our list of Noteworthy Books About Nature in 2009
• USGS is replacing its paper topographic maps with free online ones. I'm a sucker for a good map.
• Clean Currents will look at a Google Map view of your house and tell you whether solar might be feasible on your property. They pointed out to us that while our house is well-shaded, we've got a large, full-sun shed roof to work with. Stay tuned.
• A reminder to use old Christmas trees to protect birds.
• A reminder from Nature Observer to Celebrate Winter.

And a quote for your week:

Interest in the changing seasons is a much happier state of mind than being hopelessly in love with spring. -- Santayana

Links: Woody Woodpecker Edition

The kids at Locust Grove Nature Center are watching Woody Woodpecker this morning, and so can you:



Woody's supposed to be a piliated woodpecker. But the cartoonists take quite a bit of artistic license. What do they get right, and where do they go horribly wrong? Watch a little and see what you think.

Other things that have caught our eye lately:

• Geminid Meteor Shower to peak this weekend.
• Rain gardens make a local Habitat for Humanity building site greener.
• Join Sierra's trails forum to enter this month's photo contest -- or just check out the COLD photos.
• In Forest Kindergarten, kids spend three hours each day outside regardless of the weather.
• Birds can throw their voices in the direction of a predator.
• Ever Seen a Black Hiker Before? Great video from Funny or Die, via Outdoor Afro.
• A wonderful collection of tree writing (including a piece from the Natural Capital) at Festival of the Trees.
• Nice little video from local author Mary Amato on how mushrooms are like the writing process.

A Week of Links: Busy at Work and Play Edition

We've both been really busy this week...so a few less links than usual, unless you want to read about the work Elizabeth's been doing for the Kaiser Family Foundation (along with several other projects that don't have results yet). But you're here for nature, not the complicated world of Medicare Part D. And we've got some for you:

• Natural ringtones: make your phone ring with bird calls, or animal sounds from the National Zoo.
• And speaking of the National Zoo, here's video of a recent deer vs. lions incident. Are zoo lions so weakened by captivity that they can't decisively take out a deer that strays into their enclosure? And are deer now so overpopulated in Rock Creek Park that they are actively seeking out predators?
• There's a hearing on the Purple Line coming up on Dec. 10. It's a dilemma for nature lovers: do you make the Capital Crescent trail less nice in order to get more cars off the road?
  
• Lovely pictures of the leaves in Klingle Valley from Valerie Hinojosa.
• Bringing Nature Home to Your Ecosystem Garden: a podcast with author Doug Tallamy.
• How's this for bringing nature into your home? An article from the New York Times home & garden section on Building With Whole Trees.

And a quote for your week:

Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower. -  Albert Camus

A Week of Links: Butterfly Ear Edition

The natural world never ceases to amaze me. Butterflies have ears on their wings?!? Who knew? Well, apparently entomologists have known since 1912.

Some other things we found interesting this week:

• Do you live in the Bay watershed? Learn how to find out!
• The National Zoo won a grant to prevent extinction of VA's state bat.
• Great list of do-gooders: the GOOD 100
• Trees On The Brink from Botany Buddy - Chestnuts, hemlocks, & elms top our local list.
• This video may make you cry (I did). Leveling Appalachia: The Legacy of Mountaintop Removal Mining by Yale Environment 360 
• Alison Kerr on the book Bringing Nature Home, which was the best non-fiction book we've read all year (check out our review here). 
• A list of environmental education programs in DC
• A great description of making flour from acorns from The Green Phone Booth - we just did this ourselves! (and check out our post on local acorns)
  
• Do you have a nature backpack ready for spur-of-the-moment adventures?
• Tired of Green in Winter? Use Bark For Winter Interest
• 10 Things Global Warming Could Change Forever
• Rush Limbaugh now likening environmentalists to jihadists. To NYTimes' Revkin: "Why don't you just go kill yourself?"

And a quote of the week:

"Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts." - Rachel Carson

A Week of Links: Breathing Easy Edition

This week I have had the pleasure of reflecting on how there's nothing like getting over a head cold to make you appreciate being able to breathe through your nose. For that matter, there's nothing like last weekend to make you appreciate the weather we're supposed to have today in DC. Make sure you at least step outside for a few minutes at lunchtime, if you can't play hooky and look at leaves today.

Some links we've found interesting lately:

• Maryland's Sen. Cardin says his bill would prod states to clean up the Chesapeake Bay  
• Kate Sheppard of Mother Jones on Rachel Maddow, talking about the Chamber getting punked over climate change 
• What car-free locations should the Google Street View trike visit? Nominate your favorite by 10/28.
• A fantastic article on leaves in Audubon Magazine.
  
• A beautiful video. "When you say resources, you're talking about family."
• National Wildlife Federation's Top Ten Reasons Parents Should Care About Outdoor Time For Kids  (Fun didn't make the top 10?)
• Projects like this show people the human face of why the environment is important: MD Examines Environmental Justice
  
• Nice feature on NPR's Science Friday on bird migration.
  

And a quote for the week:

 "The day I see a leaf is a marvel of a day."  ~ Kenneth Patton

A Week of Links: Meadows Cabin Edition

We're headed out to Syria, VA tomorrow to stay at the PATC's Meadows Cabin. This is one of our favorites in the PATC system and it's become an annual trip with a group of friends to go during the weekend of the Graves Mountain Apple Harvest Festival. Last year, it was warm enough that the toddlers took a bath in a wheelbarrow outside. This year, the forecast is for highs in the 40s and rain. But we'll have a fantastic view from the outhouse, and eat apples, wild grapes, and spicebush berries from the yard.

Some things we found interesting this week:

• It's not too late to answer our question: Where Do You Go For Fall Foliage? http://ow.ly/15TSgL
• NWF: Landscaping can be for the birds: http://su.pr/2pCDrq
• Disturbing story, & MD is on the list: Some Coal Plants Cleanse the Air at the Expense of Waterways (NYTimes) http://bit.ly/25Z98
• New take on nobel in econ: Ostrom an expert on sustainable ag http://bit.ly/sQkgq
• New Park coming soon to Columbia Heights - http://bit.ly/3ALm9o
• Wonderful WaPo article about 'My Side of the Mountain' - I loved that book. http://bit.ly/1nlYcG
• Ride WMATA or like reducing congestion? Sign CSG's petition for more support from local gov'ts http://bit.ly/metropetition
• Seeing the monarchs in Michoacan was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. Monarch migration http://bit.ly/aSj5h
• John Brown 150th Commemoration next weekend at Harpers Ferry: http://tinyurl.com/ygox3v5
• Someday I will bike the 334 mi from Gtown to Pittsburgh: Great Allegheny Passage rail trail in USA Today http://ow.ly/tuFu
• Michael Pollan's Botany of Desire is coming to PBS on 10/28 - preview here: http://ow.ly/txRl
• Very cool - the Solar Decathlon will be connected to PEPCO's grid. The homes will contribute more energy than they consume.
• This would be so cool if it works - Making Algae Biodiesel from Chesapeake Bay Pollution http://retwt.me/HP0G
• Great Kojo Show about the role of nature in healing http://ow.ly/ttak
• RIP Ben Ali. Great picture of him in front of Ben's Chili Bowl @ReadysetDC http://ow.ly/ttoP

Quote of the week:
"A naturalist in a hurry never learns anything of value." Gerald Durrell

A Week of Links: Blame it on Mungo Edition

As we surf the web we tend to pass along little tidbits via our Twitter account. Here, for your surfing pleasure, are the links we found interesting in the last week. We blame this post on Mungo Says Bah!, because he just did the same thing. And because we like his name.

• Good post on the Weed Warriors removing invasives in MoCo http://ow.ly/sZGY
• Plummers Island in the Potomac is most studied island in North America - all plants are bar-coded. (NPR) http://ow.ly/sP3C
  
• Coyotes are breeding with wolves & filling a predator niche in the NE: http://bit.ly/KfM2A
• Solar decathalon: Students are building 20 solar houses. On the National Mall. And you can watch. http://bit.ly/2IaF1e
• The Wilderness: Where We Meet Our Ancestors http://tinyurl.com/yktvp6g
• Washingtonian's list of where to hike this fall http://ow.ly/snFV
• Did you know you can stream Ken Burns' National Parks? I'll be catching up this wkend! http://ow.ly/snVC
  
• A celebrity climate change anthem http://bit.ly/25JRfq (I miss old-school anthems w/ celebs in one room together)
• Fantastic list: 101 Nature Activities from Sanborn Camps http://bit.ly/q8hNh
• Tom Toles on mutant fish in the Potomac. http://bit.ly/17zijF 
  

And a quote for the week:
"People in the city...have no time to look at a flower. I want them to see it whether they want to or not."

~Georgia O'Keeffe