The Fiddlers

Late summer is the season of Orthopterans (crickets, grasshoppers, katydids and locusts). Named for their straight, hardened forewings, the...

The Green Line

On land, photosynthetic plants form the base of the food chain, trapping the sun's energy and passing it along to a web of primary and s...

Humans and Stress

As a physician, I am well aware that humans are prone to stress and that many of our maladies are closely linked to this complex phenomenon....

Dean visits the Southwest

After coming ashore last week, Hurricane Dean moved into central Mexico and has since reignited the Southwest Monsoon. Injecting copious tr...

The Central Lowlands

Heading back to Missouri, we entered the Central Lowlands of North America along I-71, between Mansfield and Columbus, Ohio. This vast geoph...

The Flying Ewe

This weekend, my wife and I had the pleasure of visiting the Flying Ewe Farm, in northeast West Virginia. Nestled in the wooded hills of the...

Heat, Drought and Floods

The persistent heat and drought in the Southeast and the record floods across the Upper Midwest are related to the same weather system. As ...

Coastal Colorado

Should you ask Americans to list wildlife species native to Colorado, most would mention bighorn sheep, elk and mountain lions. Few would i...

The Chase

As I drove into our Colorado farm this morning, a juvenile red fox ran across the driveway. I initially assumed he had been hunting mice in...

High Pressure Rescue

After enduring a summer of relentless rain and floods from Tropical Storm Erin, it looked as if Texas Coast residents would have to flee Hur...

Timberline

The Southern Rockies and Southwest Ranges have two timberlines. The lower treeline is the border below which annual precipitation is insuffi...

Sculptors of the Land

The landscape of our Continent is a product of geology, tectonic forces and the erosive power of wind, water and ice. Though glacial topogra...

Peru's Subduction Quake

Yesterday's earthquake in central Peru developed along a subduction zone. The Nazca Plate, a remnant of the Farallon Plate, is being pu...

Jim, Flossie and Dean

Last week, as Hurricane Flossie churned northwestward across the Pacific, the Weather Channel advised that it would likely pass to the south...

Blue Whales and Krill

Blue whales, the largest animals to ever inhabit this planet, reach up to 100 feet in length and weigh up to 190 tons; females and those in ...

Heat Dome

A stubborn dome of high pressure has been sitting over the Southern Plains and Lower Mississippi Valley for the past two weeks and shows no ...

Summer Mornings

During periods of hot, humid weather, early morning is the only comfortable time of day to be outdoors. With afternoon highs near 100, even...

North Park

Colorado, with its alpine scenery, ski resorts, whitewater rivers and rugged canyons, attracts visitors from across the globe. But most of t...

Crowley's Ridge

The Mississippi Alluvial Plain covers the eastern third of Arkansas. Rising amidst this flat landscape of cropfields and wetlands is Crowley...

From Flight to Flippers

Fossil evidence suggests that ancestral penguins first appeared along the coasts of Antarctica and New Zealand about 65 million years ago. I...

The Cascades

The Cascade Range of the Pacific Northwest began to form during the Oligocene, 36 million years ago, as the Farallon Plate subducted beneath...

Fear in the Heartland

The warnings began last week. Preparations were advised. Citizens were urged to use caution. Escape was suggested if possible. The news ...

Heat Shelters

One way to enjoy nature on a hot, humid day is to visit a cave. Caves form in areas with thick layers of soluble bedrock (limestones and dol...

Glades

Also called barrens or xeric prairies, glades are open, grassy areas that develop on wooded hillsides. They are common throughout the southe...

The Wild Canary

Gregarious for most of the year, American goldfinches finally pair off by mid summer, much later than most songbirds. Their late nesting beh...

Suburban Stalker

Patient, camouflaged and efficient, a stalker haunts the landscape of suburbia. With arms folded as if in prayer, the praying mantis takes ...

Mid Day Siesta

Hot summer afternoons are the worst time of year for birdwatching and wildlife viewing. Unlike many humans, wild creatures have the common s...