“By buzzing and quivering, leaning and turning, bees communicate remarkably accurate information.”
animals
Heroes of the Hurricane
When a storm surge swept dozens of wild horses and cattle from the coast of North Carolina, no one expected there to be survivors. Then hoofprints appeared in the sand.
The Original Tiger Kings
“At the peak of their fame, they were arguably the most famous magicians since Houdini.”
The Coyotes in the HOA
A short poignant essay from Thao Thai about coyotes, a neighborhood Facebook HOA group, belonging, migration, and the immigrant experience. Coyotes are known to claim territories for their families, even unconventional ones like bustling downtown streets in Chicago. Like me, coyotes blossom in familiarity. I admire their resilience, but I sometimes wonder if it’s worth […]
Our Animals, Ourselves
In their passionate and powerful essay, Astra Taylor and Sunaura Taylor call for socialist feminist solidarity with nonhumans and explain that we need much more than vegan products to consume — “we need a paradigm shift.” While the trauma inflicted on people and animals by these industries isn’t the same, it is interconnected. We are […]
The Lion King of Los Angeles
Growing up in Los Angeles as a Latino child interested in science, Miguel Ordeñana didn’t really have any role models to look up to. Now, as a wildlife biologist, his research on P-22, the famous mountain lion of Griffith Park, is important and inspiring. Ordeñana is an advocate for landscape connectivity and a more inclusive […]
My Friend Goo
When the pandemic upended her daily life, Deb Olin Unferth started walking, and one day met a goose. A measured, tender tale of loss and love and difficult friendship — one that warns you throughout that a sting is coming, but manages to sneak up and wallop you anyway. He was feisty, the town bully, […]
The Sounds of Silence: A Reading List About Listening to Nature
Kindling a new awareness of the outdoors wasn’t something the author predicted, but it brought a host of realizations — including the discovery of these five thoughtful longreads.
The Race to Free Washington’s Last Orca in Captivity
“A southern resident’s violent capture off Whidbey Island was the original sin of a now-defunct local industry. Decades later, a Lummi-led effort to bring her home is on the verge of an improbable breakthrough.”