Food Chains and Food Webs, Explained Simply
Every meal in nature is a transaction that moves energy from one living thing to another. A grasshopper eats a leaf, a…
The field journal
Latest from Nature Nestly
Every guide we have published, newest first. Wildlife explainers, conservation context, backyard how-tos, myth-busting, and quiet ways to enjoy the natural world.
Why Native Plants Are the Best Thing for Backyard Wildlife
A garden full of colorful exotic flowers can look impressive and still be nearly silent with wildlife. Native plants, by contrast, may…
What to Do If You Meet a Coyote
A coyote encounter rarely needs to be frightening. These adaptable animals share suburban and urban spaces with millions of people every day…
7 Conservation Myths That Do More Harm Than Good
Good intentions do not always lead to good outcomes in conservation, especially when those intentions are built on myths. Some of the…
How to Listen to Nature: A Beginner’s Guide to Soundscapes
Most of us walk through the natural world with our eyes doing all the work. Listening is a different skill entirely, and…
How Scientists Classify Animals, in Plain English
Every living thing has a scientific name and a place in a vast organisational tree. Species classification is the system scientists use…
Are Wolves Really Dangerous? Myths vs Facts
Few animals have been feared and persecuted as thoroughly as the wolf. The stories we grew up with painted them as cunning,…
Habitat Loss: The Quiet Driver of Wildlife Decline
Habitat loss does not announce itself. There is no single event, no day the last tree falls or the last wetland drains.…
How to Take a Great Nature Walk With Kids
The gap between a nature walk with kids that everyone enjoys and one that ends in complaints and tired legs is almost…
Why Pollinators Need Protecting, and How You Can Help
About one in every three bites of food you eat exists because a pollinator visited a flower. Bees, butterflies, beetles, flies, and…
Does a Bee Always Die After Stinging? It Depends
The claim that bees always die after stinging you is one of those half-truths that gets repeated as a complete fact. It…
How to Identify 12 Common Backyard Birds
You do not need a field guide the size of a encyclopedia to start naming the birds in your yard. Most backyards…