Nature

Finding buried treasure is like winning the lottery, everyone wants to win big. The task of locating buried treasure involves patience, stamina, and perseverance to attempt the arduous task of...

The Ichetucknee River begins at the headspring located within Ichetucknee Springs State Park and flows six miles before joining Florida's Santa Fe River. Open year-round, the park is most active...

Ice marbles are a colorful and fun way to decorate and have fun during the winter months. Extremely cold weather especially lends itself to this whimsical activity.

The cougar, often called a mountain lion, is a large member of the cat family. The cougar once had the largest geographical distribution in the Western Hemisphere of any wild animal, with a...

Measuring different properties of the weather can be done with both simple and complex instruments. The weather barometer is a fairly simple one that can be purchased for the home. It measures...

Beans are what seeds of the legume family are usually called. The beans are found in pods, and typically each pod contains many different seeds or beans. Each bean is capable of germinating and...

The nutria is a rodent similar to beavers and muskrats. These 2-foot-long creatures are native to South America, but their introduction into the United States came with severe consequences on the...

Wetlands are partly defined by their plant communities. Definitions can be general--swamps are dominated by trees; marshes are composed of grasses, sedges and other emergent plants--or specific,...

Movies and theaters frequently use fake snow to create a winter scene; in fact, it's big business in the movie industry. Those on a more limited budget can create a wintry look by using a hair...

Flowering plants can grow in many different types of environments. The range is quite extensive--from deserts on the drier extreme to swamps and marshes on the wet side.

A food chain is a simple linear path that shows the feeding relationships among species in the ecosystem. An aggregation of interlocking food chains results in a complex network of feeding links...

The cottonwood tree is a member of the willow family. Several types grow wild in different parts of the United States, with the bark's appearance depending on the species.

This method for dry plucking your wild game ensures that all of the feathers are removed. Many people hunt for wild turkeys, pheasants, duck, and geese that are suitable for eating. Follow these...

The rubber boa acquired its name from its appearance, as the snake looks as if it is made of rubber. A snake of western North America, people seldom see this elusive reptile, as it forages for...

The box turtle is a species of turtle native to North America, with various types living in the United States. These reptiles have distinct geographical ranges and tend to live in certain habitats.

Whales are marine mammals that inhabit all the world's oceans. Whales are excellent swimmers, can grow to incredible sizes and will spend their whole lives in the water.

Plants undergo pollination in many ways, the most common being pollination by flying insects, especially bees. Other means of pollination include wind, other insects, spiders, moths, bats, and...

With thousands of tree species in the world, even experts can have some difficulty identifying the species of tree. Begin by learning distinguishing characteristics about several local, common...

An orca is a killer whale, which is a misnomer since it is in reality the largest member within the dolphin family. Orcas have a wide distribution around the globe, living in both polar and...

American basswood trees, also called American linden trees, are known throughout the forest as a gold mine for sweet nutrition. Bees become attracted to the high-quality sap produced within the...

Flowers have always captured the admiration of mankind. Their evolutionary development, though, has nothing to do with humanity but is in every sense concerned with attracting the flying insects...

Rock salt, also known as the mineral halite, is simply table salt, sodium chloride (NaCl). The classic way to determinate its chloride ion (Cl-) concentration is the Mohr method. It involves the...

The Venus flytrap is an unique, carnivorous plant native to the coastal regions of North and South Carolina. Learn more about this popular houseplant, which is cherished by botanists all over the...

For bluebirds to survive loss of habitat, giving them proper housing in good locations will help them thrive. Placing bluebird houses in a backyard is a simple task, requiring only a few tools and...

Have you ever wanted to see a real snowflake up close but didn’t know how? You might have been able to see an individual snowflake on a windshield or the sleeve of your coat, but after a few...

The Amazon's unique ecology arises in part from the annual inundation by the Amazon River. This specialized and threatened ecosystem shelters interdependent animal, plant, and insect life. Yet...

Water turtles are reptiles that spend the majority of their time in ponds, streams, lakes, rivers, or wetlands. Many of the most common types in the United States have easily identifiable features.

Roses are a large family of plants that cover many diverse species, including the garden rose and the wild rose, a low shrub that likes the sand flats of the coastal region. Both the cultivated...

Many familiar flowers originated overseas in jungles. Flowering plants attract pollinators (such as bees, butterflies and hummingbirds) by color, shape and scent. Flowers in the world's jungles...

You can make an observation worm farm to show children exactly how useful worms are for composting. You need to use a container that is narrow enough to force the worms to show you their...

The Cananga odorata, also known as ylang-ylang, is native to northern Australia and tropical parts of Asia. Cananga oil is distilled from the blossoms and widely used in expensive perfumes.

Seed plants include not only flowering plants, but also conifers. Scientifically known as angiosperms and gymnosperms, these plants are distributed worldwide and now dominate the plant kingdom.

Flowering plants, or angiosperms, appeared rather suddenly in the geologic record about 130 million years ago, during the mid-Cretaceous period. Flowers gave angiosperms an advantage over other...

Not all plants produce flowers or grow from seeds. Some members of the plant kingdom reproduce by the production and dispersal of spores. This dispersal is usually aided by the wind or by water.

Life on Earth, including plant life, evolved in the oceans. Eventually, plants worked their way onto land, at first hugging the shoreline. Plants require water for food production and...

Whether newly purchased or stored on a reel, monofilament line is almost always stored in a curled position. The line tends to remain curled even after it is removed from its packaging or from the...

Spores and seeds are both methods of plant reproduction. Spores are produced by plants that produce asexually, seeds by those that use methods of sexual reproduction. Both are meant to scatter...

Spanish moss is a nonpoisonous plant of the southern United States that grows on trees and is what botanists call an epiphytic plant. It depends on another plant for support but does not absorb...

Tree climbing is an activity many children do in their backyards. For some people, however, tree climbing is a hobby that carries on into adulthood. Climbing trees can be great fun if proper...

During winter periods, high winds, rain, ice and snow make it difficult for many birds to forage for food. Putting out some wild bird seed during a cold weather season is greatly appreciated by...

Care for plants and animals in their natural environment is the goal of environmental managers. Management of resources is a balancing act of leveraging the needs of the plants and animals in...

Plants use photosynthesis as a means to make their own food. By converting water and carbon dioxide into sugars and starches, plants not only take care of their own needs, but nourish countless...

A trip to the beach would not be complete without the thrill of finding a special shell or two to take home. Savvy shell seekers may check the local tide charts so their walk along the waters edge...

Lemongrass is a perennial grass plant that grows in tropical regions of Asia. The most commonly used type of lemongrass is from India. The oil from lemongrass is extracted from fresh or dried...

All cultivated species of flowers have originated from wildflowers. Once a plant has been domesticated, it may be bought and planted all over the world. Some plants when introduced to a different...

Sea urchins are mostly round invertebrate creatures, cold-blooded and having no backbone, that live on the floor of the oceans and seas around the world. There are around 700 separate species of...

The Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act, or H.R. 980, is federal legislation that designates 24 million acres of land in the Northern Rockies as wilderness, protecting it from development.

Grasslands in their various forms once covered more than 42 percent of the Earth's surface. In North America early European settlers referred to these grasslands as "prairies," the French word for...

Vermiculture, or the method of turning organic kitchen waste into crumbly, nutrient dense compost, is also a great way to raise worms for fishing. Not only do you have free, soil-enhancing compost...

Bamboo can be used in many ways, but one i can show you is how to make it into a spear, this is meant for fishing and not for play as it will have sharp edges.