Tag: natural history
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Silver Birch: A Tree of Disturbance and Renewal
by Nicolette L. Cagle, Ph.D., April 13, 2026 In the last several posts, I’ve explored the dry woodlands and steppe-edge habitats of Central Europe, where trees grow in bright light and on poor soils impacted by disturbance. After turning to Scots Pine, I arrive at another characteristic species of these transitional places: Silver Birch (Betula…
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Scots Pine: The Workhorse of Dry European Soils
by Nicolette L. Cagle, Ph.D., April 13, 2026 In the last post, I explored the dry woodlands and steppe-edge habitats of Central Europe, where thin soils, lots of light, and anthropogenic disturbance create a different world from the cool mountain forests, broadleaf lowlands, and floodplains that came before. Here, I turn to one of the…
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Rock, Loess, and Light: Dry Woodlands and Steppe-Edge Habitats of Central Europe
by Nicolette L. Cagle, Ph.D., April 13, 2026 In the last several posts, I’ve been moving through the major forested worlds of Central Europe, from mountain forests of Spruce, Fir, Beech, and Larch, to the Broadleaf Forests of the lowlands and foothills, and most recently to the shifting floodplain forests of the Danube, Morava, and…
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Pannonian Ash: A Tree of Hardwood Gallery Forests and Lowland Rivers
by Nicolette L. Cagle, Ph.D., April 13, 2026 In the last several posts, I’ve been exploring the floodplain forests of Central Europe through some of their characteristic trees, including Black Alder and Black Poplar, both species closely tied to shifting sediments and mercurial river banks. Pannonian Ash belongs to the floodplain as well, but it…
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Black Poplar: The Fast-Growing Pioneer of Central Europe’s Floodplains
by Nicolette L. Cagle, Ph.D., April 13, 2026 In recent posts, I have been exploring the dynamic floodplain forests found along the iconic Danube, Morava, and Tisza Rivers, including the resilient, rooted, and red-hued Black Alder. But Black Alder is not alone in its ability to live with instability. It is joined by Black Poplar,…
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European Hornbeam: Knitting the Broadleaf Forest Across Moisture Regimes and Canopy Layers
by Nicolette L. Cagle, Ph.D., April 4, 2026 In the last two posts, I introduced two species that anchor the mesic and upland Broadleaf Forests of Central Europe: Pedunculate Oak and Sessile Oak. Here, I turn to a species that helps knit those forest stands together across moisture regimes and canopy layers: European Hornbeam. If…
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Norway Spruce: The Dark Spire of Central Europe’s Mountain Forests
by Nicolette L. Cagle, Ph.D., March 30, 2026 In the last few posts, I’ve been moving through the trees that help define the mountain forests of Central Europe. I began with the larger upland landscape, then turned to species such as Sycamore Maple, European Beech, and Silver Fir, each of which helps shape the structure…
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Why Does the Junco Flash Its Tail and Other Notes
A winter storm approaches. Light flakes of snow dance in the air, and the birds forage and feast, fighting to fill their bellies before snow blankets their food source and enforces a period of fasting. The Ruby-crowned Kinglets are acrobats, flipping and bouncing through the trees. The Cardinals are confident, their size and boldness allowing…
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Glass Flowers at the Harvard Museum of Natural History
In 1886, a father and son team of Czech glass artisans were asked to make botanical models for Harvard University. Over nearly half a century, Leopold and Rudolf Blaschka worked to create one of the most “scientifically and breathtakingly beautiful collections ever created”. Popularly, the collection created by the Blaschka’s and Harvard are called the…
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Where Have All the Naturalists Gone?
Where Have All the Naturalists Gone? | Cool Green Science: The Conservation Blog of The Nature Conservancy An interesting article about the lack of naturalists, and respect for them, was recently posted on the Nature Conservancy’s Conservation Blog (see link below). In my own experience, the role of naturalists in science has greatly declined. In…
Sense of Place 