If you've watched birds, you know that different species have unique personality traits. Bowdoin professor and Maine Audubon trustee Nat Wheelwright's latest Nature Moment take a closer look at why that is. Have you noticed how different bird species have distinct personalities? Some are shy and …
Nat Wheelwright
Nature Moments: Jonathan Livingston Gull
In his latest "Nature Moment," Bowdoin professor and Maine Audubon board member Nat Wheelwright gets into the nuances among the many species of gull -- and among the incredible array of plumages within each species. Gulls are extraordinarily variable in the way they look. The color of an …
Nature Moments: Fungi, the Original Recyclers
Check out the latest installment from Bowdoin professor and Maine Audubon board member Nat Wheelwright. As if we needed more evidence that he was a "fun guy"... If it weren't for fungi, dead trees might not decompose and nutrients would be locked up, unavailable for other plants and animals to use. …
Nature Moments: How to Identify Winter Trees at 60 mph
Bowdoin professor and Maine Audubon trustee Nat Wheelwright shares easy tips for identifying certain winter trees, even while driving (just remember to keep your eyes on the road!). His latest Nature Moments video: American beech is actually easier to identify in winter than in summer, even at 60 …
Nature Moments: DIY Holiday Fireworks
Bowdoin professor and Maine Audubon trustee Nat Wheelwright is on fire! His latest Nature Moments video: You can find lycopods (a.k.a. club mosses) growing on the ground in most northeastern forests. They are the only living descendants of an ancient lineage of towering trees. And they have a …
Nature Moments: A Deer’s Day
Bowdoin professor and Maine Audubon board member Nat Wheelwright's latest Nature Moments video takes a fascinating look at the secret life of deer. Most mammals are only active after dark, so it's harder to get to know them than, say, birds, which are active and conspicuous during the day. But you …
Nature Moments: A Close Look at Mosses
In his latest Nature Moments video, Bowdoin biology professor and Maine Audubon board member Nat Wheelwright gets up close with mosses: Have you ever taken a close look at mosses? They're simply elegant, and you can find them almost anywhere. They're not that hard to tell apart, so why not get to …
Nature Moments: Red-backed Salamanders, Forest Heavyweights
Bowdoin professor and Maine Audubon trustee Nat Wheelwright takes a look at how the Red-backed Salamander compares to moose in the northeastern forest: If you took all the moose or deer in a northeastern forest and put them on a scale, they wouldn't weigh as much as the superabundant but often …
Nature Moments: Sex Ed for Botanists
Another fascinating installment from Bowdoin professor and Maine Audubon trustee Nat Wheelwright: Gender in humans turns out to be more complicated than we once thought, but gender in plants is pretty complicated, too. Plants can have separate sexes, like most animals, or they can be hermaphroditic …