Macroinvertebrates
In my experience as an environmental educator, macroinvertebrate is a term mostly used for aquatic animals that are small enough that you may have to squint or use a magnifying glass to look closely, but that you don’t need a microscope to see. These critters,...
Spring Equinox
It’s a relief when we notice the shift to longer days in the spring. Suddenly it’s light when we eat breakfast, and STILL light when we get home from work. But it’s not just we humans who notice. About that same time, the birds start singing, and buds start popping...
Showing Love for the Environment and Yourself
Happy February! We wish you all a Happy Valentine’s Day, Lunar New Year, and Black History Month. We, at SHADOW, hope you will take some time for yourself this month and learn about self-care, dazzling dragonflies, organic farming, and how you can join us in some...
Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Martin Luther King Jr. Day is the only federal holiday designated as a National Day of Service. While our work party is full there is ample opportunity for you to continue your connection to habitat by participating in a local Martin Luther King Day of Service event...
Science Communications: Cultural Significance of Wetlands
It is interesting that so many English words for wetlands have negative connotations. When you first hear the words “swamp” or “lagoon” or “mire”, what do you imagine? Chances are, most people picture a dark and unpleasant setting, rather than a vital ecosystem...
Native of the Month: Squirrels
Seven species of these fuzzy rodents call Washington home, but only five of them are native to our area. All live in forests, and are primarily herbivorous, but they are surprisingly diverse in their lifestyles and range. Top predators of most squirrels are domestic...
Young Sustainability: Coffee
We always have new opportunities to form good habits, but a new year feels like a great time to explore our practices. In this article of Young Sustainability by former SHADOW Intern, Isabella Boparai, she explores the negative effects of coffee on rainforest and ways...
Habitat Habits
Many of us start off our new year with resolutions or habits we want to adopt or goals that we want to accomplish. People have been making promises or resolutions going as far back as the Babylonians, some 4000 years ago, celebrating their new year in March. With the...
Join us Forest Bathing!
The times I feel most calm are during a backpacking trip or when foraging for mushrooms. These are a few of the rare times that my thinking slows and I am reminded of the large scale of nature, making my little problems seem less important. It has been proven time and...
Science Communications: Do Trees Talk?
As humans, there can be an urge to personify everything, and as a naturalist, this is a helpful tool to emphasize the importance of protecting ecosystems. However, there is a Western scientific rule of thumb that says personification is dangerous, that it can lead...
Spicy Steps in the Forest Shadows
You may have seen dark, heart-shaped leaves cascading down a slope under conifer trees in the deep forest. Or perhaps you have spied a carpet of hearts peeking out of a snowy bank in the woods. I have discovered Wild Ginger in several spots throughout the Pacific...
Why do we plant in the fall and winter?
Winter is the Best Time for Planting: Leaves of all colors are falling from the trees, most flowers have frozen, and the garden may look dead. The weather is dark and rainy, and you may not be dreaming of spending time working outside. So why is winter the best time...
Fall is When the Bog Comes Alive – Come Visit!
Though it may be cold and rainy, autumn is one of the best times to visit the bog and see it in its full glory. Shadow Lake Bog looks completely different in fall than in summer. By comparing these differences that we can come to a better understanding of the systems...
Native of the Month: Bryophytes
The first plants to adapt to life out of water were Bryophytes, plants that reproduce via spores and have no circulatory system: the mosses, liverworts, and hornworts. These amazing little plants have no roots, but they may have rhizoids to anchor them to their...
Haunting Happenings in the World of Insects
Admittedly, I am not much of a scary movie buff, but whenever I do buckle in for a scare, I am struck by how many scary movie tropes are reminiscent of real-life happenings in the insect world. One spooky concept often explored in the horror genre is ‘mysterious and...
Young Sustainability: Fast Fashion
As we continue to be mindful of our practices, we continue to change our habits and improve the environment. Did you know that many products can be unstable, due to the company's materials and practices? However, many companies today are taking the initiative to...
Mummies Under Mosses: Bog Bodies
The soft mosses of a peat bog grow slowly and build up at a rate of mere centimeters per year. And most bogs have been forming and accumulating peat since the last ice age roughly 10,000 years ago. Beneath the lush moss on top is a dense accumulation of peat, often...
Native of the Month: Mushrooms
Mushrooms are present all year but are particularly prevalent after the heavy rains characteristic of spring and fall. The rainy conditions this fall have produced a bumper crop of mushrooms and has gotten SHADOW staff excited about identifying and learning about...
Meet our new Education Program Lead: Cecilia Black!
Cecilia (she/her) grew up playing in the woods and wetlands of Washington where she discovered a passion for learning the “whys” and “hows” of the natural world. She followed this passion to a B.S. in Biology from Gonzaga University. After years of college spent in a...
Native of the Month:
Bigleaf Maple - Acer macrophyllumThere are few things as delightfully childlike as going out of the way to hear the crunch of fall leaves underfoot. Growing up, my family had a huge bigleaf maple tree that would produce an outstanding number of fluorescently yellow...
Citizen Science
Did you know that anyone, including you, can contribute to real-world science projects? You can work with scientists and other volunteers in gathering data that can help to answer real-world questions and learn about and gain confidence in scientific processes at the...
