The Great American Turkey
The turkey was semi-domesticated and kept in pens in the American Southwest some 2,000 years ago—but not for the reason you think.
Azolla filiculoides: Balancing Environmental Promise and Peril
One of the world’s tiniest fern species, Azolla filiculoides may be one of our greatest tools for lowering agricultural pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.
Sting! (Don’t Stand So Close to the Tarantula Hawk)
Tarantula hawk wasps offer some of the most painful stings known to humans, giving them almost absolute protection from vertebrate predators.
The Whip-Poor-Will Has Been an Omen of Death for Centuries
What happened to this iconic bird of American horror?
Ghost of the Forest: Monotropa uniflora
Look for this other-worldly plant in moist, shaded areas of mature forests throughout much of North America, East Asia, and northern South America.
Hooray, Hooray for Badger Day!!
Striped-faced, short-legged badgers appear in folklore and tall tales around the world.
Cloves: The Spice that Enriched Empires
Behind one humble spice lies a complex history of empires and profit, commodities and globalization.
Tree of Peace, Spark of War
The white pines of New England may have done more than any leaf of tea to kick off the American Revolution.
When French Citrus Colonized Algeria
The citrus industry in Algeria honed French imperial apparatuses and provided a means for France to define and shape the behavior of its colonial subjects.
Out with a Whimper
Some species go extinct obviously and fast, but just as often, the process can be hard to detect until it’s too late.