Stan Tekiela

A local TV news station recently asked me during an interview how squirrels find their buried nuts. This is an example of a super-cool thing in nature that most people don’t understand. So, let’s look at what I consider amazing squirrels and their ability to bury and find nuts later.

In the past when I traveled to the Arctic to film polar bears, I always visited during the winter, or at least when there was snow on the ground. After all, capturing images of polar bears in snow is the quintessential shot.
But on my recent trip, I went during autumn so I could snap images of polar bears in the autumn splendor. But there was a second reason I visited in fall: because the beluga whales would be accessible.

In the natural world, I admire the rule-breakers – the species of plant or animal that just don’t fit into the pigeon holes that people dig for them. I like the species that go against the preconceived ideas that humans set forth. Recently, while working in my large perennial flower garden (which is in my front yard, not backyard), I found a large orchid plant. I know all the plants in my garden, so when I saw this orchid, it stopped me in my tracks because I hadn’t planted it.

One of the most important parts of any forest ecosystem is the mighty oak tree. It is often a huge sprawling tree with thick heavy branches, large dark green leaves, and a trunk covered with thick bark. There are approximately 500 species of oak in the Northern Hemisphere. They grow from the cold, temperate regions down to the tropical latitudes. They occur in Eurasia, North Africa, and North America.

Standing in the open high plains of eastern Wyoming where there are few trees to stop the wind, I faced a constant breeze. The vast open area is perfect habitat for a special canid called the swift fox (Vulpes velox), North America’s smallest native member of the dog family. It is a tiny fox, weighing between 3 and 7 pounds.