Connect to Nature

Ways to get people closer to nature.
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·4mo
Forest leeches in Borneo, Malyasia
I have so much video content and am finally getting around to editing it! Here's a fun short video of my experience with forest leeches in Deramakot Forest in Borneo, Malaysia.
Protecting a baby bunny nest from my dogs
A few days into moving into my new home, my doggos discovered a nest of baby bunnies and sadness ensued as my one dog ate at least one 😢...The others were old enough to run away and hopefully survive 🐰​​​​​​​​​So the next year I was SHOCKED when once again, a nest of baby bunnies was found. But I heard them and acted fast - However, as a dog owner, I was thinking, what the heck am I going to do with my dogs for the next few weeks to keep them from getting at the bunnies?
a man sitting in the grass next to a pole
Finding out what you really want to do in wildlife careers
If you've ever experienced the feeling of not knowing what you want to do in your career, you are not alone! In this week’s episode of the Fancy Scientist podcast, 🎙️ Dr. Liz Kalies shares her journey of discovering her career path through exploring different jobs and industries and finally ending up at the Nature Conservancy investigating the effects of green energy on wildlife🌿
What kind of example are you setting for your kids when it comes to nature?
Remember, YOU are the example you set for your children when it comes to connecting with nature. How often are you getting outside and off screens? Listen to the full conversation with nature journal advocate John Muir Laws on the Fancy Scientist podcast episode 108 🎧
The cicadas are here!
And just like that, the cicadas are here! Cicadas have been a hot topic of discussion as we're expecting 2 broods this year, but I haven't seen any until this morning. They emerge once the soil gets to be 64 degrees F and it looks like today if finally was that warm! They all came out of seemingly nowhere! (Actually the ground and I saw a couple when I was planting my garden last week 😛)
Dead trees are important habitat!
Dead and dying trees don't look the best, but they are important habitat for animals like woodpeckers so consider keeping them around 🐦
Use nature journaling to connect to people to science & nature ???
John Muir Laws explains how even though he loved fieldwork, research wasn't his thing and that he was actually a powerful educator 🌿. He uses nature journaling is to connect people to science and nature, especially kids. Listen to Fancy Scientist podcast 108 for the full scoop!📔✨​​​​​​​​​
My favorite birding tips
It's peak migration season here in the US and that means that there are so many more species you can see! People often tell me I'm really good at spotting birds. But it's not something you can't do either! It just takes practice. Here are my top tips👆 And if you're a parent looking to deepen your connection with your child through the power of science & nature, comment with your favorite bird emoji and I'll send you the details on my migration connected experience guided activity.
Connect with Nature through Journaling
Discover how to reclaim your sense of wonder and forge a deeper connection with the natural world through the transformative practice of nature journaling 🌿📔. Listen to John Muir Laws explain more on Fancy Scientist podcast episode 108 and start your nature journaling journey today! 🎧​​​​​​​​​ https://stephanieschuttler.com/108-john-muir-laws/
Forest bathing
I decided to give forest bathing 🌳🛁 a try. Here’s what it was like! Have you done forest bathing? Would you try it out?
Trying out eating invasive mustard garlic
Last week I posted a video about pulling lots and lots of invasive garlic mustard. Many of you commented that you find it delicious so I tried it out! Here's my experience...​​​​​​​​​ It wasn't my favorite veggie - a little bitter (and I like bitter), but in the future I am going to put in only the top parts and experiment with different recipes. Overall I would try it again!
Why hug a tree?
Last week I went on a forest bath for the first time ever and one of our invitations was to hug a 🌳🤗. I'm not going to lie, at first I felt VERY stupid doing it. But then I thought - is it really so different from hugging our pets? Or even a human friend? Trees are living beings just like us. And although we may look very different and they appear to be static, we're both made up of cells and are very much alive. I recently came across an article that said that we feel good when we are touched by weighted things like each other, our pets, or a weighted blanket. We were also invited to give thanks to the tree because they do so much for us, like give us oxygen to breathe (pretty important, right?) So I encourage you this Earth month to take some time and feel good by hugging a tree.
a woman sitting in front of a plant with the caption'exploring local biodiversity in the native wildflower walk chicago suburbs '
Native flower walk
Native species like these wildlife flowers are super important to wildlife! They provide habitat and food sources directly and indirectly to the animals they eat like insects. It's super important to foster their growth which starts from us noticing them in the first place 🌸🌼🪻
Native wildflower walk
Native species like these wildlife flowers are super important to wildlife! They provide habitat and food sources directly and indirectly to the animals they eat like insects. It's super important to foster their growth which starts from us noticing them in the first place 🌸🌼🪻
Pulling invasive garlic mustard to let local species grow
This Earth Day weekend I volunteered to help pull all of this invasive garlic mustard from a nature preserve 🌍💪🏻🌿 Invasive species like this one are from other places in the world and when they grow in new places, have the potential to grow like crazy and outcompete the local species that have coevolved with the wildlife here. It then becomes this monoculture that isn’t beneficial to local species! The task looked daunting, but with like 20 of us and a couple of hours, we made a big dent.