Exploring Nature by Sheila Newenham
A Quick Look at Pacific Banana Slugs There is so much phenotypic (trait and characteristic) diversity within this one species that, at first, I thought I was seeing different species of banana slugs. It turns out that the Pacific banana slug is the only banana … Continue readingPacific Banana Slugs: The King of Snails
This used to be a crowded tourist destination for observing wild foxes, sparked by Kevin Ebi’s dramatic, viral 2018 photographs. Since then, there’s been a lot of drama around the foxes here. Red foxes, despite being the most widespread nonhuman land mammal in the world, … Continue readingSan Juan Island Foxes
Here’s your sign Which tour to take? The all-day ecosystem, whale and wildlife tour only happens a few times per year, with only one sailing in the spring. The coincidence that it falls during the four days of my trip removes any hesitation about which … Continue readingSalish Sea Orcas
I’m standing alone on the sunny beach at Granny’s Cove, one and a half hours before a negative two-and-a-half-foot low tide, with my close-up lens on my camera, exuberant curiosity and nothing but time. The tracks of a single deer are the only thing between … Continue readingTidepooling Surprises on San Juan Island
When it comes to morel mushrooms, I’ve spent more time looking than finding. Far more. With that in mind, I wasn’t optimistic when I wandered out this spring to check last year’s burn area for morels. Local lore says that morels grow exceptionally well the … Continue readingPatience is a Basket of Morels
At first glance, it looks like a lifeless, eons-old rock. So much so that people will stand on it unaware of the life beneath the weight of their feet. The coral ecosystem is teeming with life, among the most diverse ecosystems in the world! It’s … Continue readingThe Fantastic Life of Coral
Salty spray blows through my hair and mists my face. I’m occasionally doused by a wave breaking over the sidewall of the boat as we motor out of the main channel and into the open Caribbean. It’s a 36-mile boat ride from Hopkins, Belize, to … Continue readingBehind the Scenes – Snorkeling Belize
Materializing out of the hazy blue, they gracefully glide on eight-foot wingspans. Whenever I’ve encountered a spotted eagle ray, this is how it starts. They seem to have an innate curiosity about snorkelers who reflect their quiet study. The spotted eagle rays will deliberately, peacefully, … Continue readingSnorkeling Glover’s Reef Atoll
I don’t know what I expected from a sandy spit of coral thirty miles off the coast of Belize, but it wasn’t this! This lush thirteen-and-a-half-acre island is a vibrant, flourishing, diverse patch of nature. What a week! Atoll: A ring-shaped island, including a coral … Continue readingA Week on Glover’s Reef Atoll
A Glimpse into the Life of Caribbean Reef Octopus With headlamps and flashlights, we slowly step across sharp rocks along the edge of the eastern shoreline. It’s 7:30 pm, and the tide is out on Long Caye on Belize’s Glover’s Reef Atoll. Our guide shines … Continue readingTidepooling at Night