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Earth Day

Eyes on Earth, A sliver of Earth is illuminated against the blackness of space in this photo taken by an Artemis II crew member through an Orion spacecraft window on the third day of the mission. Credit: NASA
Eyes on Earth
A sliver of Earth is illuminated against the blackness of space in this photo taken by an Artemis II crew member through an Orion spacecraft window on the third day of the mission. Credit: NASA
Earth Day, Earth Week, and my preferred, Earth Year. Let’s pretend to join the Artimus 11 crew for a wild 300,000 mile journey to the dark side of the moon for an Earth rise. Suddenly a soul piercing view appears and with it, in a brief second, we are transformed into a profound Earth lover. Eyes mist. Hearts race. A deep longing sweeps over us, a homesickness never before experienced. This celestial blue oasis hanging in an infinite black void contains all that we are, all that we love, from the long arch of human history to this very moment, sweeps over us. Transfixed, transformed, filled with an unquenchable longing.

Now imagine our return flight as earth’s gravity plunges us ever faster toward north America, and Utah before veering toward the blue Pacific for splash down.

The Great Salt Lake at Sunset Courtesy Pixabay, BJohnson, Contributor
The Great Salt Lake at Sunset
Courtesy Pixabay, BJohnson, Contributor

Four planets and the Moon are visible in the twilight sky over ancient Bristlecone Pine trees at Cedar Breaks NM Courtesy US NPS, Zach Schierl, Photographer Four planets and the Moon are visible in the twilight sky over ancient Bristlecone Pine trees at Cedar Breaks NM
Courtesy US NPS, Zach Schierl, Photographer

Cedar Breaks National Monument- the Pink Cliffs Courtesy USGS Cedar Breaks National Monument- the Pink Cliffs
Courtesy USGS

Condor Committee in Zion National Park Courtesy US NPS Condor Committee in Zion National Park
Courtesy US NPS

National Parks in Southern Utah Arches National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, Canyonlands National Park, Capitol Reef National Park, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Natural Bridges National Monument, Zion National Park Courtesy US National Park Service (NPS) National Parks in Southern Utah
Arches National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, Canyonlands National Park, Capitol Reef National Park, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Natural Bridges National Monument, Zion National Park
Courtesy US National Park Service (NPS)
https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/national-parks-in-southern-utah.htm

Cliffs Above the North Fork Virgin River, Zion National Park, UT Courtesy USGS Cliffs Above the North Fork Virgin River, Zion National Park, UT, Courtesy USGS

I’m reminded of the many flights taken to Southern California to train my AP Environmental science teachers, senses gratified by stunning views of the Great Salt Lake, a magnificent patchwork quilt of blues, reds, whites aware it’s teaming with brine shrimp, brine flies, and bird life, now sweeping over green, snowcapped mountains and high plateaus toward the red canyon country deeply incised by magnificent Colorado, Green, and Virgin rivers.

It becomes apparent that Utah has a unique beauty like no other, its varied landscapes replete with diverse life forms from Gila monsters to tetradactyl-like California condors, from over 800 bee species, to several thousand species of plants. Utah!! Home!

Considering this is factual fiction contrived by Jack’s brain, for all its splendor, let us pause over what I consider to be a standout to match a Great Salt Lake sunset- the Markagunt plateau. This magnificent piece of our beloved Earth has been sliced and diced into pure grandeur of deep canyons, much of which this mere Earthling has traipsed over- Zion National Park, Cedar Breaks NM, the shores of Navajo Lake, all resplendent with iconic species of life- pica, black hawks, black bear, Peregrine falcons, painted buntings, desert bighorn sheep, canyon tree frogs. Within the boundaries of Zion National Park our state’s highest biodiversity is found to match its magnificent, varied terrain.

Just to the west three bioregions merge where the Colorado Plateau intertwines with the Mojave desert and great basin spawning biological diversity beyond imagining!

Reaching across our marvelous state are stunning marvels- Bryce Canyon, Arches, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, and an myriad of state parks that deserve national monument status considering their unique geology and grandeur- Snow Canyon, Goblin Valley, Coral Pink Sand Dunes, Kodachrome Basin, Dead Horse, Goosenecks, Antelope Island, Great Salt Lake- Splashdown! Now back to reality, a lovely spring morning to celebrate Spring replet with canyon wildflowers, gushing spring runoff, and the return of neotropical birds bless us with their hatchlings.

This is Jack Greene for Bridgerland Audubon Society and I’m Wild about our otherworldly Wild Utah.

Credits:

Images: Earth -Courtesy NASA – Artemis II Crew
Courtesy USGS – Cedar Breaks & Zion Cliffs
Courtesy US NPS, Zach Schierl, Photographer,
also Courtesy US NPS, Condors and Southern Utah National Parks
Sunset at the Great Salt Lake Courtesy Pixabay, BJohnson, Contributor https://pixabay.com/photos/sunset-utah-great-salt-lake-6032689/
Featured Audio: Courtesy & Copyright Kevin Colver, https://wildstore.wildsanctuary.com/collections/special-collections and
Anderson, Howe, and Wakeman.
Text & Voice: Jack Greene, Bridgerland Audubon, https://bridgerlandaudubon.org/
Additional Reading Links: Jack Greene & Lyle Bingham, https://bridgerlandaudubon.org/

Additional Reading:

Wild About Utah Pieces by Jack Greene, https://wildaboututah.org/author/jack/

National Parks in Southern Utah, National Park Service, US Department of the Interior, https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/national-parks-in-southern-utah.htm
Condors, Zion National Park, US NPS, https://www.nps.gov/zion/learn/nature/condors.htm

Arches National Park, Geology and Ecology of National Parks, USGS, https://www.usgs.gov/geology-and-ecology-of-national-parks/arches-national-park
Bryce Canyon National Park, Geology and Ecology of National Parks, USGS, https://www.usgs.gov/geology-and-ecology-of-national-parks/bryce-canyon-national-park
Canyonlands National Park, Geology and Ecology of National Parks, USGS, https://www.usgs.gov/geology-and-ecology-of-national-parks/canyonlands-national-park
Capitol Reef National Park, Geology and Ecology of National Parks, USGS, https://www.usgs.gov/geology-and-ecology-of-national-parks/capitol-reef-national-park

Cedar Breaks National Monument, USGS, https://www.usgs.gov/media/images/cedar-breaks-pink-cliffs

Utah State Parks, https://stateparks.utah.gov/parks/

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Nature and Art

Mallard Drake Bird Guide Card, Student Art from Second Grade, Edith Bowen Lab School, Utah State University Courtesy & Copyright Joseph Kozlowski, Photographer
Mallard Drake
Bird Guide Card
Student Art from Second Grade,
Edith Bowen Lab School, Utah State University
Courtesy & Copyright Joseph Kozlowski, Photographer

Dark-Eyed Junco Bird Guide Card, Student Art from Second Grade, Edith Bowen Lab School, Utah State University Courtesy & Copyright Joseph Kozlowski, Photographer Dark-Eyed Junco
Bird Guide Card
Student Art from Second Grade,
Edith Bowen Lab School, Utah State University
Courtesy & Copyright Joseph Kozlowski, Photographer

As an educator focused on outdoor experiential learning, I’m always looking for ways to integrate nature’s aesthetic beauty into my teaching. Aldo Leopold wrote, “Our ability to perceive quality in nature begins, as in art, with the pretty. It expands through successive stages of the beautiful to values as yet uncaptured by language.” This quote epitomizes some of my own progression with noticing, with understanding quality, and with art. As someone, who, throughout life has dodged the necessity to engage in art, I would have never thought that my love for birds and my increased awareness of them, would one day help me appreciate the capacity for anyone, even an untrained artist like myself, to enjoy and value art.

I try to foster this appreciation for art through a routine and rigorous integrated series of bird sketches and colored pencil drawings with my second-grade students at Edith Bowen Laboratory School. Students study a unique bird species each week, and as a culminating artifact, create a Bird Guide Card. On this card they record the bird sound, size, habitat and an interesting fact. Additionally, they carefully sketch, color, and label notable identifying characteristics of the bird. This artistic portion of the week’s lesson has so many powerful learning benefits that I’ve seen develop in the kids.

First and foremost, students’ attention to detail is greatly enhanced. In the beginning of the year, students’ birds have an oval body, wings outstretched like an airplane’s, two stick legs dangling down like two grandfather clock pendulums, and a pointy triangle beak. However, as their perception of detail increases over the year, they begin to notice the subtle details that in fact, provide insight to the scientific principles of life; such as the change in angle after the hinge-like joints midway through a bird’s wing, the different textures of flight-feathers vs. down-feathers, or the various structures and shapes of beaks based on what diet is of primary concern.

Second, students’ patience and attentiveness in increased, which I think we can all agree are much needed traits in this world. Students who were so eager to outline a bird sketch and then scribble it with color at the beginning of the year, now are seen fastidiously sketching and erasing, thoughtfully blending various colors, and even seeking counsel from other classmates on whether this or that tweak would improve their artistic masterpiece.

Finally, I have seen my students develop an appreciation for diversity in peer artwork. Let’s face it, some people have a natural artistic proclivity, and some have to work a bit harder. However, my students no longer giggle or make snide comments about bad art. Instead, I hear kids say things like “Wow, Jim! That’s your best bird yet! I love the way you did the feet!” or “You got the colors just right on the tail feathers, Emily!” Instead of seeing students as bad artists, they respect their contribution and acknowledge beauty in various forms.

So I challenge you. Grab a pencil, paper, eraser, and colored pencils. Find a picture on the internet of a bird you’ve seen in the last week, and then zoom in! Start with a pencil sketch. Look for detail, notice, wonder. Try to capture those observations in your sketch. Then, move to colored pencils and attempt to shade, color, and blend until you’ve represented what you want. I hope you find, like I have, that whatever turns out, whether you realize you’re the next John James Audubon or your bird looks more like something that came straight out of Sesame Street, you will have entered a special thinking place where your focus on nature’s beauty enhances your ability to perceive quality.

I am Dr. Joseph Kozlowski, and I am Wild About Outdoor Education in Utah.

Credits:

Images: Courtesy & Copyright Joseph Kozlowski, Photographer, Used by Permission
Featured Audio: Courtesy & Copyright © Kevin Colver, https://wildstore.wildsanctuary.com/collections/special-collections/kevin-colver and including contributions from Anderson, Howe, and Wakeman.
Text:     Joseph Kozlowski, Edith Bowen Laboratory School, Utah State University https://edithbowen.usu.edu/
Additional Reading Links: Joseph Kozlowski & Lyle Bingham

Additional Reading:

Joseph (Joey) Kozlowski’s pieces on Wild About Utah:

Edith Bowen Lab School, Utah State University, https://edithbowen.usu.edu/

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Leafy Bee Nests

Mason Bee at the entrance to a nest tube Courtesy & © Lindsie McCabe, Photographer
Mason Bee at the entrance to a nest tube
Courtesy & © Lindsie McCabe, Photographer
Today’s story is in both English and Spanish, to hear the Spanish translation tune in Wednesday evening at 9 or online at UPR.org

Osmia bruneri Female Courtesy & © Michael Branstetter, Photographer
Osmia bruneri Female
Courtesy & © Michael Branstetter, Photographer

Osmia bruneri Male Courtesy & © Michael Branstetter, Photographer Osmia bruneri Male
Courtesy & © Michael Branstetter, Photographer

Filled and Leaf-capped Nest Tubes Courtesy & © Anna Goates, Photographer Filled and Leaf-capped Nest Tubes
Courtesy & © Anna Goates, Photographer

Female Osmia bruneri Harvesting Leaf Material Courtesy & © Anna Goates, Photographer Female Osmia bruneri Harvesting Leaf Material
Courtesy & © Anna Goates, Photographer

When you think about what a bee needs to live, you probably think of flowers and a big hive. Bees do need flowers, and some live in a hive, but many bees also need other materials to build their nests. Some of my favorites build nests with mud, small rocks, pieces of leaves, sap from trees, flower petals, or even the fuzzy hairs that grow on plants. These bees are often solitary, relying on just one strong mama to take care of the whole nest.

It’s almost my favorite time of the year, when I get to watch these moms emerge and start their nests. Some solitary bees, like the ones I study, make their nests in holes in wood. Usually this means nesting in a wooden tunnel drilled out by a beetle, but it also means that they will nest in manmade nesting boxes. These nesting structures consist of a wooden block with long dead-end drilled holes where each hole belongs to a different mom, like rows of single story condos.

If I stand patiently next to a nesting box, I’m rewarded with the sight of a mama bee backing out of one of the nesting holes. She rests for a moment at the entrance to her nest, basking in some sun. She rubs her back legs together and wiggles her abdomen a bit. Then, she takes flight. I watch her buzz away to a leaf where she lands and rapidly chews on the leaf edge. Her motions are quick and urgent. Then she buzzes back to her nesting hole. She hovers for a moment, and pokes at the neighboring hole before landing back at her own and depositing the small bit of chewed leaf. She begins drywalling her new nursery, several trips of collecting, chewing up and puttying this bright green leaf pulp will result in a wall that protects her babies. Those babies develop throughout the rest of summer and fall and go into hibernation for the winter. When temperatures warm up, these new bees will chew through that leafy wall to enter the world.

My name is Anna Goates. I am a student at Utah State University and I study bees at the USDA-ARS Pollinating Insects Research Unit. I’m studying the nesting of one species of bee, Osmia bruneri, a bee that’s native here in Utah and throughout the Great Basin area. Like many other bees, bruneri need more than flowers. Bruneri bees use leaf pieces to build their nests. A mama bee will bring lots of pollen to her nest using fuzzy hairs on her belly. Then she lays an egg on top of the pollen and builds a wall out of leaf pulp. Female bruneri are a shiny metallic blue, and male bees are a metallic lime green with a fuzzy white mustache on their faces. If you don’t look closely, you might think they are flies.

As spring approaches, bees and other insects will start coming out from their winter hideaways. I’m excited to see my little bee friends again.

I’m Anna Goates, a volunteer for Stokes Nature Center, and I’m wild about Utah.

Credits:

Images: Capped Nesting Straws & Leaf-harvesting Osmia Female, Courtesy and Copyright Anna Goates, Photographer
Male & Female Osmia bruneri, Courtesy and Copyright Michael Branstetter, Photographer
Bee at tube entrance, Courtesy & Copyright Lindsie McCabe, Photographer
Featured Audio: Courtesy & Copyright Anderson, Howe, and Wakeman..
English Text & Voice: Anna Goates, Stokes Nature Center Volunteer, https://logannature.org/volunteer
Spanish Text & Voice: Carlos Ramos, Stokes Nature Center, https://logannature.org/staff
Additional Reading Links: Lyle Bingham, https://bridgerlandaudubon.org/

Additional Reading:

Wild About Utah Pieces by Anna Goates, https://wildaboututah.org/author/anna-goates/

Bruner’s Mason Bee — Osmia bruneri. Montana Field Guide. Montana Natural Heritage Program. Retrieved on April 5, 2026, from https://FieldGuide.mt.gov/speciesDetail.aspx?elcode=IIHYMA2610

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Nidos de abejas y hojas

Abeja albañil en la entrada de un tubo nido, Cortesía y © Lindsie McCabe, fotógrafar
Abeja albañil en la entrada de un tubo nido
Cortesía y © Lindsie McCabe, fotógrafa
La historia de hoy está en inglés y en español. Para escuchar la traducción al español: la noche del miércoles a las 9 pm o en línea en UPR.org

Osmia bruneri hembra, Cortesía y © Michael Branstetter, fotógrafo
Osmia bruneri hembra
Cortesía y © Michael Branstetter, fotógrafo

Osmia bruneri macho, Cortesía y © Michael Branstetter, fotógrafo Osmia bruneri macho
Cortesía y © Michael Branstetter, fotógrafo

Tubos nido llenos y cubiertos con hojas, Cortesía y © Anna Goates, fotógrafa Tubos nido llenos y cubiertos con hojas
Cortesía y © Anna Goates, fotógrafa

Hembra de Osmia bruneri recolectando material de hojas, Cortesía y © Anna Goates, fotógrafa Hembra de Osmia bruneri recolectando material de hojas
Cortesía y © Anna Goates, fotógrafa

Cuando piensas en lo que una abeja necesita para vivir, probablemente piensas en flores y en una gran colmena.

Las abejas sí necesitan flores, y algunas viven en colmenas, pero muchas también requieren otros materiales para construir sus nidos.

Algunas de mis favoritas hacen sus nidos con barro, pequeñas piedras, trozos de hojas, savia de árboles, pétalos de flores o incluso los pelitos que crecen en las plantas.

Estas abejas suelen ser solitarias y dependen de una sola mamá fuerte para cuidar todo el nido.

Ya casi llega mi época favorita del año, cuando puedo ver a estas mamás salir y comenzar sus nidos. Algunas abejas solitarias, como las que estudio, hacen sus nidos en agujeros de madera.

Normalmente esto significa anidar en túneles hechos por escarabajos, pero también pueden hacerlo en cajas nido hechas por personas.

Estas estructuras consisten en un bloque de madera con agujeros largos y sin salida, donde cada agujero pertenece a una mamá diferente, como una fila de pequeños departamentos.

Si me quedo pacientemente junto a una caja nido, puedo ver a una mamá abeja salir de uno de los agujeros. Ella descansa un momento en la entrada de su nido, disfrutando el sol, se frota las patas traseras y mueve su abdomen.

Entonces, alza el vuelo.

La observo ir hasta una hoja, donde aterriza y rápidamente muerde el borde.

Sus movimientos son rápidos y decididos.

Luego regresa zumbando a su agujero.

Flota un momento, revisa el agujero de al lado y finalmente aterriza en el suyo para dejar el trozo de hoja masticada.

Así empieza a construir la pared de su nueva guardería;

varios viajes de recoger, masticar y pegar.

Esta pulpa verde formará una pared que protegerá a sus crías.

Esos bebés se desarrollarán durante el resto del verano y el otoño, y luego hibernarán en invierno.

Cuando suben las temperaturas, las nuevas abejas morderán esa pared de hojas para salir al mundo.

Este artículo es escrito por Anna Goates. Estudiante de la Universidad Estatal de Utah y estudia abejas en la Unidad de Investigación de Insectos Polinizadores del USDA-ARS. Ella está investigando el anidamiento de una especie de abeja, Osmia bruneri, una abeja nativa de Utah y de la región de la Gran Cuenca.

Como muchas otras abejas, bruneri necesitan más que flores.

Las abejas bruneri usan trozos de hoja para construir sus nidos.

Una mamá abeja lleva mucho polen a su nido, deposita un huevo encima y luego construye una pared de pulpa de hoja para proteger a su cría.

Las hembras bruneri son de un azul metálico brillante, y los machos son de un verde lima metálico con un bigote blanco y peludo en la cara.

Si no miras bien, podrías pensar que son moscas.

A medida que se acerca la primavera, las abejas y otros insectos empiezan a salir de sus escondites de invierno.

Me emociona volver a ver a mis pequeñas amigas abejas.

Es admirable el esfuerzo que haces para sobrevivir una temporada más, siendo fuerte para ver que tus pequeños crezcan mejor que tú.

¿No crees que las abejas Bruneri son un ejemplo de esfuerzo y valor?

Soy Carlos Ramos y estoy loco por Utah.

Créditos:

Imágenes: Tubos nido llenos y cubiertos con hojas y Hembra de Osmia bruneri recolectando material de hojas, Cortesía y © Anna Goates, fotógrafa
Osmia bruneri macho y hembra, Cortesía y © Michael Branstetter, fotógrafo
Abeja albañil en la entrada de un tubo nido, Cortesía y © Lindsie McCabe, fotógrafa
Audio destacado: Cortesía y derechos de autor Anderson, Howe y Wakeman
Texto y voz en inglés: Anna Goates, Stokes Nature Center Volunteer, https://logannature.org/volunteer
Texto: Anna Goates y Carlos Ramos, Stokes Nature Center, https://logannature.org/staff
Lectura adicional: Lyle Bingham, https://bridgerlandaudubon.org/

Lectura adicional

Artículos de Wild About Utah por Anna Goates, https://wildaboututah.org/author/anna-goates/

Artículos de Wild About Utah por Carlos Ramos, https://wildaboututah.org/author/carlos-ramos/

Bruner’s Mason Bee — Osmia bruneri. Montana Field Guide. Montana Natural Heritage Program. Retrieved on April 5, 2026, from https://FieldGuide.mt.gov/speciesDetail.aspx?elcode=IIHYMA2610