Wild Earth Integration

You can’t feel it right now, but there are bugs all over you.

Before you freak out and jump in the shower, rest assured that if it weren’t for some of these microscopic critters, you probably wouldn’t be here. Many of these bugs keep us healthy and on any given day, you’re sharing your body with about 90 trillion or so.

In other words, resistance is futile!

So, who’s setting up shop on your body? Here are 3 animals that call you home.

DEMODEX

Do you recognize this one? Eight-legged demodex is a worm-like mite that likes to hang out near hair follicles. Specifically, this guy is particularly partial to your eyelashes. Adults are only 0.03 mm long, so you won’t actually see them crawling around up there. The cool thing about these guys? Their bodies are so efficient, they only have a mouth. That is to say, ahem, that there is no exit. They use everything they eat without any waste!

LACTOBACILLUS ACIDOPHILUS

Don’t let the big name on this fella freak you out – lactobacillus is one of the good guys. In fact, I bet most of you have even walked into a grocery store and purposely bought food with Mr. Lactobac in it. You know all those commercials for yogurt that are pimping out the good bacteria? They’re talking about this one. Lactobacillus lives throughout your body, especially in your mouth and stomach. With this guy on the job, most people have improved immune function and a healthier GI tract. Eat up!

YOUR DNA

Yup, you read that right. Research has shown that 8% of our DNA comes from a virus and not one of our ancestors. This happens through a process called endogenization. These viruses (called bornaviruses) can cause disease in horses and sheep. Thankfully, we are not horses nor sheep. For the most part, we seem to be doing okay with this virus within us. It’s possible that this viruses causes mutation that leads to schizophrenia, but the labcoats haven’t ironed out all the details on that one.

So there you have it!  We are walking, talking ecosystems. Just another way we are all connected…

Have a wild Friday!

P.S Sorry if I made you itchy…

If you know me even a little bit, you know I’m a fan of Die Hard. What’s not to love? There’s explosions, gratuitous sarcasm and of course, Ka-Bruce Willis.

But, we’re here to talk nature. In the spirit of Die Hard, here are five extinct creatures that could show Bruce Willis a thing or two. And for the record, I’m not even talking about Bruce in the first Die Hard – where he’s wandering barefoot the whole film – I’m talking about Bruce in Die Hard 4. That’s the one where he drives a car off a ramp into a flying helicopter.

So yeah, these animals are pretty awesome.

THE SMILODON

The smilodon is probably one of the first guys you think of when you think of extinct animals. These pack animals were around in the late Pleistocene and were the one of the last bigtime predators before our own human ancestors came along. Their claim to fame? Eight inch canine teeth. These would deliver a devastating puncture wound through prey windpipes. Incidentally, they would also deliver nightmares to humans who came later.

ANDREWSARCHUS

This fifteen foot long monstrosity was the largest mammalian carnivore in the history of this planet. Basically, picture a massive 6 foot tall wolf with hooves. Who did Andrewsarchus become? Turns out his modern cousin is the sheep. Bahh indeed.

TYRANNOSAURUS REX

Probably the most famous of all things extinct, thanks to a certain blockbuster movie that shall remain nameless. These babies weighed about 7 tons and was over 40 feet long from teeth to tail. Although only one is famous, we’ve found 30 species of T-Rex with complete skeletons and even some soft tissue. Don’t worry, they won’t add in frog DNA and bring them back to life. Humans aren’t that silly, right?

THE IRISH DEER

Move over, Bambi – this deer meant business. Another specimen from the late Pleistocene, this deer stood about as high as a moose, but had a rack of antlers that spanned over ten-twelve feet. It lived in Eurasia and Ireland (surprise) and up until about 7,700 years ago was pretty much the King. There’s no way Bruce could escape this one, unless, say, he walked through a door frame.

MOSASAUR

Mosasaur was the most terrifying reptile to ever exist. Picture a crocodile, mixed with a Great White Shark – then add some mad growth hormones. Mosasaur was 50 feet long, with a sensitive inner ear that allowed it to perform aquatic acrobatics like no other creature. It was fast. Of course, I have to mention the teeth. These graced not only the top and bottom jaw, but also the roof of its mouth. Even Bruce Willis wouldn’t have a prayer next to the Mosasaur. In fact, if it weren’t for that asteroid that hit us, they’d still be around today. Thanks, asteroid.

Have a wild Wednesday!

Food is much more than what we eat.

Food becomes us. It’s no surprise that as we step away from what is natural – entering into a sphere of processed ‘food-like’ substances – we find ourselves stricken with heart disease, cancers and general bodily dis-ease.

This is a video that I think everyone should watch. I know, you’re probably thinking ‘what does this have to do with nature, Jess?’

Food comes from the Earth. Edible food-like substances don’t. As we continue to step away from our roots, our Earth, there are big consequences. Jamie Oliver’s TED talk speaks volumes about food’s role in our lives and the choices we have to make for our children.

Click here for the video and have a wild Monday!

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again (and again).

It’s all connected.

Now I know that that phrase is laden with Circle of Life cheesiness and most of the time people respond with eyerolls, but there’s no getting around it.

Why repeat myself so much? The sooner we accept it, the sooner we can move on and do something about this whole Save-the-Earth thing.

Here’s a little Monday thought for the day that ought to get you started.

I’m going to tell you about Argon.

If you’ve taken (and remember) a chemistry class, you probably know about Argon. Because it’s a Monday, I”ll save you the suspense – it’s an element. Likes to hover around the right side of the ol’ periodic table.

Every time you exhale, you breathe out approximately 30,000,000,000,000,000,000 Argon atoms.

Argon is everywhere. It’s in plants, animals, pastry, you name it. But Argon is also special. It’s one of those elements that doesn’t want to change. Argon is stubborn. Because of this, they stick around forever and stay exactly the same.

So, the Argon atoms that you’re breathing now are the same atoms that Leonardo da Vinci exhaled. They’re the same atoms Elvis breathed and they’re the ones that could be in China, the Antarctic or Italy about a year from now.

They’re also the same atoms that dinosaurs exhaled.

Think about it – atoms that entered a T-Rex’s system 68 million years ago are the same ones you’re breathing right now.

Incidentally, they’re also the same atoms your great-great-great (I could go on) grandchildren will one day breathe in.

What’s true for Argon is true for air and our whole planet. Everything on this Earth is connected by air in a very literal sense. It’s all the same.

Of course, we are also connected by water, soil and a whole bunch of other stuff, but that’s a story for another day.

Happy Monday, friends – Keep it wild!

Free stuff for nature lovers! Click the links underneath to get yourself a copy in yellow, blue or fancy shmancy purple.

You know, whatever matches your decor.

Magic Air Cleaner Yellow (157)

Magic Air Cleaner Purple (169)

Magic Air Cleaner Blue (167)

I’m working on a series of these, which will be available in the Trading Post as I complete them!

Keep it wild!

Hey!

It’s Family Literacy Day.

Or as I like to call it, “put down the joystick and pick up a book’ Day. Rock on.

As you know, we go pretty nutso about nature and animals here. So I thought I’d inspire you with some nature and animal inspired reading for you and yours on this literary occasion.

I organized (or at least, attempted it) my bookshelves yesterday. We’ve recently had to install a handful of extra bookshelves because *someone* has too many books. Alas, I admit it – my name is Jess and I’m a book-a-holic.

The good news is, I found some gems in there you may love. Here are the tops gracing my shelves, for the nature adventurer in you:

• Walden and Other Writings by Henry David Thoreau – This guy basically said ‘Bah! Enough of society!’ and took off to live by himself in a cabin for 2 years. He grew his own food, talked with the animals and pulled the ultimate ‘unplugging’ known to man. His writing will make you want to go outside immediately and start preparing lists of vegetables.

• The Survival Handbook by Peter Darman – A book that everybody should have, in my opinion, because you just never know when you’re going to end up in the mountains without anything but some toothpicks and a shoelace. Learning the survival skills of “the world’s elite forces” will make you a better person, not to mention make for some great party tricks.

• The Sacred Balance by David Suzuki – Should be required reading for people who live on Earth. That is to say, everyone.

• The Emotional Lives of Animals by Marc Bekoff – Bekoff is easily one of my favorite writers and scientists. I was lucky enough to meet him at a lecture and his passion is contagious. This book outlines his work as a cognitive ethologist (someone who explores animal minds) and is a must read for animal lovers.

• The Tale of Peter Rabbit (the whole series) by Beatrix Potter – This woman is one of my heroes. She was not only a talented writer and artist, she had the observant eye of a scientist. Back in the day when women were expected to seek nothing in life other than a rich dude (gag me), Beatrix was writing nature journals in code and publishing what would later be the most successful children’s books of all time. Treat yourself to one of these classics.

• White Fang by Jack London – Nobody writes nature like Mr. London. To the best of my knowledge, this was one of the first books told from the perspective of an animal main character. You might want to move to the North after this one and buy some sled dogs.

• Supernature by Lyall Watson – I’ll bet a dollar to a donut that most people haven’t heard of this one. But don’t let its obscurity fool you. It’s a book about the ‘natural history of the supernatural’, but it’s not talking about ghosts and zombies. This book is about communication between living things, including plants. When science catches up with the natural world, I have a feeling this book will resurface and we’ll all say “Ohhh.. here it is written down already!” Definitely one for the ol’ noodle.

• Nim’s Island by Wendy Orr. Don’t lie – you’ve fantasized about living on a tropical island. Feed your imagination with this book and revel in a life where coconut is a staple. Also a great one to read to your kids during the grey of winter.

There you have it! I know there’s a lot I haven’t covered here, so I’d love to hear what books you pull out for a dose of nature – leave ‘em in the comments!

Happy Literacy Day, stay wild!

Good morning on this snowy day!

Just wanted to pop in and show you a teaser of some new clay illustrations I’ve been working on for some Wild EduCards (flash cards for your little one, done Wild-Jess style)!

These cards will be available by download in the Trading Post soon (that flashy new link up top) for a very reasonable price – one buck!

This sort of reminds me of Willy Wonka’s lickable wallpaper, no? Please don’t lick your computer.