Bryan's Posts About Ecology and Conservation

Be the Flame and the Moth

The profound diversity of life on Earth — flying now to your doorstep.

Birdwatching’s Carbon Problem

A moral question for birdwatchers and others who enjoy — and simultaneously harm — nature on a warming planet.

Light from Darkness

By the thousands they flew into our lives: Moths sporting zigzags and polka dots. Moths adorned in carmine, azure and gold. Here’s my report on lessons from National Moth Week.

Greg Lasley

Greg Lasley, who died on January 30, personified dignity and benevolence. And because he showed us wildlife and wild places, Greg ranks among our great conservationists. He gave so that we might see the world.

Rebuilding

On Inauguration Day, an ephemeral insect in the Grand Canyon offers some perspective on rebuilding, hope and new forms of extinction.

The Extinction of Meaning

Now that the Trump administration has advanced its plan to weaken the Endangered Species Act, here’s my essay, first published at Medium.com, about our fading ties to wildlife and wild places. 

Extinction and other Matters of Life and Death and Insects

Perspectives on the “insect apocalypse” and what we might do about it.

Montpelier Goes Wild

Spring Salamander and Summer Azure. Lesser Purple-fringed Orchid and Greater Celandine. Pineapple-Weed and Chocolate Tube Slime Mold. They were all among the more than a thousand living things we discovered here in Montpelier this past weekend.

Insects: In the Air and On the Air (with me) Today

Tune in and bug out with me and Kent McFarland today on Vermont Public Radio’s annual insect show.

On Darwin Day: Saving Songbirds

Today, Charles Darwin’s Birthday, I offer you a reflection from my annual bird survey at Bear Swamp in Wolcott, Vermont, where the Yellow-bellied Flycatchers call out no more.

The Sunflower and the Butterfly: Together They Fall

When you kill a rare sunflower here in Vermont, you may also be killing a rare butterfly.

Ghosts and Tiny Treasures — My Essay for Aeon

Ten years ago, I walked into the swamps of Arkansas to find a ghost — and perhaps some redemption for wildlife … and for us.