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Nerdy About Nature Fun facts, information and observations about nature and all it's radness to make your next venture into the outdoors more enjoyable!

05/10/2026

Complex mature, oldgrowth forests contain a rich diversity of plant and tree species, and this complexity insulates the forest as a whole - it shades everything and retains moisture during the hot months to keeps things well-watered and at a nice cool temperature, and during the winter, this complexity reduces wind and keeps things from getting too cold when temperatures dip.

When forests are industrially logged, all that complexity is immediately lost, and clearcuts can be over 10 degrees warmer than a mature forest. This heat not only dries up these soils, but colder temps during the winter stunts the growth of things that regrow here.

Secondgrowth forests lack the complexity of understory vegetation of mature forests that stores moisture. The tight canopy may provide shade and reduced temperatures to the understory, but this lack of vegetative growth and rich soils doesn’t hold moisture well, and so these forests tend to dry out very quickly, making them more prone to drought which inadvertently stunts the growth of the trees growing here, increasing their stress and making them more prone to fire.

Ecological restoration of secondgrowth forests through thinning and planting of diverse species can increase the complexity of these forests to store more moisture, reducing drought and keeping temperatures more suitable for the native species here. Though it’s no substitute for preserving intact mature, complex forests in the first place, forest restoration like this can help increase the complexity and oldgrowth characteristics in simplified secondgrowth forests created through industrial logging to speed up their succession and create healthier forests more resilient to the impacts of anthropogenic climate change.

03/10/2026

Leaf litter that falls from deciduous trees every autumn and collects on the forest floor plays a critical role in the health of a forest ecosystem.

Not only do these leaves break up the velocity of falling water droplets to reduce soil erosion and allow the water to trickle into the soil slowly, but they retain moisture levels and evaporation during the hottest months of the year so that there’s more for all the plants and trees when they need it most. Most importantly however, when they are broken down by fungi, bacteria and insects, they become soil, returning vital nutrients such as nitrogen to the forest which helps everything else growing here get the nutrients they need to create chlorophyll to photosynthesize.

So without leaf litter like this here, our forests would slowly lose soil and nutrients that allows everything to flourish, so don’t rake it - save it!

If you’re enjoying these vids and want more of ‘em, you can help support their production by becoming a paid supporter on patreon or substack via the link in my bio 🤙

03/10/2026

In a forest, nothing exists on its own. Everything from the trees to the mosses on the forest floor, to the critters that live here and spread nutrients around to the insects and fungi in the soil that break them down, it all is intricately interconnected with one another, and when one does well, the others benefit for mutual flourishing.

It may not seem like it at times, but us humans are no different, and we’ve evolved to work together with one another to survive and thrive through collaboration, rather than against one another in competition.

Yet in this hyper individualized modern world, competition seems to be all we’re taught. People in positions of power sir the pot and fuel division between us all to keep us bickering and fighting with one another, all stuck in the comfort of our own little bubbles and echo chambers, but this only serves those at the top.

This is where the idea of Contact Theory comes into play, a social hypothesis that suggests that the more contact different people or groups of people have with others who don’t look the same, think the same or feel the same, the more that prejudice, anxiety and conflict between the two is reduced, building more empathy and understanding between one another to actually work together collaboratively for the common good. Some of the largest issues we face today from addressing the root causes of anthropogenic climate change, to creating stable economic systems that equally benefit everyone without destroying the natural world on which we rely, aren’t simple issues that are going to be solved through conflict and division.

In the midst of all that, one of the best things you can do is step out of your bubble, unplug from your echo chamber, and start building relationships with others to find common ground, and build upon that for a better future for us all.

If you’re enjoying these vids and want more of ‘em, you can help support their production by becoming a paid supporter on patreon or substack via the link in my bio 🤙

03/10/2026

Natively growing in a narrow coastal band from mid-California up to southern Oregon, Coast Redwoods, or Sequoia sempervirens, have not only specifically adapted to life on the coast here, but they have evolved in a way that creates perfect growing conditions not only for themselves but all the others who call these forests home, becoming a sort of ecosystem engineer of their own.

In the day, solar radiation over the ocean evaporates water, which then cools in the evenings condenses into thick blankets of fog.  With their great heights, the Redwoods reach upwards to the sky, creating a boundary layer with their canopy that works to slow wind and catch that thick fog coming off the oceans, which lingers in their canopies where they’re able to conduct folial uptake, or the absorption of atmospheric moisture in that fog to conduct photosynthesis, as well as bark uptake where their porous bark absorbs that moisture up high and transports it to their xylem.

When this moisture condenses on their leaves, it can fall through the canopy to create localized rain events that keeps the understory and soils nice and damp so that others can thrive, and during drier times these forests are known to release high amounts of terpenes which drift upwards and act as nuclei for the formation of raindrops.

So these trees don’t just exist here because it’s a niche that they favour, they work to create the conditions they require to thrive.

Us silly humans tend to simplify these ecosystems based on atmospheric conditions, geology and hydrologic trends, but often fail to consider the biotic influences here - it’s all connected!

If you’re enjoying these vids and want more of ‘em, you can help support their production by becoming a paid supporter on patreon or substack via the link in my bio 🤙

03/10/2026

Redwood forests are famous for “drinking fog” during the dry months to photosynthesize and grow, but how exactly does this happen?

The process of absorbing moisture from the air through their leaves is known as folial uptake, and it requires certain environmental conditions to be present. Normally, trees uptake moisture from their roots as water evaporates through tiny pores called stomata on their leaves which draws moisture up from their roots to their leaves. In order for folial uptake to occur, this gradient needs to be reversed with more moisture present in the air than in the soils, allowing the plant to suck the water molecules from the air through those same stomata, which occurs seasonally during warmer months. This process also only works most efficiently when water is in a vapour form where the molecules are more spaced out and able to be drawn in easily, as when water condenses as a liquid it can smother those stomata.

Surprisingly, up to 80% of the species in these ecosystems able to conduct floral uptake with species like Western Swordfern able to take in nearly 4 times the amount of moisture than Redwoods. What makes the Redwoods unique in this ability is their ability to reach great heights into the clouds to better utilizes water in vapour form.

Just one small example of the beauty, adaptability and resilience life on this planet has evolved of finding ways to survive in varying conditions, and how maintaining forest complexity can help these ecosystems adapt and thrive in a changing climate.

If you’re enjoying these vids and want more of ‘em, you can help support their production by becoming a patreon member via the link in my bio 🤙

03/10/2026

These beauties are Goldenrod and Asters, which bloom together late in the summer throughout eastern Tuttle Island, and they’re a keystone species in these grasslands that are an important food source for pollinators here, while also supporting biodiversity by providing home and food to a wide range of critters.

The bright yellow flowers of Canadian Goldenrod, Solidago canadensis, contrasts brilliantly with the purple of the New England Aster, Symphotrichum novae-angliae, and since purple and yellow are complimentary colours on opposite side of the colorwheel, they appeal very nicely to the cones in our eyes that perceive purples and yellow, and have thus become a quintessential attraction within these grasslands at this time of year.

Many pollinators of these species are also attracted to these colours, notably bees, who have trichromatic vision that sees a different spectrum of light than we do. On the high end of the spectrum, bees can’t see red, but they can see yellow to purple, and even into ultraviolet light. These petals also have patterns on them which are only visible in the UV spectrum, known as nectar guides, that are specially tailored to pollinators.

Together, these two plant species have co-evolved to appeal to their favourite pollinators, and when these they grow together, they have higher pollination rates that not only helps further their genetic success, but makes for more efficient pollen collection for the bees, which is a good thing for all others who depend on them. So in other words, these different flowers have evolved to work together along with the bees to create a system of mutual flourishing in which they all are able to thrive together, and in the process, these relationships create healthy, diverse ecosystems that allows all sorts of other non-human people to thrive, and knowing all of this just makes this pretty sight even prettier, don’t ya think?

28/09/2026

Not sure about y’all, but I’ve found social media and the entire news cycle these days totally and completely overwhelming.

One of the best things I’ve found to clear my mind from it all is getting out into nature amongst some of the last, great, wild places left in North America…but the problem is that if we disconnect entirely and stop paying attention, as great as that all may sound for our mental health, we’ll end up losing these outdoor spaces we all love and depend on so much.

Amongst all the madness happening in the world today, you may have missed the constant assaults on our public lands that the Trump administration is conducting, with the recent plans to rescind the roadless rule, threatening 45 million acres of lands from logging and extraction, from Alaska’s Tongass National Forest down through the pacific northwest, rockies, and out east.  Despite the millions of Americans who enjoy and depend on these lands in numerous ways, the tourists who come to see them, the rich mosaic of communities supported by these lands, and over 99% of comments in a recent public input period being in favour of keeping the roadless rule in place, the Trump administration seems hell bent on axing this rule to open up these forests for clearcut logging and further extraction and thus destruction of these lands.

It’s not in the benefit of his base supporters, so whats the motive here?  All to make a few rich billionaires a little bit richer off the public lands we all depend on.

I know it’s tempting to unplug and try to get away from it all, but if we do that now, we’ll lose the places we love to get away to, so please, take 5 minutes from your day to click the link in our bio and help keep the Roadless Rule in place for our collective enjoyment, prosperity, and…sanity.

25/09/2026

Trees like this ancient Western Redcedar can be thousands of years old, forming structural complexities that host all sorts of biodiversity, and the ecosystems they form hold all sorts of complexity that performs numerous ecological functions. This diversity and complexity of these forests not only help prevent anthropogenic climate change from getting worse, but they help mitigate the impacts we’re already feeling to create healthy lands, waters, and communities who depend on it all.

With all the changes coming our way, once these forests are cut down they will likely never grow back with the same complexity witnessed here, even in thousands of years.

Given that over 95% forests like this across BC have already been clearcut logged and lost, forests like this incredible rare and special, but unfortunately, within the next year or so, this block is slated to be auctioned off to the highest bidding logging company so that they can clearcut it down to extract as much privatized profit as possible, even though the BC NDP committed to protecting these same forests.

With some of the hottest years on planet earth in the last 120,000 years occurring in just the past 4 years, biodiversity loss across the globe at an all time high, and a forest industry struggling to support communities amongst a volatile global market, it’s more important now than ever that we work to protect the last of these old growth forests, restore the ecological complexity in the second growth forests we’ve created, and create a truly sustainable forest industry that sustains more than just economy, but ecology and biodiversity as well.

In other words, it’s time the BC Government finally takes action on all 14 recommendations from the old growth strategic review that they committed to over 5 years ago, in order to protect not only these forests and all who depend on them, but our shared future.

Or…vote out the NDP, who arrogantly called a very inconvenient snap election, and instead vote for a party with integrity and plans to actually create a better future - BC Greens 💚

23/09/2026

From a multi-layered canopy that shades and cools the forest to diverse understory complexity that stores moisture, the complex structure of a mature old growth forest makes these ecosystems naturally resilient to large-scale fires.

Yet when mature forests are clearcut logged through industrial practices, that complexity is lost, and the forest dries out. While clearcutting claims to replicate disturbances like fire, but that is entirely false - naturally occurring low to mid intensity fires tend to burn through the more flammable fine woody materials in a forest, whereas clearcutting removes those big dominant naturally fire-resistant trees and leaves behind many fine woody materials which act as fuel for more frequent fires.

The second growth forests that follow clearcutting have a brief window when they are young in which they store a lot of moisture and are more resistant to fire, however, after about 15 to 20 years, they form tight, even-aged stands which persists for another 30 years or so. In this phase, these forests are highly flammable, and are the primary forest type burned in the catastrophic wildfires we see more and more of across the continent. All together, these factors create dangerous, unnatural forest conditions that promote devastating fires that threaten communities, infrastructure, and longterm health of our lands and waters, and are a direct result of ongoing industrial logging practices.

Though it is no substitute for the preservation of mature, complex fire-resistant forests in the first place, ecological restoration of the vast tracts of unhealthy secondgrowth forests created through industrial logging can help promote structural diversity and moisture storage that collectively reduces fire risk and helps create healthier forests for all those who live amongst them.

B.C. is Burning is industry propaganda, don't get it twisted

20/09/2026

There’s a lot happening in the world today, and it’s incredibly easy to feel completely helpless, insignificant, or unable to actually make any lasting positive change.  Yet, the landscapes we live amongst can give us insight on moving forward.

Change is constant in life, and it can be either violently sudden or glacially slow, expected or not, but regardless change is and always will be happening in one way or another - take this river for example.

Tectonic forces metamorphosed the bedrock here over millions of years, and then the constant force of gravity over long periods of time has sculpted the finer details using water as it’s tool. Ice sheets rounded mountain tops, glaciers carved valleys, and rainwater shaped granite walls, pebbles and stones. When an obstacle obstructed the river, it just kept flowing, chipping away, carving out the rock of mountains and meandering about to take new paths and create the change needed to keep on flowing.

No mountain lasts forever, even the biggest, most intimidating and seemingly immobile ones, and just like molecules of water, each one of us has the power to make change happen one small action at a time, even if it feels small and insignificant in the moment. Regardless of the path downhill you choose, how you big or small you’re able to show up, if your actions are aligned with the end goal, even the smallest ones can make a big difference no matter where the journey takes you.

So be like water - take a deep breath and just keep flowing.

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