The Wannabe Naturalist Magazine Edition 2021-2
The Wannabe Naturalist Magazine Edition 2021-2
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
This is fun! I have found my “thing.” And all it took was a pandemic! The response to the first issue of The Wannabe Naturalist Magazine was overwhelming—thank you! This is Magazine Edition 2021-2.
In this Edition:
- Craig Underwood, from Underwood’s Fine Jewelers; a jeweler and avid nature photographer
- Gardeners Know the Dirt: A closer look at a beautiful pink flower, often considered a weed – article by Dr. Joe W. Willis
- Spring flowers on your Instagram feed add color and engagement
- Travel to Alabama to visit Fairhope, Mobile, and Bellingrath Gardens
- Nature: The White Ibis
- Planning a trip to New Orleans? Check out Zack Smith Photography’s “New Orleans Street Photography Workshop”
- What to Read: The Complete Gardener: A Practical, Imaginative Guide to Every Aspect of Gardening
Hello and Welcome!
When we moved to New Orleans in March 2017, one of the first things I did was purchase a fishing license. My wife grew up around New Orleans, and my father-in-law, a retired geophysicist, enthusiastically fished the local bayous and estuaries his entire life. He navigated the backwater like the back of his hand. He was my go-to person for anything fishing related.
The state offers freshwater and/or a saltwater license and when asked the question about fresh vs. saltwater, he promptly replied: “Get both.” When I asked why, his answer was simple: “Because the salinity in the water changes constantly, this month you’re fishing salt, next month fresh.” His answer was probably a bit of exaggeration, but this comment piqued my interest.
Louisiana Land Loss
The statistics on wetland and coastal land loss in Louisiana are staggering—the state loses roughly one football field of land every hour.
Scientists say Louisiana’s land loss can be attributed to at least three critical factors:
1) reduced sediment flow from the Mississippi River and its tributaries—the “Mighty Mississippi” has been tamed into a controlled canal;
2) subsidence—the gradual sinking of land, hence the above-ground cemeteries; and 3) sea-level rise, believed to be due to global warming and climate change.
These factors result from natural processes, human interference, and in most cases, a combination of both. Communities are changing, wildlife are losing their habitats, wetland and coast-dependent jobs and industries are declining, and significant recreational and cultural assets are being lost. Wetlands function as a sponge during storm events, absorbing storm surge and protecting inland areas from direct water inundation. Learn more at Restore the Earth Foundation.
Saltwater Intrusion in Magazine Edition 2021-2
The skeletal remains of dead oak trees at sunset near Shell Beach, LA. In many coastal areas, oak trees die as a result of saltwater intrusion from the Gulf of Mexico. Coastal land loss is amplified by the decrease of flood protection offered by trees and vegetation, which slow the storm surge during extreme weather events such as hurricanes and tropical storms.
The weather in Louisiana makes living here a never-ending adventure! This is where I started asking myself: What is a wannabe naturalist? I want to be one!
Eugene Brill,
Publisher of The Wannabe Naturalist Magazine
All Magazine Editions
- The Wannabe Naturalist Magazine Edition 2021-1
- The Wannabe Naturalist Magazine Edition 2021-3
- The Wannabe Naturalist Magazine Edition 2021-4
- The Wannabe Naturalist Magazine Edition 2022-1
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The Wannabe Naturalist Logo Round Magnet$7.50 -
Wannabe Naturalist IN TRAINING Round Magnet$7.50 -
Distressed Baseball Cap with IN TRAINING Collection Logo$39.50 -
The Wannabe Naturalist Official Sticker Pack$14.95 -
Wannabe Naturalist Lens Circle IN TRAINING Sticker$7.50
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The Wannabe Naturalist ON BOARD Sticker$7.50 -
The Wannabe Naturalist AT WORK Sticker$7.50 -
The Wannabe Naturalist IN TRAINING Sticker$7.50
Articles of Interest
Anole FAQs
Hours of research went into writing about anoles. For more than three years I followed the life-cycle of our backyard lodgers. This article covers FAQs from the book The Lovable Little Garden Lizards by Eugene L Brill, photographer, and author.
What is a Wannabe Naturalist?
A wannabe naturalist is someone that aspires to be an amateur naturalist. From birdwatchers to gardeners, they care about the natural world and want to preserve it. Someone that cares about nature so much that they want to study and preserve it.
