Category Archives: Nature

Honoring Dr. Jane Goodall

Posted on by Joanne Guidoccio

Dr. Jane Goodall, the renowned primatologist and conservationist, passed away yesterday at the age of 91.

From a young age, she was fascinated by animals, dreaming of living in Africa and studying wildlife. In 1960, without formal scientific training, she traveled to Gombe Stream National Park in Tanzania to observe wild chimpanzees under the mentorship of anthropologist Louis Leakey. Her discoveries revealed astonishing behaviors: chimpanzees use tools, show emotions, and live in complex social groups.

She later earned a Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge, becoming one of the few people at the time to do so without an undergraduate degree. Over the decades, Dr. Goodall shifted her focus from observation to global advocacy, raising awareness about habitat destruction, animal welfare, and environmental sustainability. She founded the Jane Goodall Institute and created Roots & Shoots, a program that empowers young people to address environmental and humanitarian issues.

She has traveled the world, inspiring audiences with her message of hope, responsibility, and respect for all living beings.

My favorite quotations from Dr. Jane Goodall:

What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.

The greatest danger to our future is apathy.

Every individual matters. Every individual has a role to play. Every individual makes a difference.

You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you.

Hope is what enables us to keep going in the face of adversity. It is what keeps us motivated.

The least I can do is help people see the interconnectedness of all life.

Chimps, more like us than any other creature, have helped us to understand what it means to be human.

You cannot share your life with a dog or a cat and not know perfectly well that animals have personalities and minds and feelings.

My mission is to create a world where we can live in harmony with nature.

We still have a window of time. Nature is amazingly resilient. If we give her a chance, she will recover.

A Monarch’s Journey Inspires My Own

Posted on by Joanne Guidoccio

I’m happy to welcome author and editor Amy R. Kaufman. Today, Amy shares her creative journey and new release, The Monarch’s Message.

Here’s Amy!

I founded Stories magazine when I was 30, after making a devastating error in life. This creative venture was a way to carry on. Believing I was not ready to write seriously, I chose to edit. I drafted my concept for a national short story magazine on a piece of green paper. In reaction to trends in literature, I was seeking universal, timeless short stories. The magazine, produced in my typesetting shop in Boston, ran for 12 years.

Forty years later, during the pandemic, I began to write a story about the monarch butterfly as a gift for my niece. It was less intimidating than “serious” literature, so I assumed the children’s book would soon be finished. There was so much to learn that it took three years to complete. I realized how arrogant I had been to think I could meet the literary standards I had set for others.

It would have been impossible for an illustrator to draw the monarch with forests, deserts, and volcanoes in the background. During a thrift-store hunting trip, I discovered a 1983 photography magazine with a magnificent image of monarchs. I was able to reach the photographer, George D. Lepp, recently named a Canon Legend for his lifetime achievement, and purchased the right to publish several of his images. From thousands of portfolios, I selected 20 images depicting phases of the monarch’s life, from birth to an overwintering colony blanketed with clustering butterflies.

Everyone is inspired by the monarch; it seems to carry a message. With my book “The Monarch’s Message” I was entering a crowded field. To distinguish my concept, I made several decisions. First, the story is not merely plotted; its power derives from natural phenomena as they unfold. Second, as far as possible, the point of view is confined to the butterfly’s observations. Third, each paragraph reveals the character’s dedication to a purpose and her resilience to obstacles in changing terrain. I became more aware of my own resilience after this study, and I hope readers of all ages will experience the same awakening.

“The Monarch’s Message,” a photographic storybook, focuses on the capabilities of a monarch who embarks on the migration alone. Acclaimed photographers–notably George D. Lepp, a Canon Legend–offer spectacular views of stopping places along the trail. The story depicts natural phenomena rarely seen by human eyes. Sensory impressions create the feeling of flying with the butterfly as she navigates mountain ranges and deserts. Each environment reveals an aspect of her resilience.

Author Bio and Links

Amy R. Kaufman is an author and developmental book editor in Portland, Oregon. Stories, her Boston-based magazine for the short story, received several honors during its twelve-year run.

Writings World Literature | Amazon

The book is available to teachers and librarians through Follett Content Solutions.

Ms. Kaufman has created a photographic storybook for young and young-at-heart readers who are fascinated by monarch butterflies. Proud to proclaim myself a member of this group, I enjoyed reading this inspirational tale about Lita, a young butterfly, who sets off on an extraordinary journey from her home in North America to the Transvolcanic Range near Mexico City.

A gifted storyteller, Ms. Kaufman has a wonderful eye for detail and a gift for creating a strong sense of place. I could easily imagine myself traveling with Lita as she navigated mountain ranges and deserts. Her unwavering optimism and perseverance in the face of challenges is truly inspiring. One of my favorite quotes: “Even in the desert there was nectar for butterflies. Lita drank from yellow flowers and dropped pollen into each one. For a long way there was no sign of water, only cactus on each side…She knew her home could not be in that gray wasteland.”

Kudos to the photographers who shared their breathtaking images. These images, captured in vivid detail, depict the monarch’s transformation from a tiny egg to a majestic butterfly and its awe-inspiring journey across the continent.

Life Tips from Dandelions

Posted on by Joanne Guidoccio

On Wednesdays, I share posts, fables, songs, poems, quotations, TEDx Talks, cartoons, and books that have inspired and motivated me on my writing journey. I hope these posts will give writers, artists, and other creatives a mid-week boost.

Here’s a thought-provoking perspective from the Mind Fuel Daily Blog:

We can’t think of a few plants as famous as the dandelion. Who as a child didn’t blow on its soft puffball and watch the seeds float away? Unfortunately, dandelions don’t have the greatest reputation and are considered a nuisance by countless landscapers and gardeners.

But once you get to learning about dandelions, you’ll find they have a number of lessons to offer. Whether you find this plant a pesky presence or just another a beautiful part of nature, we’ve rounded up all the surprising life tips this flower has to teach.

Weeds…or Wishes?

Sometimes, the only difference between a flower and a weed is a matter of perspective. Some people look at dandelions and see a weedy menace. Others smile at its yellow blossom and look forward to making wishes with its puffy seeds. With dandelions, as in life, your attitude shapes everything. Choose to see the flower that grants wishes instead of weeds.

Be Useful

The dandelion is incredibly versatile. From stem to root, it’s entirely edible. Not only that, but it’s also been used for everything from folk medicine to dye. Dandelions also improve soil quality, leaving behind nitrous and other nutrients. Not too shabby for such a common plant, huh? The dandelion teaches us no matter how unassuming or ordinary we may seem; we actually have a whole lot to contribute to the world.

Adapt

Dandelions adapt easily and are able to grow in all sorts of soil types and conditions. And not just grow but flourish. This is partly why they’re so prevalent. In fact, dandelions are “pioneer plants”, those plants that are among the first to repopulate the soil after it’s been disturbed (like after a wildfire). In other words, dandelions make do even in the roughest situations. We know you can too.

Embrace Change, Let Go When Necessary

So many are familiar with the dandelion’s evolution from a yellow blossom to a white puffball. Once that soft tuft appears, the dandelion will soon release its seeds into the wind. Dandelions know that change is simply part of life, and just as important, they know when to let go.

Travel Far

Did you know? Dandelions seeds can travel up to five miles in the wind. That may not seem like much, but it’s pretty impressive when you learn that dandelions have nearly conquered the world. A brief history of this flower reveals they were once exclusive to Eurasia. Now? They grow on six different continents. Take a cue from the dandelion: go far and be willing to take on any new terrain.

Be Tenacious

Of course, dandelions are so commonly known as weeds because they are so pervasive and persistent. If you mow or cut them, they simply come back. Rip their roots out, and any remaining roots will simply grow more dandelions. While some might see this as a nuisance, we think this a prime lesson in determination! Be like the dandelion, be tenacious.

Source: Mind Fuel Daily Blog

Five Life Lessons from a Butterfly

Posted on by Joanne Guidoccio

On Wednesdays, I share posts, fables, songs, poems, quotations, TEDx Talks, cartoons, and books that have inspired and motivated me on my writing journey. I hope these posts will give writers, artists, and other creatives a mid-week boost.

Here’s an inspiring post about butterflies from the Mind Fuel Daily blog:

These tiny, fluttering creatures are really teachers in disguise. Here are five bits of life wisdom, inspired by the beautiful butterfly.

Be patient. All good things come with time. We are growing, even when we cannot feel it. With great patience come great rewards.

Be open to change. Be willing to be transformed. Without change, nothing beautiful would happen. You have to give up who you are to become who you might be.

Be light and free. Have some fun. Float from each open door to the next. Look for the color, humor and joy in daily life.

Be spontaneous. Go wherever your wings take you. Fly forward with confidence. Have the courage to seize new opportunities.

Be in the moment. Look around. Enjoy the flowers, the sun and the breeze. The present moment is a gift for us to enjoy.

Source: Mind Fuel Daily Blog

Announcing Guelph’s Official Bird…

Posted on by Joanne Guidoccio

The Black-Capped Chickadee has been chosen as Guelph’s official bird. Honorable mentions go to Chimney Swift and Green Heron.

A bold, inquisitive bird, the Black-Capped Chickadee can adapt to almost any environment and may even feed from friendly “human” hands. Small and short-billed with a black cap and throat, the chickadee communicates with its flock-mates using fifteen different calls. The best known is the chickadee-dee-dee that gives the bird its name.

The Black-Capped Chickadee is also the provincial bird of New Brunswick and state bird of Massachusetts and Maine.

Here are ten more interesting facts:

1. Chickadees usually mate for life.

2. These birds build nests in holes, mainly dead trees or rotten branches.

3. The females lay six to eight white eggs, marked with reddish-brown spots. Eggs are incubated for 12 to 13 days, until they hatch. Chicks grow quickly and fledge in 14 to 18 days.

4. Their wing beats are about 27 times per second. In comparison, a hummingbird’s wing beats are 80 beats per second.

5. The chickadee possesses excellent spatial memory. During the warmer months, it hides seeds and other foods in different spots. The bird can remember the hiding places a month after catching the food.

6. These birds observe and adapt the food-finding behavior of successful flock-mates. Unproductive activity is ignored.

7. On cold winter nights, the chickadees can reduce their body temperatures by as much as 12 degrees Celsius (from their normal temperature of 42 degrees Celsius) to conserve energy.

8. A frequent visitor to bird feeders, the chickadee is a ravenous eater, especially just before dusk. It can gain as much as ten percent of its body weight each day.

9. Research has shown that the survival rate of chickadees doubles when they have access to feeders during cold weather. In the winter, these birds require twenty times more food than they do in the summer.

10. Their favorite foods: sunflower seeds, suet, and coconut.

Shortlisted for Guelph’s Official Bird

Posted on by Joanne Guidoccio

A Brief Recap

In February, the City of Guelph began the application process for the Bird Friendly City designation. To date, only four cities in Canada—Vancouver, London, Toronto, Calgary—have been designated a Bird Friendly City by Nature Canada.

The City of Guelph staff teamed up with experts from two local groups— Bird Safe Guelph and Nature Guelph Bird Wing—to produce a list of eight birds that represent Guelph. The first round of voting ended Friday, April 1st.

The following birds have been shortlisted for the title of Guelph’s official bird:

Chimney Swift | Black-Capped Chickadee | Green Heron



It is now time to vote for the final candidate and help Guelph achieve the coveted Bird Friendly City designation.

Vote here before Friday, April 22.