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Looking for More than Sky Rain

photo of rain clouds and rain that doesn't hit the ground

Growing up in the Midwest, I didn’t really think about rain. It rained all year long, although in the winter it could fall as ice, or if we were lucky, snow. The only time rain was newsworthy was during tornado season, when nature used it as a weapon, or mid-summer when the corn and soybean […]

Natural Fire: Helpful or Destructive?

image of smoke spewing from Pusch Ridge

Fire can be a wonderful or terrify thing. In many ecosystems, fires are important for keeping them healthy. These are low intensity fires that clear the ground of brush and scrub. However, invasive plant species like buffelgrass cause fires to burn hotter destroying the ecosystem, instead of nurturing it. May and June in the Sonoran […]

Who’s Your Favorite Footrest?

tortoise underfoot

Do you have a favorite footrest in your home? Putting one’s feet up is so relaxing and relieving. The cushioniest footrest in my house is the one that came with a comfy chair. Simple, functional, the perfect height, very practical. My favorite footrest is covered with a needlepoint I stitched many decades ago. I was […]

Word for the Day: Saurophagy (And Autophagy!)

lizard eating lizard

Photo courtesy of Kaimuki Backyard on You Tube. I learned a new term today. It’s not a word to be used in daily conversation but interesting, nonetheless. The new term is saurophagy. Its means “the eating of lizards.” I was a little sad to learn this word in a report about one iguana species, C. […]

Is That Torpor or Hibernation? by Curtis Curly-tail

photo of ground squirrel on rock

Howdy, friends! It’s me, Curtis Curly-tail! You know how I LOVE to bask in the sun? Well, I’ve recently learned that some of my friends go underground when it gets cold—to stay warm! My human friend, Elaine, wrote here at Tales & Tails that round-tailed ground squirrels spend the winter underground to stay warm. Yes, […]

How Do You Know if a Lizard is a Green Iguana? by Curtis Curly-tail

a red-colored green iguana

Hello, out there, friends and fans! It’s me, Curtis Curly-tail! Today, I wanted to ask you if you knew that Green Iguanas, Iguana iguana, come in different colors? And, if they come in different colors, how do you tell if a lizard is a green iguana?  You look for the subtympanic scale. “What is that?” […]

‘Zoe the Star’ Tortoise! by Curtis Curly-tail

Hello to all my friends out there! I hope you are taking care of yourselves and each other in these difficult times. I’m looking forward to the day when my human friends don’t have to worry anymore about the virus called Covid-19! (If I could, I would banish it right now!) Until this passes, please […]

Starfish: How Many Arms?

image six-armed starfish

I started out my biology career wanting to be a marine biologist. Even though I ended up as a laboratory researcher, I’m always looking for interesting creatures when I visit the ocean. I never know who I’m going to write about in my next fun science book! One group of animals I always enjoy seeing […]

Fun Geology and Biology for The Lime Lizards Lads!

book cover reading comprehension

Geology is the science that explores the earth’s physical structure and substance, its history, and the processes that act on it. Geology is often included under the topic of Earth Sciences.  You might be surprised to learn that I often include geology in my fun science books that feature lizards. You can’t really study biology […]

Ground Squirrels: These Cute Little Burrowers Soon to Have Their Own Book!

photo ground squirrel

When I lived in the Midwest and Northeast, I knew it was Spring when the crocus and daffodils raised their heads from the ground.  Here in the Sonoran Desert, I know it is Spring when the round-tailed ground squirrels, Xerospermophilus tereticaudus, which dwell in the desert of the US Southwest and northwestern Mexico, raise their […]

The Marshmallow: Not Merely Fluffy Sugar

photo of Marsh Mallow Plant

In a previous blog, I related a story how even in my early years, I was working to keep wild alligators away from people food with stale, very hard, marshmallows. This occurred on Sanibel Island, FL.  Have you ever thought about where marshmallows come from? My marshmallow story took place on Sanibel Island, FL, where […]

Using Children’s Books for Science Education–at a Bar!

photo of author Elaine A Powers speaking about science education

Last February, I had the honor of giving a science talk at a local bar.  Yes, a bar! But it’s a very different bar–it specializes in astronomy and holds weekly science trivia contests with March for Science Southern Arizona. My talk was about using entertaining children’s books in science education.  It was kind of fun […]