Natural Selection Blog

Seattle-area nature photography classes & workshops

2012-05-17T17:43:08Z

This winter and early spring were certainly...challenging for many of us who tired of the constant rain and grayness. But now that the sun is out, so many of us are once again totally besotted with the beauty of the Pacific Northwest.

If you're interesting in improving your skills at capturing the natural beauty via photograph, check out the below calendar of nature photography classes scheduled in coming months. (Eager to get started? There's a class at Discovery Park this Saturday, May 19, through REI. Details here.)

I'll continue to add to the calendar throughout the summer, so bookmark this post for even more events.

Seattle Mother's Day 2012 nature & outdoor events

2012-05-08T22:02:12Z

Is your mother a nature lover? Is she a fan of wildlife, big or small? Or maybe she's a green thumb and loves to be around plants and flowers.

If so, here's a calendar of mom-focused nature and outdoor events over Mom's Day Weekend to consider. I'll continue to add more through the week!

Mushroom Maynia at the Burke Museum on Sunday

2012-05-04T19:10:47Z

Looking to learn more about mushrooms? Head to the Burke this Sunday for Mushroom Maynia. All day, there will be talks, crafts, mushroom ID and more.

Check out the details of the event below and see the Burke's website for information on entry costs, etc. For more wild food events, see the Wild Food page.

Stuff to check out on SNS sister sites

2012-04-24T07:51:03Z

Time for a little cross-promotion! Check out some of these posts on sister sites Fresh-Picked Seattle and Freeattle that might be of interest to Seattle Natural Selection readers.

Native Plant Appreciation Week, wildflower walks, lichen and more botany events

2012-04-24T06:34:01Z

Readers of this site and Fresh-Picked might have noticed that I tend to cover and attend a lot of wild food and ethnobotany-related events. These events helped me begin to make sense of, as I’ve called it, the Green Monolith of the outdoors, breaking it down in things that I could identify as being something tasty or useful.

Over the past few months, though, I decided that I wanted to expand my ability beyond that kind of folk identification to actually learn more about how to identify plants according to scientific classification. So I just wrapped up an excellent 6-week plant identification class through the UW Arboretum, and have just started a class on mosses. I’m a long way from being fluent in this new language of families and species, but at least I’m getting started.

If you would like to learn more about botany, check out some of these upcoming events, including the Washington Native Plant Society’s Native Plant Appreciation Week next week (with all kinds of events planned in counties throughout the state), an upcoming lichen class also offered through the UW Arboretum, a free wildflower walk at Discovery Park, and a weekend botany foray coming up this summer.

Free kids' book talks this week: "Leopard & Silkie: One Boy's Quest to Save the Seal Pups"

2012-04-23T07:31:00Z

Is there a little one in your life who loves seals or just animals in general? Check out two book talks this week you might want to take them to!

Tue, April 24, 7pm: FREE! Kids' Book Talk: Brenda Peterson and Robin Lindsey, Leopard & Silkie: One Boy's Quest to Save the Seal Pups at Secret Garden Books. “Brenda Peterson is the author of New York Times Notable Book Duck and Cover, among many others. This book is photographer Robin Lindsey's debut. In Leopard & Silkie author and illustrator turn their focus to a first-hand look at the vulnerable baby seals that are left on shore in the Pacific Northwest while their mothers hunt for food, and the concerned volunteers who keep vigil over them. Both the author and illustrator regularly ‘seal sit’ near where they live in Seattle and regularly educate on the subject, but the main seal sitter is a child offering an entry point for kids.”

Sun, April 29, 2pm: FREE! Kids' Book Talk: Brenda Peterson and Robin Lindsey, Leopard & Silkie: One Boy's Quest to Save the Seal Pups at Elliott Bay Book Co. “Brenda Peterson is well known both as the author of many books celebrating the natural world as well as a member of Seal Sitters Marine Mammal Stranding Network, a group of naturalist citizens who watch over seals who rest on Northwest beaches. The work of Seal Sitters inspired her new children's picture book, Leopard and Silkie: One Bay's Quest to Save the Seal Pups (Henry Holt), which also features photographs by Robin Lindsey. Readers of all age are invited to meet and hear more about the seal sitters and their work protecting seal mammals. For more about this, please see www.sealsitters.org.”

Book talks this week: "Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail" by Cheryl Strayed

2012-03-20T06:07:33Z

On Tuesday, the new book "Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail" will be released, and its author will be here in town for two book talks. Below is a description of the book and the details for the two events.

Fee-free days at National Parks, WA State Parks & other natural areas (bonus terrible bird photo slideshow)

2012-02-25T20:58:55Z

If you're planning your 2012 vacations and expeditions, you might want to check out the below sets of free days at national and state parks and other natural areas. While they're usually low-cost and worth the money, if you're on a budget, this is a way to save a few bucks on your outdoor fun!

National Geographic Live!

2012-01-29T07:17:07Z

Hi all!

Wow, it's been a while, hasn't it? Well, this site is still in a bit of hibernation, but here's a quick FYI on a cool speaker series.

"National Geographic Live!, Seattle Symphony, and Benaroya Hall bring you entertaining and visually spectacular presentations by dynamic National Geographic explorers, scientists, photographers, and filmmakers. Our speakers inspire and enlighten audiences worldwide. Join the adventure!"

Tickets and more info here. See events listed below.

It's time for winter sports! Calendar of snowshoeing, skiing, & winter safety events

2011-11-07T03:55:13Z

As mentioned last month, this site is going to be in a light hibernation for the rest of the year. Posting on the blog will be light, but you can always see the calendar for events as that will continue to be regularly updated!

And every once in a while this sleepy bear will yawn and stretch and provide you a blog post on fun seasonal outdoor events.

So here is one! This is to highlight the special calendar of winter sport events.