Deep in the heart of Borneo’s rainforests, some of the world’s most remarkable wildlife still thrives. On Nat Hab’s Wilds of Borneo: Orangutans & Beyond adventure, guests encounter orangutans and sun bears, trek through the Danum Valley in search of gibbons and the slow loris, and scout for pygmy elephants and proboscis monkeys along the Kinabatangan River. Among the rarest creatures—with sightings extremely uncommon—is a ghost of the canopy: the marbled cat.
Big cats like lions and leopards often dominate conservation headlines. Yet their smaller, lesser-known relatives deserve attention, too. One of the most mysterious is the marbled cat (Pardofelis marmorata), a small, secretive feline cloaked in a coat so striking it has sadly made the species a target for poaching. With a status listed as Near Threatened by the IUCN, this elusive feline is as fascinating as it is vulnerable.
Where to Find Marbled Cats
Marbled cats inhabit a fragmented range that stretches from the Himalayan foothills of eastern India and Nepal through southern China and Southeast Asia, extending to Sumatra and Borneo. Despite their broad geographic spread, populations are sparse and largely confined to dense primary forests—though they’ve occasionally been spotted in logged areas, remnant forest patches within agricultural zones, and even in isolated secondary growth.
In Borneo, one marbled cat was observed in forest regrowth just six years after logging, while others have turned up in coffee plantations on Sumatra. These agile climbers are mostly arboreal, spending long hours in the canopy and using their surroundings to stay hidden. One was even recorded descending a tree head-first—a maneuver usually seen only in margays and clouded leopards.
Still, even basic information about the species remains limited. In fact, only one individual—a radio-collared female in Thailand—has ever been tracked in the wild. Her home range spanned just over 2 square miles (5 square kilometers), and her movements offered one of the few glimpses into the marbled cat’s ecology.
The elusive clouded leopard
What Makes the Marbled Cat Unique?
The marbled cat’s lush, cloud-like patterning gives it an uncanny resemblance to a miniature clouded leopard. Its thick, soft coat is marked with large, irregular blotches outlined in black. The fur is often gray-brown or reddish, with three dark stripes on its neck and crown. Its pelt—tragically—has made it a target for the illegal fur trade.
Weighing just 4 to 11 pounds, the marbled cat is about the size of a domestic feline, but it possesses the longest tail relative to body size of any cat species in the world. This bushy, black-tipped tail can even exceed the length of the body and head combined, helping the cat stay balanced as it navigates life in the trees.
Other physical features include a rounded head, wide forehead, large brown eyes, and short, rounded ears with a gray bar on the back.
Elusive Behavior—Or Not?
Surprisingly, what we “know” about marbled cat behavior is often contradicted by new observations. Though thought to be nocturnal or crepuscular, camera trap studies have recorded daytime activity. Similarly, while it was once considered strictly arboreal, more recent camera trap footage shows the cats walking confidently on the ground.
Despite its reputation for shyness, there have been surprising encounters with humans. One cat was found calmly resting just three feet from a researcher in Borneo, while another was seen sitting in the middle of a road during a night survey. These moments raise questions about how elusive the species truly is.
Once believed to be solitary, marbled cats have been recorded traveling in pairs in Thailand, Laos and Sumatra—though it’s still unclear whether these were mated pairs or siblings.
What Do Marbled Cats Eat?
Very little is known about the marbled cat’s diet. It’s assumed they prey mainly on arboreal mammals like squirrels and rodents. There are a few reports of individuals stalking birds in the canopy and one preying on a young Phayre’s leaf monkey.
Reproductive data is also sparse, based solely on two captive births. These show litters of one to four kittens, with a gestation period of about 66–81 days. The young weigh around 100–115 grams at birth, open their eyes at about two weeks, and reach sexual maturity by two years. They’ve been known to live up to 12 years in captivity.
Their vocalizations are similar to domestic cats, with some reports describing a twittering meow. Purring is rare.
Conservation Challenges for a Cat Few Have Seen
Like their larger cousins, marbled cats face mounting threats from habitat loss and illegal wildlife trade. Southeast Asia continues to lose tropical forest at one of the fastest rates on Earth, largely due to logging and conversion to palm oil, coffee and rubber plantations.
Poaching is also a concern. These cats are often killed for their fur or meat, and indiscriminate snare traps take a toll on small wild cats as well.
Unfortunately, conserving a species that’s rarely seen and poorly understood presents unique challenges. It’s easier to build public support for lions or tigers—animals you can witness on safari—than for an invisible feline hiding in the canopy.
But rarity does not equal insignificance. Losing the marbled cat would mean losing an extraordinary piece of Southeast Asia’s biodiversity.
How You Can Help
Even if you never see a marbled cat in the wild, your travel choices can still have a positive impact. Responsible ecotourism sends a powerful signal that healthy forest ecosystems have long-term value that far outweighs short-term exploitation.
Nat Hab’s conservation travel model helps protect these habitats, supports local communities and raises awareness for wildlife that too often goes overlooked. Consider joining us on The Wilds of Borneo: Orangutans & Beyond, where your presence directly supports the protection of the forests these rare cats call home. While marbled cat sightings are rare, your visit helps ensure that they—and the forests they depend on—have a future.
Ready to start planning a Borneo adventure? Learn what’s in store on this tropical safari, from night walks in search of nocturnal creatures to a private tour of a sun bear rehabilitation center. Get tips from Nat Hab Expedition Leader Court Whelan, plus learn all about our special Borneo Photo Expeditions, too!
The ecological benefits of conducting prescribed burns on landscapes include disease and pest control, habitat diversity and nutrient cycling. Fires clear out dead vegetation, returning nutrients to the soil, which then supports new plant growth.
While wildfires and controlled burns (also known as prescribed burns) are both fires, they differ significantly in their impacts, management and origins. Wildfires are unplanned and unrestrained, often caused by natural events like lightning or human error—such as unattended campfires or discarded cigarettes—and they can cause extensive damage. Prescribed burns are intentionally set under controlled conditions to achieve specific land management goals, such as reducing wildfire risks or improving habitats.
For thousands of years, ancient, cultural burning practices carried out by Indigenous Australians limited fuel—downed branches, live and dead trees, and leaves and needles—availability and prevented high-intensity fires in southeastern Australia, according to new research. And in Japan, scientists recently found that controlled burning of grasslands not only keeps forests at bay but results in higher biodiversity and a greater prevalence of endangered plant species in some grasslands compared to others, depending on what soils they grow on.
In the western United States, a century of fire suppression, climate change and drought has worsened wildfires. While prescribed burns help reduce fuel, a “fire deficit” increases wildfire risks, with significant environmental and health impacts. Deforestation and pests further limit carbon storage. Emulating Indigenous practices, another new study shows that combining physical harvesting of dead wood with thinning reduces the chances of wildfires, lowers carbon emissions and boosts carbon storage through products like biochar, a stable form of carbon.
Indigenous peoples have shaped Australian landscapes through cultural practices—such as controlled burns—over tens of thousands of years. Above, the smoke from a prescribed burn darkens the sunset at Ubirr Rock, Kakadu National Park, Australia.
Indigenous burning has protected Australia’s landscapes for millennia
The cultural burning practices used by Indigenous Australians suppressed high-intensity forest fires for thousands of years, according to research from The Australian National University and England’s University of Nottingham that was published in the journal Science in October 2024.
Using tiny fossils preserved in ancient sediment, the research team reconstructed landscapes across southeastern Australia to understand how the vegetation has changed over time. They focused on the shrub layer—rather than the tree canopy—because shrub layers in forests can act as ladders for wildfires to climb up to the treetops and spread, leading to high-intensity fires. That reconstruction was then compared with archaeological data to analyze how human activity has impacted levels of shrub cover in Australian landscapes through history.
The results showed that the expansion of Indigenous populations and a subsequent increase in the use of cultural burning led to a 50% decrease in shrub cover, which, in turn, led to a decline in high-intensity fires.
Shrub layers in forests often act as ladders for wildfires to climb up to tree canopies and spread. In Australia, expansion of Indigenous populations and a subsequent increase in the use of cultural, controlled burns led to a 50% decrease in shrub cover, resulting in a decline of high-intensity fires.
Following British colonization and extensive fire suppression, shrub cover in Australia has increased to the highest level ever recorded, which significantly increases the risk of high-intensity fires in the future. The researchers believe that rekindling ancient cultural burning practices with Traditional Owners (Aboriginal individuals or original inhabitants of a region before European settlement who have a historical and ongoing connection to a specific area of land, recognized through traditional customs and laws) can tame Australia’s fire crisis and reduce the risk of catastrophic blazes.
Hopefully, conclude the scientists, a better understanding of the link between human-induced climate change and the projected rise in the frequency and intensity of forest fires will lead to improved forest management and conservation in Australia.
Grassland burning has helped rare plants in Japan
Humans have been keeping forests from overgrowing grasslands for millennia not only by labor-efficient controlled burns, but also by grazing and mowing. Grazing and mowing are, however, labor intensive; and as rural areas become increasingly depopulated, grasslands have been disappearing worldwide. One consequence of this is the loss of habitats for insect and plant species—some endangered—that depend on grasslands.
Maintaining the balance between forests and grasslands requires proactive management to prevent woody encroachment. Common methods used not only include controlled burns, but also grazing animals, herbicides, and mechanical removal and mowing.
But not all grasslands are equal, say researchers from Kobe University in Japan. Many studies have focused on examining the effects of different management measures on plant diversity, but few researchers have paid attention to those of soil differences. Therefore, it has remained unclear which soils are better candidates for being managed by prescribed burns in terms of allowing a high diversity of endangered plants or plant species in general.
To settle this question, the Kobe University team turned to Mount Fuji. There, on a training site of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, grasslands covering different soil types are kept by prescribed burns once a year in April. The site was chosen because researchers had noticed that there were some areas, especially on young lava flows, where endangered species were concentrated, allowing them to study which soil factors influence species abundance. They set up 100, 10-square-foot plots across the grasslands on four different soil types; and in each, they identified all the plants, as well as measured a range of chemical and physical factors.
Their results, published in the journal Plants, People, Planet in January 2025, show that grasslands on young lava flows exhibit higher total species richness, native species richness and prevalence of plant types on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species than grasslands on both young and old, scoria bedrock. They also found that the soils were different in their acidity, depth and coverage by rocks and stones, which allowed them to infer that these factors are important to the persistence of rare plants.
While fresh basalt lava near Japan’s Mount Fuji can be challenging for agriculture due to poor water retention, some areas—especially those with older, weathered lava and added substrates—can support grasslands suitable for grazing. Controlled burns can also enhance grasslands on lava flows.
Previous studies had shown that acidic soils make it difficult for plants to take up nutrients, and shallow soils favor slow-growing plants. So, as prescribed burns reset plant development on the grasslands, these conditions suppress the growth of otherwise fast-growing and thus dominant species; and so, give those that are usually outcompeted—and that are, therefore, rare—a better chance of gaining a foothold.
In summary, the Kobe University team says that their study was able to identify environments where grasslands managed by burning alone can harbor a significant variety of endangered species.
Here at home, in the western United States, drought, global warming and a hundred years of fire suppression have led to increasingly destructive wildfires. In addition to prescribed burns, forest managers use tools like mastication (cutting and grinding vegetation into smaller pieces, effectively converting standing and fallen fuels into a more compact surface layer that reduces a fire’s intensity and rate of spread, making it easier to control and extinguish); piling and burning (gathering and piling branches, limbs and other woody debris, then intentionally burning these piles under controlled conditions); and thinning (removing smaller or fire-vulnerable trees) to reduce the fuel that can feed intense wildfires. These methods aim to reduce crown density, protect fire-resistant trees and lower the levels of available fuel, fostering healthier, more resilient forests.
Wildfires in the western U.S. have become increasingly destructive due to several factors, including human-caused climate change, increased development in fire-prone areas and a buildup of fuels from decades of fire suppression. These fires not only burn larger areas but are also faster and hotter.
However, such endeavors haven’t kept up with the rapid buildup of surface fuel, creating a “fire deficit”—the gap between the amount of fuel that has accumulated and the fire management efforts needed to reduce it—and raises the risk of severe wildfires. In addition, prescribed fires can come with significant environmental and social consequences. These controlled burns can escape and become wildfires, degrade air quality, reduce visibility and pose serious health risks, particularly respiratory illnesses. In fact, in the Pacific Northwest, emissions from prescribed fires have been linked to hundreds of deaths, thousands of respiratory problems and significant workday losses due to poor air quality.
Large, high-severity wildfires—along with human activities, such as deforestation and logging, as well as drought and pests—diminish forests’ ability to absorb and store carbon, which is essential for reducing CO2 levels in the atmosphere. Effective wildfire management is key to lowering carbon emissions and enhancing carbon storage to combat global warming.
As in Australia, Indigenous peoples in the western U.S. played a vital role in forest and fire management for thousands of years, shaping ecosystems through practices like controlled, low-severity burns and the collection of forest products for cultural items, firewood, shelter and tools. This type of physical harvesting of dead wood without combustion is now being explored as a way to both reduce wildfire risks and carbon emissions.
Unfortunately, controlled burning efforts haven’t kept up with the rapid buildup of surface fuel, creating a “fire deficit”—the gap between the amount of fuel that has accumulated and the fire management efforts needed to reduce it.
Recently, researchers from Florida Atlantic University investigated how physical harvesting—removing specific sizes of dead and downed branches and trees—could reduce wildfire risks and enhance carbon storage in the Sierra Nevada. They also examined which forest management strategies, particularly those involving combinations of fuel treatments, are most effective in reducing wildfire risks, enhancing carbon storage and promoting long-term forest resilience.
The team simulated the effects of eight different forest management treatments to see how they affect wildfire risks. Along with a control scenario that included only wildfire, the treatments included thinning; physical removal of surface fuel; and prescribed burns, either alone or in combination.
The study, published in the Journal of Environmental Management in March 2025, found that combining physical harvesting with thinning significantly reduced risks like tree mortality and crown fires, while lowering carbon emissions and offering carbon sequestration through products like biochar, a charcoal created by heating organic material in a low-oxygen environment and that can be used to improve soil and store carbon.
The physical harvesting of dead wood without combustion is now being explored as a way to reduce both carbon emissions and wildfire risks. The wood can be used in artworks and cultural crafts, such as making birch bark baskets.
These findings offer insights into forest management strategies that reduce wildfire risks, lower carbon emissions and maximize forest carbon storage. Over time, repeated fuel reduction treatments, such as prescribed burns, can emit more carbon than a single wildfire in an untreated forest. However, by harvesting dead wood and converting it into biochar, emissions can be significantly lowered. This process not only mitigates health impacts but also increases carbon sequestration, helping to offset the effects of climate change while promoting healthier forest ecosystems.
Not fighting fire with fire
By reducing the amount of fuel available, prescribed burns can make landscapes less susceptible to large, damaging wildfires. These low- to moderate-intensity fires that consume undergrowth and dead vegetation reduce the risk of larger, more intense wildfires, control invasive species, improve wildlife habitats and restore natural ecosystems.
But in our increasingly warming world with frequent dangerous fire weather, more people and structures at risk in the wildland-urban interface, health risks from exposure to smoke and the need to enhance carbon sequestration to mitigate global warming, we must reexamine effective management actions to reduce the superfires that are becoming all too common. By combining physical harvesting with thinning, we can help restore healthy, resilient forests. This approach, paired with transforming wood into carbon-storing products rather than burning it, could reduce wildfire severity and carbon emissions, while also generating carbon credits.
By combining physical harvesting with thinning, we can help restore healthy, resilient forests. This approach, paired with transforming wood into carbon-storing products rather than burning it, could reduce carbon emissions, smoke and wildfire severity, while also generating carbon credits.
I think it’s a hot idea whose time has come.
Here’s to finding your true places and natural habitats,
Africa is a massive continent with astonishing diversity in climate, culture, flora and fauna. But if you’re after the classic safari experience, East Africa is where to focus. At Nat Hab, we love to take curious travelers to Tanzania,Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda. Below are just a few of the unforgettable adventures that await you on the oldest inhabited continent on Earth.
1. Meet endangered rhinos and zebras at Ol Pejeta Conservancy
Against the backdrop of the stunning and often snow-capped Mount Kenya sits the renowned Ol Pejeta Conservancy on the Laikipia Plateau. What used to be a working cattle ranch in the 1940s colonial days in Kenya has now become the largest black rhino sanctuary in East Africa and home to the world’s last two remaining northern white rhinos —which, of course, we visit in person on our Ultimate East Africa Safari and Pride of East Africa: Kenya & Tanzania adventures.
In 2014, the 90,000-acre Ol Pejeta achieved IUCN Green List status, one of only two African conservancies to be awarded such recognition. The conservancy also has endangered Grevy’s zebra and some of Kenya’s highest predator densities. Nat Hab’s Private Mobile Camp has permission to operate inside the conservancy and makes for a comfortable, classic safari-era base for spotting the Big Five and much more.
2. See Africa’s densest concentration of wildlife in the Ngorongoro Crater
The Ngorongoro Crater in northern Tanzania was once upon a time a gigantic volcano. Some experts say that if it hadn’t erupted, it might have been taller than Kilimanjaro, the highest peak in Africa. It’s the largest intact caldera in the world, with a 2,000-foot-deep crater as its focal point.
Nearly three million years old, this Eden shelters one of the most incredible wildlife havens on Earth. Around 25,000 animals live here, and on our Tanzania’s Great Migration & Ngorongoro Crater,Pride of East Africa: Kenya & Tanzania and Ultimate East Africa Safari, we keep an eye out for elephant, buffalo, giraffe, zebra, wildebeest, eland, gazelle and more, as well as hungry predators that are always close by, like lion, leopard, cheetah and hyena. It’s never a guaranteed experience, but sometimes we’ve been lucky enough to see one of the few endangered black rhinos that hang out in the crater. Birdlife is awe-inspiring here, with massive flocks of pink flamingos coloring the soda lakes.
3. Go gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the planet’s best places to see mountain gorillas. These gorillas live in forests at elevations of 8,000 to 13,000 feet and have extraordinarily thick fur that helps them survive in below-freezing temps at high altitudes. Bwindi has nearly half the Earth’s mountain gorillas—about 460.
On our Great Uganda Gorilla Safari, Ultimate Gorilla Safari and Ultimate East Africa Safari, we spend two full days tracking gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (and have even sometimes seen them right on the grounds of our lodge!). Our local guides help us understand their behavior, and we have a local tracker clued into their previous movements, giving us the best chance of finding them on the mountain. Even if we know where they are, getting to them can be as easy as a 15-minute walk, or we may have to spend the day trekking the verdant rainforest on foot.
Looking into the eyes of a wild mountain gorilla has been described over and over by Nat Hab travelers as “the most profound nature encounter travelers have ever experienced.”
4. Take a night drive in search of nocturnal wildlife
Because we explore private conservancies in addition to national parks and reserves, we have the flexibility and freedom to do certain activities not always allowed elsewhere. One example: night drives. During the day, we feel like the observers, but there’s something special knowing that at night, the nocturnal animals have the upper hand at spotting us. Only getting to see animals during the day means that you may miss many animals that only come out at night, like the bush baby, porcupine, many species of owl and nightjar. We may even see a spotted hyena or leopard slinking through the night.
Adding to the ambience are the unique sounds we hear: the chirping of crickets, a lion’s roar in the distance, the footsteps of wandering warthogs, and possibly even trees crashing from a worked-up elephant—all happening under one of the clearest skies imaginable, filled with twinkling stars.
East Africa has more to offer than searching for the Big Five. Its national parks and reserves also provide habitat for around 2,500 different species of birds. Ostriches, the largest living birds on Earth, are found on the grasslands and savanna of the Serengeti and Maasai Mara in nomadic groups of between 5 and 50 birds. They are extremely fast on land and can reach speeds of up to 40 miles an hour!
Also easy to spot is the African crowned crane, the national bird of Uganda. They have a stunning crown of stiff golden feathers and a bright red throat pouch that makes them easily identifiable. They are most commonly spotted in dry savanna, marshes and grassy flatlands near rivers and lakes. If you’re lucky, you may be able to observe their elaborate mating dance, which includes lots of jumping, bowing and spreading their wings to their full six-foot span.
Flamingos can usually be seen in flocks of hundreds (if not thousands) at Lake Natron in Tanzania, as well as at Kenya’s Lake Nakuru, Lake Bogoria and Lake Elmenteita. Also keep an eye out for Kori bustards, one of the largest flying birds in Africa, often spotted in Ngorongoro Crater and Serengeti National Park. Look for them following herds of zebras through open savannahs in search of prey that has been disturbed by hooves.
A crowd-pleaser is always the rainbow-colored lilac-breasted roller, the national bird of Kenya. They put on dramatic shows of aerial acrobatics (hence the name “roller”) and are best spotted in open woodland or bushy savannah, where they hang out in couples on tree branches to hunt for insects and beetles.
From December through March, when there are short rains, some 2 million wildebeest trek from Kenya’s Maasai Mara to the southern Serengeti in search of freshly growing grass. They migrate with hundreds of thousands of zebras, and gazelle and other antelope accompany the huge herds as well. We do our best to plan these trips when zebras and wildebeest are giving birth (lots of opportunities to see babies!), and the herds may be mostly stationary. On that note, predators do actively seek out the most vulnerable members of the herds, and it’s not uncommon to see a lion snag a sick wildebeest or a cheetah attacking a newborn that was separated from its mother.
From July through October, we head to the northern Serengeti—our deluxe tented outpost is strategically placed within one of the main movement corridors for the wildebeest, zebra and gazelle that make this annual 1800-mile migration back south.
7. Search for Africa’s Big Five on game drives and bush walks
All this talk of the “Big Five,” but what exactly is that? It’s a term used by photographers and wildlife enthusiasts for some of the most iconic animals to see on safari: the Cape buffalo, leopard, lion, elephant and rhinoceros. Sometimes you might hear of a “Big Seven” that includes cheetah and African wild dogs, or a “Little Five” of the buffalo weaver, leopard tortoise, ant lion, elephant shrew and rhinoceros beetle.
Seeing the Big Five is like the fauna version of the Seven Summits—our highly-trained guides do their very best on our East Africa safaris to send you home with at least the Big Five checked off your bucket list.
8. Listen for a lion’s roar from your bed in a bush camp
Our safaris are the furthest thing away from a traditional hotel experience. We love to recreate the vintage atmosphere of days past with luxurious heavy canvas hunting camps like what Roosevelt and Hemingway used to stay in. Imagine, after enjoying a candlelight dinner on white linen, you cozy into bed, only to hear a lion’s roar in the distance. This is guaranteed to give the best kind of excited chills imaginable. It’s an experience that is impossible to forget!
On our East Africa safaris, our focus is on secluded and spectacular wildlife encounters away from crowds. Go gorilla trekking in Uganda and Rwanda, and witness the Great Migration in Tanzania and Kenya.
Polar bears (Ursus maritimus) are often in the news as the “poster animals” of climate change, but outside of the fact that they are big, look white (yes, that “look” part is important!), and their habitat is in severe danger, what else do most people really know about them?
Here are eight facts about polar bears that will leave you even more enamored with these beastly beauties. There’s definitely a lot more to these Arctic-dwelling bears than what most wildlife lovers know.
Witness the largest gathering of wild polar bears each fall in Churchill, Manitoba, on a Nat Hab Polar Bear adventure!
1. Polar bears sometimes share food with Arctic foxes
You might think a massive, gnarly, hungry polar bear would gobble up any animal that came close. But nope—efficient polar bears in normal conditions tend to only eat animals with lots of high-calorie fatty blubber (makes sense why they have a preference for marine animals).
When food is abundant, they won’t touch Arctic foxes and often even share food with them. The polar bear has what’s called a mutualistic symbiotic relationship with Arctic foxes. The polar bear, after gnawing on the blubber of a marine animal, will usually leave the meaty part of the carcass behind. Arctic foxes follow polar bears and scavenge on these remains.
They’re also polite sharers among themselves. When they have access to larger marine mammals such as beluga whales, there can be over 3,000 pounds of food to share amongst a group of polar bears. When one polar bear wants to share another bear’s food, they’ll slowly circle their way toward them and gently touch noses to ask if they can share.
2. Polar bears are the only carnivorous bears
Although most bears are omnivores, meaning that they live off a diet of both animals and plants, there isn’t exactly an abundance of plant life in the Arctic tundra. Polar bears are carnivorous, and their primary diet is ringed and bearded seals.
That being said, polar bears are opportunistic hunters, and in the summer, when they can’t hunt seals, they will at times turn to other food sources to survive. This can include birds, terrestrial mammals and even vegetation such as algae and berries. For this reason, some scientists prefer to classify them as hypercarnivores—animals whose diets are composed of more than 70% meat. But in perfect polar bear conditions, they would happily munch on only seals, and that would be that!
An active polar bear can burn through 12,325 calories per day. That equates to a female having to eat either one large adult seal, three small adult seals or nineteen newborn seal pups every week and a half just to maintain her body mass. I can’t even imagine how many plants they would have to eat to cover their caloric needs!
3. If you happen to be a lost arctic explorer, think twice about eating polar bear meat
Although it’s illegal for most people to hunt polar bears, there are some exceptions for Indigenous populations that have relied on them as a source of food for many hundreds of years. But they have to know what they’re doing. Polar bear meat must be very well cooked, as it often is filled with Trichinella spiralis parasites. These cause trichinosis, which in severe cases can cause death.
Eating polar bear liver is also incredibly dangerous, because it is so high in vitamin A that it can cause hypervitaminosis A in humans—a freaky, deadly disease that can cause your hair to fall out and your skin to peel. In the past, many hungry explorers who probably celebrated before they feasted later died from eating raw polar bear meat.
4. The distances polar bears can swim are almost unbelievable
Because they prey on seals and whales, it shouldn’t come as any huge shock that polar bears are decent swimmers. But between their big, slightly webbed paws and a hollow outer layer of fur that gives them added buoyancy, they are actually amazing swimmers. They have to be, as they migrate long distances by water when moving from the melting sea ice to islands or the mainland.
Each migration is over a hundred miles on average, but there are polar bears on record for having traveled more than 425 miles in a single swim. That’s more than nine days straight—three times the longest distance ever swum at once by a human!
5. Polar bears aren’t actually white
Wait, what? Yup, it’s true. Polar bears have two layers of fur. One is a short undercoat, and one is made up of longer “guard hairs.” While it might seem by looking at a polar bear that these hairs are white, they’re actually translucent. They only look white because they reflect the sunlight.
Sometimes on our Polar Bear adventures, we see polar bears under a gray sky, and they appear gray. At sunset, they can have a tinge of red to them. They can also even appear green in captivity: Rough concrete pens can cause tiny holes to form in the guard hairs, letting algae in to grow, especially when they are kept in warmer climates.
Another fun fact: While all other bears have pink skin underneath their fur, polar bears actually have black skin. This helps them retain heat in cold Arctic climes.
6. Polar bears have the most sensitive sniffers of any land mammal
Polar bears can hear a slightly wider range of frequencies than humans (up to 25 kHz), and their eyesight is also similar to that of humans (although they do have a protective membrane over their eyes that helps shield them from ultraviolet light). But polar bears’ sense of smell is a whole other matter.
According to the folks at Guinness World Records, polar bears have the most sensitive noses of any mammal that lives on land. They can smell prey up to 20 miles away! Even if an animal is hiding under three feet of dense snow, they can’t hide from a polar bear. The bear will smell them with no problem.
7. Female polar bears can give birth to cubs from different fathers at the same time
Polar bears are polygynous and rarely ever mate with the same bear in different years. And male polar bears are definitely not paternal. After mating, the male will only hang out with the female for a few days before leaving. The female does what she wants as well, often mating with another partner during the same breeding season. This can end up with her giving birth to offspring from different fathers at the same time.
Although most polar bears don’t hibernate like other species of bear (they spend winter on the sea ice hunting seals and building up their fat reserves for the food-scarce summer on the mainland), pregnant polar bears do enter a hibernation-like state. They go into their dens around October, with cubs being born around 60 days later. They stay in their dens for around seven to eight months until the cubs can leave. During this time, they remain in a reduced metabolic state where they don’t eat, drink, urinate or defecate to save energy.
8. Unfortunately, the polar bear is the poster animal for climate change for good reason
It’s no secret that polar bears are facing serious threats from the changing climate.
Polar bears rely on the Arctic sea ice to access seals, whales and other marine mammals for food. They must build up their fatty reserves before heading to the food-scarce mainland or islands for the summer. However, with the sea ice melting earlier and earlier each year, they don’t have adequate time to build up these very necessary fatty reserves.
Despite the obvious fact that they could easily hunt humans if they wanted, polar bears try to avoid confrontation. A review of attacks by polar bears on humans between 1970 and 2014 reported only 20 deaths across their entire range, including Canada, Greenland, Norway, Russia and the United States. But climate change could mix things up and make hungry polar bears desperate. Malnourished bears are the most likely to attack humans at campsites and Inuit settlements.
Bonus Fact: You can see them (safely and sustainably!) for yourself
Scientists now estimate that there are fewer than 26,000 polar bears left in the wild, and given the current state of environmental affairs, they may be extinct by the end of the century. If you’re interested in seeing these beautiful creatures in the wild, there’s no better time than now.
You can feel good about your part in sustainable tourism, as we partner with World Wildlife Fund. WWF has spent many years working with tourism operators in areas inhabited by polar bears to find ways to not only limit the impact of tourists on the bears and their habitat but also contribute to conservation efforts. The result of their work was a strong and clear set of principles for Arctic tourism. On our sustainable polar bear trips, we happily follow their lead for how to best interact with these creatures for the good of all.
Imagine watching a herd of elephants—all different ages and sizes—wade across the Chobe River at sunset. It’s one of the things that surprised me most during my too-brief stay in Botswana…I didn’t expect to see elephants happily hanging out submerged in deep water, trunks holding greenery up over their heads out of the water.
It wasn’t the only surprise in Botswana, though. From the shimmering Makgadikgadi Salt Pans to the lush Okavango Delta, Botswana’s diverse ecosystems are a haven for both wildlife and people.
Before that first visit, I didn’t know much about Botswana—its history or how it came to be one of Africa’s premier safari destinations, known for breathtaking landscapes and abundant wildlife that thrive on protected lands in reserves, wildlife management areas and national parks.
Here are 16 fascinating facts about Botswana—from its ancient cultures and landscapes to the unique policies that make it a year-round African safari destination. Whether you’re drawn to the wildlife or the wide-open spaces, Botswana offers something unforgettable for the whole family.
Botswana’s Wildlife from Antelope to Zebra
Well over 800 animal species live in Botswana, including the Big Five—lion, leopard, elephant, black rhino and buffalo—as well as an array of other wildlife, from giraffes, zebras, and hippo to no fewer than 22 species of antelope (think herds of graceful impala, solitary bushbuck and large groups of wildebeest).
Botswana is home to the largest elephant population on the planet. The best place to see them is on a boat in the Chobe National Park, where they cross the Chobe River every afternoon to drink and swim.
Known as “The Land of The Giants,” Botswana’s Chobe National Park is home to Africa’s largest population of elephants (Loxodonta africana). There are an estimated 120,000 Kalahari elephants in Chobe.
On its website, Birdlife Botswana provides a downloadable list of nearly 600 avian species that have been spotted in Botswana. Botswana’s bird species come from 92 families. Particularly well represented are diurnal and nocturnal raptors, cuckoos, francolins and spurfowls, larks, cisticolas, and, perhaps surprisingly for a semiarid country, ducks, geese, herons and egrets. There is no better place in the world to see the slaty egret or wattled crane than the Okavango Delta.
The national bird of Botswana is the kori bustard; it roams the Kalahari grasslands and is the largest flying bird native to Africa.
The annual zebra migration across northern Botswana is the longest and one of the most stunning migrations on the continent —and very few people know about it! Thousands of plains zebras make an annual 300+ mile migration from Namibia to Botswana and back again, moving with the seasons and rainfall, in search of fresh grazing land.
It starts with the rains in late November or December when they leave the wetlands of northern Botswana and head deeper into the Kalahari Desert and Makgadikgadi Salt Pans, bursting with life from the rains, and repeats at the end of the season, around April and May, as the land dries up again.
Botswana’s Linyanti Game Reserve is a great place to see leopards and African wild dogs. The northwestern corner of Chobe meets the Linyanti River—this is a fragment of almost 350 square miles (900 square kilometers) of the secluded Linyanti Reserve. It’s quiet, and wildlife viewing in the Linyati region is excellent. Large concentrations of elephant, lion, sable, roan antelope, hippos and wild dogs peak in the dry winter months.
The Linyati area offers spectacular birding year-round and is best known for its enormous herds of elephants, which move down to the Linyanti River at the start of the winter months and only move back inland once the main rains arrive.
Our new Epic Botswana & Namibia Safari includes witnessing the huge game and predator populations of the Linyanti. Limited to just 7 travelers, this ultimate African safari adventure also includes coasting the emerald waterways of the Okavango Delta and June through October.
Botswana’s Diverse Landscapes: Desert to Delta
For a sense of scale, Botswana is approximately the size of France but has only 2.5 million people. France has a population of over 68 million!
About 84% of Botswana’s land mass is covered by the Kalahari Desert. But desert does not mean desolate! On the contrary, the driest areas receive 4.3–7.9 inches (110–200 millimeters) of rainfall per year; the wettest can receive more than 20 inches (500 millimeters) in very wet years.
Even where the Kalahari Desert is dry enough to qualify as a desert due to low precipitation, it is not technically a desert because it has dense ground cover that supports wildlife. Key flora include:
acacia species (such as camelthorn and blackthorn),
shepherd’s trees,
silver cluster-leaf, and
grasses like Schmidtia and Stipagrostis.
In wetter areas, vegetation can be dense, with forests of Rhodesian teak and acacia dominating the north and east. The kiwano fruit, native to the Kalahari, thrives in certain areas, too.
To see the Kalahari in the green season, check out our new Botswana: Kalahari, the Delta & Beyond itinerary, limited to just 7 travelers from November to March.
The Okavango Delta is the largest inland delta in the world with an area of over 8,000 square miles (20,000 square kilometers) during the driest periods. During the green season, the waters of the Okavango flow from the highlands of Angola, carving out spillways that extend the delta to an incredible area of 9,000 square miles (23,000 square kilometers).
The Okavango Delta is a marshy, swamp-like area teeming with life. Because Botswana experiences little rainfall, sometimes for long periods, wildlife finds it safer to live closer to the delta, where water is available year-round. For us, this means guaranteed wildlife sightings!
Southeast of the Okavango Delta and surrounded by the Kalahari Desert, the Makgadikgadi Salt Pan is not a single pan, but several with sandy desert in between.
Together, the salt pans cover 6200 square miles (16,057.9 kilometers) in the Kalahari Basin and form the bed of the ancient Lake Makgadikgadi.
the largest, Sua (Sowa) Pan, covers about 1,900 square miles (4,921 kilometers).
Ntwetwe Pan
Nxai Pan is a seasonal home to large herds of zebra and wildebeest. The x in its name represents the click sound in the Khoisan language.
There’s some confusion over the world’s largest salt pan, with both the Makgadikgadi and Bolivia’s Salar de Uyuni described that way online. The Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia is a single salt flat of 4,100 square miles (10,619 square kilometers), rarely has much water, and is generally claimed to be the world’s largest salt pan.
Botswana’s History, Culture & Conservation
Recent studies of human mitochondrial DNA suggest that modern Homo sapiens first began to evolve in the Makgadikgadi-Okavango around 200,000 years ago. New DNA analyses suggest that a founding maternal line of Homo sapiens emerged in a region of what’s now Botswana that was home to the ancient Makgadikgadi-Okavango wetlands. Members of that population migrated northeast and southwest between 130,000 and 110,000 years ago.
Taylor Swift’s music video ‘Wildest Dreams’ was shot in the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans. If the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans look familiar to some of your family members on safari, it might be because Taylor Swift’s ‘Wildest Dreams’ music video was shot there in 2015.
Did you know that you can go on fantastic horseback safaris in Botswana? (Taylor Swift did.) Botswana offers diverse safari experiences: safari boat cruises, mokoro canoe adventures, hikes, safari walks and and even solar-powered safari vehicles!
The San of Botswana are considered the oldest inhabitants on Earth. Archaeological evidence suggests they have lived in Southern Africa for around 25,000 years. The Tsodilo Hills are the spiritual home of the San, and the hills are home to many well-preserved examples of rock art and engravings. The highest point in Botswana is Tsodilo Hills, 4,500 ft above sea level.
Botswana’s government is committed to preserving nature and wildlife and offering visitors exclusive safari experiences. Almost 40% of Botswana’s land is protected in national parks, concessions and wildlife management reserves.
“Botswana has long prioritized wildlife conservation. The country’s approach to tourism centers around community involvement and carefully managed visitation. It’s become a model of sustainable wildlife tourism that promotes both conservation and rural economic development. For visitors, that translates into healthy wildlife populations and incredible viewing.”
The border between Botswana and Zambia is the shortest in the world. Botswana shares borders with Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe and South Africa, but the border between Zambia and Botswana is only 492 feet (150 meters) long. Travelers can cross between Botswana and Zambia via the Kazungula Ferry on the Zambezi River.
On the new November–March Botswana Green Season Photo Expedition, 8 guests stay in a luxurious stilted lodge overlooking the Zambezi River from the Zambia side, and enjoy time in Nat Hab’s private Gomoti Camp in the Okavango Delta.
The best time for your Botswana safari is different for landscape photographers, birders, visiting the Kalahari for the zebra migration, and if you’re embarking on a safari with kids. The question isn’t, “When is the best time for a safari in Botswana?” but “When is the right time for your best safari in Botswana?” The answer depends on your needs and desires:
Do you want to see the zebra migration, photograph lush green landscapes or catalog migrating birds as they make their way across the northern Botswana landscape? A Green Season safari may be just right for you.
Do you relish the idea of cool June evenings and mornings on safari, watching wildlife as they adapt to increasingly dry conditions? Do you love taking your holiday time just before kids around the world are out of school on vacation? Look for late May or early June itineraries.
If you aim for peak wildlife viewing—including a bit of wild time with your kids or grandkids—then perhaps a peak season family Botswana safari is exactly what you’re looking for.
Humpback whales are showing signs that they want to talk to us. That, in turn, could help us communicate with those beyond this planet.
Recently, several scientists from the SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) Institute have had close encounters with nonhuman, intelligent beings. These creatures blew bubble rings toward them, in what could be a sophisticated form of nonverbal communication.
The nonhuman beings, however, were not from another planet. They were humpback whales, demonstrating surprising displays that have never before been documented.
The researchers believe these recent interactions are far more than play behaviors. They could potentially help us refine our methods for detecting extraterrestrial life. In fact, we’re learning that the curiosity, intelligence and social complexity of whales makes them ideal analogues for developing communication models that we’ll be able to use beyond Earth.
Baleen whales, also known as “Mysticetis,” have baleen plates instead of teeth for filtering food from the water. These plates, made of keratin (the same substance found in human hair and nails), hang from the upper jaw and act like a sieve, allowing the whales to consume small organisms like krill and plankton.
Baleen whales evolved unique larynxes
Baleen whales are the largest animals to have ever roamed our planet; and as top predators, they play a vital role in marine ecosystems. To communicate across vast distances and find each other, baleen whales critically depend on producing sounds that travel far in dark and murky oceans. However, since whale songs were first discovered more than 50 years ago, it has remained a mystery as to how baleen whales create their complex vocalizations.
In February 2024, however, voice scientists at the University of Southern Denmark and the University of Vienna in Austria published a study in the journal Nature that reveals that baleen whales evolved unique structures in their larynxes that enable their low-frequency vocalizations—but which also limit their communication range.
The researchers say that baleen and toothed whales evolved from land mammals that had larynxes serving two functions: protecting airways and sound production. However, their transition to aquatic life placed new and strict demands on their larynxes to prevent choking underwater. Nevertheless, baleen whales can still produce some sounds, but they developed unique, novel structures to do so.
Whales need to keep an inflexible, open airway when moving huge amounts of air during explosive surface breathing, called a “blow.” The blow is expelled forcibly and can be compared to a human cough. Cetaceans use up to 80% of their lung volume in a single breath; humans use only 20%.
First, the tiny cartilages in the human larynx—called the arytenoids—that change the position of our vocal folds have altered dramatically in whales, transforming into a large, long cylinder fused at the base to form a big, U-shaped, rigid structure that extends nearly the full length of the larynx. This is probably due to the need to keep an inflexible, open airway when a whale has to move a huge amount of air in and out during explosive surface breathing. The U-shaped structure pushes against a large, fatty cushion on the inside of the larynx. When a whale pushes air from the lungs past this cushion, it starts to vibrate; and this generates very low-frequency, underwater sounds.
The scientists report that working on the biology and physiology of whales was challenging. Strandings provided some rare opportunities to learn about these amazing animals; but even then, it was hard to gather data because tissues rapidly decay. Whales are known to “explode” on the beach. But thanks to Danish and Scottish Marine Mammal Stranding Networks, the researchers were able to quickly extract the larynxes of a humpback, minke and sei whale for close investigations in the lab.
To understand how muscle activity could change the calls, the researchers built a computational model of the entire whale larynx that included accurate, 3D shapes of the larynx and its muscles. That made it possible to simulate, for example, how the frequency is controlled through muscle modulation, and the model predicted the natural vocalizations of the whales extremely well.
Minke whales are the smallest baleen whales in North American waters. They have dark, sleek bodies with white undersides, and pale chevrons behind their heads and above their flippers. They can reach lengths of up to 35 feet and weigh up to 20,000 pounds.
These newly discovered anatomical features that allowed whales to successfully communicate in the vast oceans, however, also posed insurmountable physiological limits for many baleen whales. Combining experiments and models, the University of Southern Denmark and University of Vienna researchers provided the first evidence that baleen whales are physiologically incapable of escaping anthropogenic noise. Such clamor masks the whales’ voices and thus limits their communication range. Regrettably, state the researchers, the predicted frequency range and maximum communication depth of 328 feet completely overlaps with the dominant frequency range and depth of human-made noise caused by shipping traffic.
Humpback whales moved their singing sites
Just off the island of Maui in Hawaii, humpback whale singing in the winter months dominates the marine soundscape. However, despite decades of research, many questions regarding the behaviors and songs of humpback whales remain unanswered.
To shed some light on some of those unknowns, researchers from the University of Hawaii—in partnership with NOAA’s Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary—used a combination of underwater listening devices and visual surveys to track both the acoustic patterns and physical movements of whales in the high-density, Hawaiian breeding grounds. It’s the first effort of its kind to use specialized acoustic sensors to localize individual singers in order to understand their daily variations in movements, shore distance and spacing. This helped contextualize the visual results and overcome some of the limitations from land-based observations of their movements.
Humpback whales are culturally, ecologically and economically significant in Hawaii. Traditionally, Hawaiians believe that “koholas” (humpback whales) are their collective “kuleana” (responsibility).
Humpback whale songs are presumed to play an important role in breeding. The findings from this study, published in the journal Royal Society Open Science in January 2024, reveal a daily pattern where whales move their singing away from shore throughout the day and return near shore in the evening.
These results highlight the significance for male singers of an environment that is teeming with acoustic commotion. The scientists identified potential drivers for the daily onshore-offshore migrations: nearshore environments that are too crowded with whales during the day, and offshore areas that are too noisy with the chorus of other animals in the evening. The dynamic movements of singers may reduce the chances of their songs being drowned out, ensuring that other whales hear them.
Discussions of noise pollution concerning marine mammals have previously been dominated by concerns over anthropogenic noise, state the researchers in their conclusion. Potential acoustic masking from natural sources, including one whale obscuring another whale’s song, has been mostly overlooked. By exploring possible drivers of the observed patterns, they say, we add to our understanding of how animals that rely on acoustic signals adopt behavioral strategies to mitigate masking from loud environments.
When bubble-net feeding, whales blow a curtain or ring of bubbles underwater to corral schools of fish or krill, creating a natural “net” that traps their prey near the surface. The whales then swim upward through the bubble net with their mouths open, engulfing the concentrated food.
Humpback whales signaled a willingness to “talk”
But songs aren’t the only way that whales are flexing their communication skills.
Highly intelligent humpback whales communicate extensively with each other through both calls and songs, have complex social systems and use nets made of bubbles to catch fish—and, perhaps, to talk to us. They also often exhibit friendly, inquisitive behavior towards boats and human swimmers.
In November 2023, a team of scientists from the Alaska Whale Foundation, the SETI Institute and the University of California, Davis, reported in the science journal Peer J that they had experienced one of these amicable, curiosity-driven encounters. In response to a recorded humpback “contact call” played into the sea via an underwater speaker, a humpback whale named Twain approached and circled the team’s boat, while replying in a conversational style to the whale “greeting signal.” During the 20-minute exchange, Twain responded to each playback call and matched the interval variations between each signal. The researchers believe that this was the first such communicative exchange between humans and humpback whales in “humpback language.”
The Whale-SETI team’s broader goal in studying nonhuman intelligence is to aid in the search for extraterrestrial beings. The bubble production patterns of cetaceans are of great interest.
Even more remarkable meetings were described in the journal Marine Mammal Science in May 2025. Again, a team of scientists from the SETI Institute and the University of California, Davis, were involved. They documented, for the first time, a dozen humpback whales from populations around the world blowing large bubble rings—like a human smoker blowing smoke rings—in people’s direction in an apparent attempt to playfully interact, observe human responses and/or engage in some form of communication. The encounters represented 12 bubble-ring-production episodes involving 39 rings made by 11 individual whales.
Similar to studying Antarctica or other landscapes as a proxy for Mars, the SETI Institute is studying intelligent, non-terrestrial (in this case, aquatic), nonhuman communication systems to develop intelligence filters that will aid in parsing cosmic signals for signs of extraterrestrial life. These patterns of bubble production in cetaceans are of great interest, as they constitute a mode of communication not available to land-based mammals.
Because of current limitations on technology, scientists are making an important assumption in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence: that it will be interested in making contact and, therefore, will target human receivers. They say that assessment is supported by the independent evolution of such behavior in humpback whales.
Around the world, the sound of whale songs is iconic. But whales evolved in quieter seas than those of today. Can we truly say that whales represent the sound of our planet now?
Whale songs represented the sound of our planet
The first acoustic recordings of humpback whale songs by Katy and Roger Payne in 1970 profoundly resonated with humanity, started the flourishing field of marine bioacoustics and sparked global interest in marine conservation efforts. These recordings were deemed so important that they were included on the Voyager Golden Record, which was launched aboard both the Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 spacecraft in 1977 as a message to any potential extraterrestrial civilizations. The inclusion of these songs was a deliberate choice and a recognition of their beauty and complexity. They were seen as an integral sound of our planet, meant to represent the diversity of cultures and life on Earth.
The Paynes made people aware of how quietly musical the seas were before humans started the widespread use of propeller ships and continuously running, shipboard generators. Those were the seas whales evolved in. Compared to the 1970s, our oceans are now even more filled with human-made noise from drilling activity, seismic guns and shipping lanes.
I wonder if we can still say that whale songs are the iconic sound of our planet.
Here’s to finding your true places and natural habitats,
In 2023, Macy’s Fourth of July fireworks show exploded 60,000 shells above the East River in Manhattan. It was the first to also include a drone light show, in which 500 drones were used to create designs such as the U.S. flag and the Statue of Liberty.
Just two years ago, in 2023, 60,000 fireworks shells exploded above Manhattan’s East River as part of Macy’s Fourth of July show. The resulting air-pollutant levels were many times higher in the hours after the display than those seen when smoke from a Canadian wildfire had blanketed the area a month before.
This is concerning. While air pollution encompasses any kind of harmful substance in the air—including gases and other contaminants—one form of air pollution called particulate matter (PM) is extremely dangerous. Exposure to PM, especially smaller particles with a diameter of 2.5 microns or less (PM 2.5), can lead to cancer; heart problems; inflammation in the lungs; neurodegenerative conditions, such as Alzheimer’s disease, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease; and premature death.
And people breathing contaminated air over the course of years are at even greater risk. This is thought to be due to the highly reactive components in particulate matter, which affect biological processes in the body. Recently, researchers showed that precisely these components disappear within hours and that previous measurements done days or weeks after an event that releases them, therefore, have completely underestimated the quantities in which they were present.
There is another reason for PM apprehension. The ability to interpret emotions or focus on performing a task is reduced by short-term exposure to particulate-matter air pollution, potentially making everyday activities—such as shopping at the grocery store—more challenging.
New York City’s average daily fine-particle concentration is 15 micrograms per cubic meter. It rose to 460 micrograms per cubic meter in June 2023, due, in part, to wildfires in Canada.
But we can do something about protecting the air we breathe, and a city in England serves as inspiration. After a “low emission zone” (LEZ) was instituted in Greater London, there was an 18.5% reduction in sick-leave days compared to areas in England without LEZs.
New York City’s fireworks prompt an air-pollution surge
Major fireworks displays can create a temporary spike in air pollution that may pose a health risk to both humans and the environment, state researchers from New York University’s Grossman School of Medicine. Their findings, published in the Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology in August 2024, show how fireworks pollution lingers and travels after the initial event.
To conduct the study, scientists measured air quality just before and after New York’s 2023 Independence Day bash, one of the largest in the United States. Tiny particles of hazardous metals and organic compounds peaked at 3,000 micrograms per cubic meter at an air-sampling site near the show and topped 1,000 micrograms per cubic meter at two other nearby locations.
By comparison, New York City’s average daily fine-particle concentration is 15 micrograms per cubic meter. It reached 460 micrograms per cubic meter from the wildfire smoke in June 2023. The team also found that air quality took several hours to return to baseline levels for most sampling sites, with those closest to the display, such as in Midtown Manhattan, taking as long as 12 hours.
Exposure to particulate matter in the air, especially smaller particles with a diameter of 2.5 microns or less, can lead to cancer, heart problems, inflammation in the lungs and even premature death.
In addition to fine-particle air pollutant increases, water samples collected from the East River had more than double the levels of metals sometimes used to give fireworks their vibrant colors—such as antimony, lead and nickel—than before the celebration. Notably, the researchers had shown in earlier experiments using human tissue and rodents that lung exposure to such emissions can lead to oxidation, a chemical process in the body that may damage or even kill cells if left unchecked.
In a 2020 study by the same team, the authors analyzed 14 years’ worth of air-quality samples taken at dozens of sites across the United States by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). They found that levels of toxic metals were higher in samples collected around Independence Day and New Year’s Eve than at any other time of the year. Past research from other experts has also assessed pollution from fireworks displays in other countries and has connected such exposure to lung problems such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and pneumonia.
For the research, the team collected air-quality samples using real-time monitors at four residential sites along the East River near the display launch site in Manhattan and in Long Island City in Queens. To confirm the monitors’ findings, the investigators analyzed hourly air-quality data from both EPA monitors within a six-mile radius of the show’s launch sites and a network of low-cost particle monitors set up less than a mile away.
Water samples collected from Manhattan’s East River near the fireworks display launch site in 2023 had more than double the levels of metals sometimes used to give fireworks their vibrant colors—such as antimony, lead and nickel—after the event than the river had before the celebration.
Assessing data from EPA monitoring sites in other major cities, the team also documented increases in pollutant levels in Boston, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., which, like New York, showed elevated pollutant levels that lasted between three and 12 hours before returning to baseline.
The 24-hour average of airborne particles estimated in the study was 25 micrograms per cubic meter, which falls within the EPA’s health guidelines (35 micrograms per cubic meter), although it does surpass those set by the World Health Organization (15 micrograms per cubic meter).
Harmful substances in particulate matter are higher than thought
While the World Health Organization estimates that more than 6 million deaths a year are caused by increased exposure to particulate matter, the chemical composition of these tiny particles in the air is highly complex. Which particles trigger which reactions and long-term diseases in the body is the subject of intensive research.
In summer 2023 in Washington, D.C., smoke from Canadian wildfires and from fireworks displays increased particulate matter and pollutant levels in the air. The effect lasted between three and 12 hours before returning to baseline.
Previously, experts collected particulate matter on filters and analyzed the particles following a delay of days or weeks. But since these reactive oxygen species react with other molecules so quickly, they should be measured without delay, reasoned researchers from the University of Basel in Switzerland. So, they recently investigated some particularly reactive components known to experts as oxygen radicals or reactive oxygen species. These compounds can oxidize biomolecules inside and on the surface of cells in the respiratory tract, damaging them and, in turn, triggering inflammatory responses that impact the entire body.
The scientists in Switzerland developed a new method for measuring particulate matter within seconds. This involves collecting the particles directly from the air in a liquid, where they come into contact with various chemicals. Within this solution, the oxygen radicals then react and produce quantifiable fluorescence signals.
In a paper that was published in the journal Science Advances in March 2025, the University of Basel team reports that measurements taken with the new method reveal that 60% to 99% of oxygen radicals disappear within minutes or hours. Previous analyses of particulate matter based on filter deposition, therefore, delivered a distorted image. The real proportion of harmful substances in the particulate matter is significantly higher than previously assumed.
A Switzerland science team has developed a new method for measuring particulate matter within seconds. By measuring the proportion of highly reactive, harmful components more accurately and reliably, we should be able to adopt better air-protection measures.
Moreover, further laboratory analyses with epithelial cells from the lungs provided evidence that the short-lived, highly reactive components of particulate matter have a different effect than that of the particles analyzed using the previous, delayed measurements. The short-lived reactive components in particles triggered different and stronger inflammatory responses.
The researchers state that they hope their measuring the proportion of highly reactive, harmful components more accurately and reliably will aid in adopting better protective air-quality measures.
Air pollution clouds the mind
Globally, the air pollutant most responsible for human health effects is particulate matter in the 2.5 size range. In 2015, some 4.2 million deaths were attributed to PM with diameters less than 2.5 alone. Currently, the World Health Organization recommends that 24-hour and annual limits of PM 2.5 should not exceed 15 and 5 PMs, respectively.
Even brief exposure to high concentrations of particulate matter in the air may impair a person’s ability to focus on tasks, such as attending to a shopping list while ignoring other products and resisting impulse buys in the supermarket.
In a recent article, published in the journal Nature Communications in February 2025, researchers from England’s University of Birmingham and University of Manchester reveal that selective attention and emotion recognition were also negatively affected by air pollution—regardless of whether subjects breathed normally or only through their mouths.
To conduct their work, the scientists exposed study participants to either high levels of air pollution—using candle smoke—or clean air, testing cognitive abilities before and four hours after exposure. The tests measured emotion recognition, psychomotor speed, selective attention, sustained attention and working memory.
Cognitive functioning encompasses a diverse array of mental processes crucial for everyday tasks. For example, socio-emotional cognition, which involves detecting and interpreting emotions in oneself and others, helps guide socially acceptable behavior. Selective attention helps decision-making and goal-directed behavior, such as prioritizing items on your shopping list—while ignoring other products and resisting impulse buys—when in the supermarket.
Working memory serves as a temporary workspace for holding and manipulating information, vital for jobs requiring simultaneous processing and storage, and essential for those that demand multitasking, such as planning a schedule or juggling multiple conversations. Although these are separate cognitive skills, they work together to enable the successful completion of tasks, both at work and in other aspects of life.
An English study is the first to experimentally manipulate inhalation routes of PM air pollution, providing valuable insights into how different pathways affect cognitive functions. Researchers hope to explore the long-term impacts, especially on vulnerable populations like children.
Results showed significant reductions in emotion recognition and selective attention after enhanced-PM versus clean-air exposure. Air quality did not significantly impact psychomotor speed or working memory performance. This indicates that some brain functions are more resilient to short-term pollution exposure. Inhalation method did not significantly mediate effects, suggesting that short-term PM pollution affects cognitive function through lung-brain mechanisms, either directly or indirectly.
The researchers conclude that their study provides compelling evidence that even short-term exposure to particulate matter can have immediate negative effects on brain functions essential for daily activities. Poor air quality undermines intellectual development and worker productivity, they say, with significant societal and economic implications in a high-tech world reliant on cognitive excellence.
And, reduced productivity impacts economic growth, further highlighting the urgent need for stricter air-quality regulations and public health measures to combat the harmful effects of pollution on brain wellness, particularly in highly polluted urban areas. Overall, the study highlights the need for further research to understand the pathways through which air pollution affects cognitive functions and to explore the long-term impacts, especially on vulnerable populations like children and older adults.
London’s Low Emission Zones save lives and money
We know that clean air makes for happier, healthier and more productive communities. And new research from England’s University of Bath bears this out: Greater London’s clean-air policies—including Low Emission Zones (LEZs) and Ultralow Emission Zones (ULEZs)—are not only improving the city’s environment but are also delivering significant measurable public health and economic benefits.
The introduction of ultralow emission zones (ULEZs) in London significantly reduced harmful air pollutants like nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter, resulting in a dramatic drop in sick leave, improved mental well-being and substantial cost savings.
A study, published in the Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization and which includes an analysis of more than a decade of data from Greater London and Central London, found that the introduction of an LEZ in 2008 and an ULEZ in 2019 significantly reduced harmful pollutants like nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and particulate matter (PM 10), resulting in a dramatic drop in sick leave in Greater London, improved mental well-being and substantial cost savings.
Key findings in Greater London compared to areas in England without low-emission zones include:
• an 18.5% reduction in sick leave following LEZ implementation;
• a 6.8% drop in the incidence of health problems;
• a 10.2% decrease in respiratory issues;
• reported improvements in happiness and life satisfaction, and reduced anxiety;
• an annual public health savings of over £37 million, driven by fewer respiratory illnesses and reduced job absenteeism.
The data shows that when LEZs were tightened in Phase 2 (July 2008), NO2 levels dropped by 5.8% and PM 10 by 9.7%. ULEZs, the strictest policies of their kind globally, delivered even greater reductions: NO2 was down 21% and PM 10 was down 15%, estimated by comparing Central London to other areas outside Greater London before and after ULEZs were introduced.
The World Health Organization estimates that 4.2 million premature deaths happen globally each year due to air pollution. These findings signal the urgent need for clean air policies—similar to those put in place in London—to be instituted around the world.
These policies, say the researchers, are not just environmental wins. They’re also reducing labor-market absenteeism and improving Londoners’ feelings of satisfaction with their lives. Therefore, having a clean-air policy is smart policy: it protects health, saves money and enhances quality of life—making the case for creating clean-air initiatives around the world stronger than ever.
July 4th celebrations can be enjoyed
The fireworks shows that you plan to attend this July 4th can be appreciated. Wearing an N95 or KN95 mask will help you, your children, and those with preexisting heart and lung problems avoid inhaling smoke when at events that release particulate matter.
To further minimize the impact of Fourth of July fireworks, you can:
• Choose lower-risk alternatives. Opt for choreographed light shows, confetti cannons or drone displays. Choreographed light shows use lasers and lights to create a visual spectacle without releasing harmful pollutants. Confetti cannons release biodegradable confetti, providing a festive atmosphere without polluting the air. Drones can be programmed to create dynamic light patterns in the sky. For younger children, bubbles and glow sticks are colorful and fun alternatives.
• Be mindful of your surroundings. Watch fireworks from a safe distance and go upwind to avoid breathing in the smoke. If the air quality is poor, stay indoors, and close the windows and doors. Use air purifiers to filter indoor air.
• Avoid physical activity. Minimize strenuous activity during periods of poor air quality, especially when particulate matter is being released.
You can enjoy fireworks displays, but be aware of their potential impact on air quality and take precautions to protect your health and that of the environment. Alternatively, look for celebrations in your neighborhood that feature light shows.
I wish you a happy Fourth of July—one that protects your health and that of the environment we all depend on.
Here’s to finding your true places and natural habitats,
The garments we wear often hold stories about our lives. A hole in the knee of a well-loved pair of jeans recalls hours spent bent down to tend to a vegetable garden, while a greasy oil stain condemns a T-shirt once worn to a family barbeque.
For Elodie Blanchard, textiles hold boundless narrative potential. Working with fabrics gathered from friends, stoops around her Brooklyn neighborhood, and secondhand shops, the French-American artist and designer stitches patchwork sculptures that transform materials otherwise destined for the landfill into vibrant forms. When searching for something more specific—say, Lycra, leather, or fur—the artist taps her friends in the industry and organizations like Materials for the Arts and FabScrap.
The resulting pieces take many shapes. There are Blanchard’s spindly trees that layer stripes of fabrics upward, creating visible rings encircling the trunk. Stretch is essential in these arboreal constructions, and the artist shares that she tends to alternate the amount of give a material has, allowing for small bulges and curves that resemble organic life.
For her sprawling bouquet series, Blanchard finds inspiration from Green-Wood Cemetery near her home. She scours the trash cans for polyester scraps, tattered flags, and other materials that once honored the dead. “Remembrance Happy Birthday,” for example, came to fruition after the artist found a balloon bearing those words.
Whether creating a figurative goddess or a three-dimensional vessel, the material guides the form. “It may look spontaneous, but I carefully consider color and pattern when sewing the strips together,” Blanchard says. “If I want to make a ‘fancy’ tree, I’ll seek out haute couture fabrics; if I’m creating a trophy urn meant to show excess, I’ll look for bright gold poly materials.” Whatever the form, though, Blanchard has a central goal: “Each time, I try to create a unique universe or personality.”
If you’re in New York, you can see some of Blanchard’s works in Soft Structures, on view through August 8 at Jane Lombard Gallery. She’s currently working toward an open studio and exhibition as part of New York’s Textile Month, and you can find more from the artist on her website and Instagram.
Bird migration may seem like a timeless natural phenomenon, but the way birds migrate is shifting dramatically, with profound implications for ecosystems and biodiversity.
Here are just a few examples:
Swallows and swifts are shifting arrival and departure times to align with shifting insect abundance.
A population of Arctic geese has adopted new migration routes and breeding locations 622 miles from their original stomping grounds.
Some species are abandoning migration altogether, overwintering in regions they once left behind.
In my local village in the heart of Europe, white storks—traditionally a long-distance migrant wintering in tropical Sub-Saharan Africa as far south as South Africa—are overwintering in local wetlands in growing numbers instead of making the journey south.
The same is true as far north as the UK: white storks now overwinter in increasing numbers, feeding on human-generated food sources like landfill waste. Similarly, blackcaps have adapted to eat berries and seeds in urban gardens, allowing them to remain through winter.
In fact, numerous avian species now spend significantly more time on their European breeding grounds, cutting short their stays in North and Sub-Saharan African wintering areas, with widespread consequences.
Why and when do birds migrate?
Birds migrate to find the best conditions, moving between breeding and non-breeding areas as seasons change. Migration is typically triggered by environmental cues such as:
daylight length,
temperature,
food availability.
In the spring, many avian species travel from wintering grounds in warmer climates to temperate or Arctic regions where abundant food, such as insects and seeds, supports breeding and raising chicks.
In the autumn, as food sources dwindle and temperatures drop, they return to milder climates. This cyclical journey allows birds to exploit seasonal resources while avoiding harsh conditions, making migration a vital strategy for many species’ survival.
With earlier springs and warming temperatures, what has seemed timeless is changing.
A study published in Global Change Biologyhighlights two key trends in the behavior of long-distance migratory birds: earlier spring arrivals and later autumn departures.
The authors noted that over the past few decades, the duration of stay for many species on their European breeding grounds has increased by more than two weeks, while their presence in African non-breeding areas has decreased by over two months.
This phenomenon is particularly evident among species that use the East Atlantic flyway, a migration route used by about 90 million birds annually, passing from breeding areas in North America, Greenland, Iceland, the United Kingdom, and western Europe and on to southern Africa. It is one of the eight major flyways used by waders and shorebirds worldwide.
As growing seasons in Europe extend and food remains abundant for longer, birds like warblers and thrushes find it advantageous to linger on their breeding grounds. In contrast, many African avian habitats face worsening drought conditions and declining vegetation, which deters birds from overwintering there.
Delayed migration has become increasingly common among UK and European bird species. These delays often occur due to milder autumn and winter temperatures, allowing birds to remain on their breeding grounds longer. Extended food availability and altered environmental cues also contribute to these shifts.
While these changes may illustrate species resilience and even benefit individual species in the short term, they risk creating mismatches with ecosystems that rely on traditional migratory behaviors.
Species Delaying Migration from the United Kingdom include:
Eurasian Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus): Research from the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) shows that cuckoos are struggling to adjust migration timing to match changing environmental conditions. While spring arrivals remain consistent, some individuals delay their departure from breeding grounds, creating potential mismatches with wintering areas. (bto.org)
Common Quail (Coturnix coturnix): Quails have exhibited delayed arrivals and departures, particularly during years with unusual weather patterns. Observations in the UK noted a late influx of quails in mid-summer due to persistent northerly winds. (bto.org)
Swifts (Apus apus): Swifts are leaving the UK later than usual in response to warmer autumn temperatures and changes in food availability. This behavior may benefit populations in the short term, but risks disrupting established migratory cycles. (rspb.org.uk)
These shifts underscore the need for continuous monitoring and adaptive conservation strategies to address the implications of delayed departures for migratory species.
A common quail
Consequences for Ecosystems Across Continents
Bird migration plays a crucial role in connecting ecosystems across the globe, enabling the flow of nutrients, energy, and organisms between habitats. Migratory birds contribute significantly to ecosystem health by dispersing seeds, pollinating plants, and controlling insect populations.
Warblers and thrushes aid in vegetation regeneration by dispersing seeds during their journeys. Predatory birds migrating across continents help regulate prey populations, maintaining ecological balance.
When migration patterns shift or stop altogether, these ecological services are disrupted.
The absence of migratory birds in traditional wintering areas can lead to declines in plant regeneration as well as unchecked insect populations. Predators that rely on migratory birds as prey, such as hawks and falcons, may also experience declines.
Fieldfare thrushes, winter visitors in the UK
The consequences across Africa are profound. Birds that once played key roles in seed dispersal, pollination, and insect control (like warblers and finches) are now largely absent during the dry season, reducing the spread of vegetation.
This loss, in turn, impacts soil health and biodiversity, intensifying challenges like desertification and reduced agricultural productivity.
Likewise, birds that no longer migrate concentrate their impacts in a single region, leading to increased competition for food and resources with other resident species. Across Europe, the extended stay of migratory species places additional pressure on food resources and nesting sites, increasing competition with resident species.
Prolonged presence of migratory birds in Europe is straining ecosystems, leading to increased competition with resident species for limited resources. Protecting habitats with new strategies on both continents is essential to maintaining the balance that sustains these interconnected ecosystems.
Conservation Intervention for Migrating Bird Populations
Shifts in migration timing can also create mismatches—birds arrive at breeding or feeding grounds too early or late to coincide with peak resource availability, reducing their reproductive success.
Warmer springs mean that caterpillars hatch, grow and pupate earlier. This has consequences for birds that cannot eat caterpillars that have entered the pupal stage—when the food supply runs out earlier in the spring, more and more chicks starve during breeding season.
This is a big problem for migratory birds that spend their summers in Europe and winters in Africa, as they can’t know how early spring will arrive at their destination. Could the problem be solved if the migratory birds simply flew farther north until they found a place with suitably developed caterpillars? Could we help them find those new locations?
To test this idea, Swedish researchers moved a group of pied flycatchers that had arrived prior to breeding in the Netherlands. The birds were driven 373 miles to an area of pine forests outside Lund in Skane, Sweden, and released. The peak of caterpillar availability in Skåne is about two weeks later than in the Netherlands.
Flock of Waders on Saltmarsh on Essex Coast
The birds that were given a lift from the Netherlands to Skane synchronized very well with the food peak:
They had significantly higher breeding success rates than the pied flycatchers that remained in the Netherlands.
Their chicks did not stop in the Netherlands when they returned after their first spring migration, but continued to the area in Sweden where they were born.
They arrived earlier and had more well-fed chicks the year after the researchers moved the pied flycatchers.
The number of small birds, particularly migratory birds, has decreased dramatically throughout Europe. Relocating this population kept them in tune with needed food resources, bringing hope that robust populations of pied flycatchers and other small birds like them can be maintained, even though springs are arriving ever earlier.
Where else could similar conservation initiatives support species resilience?
On Nat Hab’s The Cotswolds: Exploring English Nature itineraries, guests witness British avian conservation at its best at the Slimbridge Wetland Center, a 650-acre wetland reserve along the Severn Estuary. The Slimbridge Wetland Center offers a vital sanctuary and research expertise for migratory and resident birds.
Established in 1946 by Sir Peter Scott, son of Antarctic explorer Captain Robert Scott, Slimbridge is a flagship site of the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT), combining science, conservation and public education to protect wetland habitats worldwide.
Scott created the IUCN Red List to assess species conservation status, chaired the founding of World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and designed its iconic panda logo. At Slimbridge, visitors can experience his legacy firsthand, exploring a mosaic of reedbeds, grazing marshes, ponds, and flooded meadows that teem with life.
Known as the “Avian Serengeti,” Slimbridge attracts a vast array of bird species throughout the year. Winter visitors may see whooper swans, golden plovers, and lapwings, alongside the rare Eurasian bittern.
Common tern feeding chicks
Bird watchers and photographers will enjoy winter in Slimbridge as 30,000 wild wintering ducks, geese and swans can be found feeding and roosting on the reserve.
Spring brings new arrivals like swallows, house martins and summer warblers. Listen for the songs of chiffchaffs, reeds, sedge warblers and the distinctive call of the cuckoo.
In the summer, the wetlands bustle with activity as breeding season peaks. Visitors can observe, among others: kingfishers (Alcedo atthis), common cranes (Grus grus), and avocets (Recurvirostra avosetta). Lush habitats support a variety of waders and waterfowl, making it an ideal time for birdwatching.
As a research center, a quarter of Slimbridge is reserved for captive birds and breeding stock. Today, Slimbridge has the world’s largest collection of captive wildfowl (geese, ducks and swans) and maintains an excellent breeding record.
The center also breeds endangered species, such as the common crane, for reintroduction into the wild.
The refuge supports breeding colonies of four of the six known flamingo species and has a special pavilion for exotic ducks and various small birds.
>> Learn more about Cotswolds wildlife, weather, and more on our Know Before You Go page.
Northern gannets
The Shiant Isles: A Seabird Paradise
Further north along the flyway, in the remote waters of Scotland’s Hebrides, the Shiant Isles are a haven for seabirds. This archipelago, described as a “seabird city,” hosts millions of puffins, razorbills, and guillemots during the breeding season. These colonies represent some of the most vibrant birdlife in Europe and provide crucial nesting sites for species that migrate vast distances across oceans.
Located between Skye and Lewis, these columnar basalt islands are known in Gaelic as Na h-Eileanan Seunta, or the “Enchanted Isles.” This tiny island group is home to hundreds of thousands of seabirds, including a quarter-million puffins—2% of the entire global population. Some 7% of all razorbills in the UK breed here, along with colonies of guillemots, cormorants, shags and great skuas.
The Shiant Isles are also an example of successful avian conservation. Efforts to eradicate invasive predators, such as rats, have allowed seabird populations to recover and thrive. The islands’ rugged cliffs and grassy slopes now serve as safe havens for birds that face threats from climate change, overfishing, and pollution elsewhere.
Nat Hab’s Emily Goodheart reported from the Shiant Isles, “There were millions of puffins and razorbills! It felt like being in a wildlife documentary!”
Migratory Birds are Conservation’s Canary in the Coal Mine
Migratory birds are often referred to as indicators of environmental health. Their sensitivity to changes in climate, habitat, and food availability makes them an early warning system for broader ecological challenges.
As migration patterns shift, they reveal the pressures facing ecosystems worldwide. Population declines in long-distance migratory species, with some experiencing over 90% reductions since the 1970s.
Migration timing is tightly linked to environmental cues, such as daylight and temperature, which are being altered by climate change.
Phenological mismatches—where birds arrive at breeding grounds either too early or too late to align with peak food availability—are becoming more common. This misalignment can lead to reduced reproductive success and declining populations. Conservation interventions can help.
Conservation efforts targeting migratory birds benefit entire ecosystems. By protecting wetlands, forests, and other critical habitats, conservationists ensure not only the survival of birds but also the health of countless other species that share these environments.
How to Support Avian Conservation
As bird migration patterns shift, there are meaningful ways to help protect these species and the ecosystems they rely on. Here’s how you can make a difference:
Participate in Citizen Science
Participate in bird counts, record sightings, and track migration patterns through initiatives like eBird or the British Trust for Ornithology’s surveys.
Your observations contribute valuable data that help scientists monitor population trends and guide conservation efforts. Advocacy also plays a key role—actively support policies that protect migratory birds and their habitats.
Support Policy & Research on Habitat & Avian Conservation
Migratory birds depend on protected flyways, stopover sites, and breeding grounds to complete their journeys. Climate change, habitat destruction, and human development threaten these essential routes.
By supporting conservation policies, funding research, and advocating for stronger habitat protections, we can help safeguard the future of migratory species.
Conservation Travel: Visit & Experience
See the magic of migration up close by visiting world-class conservation sites like Slimbridge Wetland Center or traveling to Scotland’s Shiant Isles, home to millions of seabirds.
Conservation travel directly supports habitat preservation and local conservation efforts, ensuring that these landscapes—and the birds that rely on them—remain protected for years to come.
Taking action through citizen science, policy advocacy, and conservation travel, we can all play a role in preserving the wonder of bird migration for generations to come.
With the Industrial Revolution in full swing at the turn of the 20th century, jobs and opportunities attracted people to burgeoning cities. New technologies were being developed at breakneck speed and discoveries within the natural sciences introduced people to invisible yet potent concepts like radio waves and X-rays.
During this period of social transformation, philosophical or occult religious movements like Spiritualism and Helena Blavatsky’s Theosophy offered ways to not only connect within a like-minded community but to explore the afterlife—the so-called spirit world—and the very fabric of the universe.
“Sunflower (Solrosen)” from the portfolio ‘Dornach Nature Studies’ (1919), watercolor, pencil, ink, and metallic paint on paper from a portfolio of 46 drawings, sheet: 19 3/4 × 10 9/16 inches
For Hilma af Klint (1862–1944), like many who sought refuge and inspiration in these belief systems, a spiritual link to her surroundings united her with the natural world during “a period of massive change…as people from all levels of society were searching for something new to hold on to,” Johan af Klint and Hedvig Ersman wrote about the Swedish artist’s spiritual journey.
Now on view at The Museum of Modern Art in New York, Hilma af Klint: What Stands Behind the Flowers highlights the institution’s recent acquisition of a phenomenal, 46-leaf portfolio called Nature Studies.
During the spring and summer of 1919 and 1920, af Klint recorded Sweden’s seasonal flora, from lilies of the valley and sunflowers to violets and cherry blossoms. Beyond traditional botanical studies, the artist incorporates her characteristic abstractions and diagrams, surrounding each rendering with esoteric annotations and geometries.
“One has to think of the realm of the nature spirits as the realm of thought; these entities hover around us, some like driving winds, others like soft summer breezes,” af Klint once said.
“Lily of The Valley, Water Avens, Common Milkwort (Liljekonvaljen, Fårkummern, Jungfrulinet)” from the portfolio ‘Dornach Nature Studies’ (1919), watercolor, pencil, ink, and metallic paint on paper from a portfolio of 46 drawings, sheet: 19 5/8 × 10 5/8 inches
Grids with unique color relationships or energetic spirals accompany renderings of field woodrush or marsh marigold, and tree specimens are paired with dotted checkerboards. “Through these forms, af Klint seeks to reveal, in her words, ‘what stands behind the flowers,’” the museum says, “reflecting her belief that studying nature uncovers truths about the human condition.”
What Stands Behind the Flowers continues through September 27 and is accompanied by a catalogue that is slated for release on Tuesday. Find your copy on Bookshop, and plan your visit to MoMA on the museum’s website.
“Yellow Star-of-Bethlehem, Lungwort, Coltsfoot, Nailwort, Pasqueflower (Vårlöken, Lungörten, Hästhoförten, Nagelörten, Backsippan)” from the portfolio ‘Dornach Nature Studies’ (1919), watercolor, pencil, and ink on paper from a portfolio of 46 drawings, sheet: 19 5/8 × 10 9/16 inches“Common Lime (Linden)” from the portfolio ‘Dornach Nature Studies’ (1919), watercolor, pencil, ink, and metallic paint on paper from a portfolio of 46 drawings, sheet: 19 5/8 × 10 5/8 inches“Tulip (Tulpanen)” from the portfolio ‘Dornach Nature Studies’ (1920), watercolor, pencil, ink, and metallic paint on paper from a portfolio of 46 drawings, sheet: 19 5/8 × 10 5/8 inches
