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Author: Gelsey Torres

a blackened shell

Whelks at the Shore

May 30, 2019 Gelsey Torres Education, Featured, Interactive, Malacology

Search for whelk shells and egg cases at the shore this summer.

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Compost, featuring orange peels and pink flowers

Composting: A Guide

October 24, 2018 Gelsey Torres Education, Environmental Science, Featured, Interactive

Turn your fall leaves and food scraps into something useful.

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Black walnut leaves against sky

Finding the Black Walnut

October 1, 2018 Gelsey Torres Botany, Education, Featured, Interactive

Search for a native hardwood that is known for useful autumn fruits.

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edges of yellow and orange autumn leaves

Start a Nature Journal

September 10, 2018 Gelsey Torres Botany, Education, Environmental Science, Featured, Interactive

Fall is a great time to record your observations in a nature journal.

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Backyard Adventures Exhibit opens June 9

Fireflies In Your Backyard

June 25, 2018 Gelsey Torres Education, Entomology, Featured, Interactive, Kids Club, Live Animals, Uncategorized

The not-so-secret secrets of fireflies

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purplish black bird on branch

The Phenomenal Purple Martin

July 31, 2017 Gelsey Torres Education, Interactive, Live Animals, Ornithology

Spot one in south Jersey this summer.

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Find modern traces in your backyard, and then check out Backyard Adventures, the exhibit at the Academy of Natural Sciences.

Modern Traces

June 12, 2017 Gelsey Torres Education, Environmental Science, Evolution, Featured, Fossil, Interactive, Paleontology

Hunt for traces in your backyard, urban neighborhood, or local park.

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six-spotted tiger beetles from ANS collection

Finding the Six-spotted Tiger Beetle

May 22, 2017 Gelsey Torres Education, Entomology, Featured, Interactive, Live Animals

Where can you spot this striking beetle?

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Jennifer Vess, Archivist

Jennifer Vess: Keeper of Stories

October 26, 2015 Gelsey Torres Featured, Library, People

Academy archivist makes amazing find

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Movable Laboratory

Part 5: Birds, BEES, and Bloodsuckers

September 14, 2015 Gelsey Torres Education, Environmental Science, Featured, Ornithology, People

What do scientists do when they go out in the field?

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acadnatsci

🦖The oldest natural history museum in North America
🗓 Open Wednesday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
🎟 Plan your visit and save $2 on tickets at ansp.org

Academy of Natural Sciences
❓ What is Climate Anxiety ❓⁠ ⁠ Climate anx ❓ What is Climate Anxiety ❓⁠
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Climate anxiety, or climate-related distress, is a term used to describe the emotions that people feel when thinking about their climate future. ⁠
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We recently reached out to children’s book authors Lena Champlin and Jeremy Wortzel to learn more about their work, Coco’s Fire: Changing Climate Anxiety Into Climate Action, and how we can start this very important conversation with our peers and young friends. ⁠
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We asked them what we can do to recognize and address climate anxiety and they had this advice: ⁠
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Learning about climate anxiety is an important first step. When we recognize that it is occurring, we can change our approach to teaching and learning about climate change to include time for talking about our feelings surrounding it. Although climate change is huge and daunting, joining efforts to take action against it can help reduce climate anxiety. Being involved will create important opportunities to talk about problems, make connections and reduce overwhelming feelings. Getting involved in climate change action includes supporting local politics, writing to politicians to show your support of environmental action, joining protests and activism, and supporting climate science research by scientists. - Lena Champlin⁠
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The points Lena brings up are excellent and getting involved is the first step! However, if folks are really struggling with their anxiety regarding climate change, consider seeking out a climate aware therapist. These are therapists that incorporate these discussions into their practice and can provide some guidance. The Climate Psychology Alliance @climate.psychology.alliance and Climate Psychiatry Alliance @climatepsychiatryalliance are two organizations that can help connect you with additional support if needed. - Jeremy Wortzel⁠
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To read the full article and learn more about their work, visit our blog via the link in bio!
Serious question: which dinosaur-inspired pose wil Serious question: which dinosaur-inspired pose will you choose for a photo op on your next visit to the museum? 🦕🦖⁠
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The Academy is open Wednesday through Sunday, 10 a.m-5 p.m.⁠
Save $2 on your tickets when you purchase online at ansp.org. Plan your visit via the link in bio! ⁠
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 📷 by recent visitor @dverayjn - thanks for stopping by!
🆕 on the blog: 10 hikes you can take to explore 🆕 on the blog: 10 hikes you can take to explore our watershed! ⁠
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We all live downstream. While the Schuylkill and Delaware Rivers provide drinking water for many of the people in the Philadelphia metropolitan area, the streams that feed into them are all part of our watershed. Also known as a basin, a watershed is simply the land in which all the water such as rainfall, snowmelt and runoff drains to a nearby river, creek or stream.⁠
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Looking to create a deeper connection to our watershed? Get up close and personal with the waterways by taking one of the 10 hikes we recommend. Visit the link in our bio to learn more. ⁠

Also, let us know if we missed one of your favorite waterside hikes in the comments ⬇️
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Pictured: Tohickon Creek, Ralph Stover State Park
Joining in the #ArchivesHashtagParty! 🌳⁠ Fiel Joining in the #ArchivesHashtagParty! 🌳⁠
Field sketch of a live oak tree by self-taught artist and naturalist Ned Smith, housed in the Academy's Library and Archives. Smith was known for his evocative and accurate drawings of wildlife and made detailed notes and sketches of flora and fauna to be used as references for his finished works. #ArchivesTrees
🚨 NEW DISCOVERY ALERT 🚨⁠ ⁠ A new species 🚨 NEW DISCOVERY ALERT 🚨⁠
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A new species of ancient fish was discovered along a PA roadside! ⁠
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James J. Smaling, of York, Pennsylvania, reached out to the Academy after he found some large, well-preserved fossil bones in rocks along a highway road cut in Centre County. ⁠
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After being studied by Academy paleontologists Ted Daeschler, PhD and Jason Downs, PhD, it turns out his find was a new species! Langlieria smalingi, named in honor of its discoverer, was recently described, and published in the Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia.⁠
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How's that for a #FossilFriday?! Read more about this important discovery on our blog via the link in bio. ⁠
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Illustration by Jason P. Downs, PhD
L👀ks like our moose is a big Baby Yoda fan.⁠ L👀ks like our moose is a big Baby Yoda fan.⁠
Happy #StarWarsDay!
Join the Academy of Natural Sciences for our first Join the Academy of Natural Sciences for our first-ever black-tie Black Birders Week event: Black Excellence in Birding! ⁠
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🐦 Meet some of Philadelphia’s most well-known Black birders, including Tykee James, Corina Newsome and Jason Hall. Joined by moderator and fellow Black birder Anwar Abdul-Qawi, they will share their experiences of birding while Black. ⁠
🍸 Sip cocktails and savor delicious appetizers as you enjoy good conversation with fellow Black birders. ⁠
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Link in bio to register! ⁠Discounted for Academy and @aampmuseum members.
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Black Birders Week is a weeklong series of events to highlight Black nature enthusiasts and to increase the visibility of Black birders, who face unique challenges and dangers when engaging in outdoor activities. The event was created as a response to the Central Park birdwatching incident and police brutality against Black Americans. The inaugural event ran from May 31 to June 5, 2020. The week of events was organized by a group of STEM professionals and students known as the BlackAFinSTEM Collective. Follow @BlackAFinSTEM for more! ⁠
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The latest edition of Green Verses, the @drexel_be The latest edition of Green Verses, the @drexel_bees department mini arts ‘zine put together by students and titled “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff” was inspired by the diatoms and ice crystals in our Invisible World of Water exhibit! ⁠
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Speaking of our exhibit, there are only two days left to see it! Come in and check it out by Sunday, May 1. ⁠
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Artist: Sam Giancarli⁠
@drexel_bees⁠
@drexel_coas
City Nature Challenge is back for 2022! The CNC is City Nature Challenge is back for 2022! The CNC is a friendly global competition where residents of more than 300 cities compete to see who can record the most wildlife.⁠
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From April 29 to May 2, explorers, nature lovers and citizen scientists will be documenting the plants, animals and fungi in Philadelphia and surrounding counties in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Observations made during the four days of the challenge can continue to be identified through May 8. Results are announced on May 9.⁠
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Link in bio to learn more about the City Nature Challenge and how to join the Academy Naturalist project group!
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Recent Posts

  • Let’s Talk about Climate Anxiety 
  • 10 Hikes to Explore Our Watershed
  • New Species of Ancient Fish Discovered Along PA Roadside
  • Academy leads effort to map Philly’s heat and air quality
  • Helping a Still Life Come Alive
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