Happy #WorldWetlandsDay! Wetlands are critical to the well-being of the planet. I've been lucky to have had many opportunities to share the stories of wetlands through interpretive signage and thought it might be fun to look back on a few. #sciart#scicomm 1/
I often find myself answering the question 'What good are wetlands?' Once considered wasteland by farmers and developers, we're finally understanding the important ecological services they provide. #WorldWetlandsDay#sciart#scicomm 2/
Wetlands are critical habitat for hundreds of bird species who nest and find food and cover among the waterlogged vegetation. #WorldWetlandsDay#sciart#scicomm 3/
People often thing of ducks when they think of wetlands, but there's are so many more species that rely on them. #WorldWetlandsDay#sciart#scicomm 4/
While wetlands provide us many many ecological services, they depend on us to keep them healthy. Here are some of the ways you can do that. #WorldWetlandsDay#sciart#scicomm 5/5
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I get a lot of questions about how our wildlife can survive the cold. It can be -35C and you'll still hear and see signs of animals everywhere. How do they do it? I thought it might be fun to take a look at some of our wildlife's amazing adaptations for winter. #scicomm 1/
Losing heat, especially from the core, is their biggest problem. We just put on more clothes and in some ways, animals do too. Chickadees have 50% more feathers in the winter. Mammals grow thicker fur, with longer guard hairs that trap warm air near the body. 2/
Many animals have counter current heat exchangers in their limbs (bird legs, mammal noses and legs, ears, tails). Arteries and veins form a network so warm blood going out transfers heat to the blood coming back. The extremities are kept near freezing, but the core stays warm. 3/
I was asked if I could outline the steps I go through to create a panel like this. It's a long process and I'm lucky to have the skills and training to do all of the pieces: content writing/research, illustration & layout, so I thought I'd walk you through it. 1/ #scicomm#sciart
It starts with a concept sketch. The client and I discussed the story they wanted to tell and the looks we liked and I scribbled it into my sketchbook. Species were chosen from the garden plants this panel was for and I researched their associated pollinators. 2/ #sciart#scicomm
Once I have an general idea of what images I need, I start drawing. I have a huge reference photo library, but will sometimes ask for permission from other photographers to use their images as references. 3/ #scicomm#sciart