| (Illustration by Emily Sabens/The Washington Post; Copyright Ho Siu Yeung; Ripley Kindervater; Copyright Roger A. Morales-Flores; iStock) | | Welcome. This week, Parisians are swapping cars for bikes and hammerheads are back in the Caribbean. But first, why the urban jungle is worth saving. |  | | Mountain lions prowl near downtown San Francisco. Leopards stalk the Mumbai suburbs. And kororā, or little penguins, nest under porches in New Zealand's capital. If you thought wildlife lived outside cities, you're missing the wilderness outside your front door. Tens of thousands of species coexist with humans in the concrete jungles that live up to their name. Cities are not "biological deserts," as some have portrayed them. They act as bridges between natural reserves — even reservoirs for some wild populations — no matter how "developed" they might seem. These plants and animals are just out of sight — unless, that is, you try to look for them. A few weekends ago, I joined 83,000 participants from around the globe to find this urban flora and fauna and share it with the world. The City Nature Challenge, or "bioblitz," is an annual competition documenting nonhuman urbanites. Armed with no more than a smartphone and free time, nature lovers in nearly 700 cities uploaded 2.4 million wildlife photos to the platform iNaturalist. |  | | From left: A bobcat in Calgary, Alberta (Observation © joolzincalgary); western black widow in Joshua Tree, Calif. (Mike Coren/The Washington Post); pinwheels and parachute Mushrooms, in Melbourne, Australia. (Observation © Reiner Richter) | | These citizen scientists provide an invaluable glimpse into unlikely urban ecosystems, often in places scientists can't venture into, such as backyards and private grounds. "Urban areas are not like blank spaces on the map in terms of conservation value," says Alison Young of the California Academy of Sciences who co-founded the City Nature Challenge in 2016. "You just find things that you weren't expecting, and things that are really important for people to know about." The bioblitz is the world's largest biodiversity survey, according to iNaturalist, helping scientists craft conservation plans that recognize nature is everywhere. As the world rapidly becomes more urbanized, cities and backyards are becoming essential for saving biodiversity Next time you pick up your phone to snap a seflie, try grabbing a photo of the life around you on the iNaturalist app. Not only will you help save wildlife, it will leave you healthier and happier. To learn more, click the button below. What's living in your backyard? Send me your wildlife at climatecoach@washpost.com. I read all your emails. |  | | A fox walking across the top of the tall brink wall that separates Sarah Harris's yard from her neighbor's in El Cerrito, Calif. (Sarah Harris) | Field Sample Why should you let your grass grow? Frank Hulley-Jones, Allyson Chiu and Simon Ducroquet of The Washington Post get into the weeds on a virtual tour of a more ecological lawn. Most lawns are biodiversity wastelands. But letting your grass grow even a few inches allows bunches of white clover, dandelions, wild strawberries and other flowering plants to bloom, attracting pollinators. | | Even setting your mower to the highest setting, ideally four inches or more, can make a difference. Here's how to have a no-mow (or high-mow) lawn this summer. | Snapshot Slalom is one of just 356 surviving North Atlantic right whales, a species that could be extinct in three decades. The mother of six known calves has survived six entanglements with fishing gear, and dodged thousands of vessels. | | Slalom in 2021. (NOAA Fisheries) | | Many members of her species are not so lucky: So far this year, one female was found off Virginia with a dislocated spine, while a calf and young female were discovered off Georgia with head lacerations and skull fractures — all injuries are consistent with vessel strikes. But an expansion of ship speed limits embraced by scientists and advocates could help save North Atlantic right whales from extinction. For now, those rules remain on hold under review by NOAA Fisheries, the agency behind the proposal, and face opposition from boating industry groups. "It's only humans that kill right whales," said Philip Hamilton, a senior scientist at the New England Aquarium. "We don't give them the opportunity to die of old age." Read the full story by The Post's Harry Stevens and Dino Grandoni here |  | The Second Degree Thanks for all the (horror) stories you sent in after reading last week's column on how to hire a contractor to electrify your home. I also got some excellent tips. "I've had good success relying on my insurance company, USAA, to make recommendations on contractors based on their claimants' feedback," says Stan Myles of Laytonsville, Md., who also got a list of electrical contractors from GM to install a charger when he bought a Cadillac Lyriq EV. Jim Smith also recommended Angi (formerly Angie's List) or referrals for real estate brokers for trustworthy contractors. David of Pennsylvania said his contractor did excellent work installing solar panels and a battery backup. But his utility then spent eight months reviewing plans, and has yet to issue a certificate of completion. "It has been almost a year," he wrote. "Our solar array has produced more than enough power to serve our home. Meanwhile, we have had to pay our monthly electric bill to the company. We have electrical power, but no other power to solve this." Hans Laetz of Malibu, Calif., went all in on the all-electric life. He installed 25 solar panels, batteries and bought an electric Ford pickup. "We should have had an integrated plan for all three from the beginning," he said, although he's managed to make the systems work together. "The panels charge the truck every afternoon, once the house batteries are full. We generate so much surplus power in the afternoon, that we make about $70 a month (summer) and $10 a month (winter) selling the power to the California grid." |  |  | | Myrtle spurge is a scourge in Boulder, Colo. Native to Eurasia, it thrives on dry hillsides, is drought tolerant and contains a milky sap toxic to cattle and humans. Although it's still sold as an ornamental in nurseries, it's taking over public lands. Lisa and Mark of Colorado spend weekends battling the plant. "Our neighborhood weeding group … has worked to take out vast and dense myrtle spurge infestations in Boulder's open space foothills for 4 years now," she said. "AND there is much more to do. This pic is the biggest plant I have ever pulled." Do you have a weekend hobby for the environment? Share them to me at climatecoach@washpost.com. | | Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up here to get The Climate Coach in your inbox every Tuesday. See you next Tuesday, Michael Coren, Climate Coach | | |
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