How Are Climate Deniers Like Peacocks, Ostriches & Sheep?

The only thing more fun than taping this edition of the National Wildlife Federation's Climate Capsule at the Reston Zoo? Being described as Dirty the Global Warming Denier Sock Puppet's "earnest human keeper" by Restonian.

A Sure Sign of Fall Drops In

I was out at National Wildlife Federation office in Reston on Monday and heard one of the early signs of fall -- big, fat acorns falling off trees, tearing through the canopy and crashing to the forest floor.

It was an encouraging sound in the wake of last year's odd acorn shortage. NWF naturalist David Mizejewski explains why acorns are so important to a wide range of animals:

Quick Cute Clip to Brighten Your Thursday

To pay the bills between blog posts, The Green Miles works at the National Wildlife Federation. NWF's Reston office sits next to Lake Fairfax Park, so we get everything from deer to groundhogs to snakes in our backyard. During these hot summer months, every once in a while an all-staff email will go out saying, "There are turtles keeping cool in the shade under cars in the parking lot, check under your car before you go home!"

Here's the latest wildlife sighting -- a family of raccoons living in a dead tree out back:

The Benefits of Working Late

While Monday's thunderstorms rolled through, I decided to work late and give I66 a chance to clear out. Not only did I get a smooth ride home, I got an extra show in the empty office parking lot out in Reston. The family of groundhogs that lives behind our office waddled past and a couple of rabbits came hopping by:

Two Turtles, Like, Totally Doing It

The National Wildlife Federation offices in Reston are right next to Lake Fairfax Park, so we get lots of visitors in the back patio area. So far I've seen deer, woodchuck, and even a couple of snakes. And the Washington Post recently reported bobcats have been seen and heard in and around Reston.

But the other day at lunchtime, a much less menacing sight -- two turtles totally going at it right in front of everybody. The cell phone camera picture isn't the best, but you should be able to see them at the foot of the stairs.