Bonsai outdoors, displayed in Magnolia Plaza. (Photo: Jeremy Weine)

The Brooklyn Botanic Garden (BBG) is celebrating the 100th anniversary of its renowned bonsai collection. It’s one of the oldest and largest collections on public display outside of Japan, having been established in 1925 and now comprising over 400 plants. BBG’s celebration began on June 14, 2025, and it goes through October 19, 2025. During that time, there will be an expanded display of specimens—including a selection of the garden's smallest bonsai—along with gardening demonstrations and ticketed sake dinners.

“Brooklyn Botanic Garden has been the proud caretaker of this remarkable bonsai collection for 100 years, fostering a practice that is equal parts horticulture, art, design, and patience,” says Adrian Benepe, president of Brooklyn Botanic Garden. “We are excited to see even more of these miniature trees—true works of art—displayed this year, including outdoors amid full-sized trees for a stunning comparison.”

Bonsai is translated from Japanese as “planted in a tray.” They are often designed to depict trees as they would naturally grow, and almost any tree can be trained into bonsai with the right kind of thought, pruning, and care. Frank Masao Okamura was BBG’s first exclusive bonsai curator, with a long tenure lasting from 1947 to 1981. He was instrumental in developing the collection as it is today and grew bonsai from unusual plants, including tropics and semi-tropicals.

The bonsai collection is housed in the C.V. Starr Bonsai Museum, and the anniversary is an opportunity to interpret the collection in new ways. “I change the display often and bring in flowering and fragrant trees as much as possible so that the visitor’s experience is always fresh and exciting,” says BBG’s C.V. Starr Bonsai Museum gardener David Castro. “We have so many bonsai and this is such a rare collection, it’s easy to display something different.”

All exhibits and tours to the BBG’s bonsai centennial programs are free with admission. You have until October 19, 2025, to see this special display.

The Brooklyn Botanic Garden (BBG) is celebrating the 100th anniversary of its renowned bonsai collection.

Visitors admire the C.V. Starr Bonsai Museum. (Photo: Michael Stewart)

It’s one of the oldest and largest collections on public display outside of Japan, having been established in 1925 and now comprising over 400 plants.

American larch with fall foliage in the C.V. Starr Bonsai Museum. (Photo: Michael Stewart)

BBG’s celebration began on June 14, 2025, and it goes through October 19, 2025.

Blue atlas cedar in the C.V. Starr Bonsai Museum. (Photo: Michael Stewart)

During that time, there will be an expanded display of specimens.

“Fudo” (sargent juniper) in the C.V. Starr Bonsai Museum. (Photo: Michael Stewart)

The C.V. Starr Bonsai Museum in autumn. (Photo: Michael Stewart)

Frank Masao Okamura was BBG’s first exclusive bonsai curator, with a long tenure lasting from 1947 to 1981.

Frank Okamura, the Garden's first bonsai curator.

All exhibits and tours to the BBG’s bonsai centennial programs are free with admission.

BBG's Bonsai House, circa 1965.

Brooklyn Botanic Garden: Website | Instagram | Facebook

All images via Brooklyn Botanic Garden.

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READ: Brooklyn Botanic Garden Is Celebrating 100 Years of Its Renowned Bonsai Collection

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Many people begin to notice the arrival of spring with the large, beautiful blooms of the magnolia flower. Magnolia trees can be found in many parts of the world, and their beautiful forms have symbolic, medicinal, and visual meaning across cultures—and have for centuries. If you’re ever near a magnolia tree, though, look closely: you’ll notice that beetles, instead of bees, will be moving amongst the flowers.

So, why beetles over bees? The answer is simpler than you might think. Magnolias are so ancient that they were around long before bees came into existence. They’ve been around for over 100 million years, in fact, and beetles have existed for even longer , approximately 300 million years.

Named after the French botanist Pierre Magnol, magnolias belong to one of the oldest lineages of flowers on Earth. (Dinosaurs still walked the Earth at this time, to put it into perspective!) Given this ancient setting, the pollinators we’re most familiar with, butterflies and bees, had not yet evolved. Beetles were the primary insect pollinators for the time, and so they became the de facto agents for the magnolia’s survival.

This partnership between the flower and the beetle reveals itself in the magnolia’s look and scent. The flowers are large and shaped like a bowl, which is ideal for beetles to climb into. Their petals also boast more muted colors, as their partner pollinators navigate better through scent than sight. Which leads to the next, and perhaps most iconic, trait of the magnolia flower: its intoxicating scent that attracts beetles to it, meant to mimic the smell of fermenting or ripening fruit.

Another aspect of the magnolia that shows its advanced evolution is the sturdiness of the petals. Where many flowers usually have reputations for being delicate, the magnolia has developed thick, leathery petals. This is to withstand the beetle’s movement within its center, which can be clumsy and at times, rough.

As far as pollinators go, the beetle isn’t the most sophisticated. They can’t hover to collect nectar (or collect nectar at all) or perform more advanced pollinating behaviors. The way they pollinate is more of a happy accident. In their search for food, beetles will plow through petals of flowers, often leaving a mess behind. But in this process, they also get coated in pollen, which they carry on to the next flower, and the one after that, as they continue their search.

The beetle's method of pollinating, though not as sophisticated as that of bees or butterflies, has stood the test of time, at least for our dear magnolias. The ancient flower’s partnership with beetles is a testament to both of these agents’ ancient origins and resilience. With sturdy petals and a rich scent, the magnolia continues to thrive today, just as it did millions of years ago: through simple, time-tested evolution.

Magnolias, the beautiful pink and white flowers that bloom in early spring, have been around since dinosaurs roamed the Earth.

Photo: courtyardpix/Depositphotos

They're so old, in fact, that they rely on beetles instead of bees to pollinate them.

Photo: Reinhold Möller via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Beetles, who have been around for even longer than magnolias, predate bees by hundreds of millions of years.

Photo: wasnoch/Depositphotos

The arrangement, makeup, and scent of magnolia flowers reflect their unique and ancient partnership with beetles.

Photo: matenchuk/Depositphotos

Sources: Magnolias are so ancient they’re pollinated by beetles — because bees didn’t exist yet; The Botany of Magnolias

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READ: Magnolias Are So Old That They’re Pollinated by Beetles

Photo: Eternal Flame Falls 3478 © 2014 by Kim Carpenter (CC BY 4.0)

Some things sound so magical, you might not realize that they're actually real. Eternal flames could make the list; they seem like something you'd only find in a fairy tale. But they’re real and still burning as we speak. And the best part? You don't need to travel to the depths of the Earth to find them.

Photographer and adventurer Mike Loughran shared a natural eternal flame that burns in Chestnut Ridge Park in Orchard Park, New York, just outside Buffalo. Glowing inside a grotto behind Eternal Flame Falls, the flickering flame stays lit throughout all seasons, even during the winter when the waterfall freezes.

Eternal flames stay lit in various ways. In the case of Chestnut Ridge Park, it’s fueled by a deposit of natural gas that’s emitted at the base of the waterfall. For many years, scientists thought the fire burned because the gas pocket rose from an extremely hot bedrock of shale, creating natural gas. But more recently, researchers from Indiana University found this wasn’t the case. The shale wasn’t hot enough or old enough to cause the gas pocket, yet it still exists. There’s another reason for the eternal flame, and scientists aren’t sure why.

You can visit Eternal Flame Falls on a short hike in Chestnut Ridge Park. If you go, be sure to bring a lighter; although the flame has the capacity to stay lit year-round, it's occasionally extinguished and needs to be reignited by a hiker.

Photographer and adventurer Mike Loughran shared a natural eternal flame that burns in Chestnut Ridge Park in Orchard Park, New York.

 

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Glowing inside a grotto behind Eternal Flame Falls, the flickering flame stays lit throughout all seasons, even during the winter when the waterfall freezes.

Photo: Eternal Flame Falls 3460 © 2014 by Kim Carpenter (CC BY 4.0)

You can visit Eternal Flame Falls on a short hike in Chestnut Ridge Park.

Photo: Eternal Flames Falls 3793 © 2014 by Kim Carpenter (CC BY 4.0)

If you go, be sure to bring a lighter; although the flame has the capacity to stay lit year-round, it's occasionally extinguished and needs to be reignited by a hiker.

Photo: SK-M/Depositphotos

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READ: You Can Visit This Eternal Flame Flickering Under a Waterfall

Tree in Japan being relocated to make way for a road.
byu/AristonD ininterestingasfuck

Given their tremendous size, trees often seem stationary, with no chance of vanishing unless cut down. In Japan, a traditional technique proves otherwise, as long as patience and precision are both exercised. Roughly translated to “laying the groundwork,” the nemawashi approach reconsiders how we interact with trees, especially when we’re tasked with transporting them.

The practice involves meticulously sifting through soil to locate a tree’s root system, which is then wrapped and bound by hand. Once this stage is completed, the tree can be prepared for relocation with the help of tools such as cranes, inflatable platforms, wooden rollers, beams, and tracks. The tree is then carefully moved over and lowered into its new home: a specially-dug trench, removed of any stray stones or debris that could damage the tree’s roots. The entire process can take up to a year, since bundled roots are typically given time to adjust to and grow within their temporary enclosure to reduce transplant shock.

Nemawashi may be a clever solution to preserving a tree’s life, but it’s also a poignant reflection of Japanese culture. Trees are central to Japan’s Shinto tradition, which considers nature not only to be sacred, but occupied by kami, or “spirits.” This sense of sacredness only increases as trees age, with those that reach 100 years of age becoming resting places of kodama, tree spirits that inspire veneration as well as a degree of caution. To cut down one of these trees would be to harm the kodama, creating an angry spirit or even releasing a terrible curse.

Interestingly, nemawashi isn’t a term exclusive to arboreal botany—it’s also used throughout business environments. Similar to English phrases like “getting people on the bandwagon,” “testing the waters,” or “lobbying,” nemawashi serves as a consensus-building strategy in which key stakeholders and individuals are approached for temperature checks before the implementation of a new company shift, policy, or announcement. It’s a crucial philosophy for many Japanese companies, including Toyota.

Whether unfolding within a natural or corporate space, nemawashi values, above all, life and tending to it with care.

The Japanese technique of nemawashi is a clever solution to preserving a tree’s life without cutting it down.

 

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The technique involves meticulously sifting through soil to locate a tree’s root system, which is then wrapped and bound by hand. It’s then carefully moved to a new location.

Sources: Tree Transplanting, the Old Way and the New Way; Eternal Forests: The Veneration of Old Trees in Japan; Nemawashi at Work; Kodama

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READ: Learn About the Japanese Technique of Relocating—Rather Than Cutting Down—Trees

 

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Sir David Attenborough celebrated his 99th birthday on May 8, 2025, and to honor the occasion, BBC Earth released a six-hour video compilation showcasing the legendary broadcaster, biologist, and natural historian’s 99 most iconic moments. From nail-biting hunts to touching moments between animals in the wild, the archival footage is a powerful tribute to Attenborough’s extraordinary work spanning over seven decades.

The captivating collection showcases Attenborough’s unmistakable ability to blend emotion and education in storytelling. From baby iguanas and gray whales to polar bears, Atlantic puffins, bison, dolphins, and even tiny tadpoles, creatures of all kinds are captured as they navigate life in the wild.

Attenborough first appeared on the BBC over 70 years ago with Zoo Quest in 1954—a series that followed expeditions to film wild animals in their natural habitats, long before it was common on TV. Since then, Attenborough has become arguably the most familiar face and voice in nature broadcasting, appearing in over 100 documentaries. He’s best known for his nine-part series The Life Collection, as well as his unforgettable narration in BBC classics like Wildlife on One, Blue Planet, and Planet Earth.

Attenborough’s lifelong commitment to capturing extraordinary wildlife moments has inspired generations of viewers and sparked a global passion for conservation. Most recently, Attenborough has been urging humanity to take responsibility for climate change and other environmental challenges, emphasizing that positive change is still possible. His Netflix documentary A Life on Our Planet, along with his new film Ocean, highlight the urgent need to protect and restore the natural world.

Attenborough has received numerous honors for his contributions to television and conservation, including being knighted twice—most recently in 2022 with one of Britain’s highest honors, the Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George. Over his remarkable career, he’s also had several species named after him, such as a rare South American butterfly (Euptychia attenboroughi) and a newly discovered species of prehistoric bird called Imparavis attenboroughi, which means “Attenborough’s strange bird” in Latin.

Even in his later years, Attenborough remains dedicated to educating and inspiring audiences globally through his ongoing work. There’s no doubt that his new film Ocean will bring even more legendary moments to the screen.

Check out the 99 Iconic Moments From Sir David Attenborough below.

In honor of Sir David Attenborough's 99th birthday, BBC Earth released a six-hour video showcasing his 99 most iconic moments.

David Attenborough: Instagram | YouTube
BBC Earth: Website | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok | YouTube

Source: 99 Iconic Moments From Sir David Attenborough | BBC Earth

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READ: Watch Sir David Attenborough’s 99 Most Iconic Moments in a 6-Hour Birthday Tribute Video

Photo: Jonathan Borba via Unsplash

The ocean covers about 70% of the Earth’s surface, and yet a new study reveals just how little we know about the largest livable space on our planet. Published on May 7 in the journal Science Advances, the report found that humans have seen less than 0.001% of our deep seafloor—an area roughly equivalent to that of Rhode Island.

The deep sea is renowned for being one of the world’s most inaccessible environments, at more than 656 feet below the ocean’s surface. Here, light is sparse and the water frigid, allowing bizarre creatures like the flapjack octopus and anglerfish to thrive in near-complete or total darkness. These ecosystems are equally essential to regulating and maintaining our climate, absorbing about 90% of the world’s excess heat and about 30% of the carbon dioxide that human activities release into the atmosphere. From phytoplankton that produce an estimated 80% of the world’s oxygen to the marine sponges that boast a range of medicinal chemical compounds, the study’s authors share that this incredible biome provides “critical services and resources to humankind.”

Researching the deep sea may be crucial, but it’s also a daunting task. Tools like sonar can certainly reveal the shape of the seafloor, although those maps aren’t nearly as comprehensive or detailed as those produced by cameras, which are far more challenging to plunge that deep into the ocean.

“The fact of the matter is, when you're down there with a remotely operated vehicle or other sort of deep-submergence vehicle, you can only see a very tiny bit of the deep sea floor at any one time,” Katy Croff Bell of the nonprofit Ocean Discovery League, who led the study, told NPR.

For those very reasons, it might not come as a surprise that we’ve explored so little of the deep sea. Even so, the 0.001% statistic is illuminating, proving how much we still have left to discover. To reach such a conclusion, Bell and her team produced a database of about 44,000 records of deep sea activities, starting in 1958 and involving everything from robotic vehicles to human-driven subs.

These efforts have not only been vastly limited in terms of seafloor area, but also in geographical scope. The study determined that a majority of visual observations occurred within 200 nautical miles of the United States, Japan, and New Zealand. These three countries, alongside France and Germany, led nearly all of the expeditions.

“The Indian Ocean is one of the least explored areas,” Bell explains. “Given how little we’ve seen and how biased it is, we can’t really give you a global map of all the habitats of the deep sea, because we just haven’t been to all of them.”

For Time Magazine, Bell added: “It’s like if we were to make all assumptions about terrestrial ecosystems from observations of 0.001% of land area, that would equate to smaller than the land area of Houston, Texas.”

The study comes on the heels of U.S. President Trump’s executive order, signed on April 24, seeking to fast-track deep sea mining in the Pacific Ocean. The move has prompted significant outcry—and anxieties about mining effects on deep sea habitats.

“It’s like clear cutting the forest,” Jeff Watters, VP of external affairs at Ocean Conservancy, told Time. “You’re talking about completely destroying a deep sea bed environment for all intents and purposes on the human scale permanently.”

To learn more about these fascinating findings, read the full study in Science Journal.

The ocean may cover about 70% of the Earth’s surface, but a new study published in Science Journal has found that we’ve explored less than 0.001% of the deep sea.

Photo: Thanos Pal via Unsplash

Sources: More than 99% of the Deep Sea Still Remains a Mystery; Humans still haven't seen 99.999% of the deep seafloor; How little we’ve seen: A visual coverage estimate of the deep seafloor; We've Only Glimpsed 0.001% of Earth's Deep Seafloor, Study Reveals

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READ: Study Reveals That Humans Have Only Seen 0.001% of Our Deep Seafloor

 

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Nestled nearly 300 miles off the coast of Oregon is Axial Seamount, a 3,600-foot-tall underwater volcano that scientists believe may erupt very soon. The eruption would be the volcano’s first in 10 years, offering critical insight into predicting such marine events in the future.

Luckily, Axial Seamount doesn’t pose a threat to us humans—it’s too deep in the Pacific Ocean and too far from shore to impact seismic activity on land. In fact, Mike Poland, scientist-in-charge at the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, is actually looking forward to the upcoming eruption.

“This particular volcano is probably the best-monitored submarine volcano in the world,” Poland told Cowboy State Daily. “It’s fascinating and doesn’t really pose a hazard.”

Once the Axial Seamount finally blows, it’ll “look a lot like a Hawaiian lava flow eruption,” Poland added, where “calm effusions of lava [flow] out of the caldera and across the seafloor.” This is in large part due to Axial Seamount being a shield volcano, which are typically characterized by their low-explosivity in comparison to “supervolcanoes” like the one found in Yellowstone. Shield volcanoes can, of course, lead to significant destruction given the impressive speed at which their lava moves, but Axial Seamount remains nonthreatening at 4,626 feet beneath the ocean.

“Deep submarine eruptions are inhibited by the tremendous water pressure of the ocean,” Poland explained. “Even explosive eruptions struggle against the ocean.”

The magma expelled from Axial Seamount will also be immediately cooled by the surrounding water, creating what’s known as pillow lavas within volcanology. As their name suggests, these pillow lavas resemble bulbous masses cloaked in a layer of skin that effectively cools them to their core, effectively undermining their destructive properties.

How, exactly, do scientists know that the eruption is imminent? The seafloor around Axial Seamont has been inflating for the past few months, and an increased number of earthquakes beneath the volcano provides an additional clue.

“Over time, the volcano inflates due to the buildup of magma beneath the surface,” William Wilcock, a professor at the University of Washington School of Oceanography, told FOX Weather. “Some researchers have hypothesized that the amount of inflation can predict when the volcano will erupt, and if they’re correct it’s very exciting for us, because it has already inflated to the level that it reached before the last three eruptions.”

Axial Seamount most recently erupted in 2015, and, prior to that, in 2011 and 1998. Based on current inflation, scientists believe that the volcano will erupt by the end of the year—if not before then.

“It’s frequently active,” Poland said. “Geologists monitoring Axial Seamount have observed that it reaches a certain threshold in terms of inflation, then it erupts.”

Alongside Yellowstone National Park, Axial Seamount is the world’s best-monitored volcano. By tracking its activity and eventual eruption, Axial Seamount can illuminate the behavior of other volcanoes across the globe.

“Axial Seamount is not so dissimilar from the volcanoes in Hawaii and Iceland, except that it’s deep on the seafloor,” Poland concluded.

Besides that, the eruption will produce fascinating noises on the seafloor as magma collides with cool ocean water, according to the UW College of the Environment.

“When a pocket of seawater gets trapped beneath a lava flow, it heats up and turns to steam,” Wilcock explained. “When that steam finally escapes, it forms a bubble which cools very quickly and collapses, causing a loud implosion that we can pick up with our hydrophones.”

Scientists don’t have a specific timeline for Axial Seamount’s eruption, but they will continue to monitor the volcano until then.

Scientists predict that Axial Seamount, an underwater volcano off the coast of Oregon, will erupt by the end of this year—but it won’t pose a threat to humans since it’s too deep in the ocean and too far from shore.

 

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Sources: 3,600-Foot-Tall Undersea Volcano Expected To Blow This Year, But Nobody’s Worried;  Underwater volcano off Oregon's coast inching closer to eruption, scientists say

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“Dipper flying through waterfall” by Konrad Wothe. GDT Nature Photographer of the Year.
“White-throated dipper flying through a waterfall.”

Photographer Konrad Wothe spent 20 years waiting for a photographic opportunity that paid off in a big way when he was named GDT Nature Photographer of the Year 2025. Wothe's fascinating photo of a small bird flying through a waterfall earned him the title, beating out over 8,000 images entered into this contest for members of the German Society for Nature Photography.

Wothe first encountered a white-throated dipper flying through a waterfall 20 years ago, but his analogue equipment didn't allow him to capture the scene. It would take two decades, but two years ago, he stumbled upon a dipper nesting behind a waterfall

“This one also regularly shot through the curtain of water, even though it had the option of flying to its nest from around the side. Armed with cutting-edge digital gear and ultra-fast cameras, I felt I had a realistic chance of capturing this extraordinary behavior,” he shares. “Even so, the challenge remained immense: there was no predicting exactly when the dipper would leave its nest and dive through the waterfall, nor could I pinpoint the exact spot where it would emerge.

“Thanks to the new pre-burst mode on my camera, capturing the bird in frame wasn’t difficult. Still, getting the focus just right with the perfect composition took thousands of exposures. I have lost count of the number of trips I took to the dipper's nesting site before I was reasonably satisfied with the result.”

Wothe's perseverance was rewarded with a stunning photo, featuring a small passerine bursting through water that is perfectly frozen by the photographer's camera. It's a wonderful victory for Wothe, who has worked as a freelance nature photographer and wildlife filmmaker for over 40 years.

Scroll down to see even more winners from this nature photography contest.

The German Society for Nature Photography has announced the winners of its Nature Photographer of the Year contest.

“Patterns in the snow” by Levi Fitze. Jury Prize.
“A perfectly camouflaged rock ptarmigan in the snow-covered Swiss Alps.”

“Stars above” by Paul Kornacker. Winner, Plants and Fungi.
“Quiver trees (Aloe dichotoma) are native to southern Africa. This photo was taken in Namibia near Keetmanshoop.”

“Common redstarts in meadow orchard” by Christian Höfs. Runner-up, Birds.
“Territorial fight between two male redstarts in the orchard in front of my house.”

“Fairyland” by Katja Manski. Runner-up, Special category: Both eerie and beautiful – Germany's mires.
“Cottongrass glowing at dusk among bog birches in Schorfheide-Chorin Biosphere Reserve. The scene reminds me of Tolkien.”

“Chamois” by Radomir Jakubowski. Winner, Mammals.
“Chamois photographed through blades of dew-covered grass in the Vosges.”

“Abstraction” by Katja Manski. Winner, Nature's Studio.
“Long-exposure photography unifies the movements of the waves, reeds, and camera into an abstract image (Bornholm).”

“Misty Morning” by Andreas Volz. Winner, Special category: Both eerie and beautiful – Germany's mires.
“Spider webs in Kochelmoos.”

Over 8,000 images were submitted by 507 GDT members from 11 countries.

“West coast dragon” by Dr. Gerald Haas. Winner, Other Animals.
“Wind and waves create striking patterns in the sand along the west coast of Fuerteventura. This dragonfly was a perfect eye-catcher.”

“Iceworms at sunrise” by Dirk Godlinski. Runner-up, Nature's Studio.
“Unusual worm-like structures on the ice surface after a frosty night in January.”

“Deforestation” by Hanneke Van Camp. Winner, Landscapes.
“Even today, old-growth forests in Sweden are regularly cut down and replaced with commercial plantations. Undisturbed forests can harbour over 2000 species (many of which are endangered) and must be preserved at all costs.”

“Carnivore” by Klaus Tamm. Runner-up, Plants and Fungi.
“I discovered this spoonleaf sundew in a bog in North Rhine-Westphalia.”

“Weevil” by Christ Torsten. Runner-up, Other Animals.
“Unidentified weevil (Curculionidae) on the stem of a mushroom.”

“King of the Alps” by Karsten Mosebach. Runner-up, Mammals.
“An ibex silhouetted against a lake and the blue evening sky in the Alps.”

“Radiance” by Thomas Froesch. Runner-up, Landscapes.
“For just a brief moment, the sun broke through the dark clouds and illuminated a waterfall on the Faroe Islands.”

German Society for Nature Photographers (GDT): Website | Facebook | Instagram

My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by GDT.

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READ: Adventurous Bird Crashing Into a Waterfall Wins Nature Photography Contest

Photo: cafphoto.aol.com /Depositphotos

As far as reality TV goes, a live stream of Internet-famous bald eagles is probably not what first comes to mind. But Jackie and Shadow, a mated bald eagle pair living in Big Bear Valley, California, have amassed quite a following on YouTube over the years. And as hatching season comes around for the couple–who have laid three eggs this year– fans are tuning in more than ever.

The live stream is run by nonprofit conservation group Friends of Big Bear Valley, whose mission is to protect the 15 miles of the valley in Southern California. Their first camera was installed in October 2015, and since then they have captured the surprisingly everyday lives of many eagle pairs.

It’s this quotidian activity that usually draws audiences to Jackie and Shadow’s live stream. Sandy Steers, Friends of Big Bear Valley’s executive director, notes that people “find themselves doing a lot of things that Jackie and Shadow do, which is getting along, working together and taking care of each other.”

12-year-old female Jackie and 10-year-old-male Shadow’s story begins in the summer of 2018, when they first became mates. They’re currently nesting 145 feet above ground, in a tall Jeffrey pine tree in Big Bear Valley.

Being together as long as they have, the bald eagle pair have had a few offspring hatch and survive, but the odds are by nature stacked against them. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, only roughly 50% of bald eagle eggs will hatch on average, and of those 50%, only about ¾ of them make it past their first year of life.

This is Jackie and Shadow’s second year in a row that they’ve laid three eggs. Last year’s would-be clutch unfortunately didn’t make it, despite the pair’s best efforts. During one period of incubation, which coincided with severe weather and the El Niño winter storms, Jackie sat on their nest for almost 62 hours straight. It’s difficult to pinpoint exactly what causes broods not to hatch, but weather and altitude may have significant impacts, according to Steers.

The mood for this upcoming “pipping season,” or the period when chicks begin to start breaking out of their shells, is one of cautious optimism. Pipping usually begins 35 days after incubation, and Jackie laid her eggs on January 22, 25 and 28. This means that the chicks should be due any day now. Jackie and Shadow have been dutifully taking turns incubating their eggs, with one particularly sweet moment of the live stream capturing Shadow bringing food for his mate and taking over sitting duty only after she ate.

The bald eagle population has been considered a. U.S. conservation success story, bouncing back from a dismally small 417 nesting pairs in 1963 to upwards of 71,400 pairs in 2019. Hopefully, Jackie and Shadow’s 2025 clutch will become part of those numbers in a few years, too.

To tune in to Jackie and Shadow's livestream, visit the Friends of Big Bear Valley YouTube channel.

Bald eagle pair Jackie and Shadow are internet sensations, with a 24-hour YouTube live stream that has thousands of followers.

Photo: wirestock_creators/Depositphotos

Jackie and Shadow have been incubating their three eggs for a little over a month, with the “pipping” or hatching season beginning soon in March.

Photo: KGriff/Depositphotos

This is the second year in a row that Jackie has laid three eggs, but due to a combination of factors none of them made it in 2024. Fans are hopeful that this year's clutch will not just hatch, but also thrive.

Photo: FrankFF/Depositphotos

The live stream is organized by Friends of Big Bear Valley, a nonprofit wildlife conservation group dedicated to preserving the 15 miles of valley in Southern California.

Photo: SCOOPERDIGITAL/Depositphotos

Watch the livestream here:

Friends of Big Bear Valley: Website | Facebook | YouTube

Sources: A second chance at triplets for Big Bear bald eagles Jackie and Shadow; Bald Eagle: Haliaeetus leucocephalus 

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Photo: NPS

As part of President Donald Trump's goal to curb government spending, thousands of federal workers have been fired under the direction of DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency). These sweeping cuts have hit all government agencies, including the National Park Service. Though not officially announced by the administration, about 1,000 employees were impacted by these layoffs. According to the Associated Press, this number has been confirmed by Democratic Senators and House representatives. Now, one park ranger is speaking out about his experience.

Brian Gibbs, who was an education ranger at Iowa’s Effigy Mounds National Monument, discussed his feelings about these cuts in a widely shared Facebook post. In it, 41-year-old Gibbs describes himself as “heartbroken and completely devastated to have lost my dream job.”

On February 14, the ranger was let go after his shift ended at 3:45 p.m. and he was then promptly locked out before he could print his electronic personal file. He has asked that his words be shared, describing himself as the following: “I am a father, a loving husband, and dedicated civil servant. I am an oath of office to defend and protect the constitution from all enemies foreign and domestic. I am a work evaluation that reads ‘exceeds expectations.'”

And, importantly, his statement reminds the public of all the important functions he served as an education ranger. “I am the smiling face that greets you at the front door. I am a voice for 19 American Indian cultures. I am the protector of 2500 year old American Indian burial and ceremonial mounds. I am the defender of your public lands and waters. I am the toilet scrubber and soap dispenser. I am the band aid for a skinned knee. I am the wildflower that brought your student joy. I am the one who told your child that they belong on this planet. That their unique gifts and existence matters.”

He then goes on to describe the weeks of anxiety and fear he and his family felt, while waiting to see if his job would continue. “I am tired from weeks of being bullied and censored by billionaires,” he writes.

As President Trump and Elon Musk, who is leading DOGE, look to trim the government, they have often been targeting probationary employees who have only been working in their roles for one or two years as, according to CNN, they lack certain employment protections and cannot appeal the layoff. Gibbs was one such employee, having been hired in June 2024 on a one-year probationary status known as career conditional, competitive service status.

Gibbs told media outlets that his supervisor informed them during a staff meeting that day that some National Parks jobs were at risk, but made no mention of anything definite. As these updates had been going on for weeks, Gibbs was not alarmed until he was suddenly locked out of his government email and professional records.

The ranger was not informed of his termination until his supervisor sent a text to let him know that his role had been terminated, effective immediately. Gibbs was only shown his termination letter upon request, which he revealed said the following when speaking with TODAY.

“According to the letter I received, I ‘failed to demonstrate fitness or qualifications for continued employment’ because my ‘subject matter, knowledge, skills and abilities do not meet the department’s needs.’” This wording presented a conundrum to Gibbs, as he had received performance reviews stating that his work “exceeds expectations.”

According to the National Park Service, education rangers like Gibbs fulfill several roles. Among their duties are leading groups on hikes, roving trails to help visitors and answer questions, and developing and leading educational programming for schools.

While the National Park Service has said that 5,000 seasonal positions that were set to be rescinded as part of cost-cutting measures have been reinstated, the loss of so many permanent positions has created concerns about park opening hours, public safety, and the safeguarding of resources.

For Gibbs, who is expecting his second child, it's also forcing him to make some hard decisions. “We live in a rural part of America. There are very few jobs in my field,” he shares. “It feels really scary, like we may have to uproot again.”

Photo: Jonathunder via Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)

Source: Trump’s firing of 1,000 national park workers raises concerns about maintenance and operating hours; After landing his dream job as a park ranger, he’s ‘heartbroken’ to be let go in federal cuts; Park ranger's Facebook post after losing job goes viral: ‘Share this truth widely'

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READ: National Park Service Ranger Impacted by DOGE Firings Speaks Out