Heather Wall
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heatherwall.bsky.social
Heather Wall
@heatherwall.bsky.social
29 followers 38 following 16 posts
Lover of books and biking and being outdoors.
https://naturalwonders.substack.com/
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heatherwall.bsky.social
It's the time of year for weird phenomena in the sky -- sundogs and glories and specters - oh my!
What is a sundog?
open.substack.com/pub/naturalw...
What is a sundog?
Welcome to Natural Wonders, where we’re thankful for nature’s fascinating ability to adapt by growing trees on stilts and oaks built to survive hurricanes. If you were forwarded this email and want a ...
open.substack.com
February 4, 2026 at 9:24 PM
heatherwall.bsky.social
Should I feel guilty about throwing my apple cores into the bushes on a hike? If my leftovers are "natural" banana peels and oranges, is that ok to leave in the woods?
open.substack.com/pub/naturalw...
Is organic trash still trash?
Can I just toss my trailside lunch leftovers in the bushes?
open.substack.com
January 22, 2026 at 4:05 PM
heatherwall.bsky.social
Why your New Year's resolution should be to build MORE fat, not less (at least of the brown variety)... open.substack.com/pub/naturalw...
What can brown (fat) do for you?
The only kind of fat I want more of…
open.substack.com
January 7, 2026 at 11:43 PM
heatherwall.bsky.social
Happy holidays! In the spirit of the season, I explore the idea of altruism -- is it a purely human behavior? Or can other animals show concern for others and engage in selfless acts?
open.substack.com/pub/naturalw...
How does altruism show up in the natural world?
Why would an animal sacrifice itself?
open.substack.com
December 25, 2025 at 3:41 PM
heatherwall.bsky.social
If your dog continually eats grass, should you be worried? Does it mean they have a dietary deficiency? Should you do anything about it?
open.substack.com/pub/naturalw...
Why does my dog eat grass?
Wouldn’t you know that just a few days after I wrote about why we can’t lick our wounds like dogs can, Toby injured his foot somehow.
open.substack.com
December 11, 2025 at 3:23 PM
heatherwall.bsky.social
There's one color which, when seen in nature, is mostly an illusion. It simply isn't there. It may even be your favorite color...
open.substack.com/pub/naturalw...
What is the rarest color in nature?
And why aren’t there any green seashells?
open.substack.com
November 26, 2025 at 10:03 PM
heatherwall.bsky.social
Could this be a non-pesticide solution to bees, wasps, and... strawberry thieves?
open.substack.com/pub/naturalw...
Can fake dragonflies keep wasps away?
…and other unconventional scarecrow ideas.
open.substack.com
September 5, 2025 at 2:47 PM
heatherwall.bsky.social
You may, like me, think that dung beetles only live in Africa. Not true. They're in your backyard right this minute. And they navigate the world by walking backwards using the light of the Milky Way.
open.substack.com/pub/naturalw...
Is this beetle doing what I think it’s doing?
The Sisyphean world of dung beetles
open.substack.com
August 21, 2025 at 1:02 PM
heatherwall.bsky.social
What causes "marriage trees"? or "kissing trees"?
open.substack.com/pub/naturalw...
What causes trees to fuse together?
A repost from the early days of Natural Wonders
open.substack.com
July 26, 2025 at 6:55 PM
heatherwall.bsky.social
Who knew insects were so musical?
open.substack.com/pub/naturalw...
Do flies really hum in the key of F?
Insects: NOT music to your ears
open.substack.com
July 9, 2025 at 5:40 PM
heatherwall.bsky.social
Common wisdom says if you touch a baby bird, the mother will no longer take care of it -- some say she might even kill it! Is that true?

What should you do if you find a baby fawn-bird-squirrel?
open.substack.com/pub/naturalw...
If you touch a young wild animal, will the mother abandon it?
When is it ok to interfere?
open.substack.com
June 25, 2025 at 11:16 AM
heatherwall.bsky.social
How were 300-foot-tall, megaton trees cut down, moved, and sawn into lumber? The tragic story of wasted wood and the loss of giants.
open.substack.com/pub/naturalw...
How do you cut down a 1400-ton tree?
And how do you move it once you’ve cut it?
open.substack.com
June 11, 2025 at 2:45 PM
heatherwall.bsky.social
Giant sequoias are built for wildfires, and yet they're endangered because of them. How do these amazing structures resist fire?
open.substack.com/pub/naturalw...
How do giant sequoias survive wildfires?
Part 1 exploring the many questions I had while visiting them…
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May 28, 2025 at 11:27 AM
heatherwall.bsky.social
Tiny ancient trees on a windblown mountain in Georgia - the highlands of North Carolina make for some impressive old forests.
open.substack.com/pub/naturalw...
Are these small trees really 400 years old?
Appearances are often deceiving
open.substack.com
May 1, 2025 at 6:09 PM
heatherwall.bsky.social
Can chickens really be hypnotized? Is that a real thing?
open.substack.com/pub/naturalw...
Can chickens really be hypnotized by staring at a line?
... and could animal hypnosis be a good thing for my pets?
open.substack.com
February 5, 2025 at 12:38 AM
heatherwall.bsky.social
Crows and hawks just don't seem to get along -- why is that? And just HOW LONG can a crow hold a grudge? For more than a lifetime, it turns out...
open.substack.com/pub/naturalw...
Why are crows and hawks enemies?
And how long can a crow hold a grudge?
open.substack.com
December 12, 2024 at 12:25 AM