Summer is just starting and this bird has us wishing autumn was already here. The silver-eared mesia (Leiothrix argentauris) is a beautiful bird blessed with a plethora of stunning colors. It’s a songbird of the babbler family called Timaliidae and can be found in several countries across Asia. This colorful bird is named for the...

Since the tourism industry has been all but completely sidelined during the COVID-19 pandemic, hotels around the world have been forced to close their doors. Some, however, have chosen to remain open in an act of true altruism and offered up their rooms to homeless people in their area for free. One of these hotels...

Elephants are some of India’s most beautiful, peaceful, and gentle creatures. The country has several measures in place to protect these important animals whose population is already at risk due to climate change and poaching. This is what makes this story so tragic. A pregnant elephant dies in Kerala after eating a pineapple laced with...

We tend to view the animal world as one where each species operates alone, avoiding contact with other animals and only forming bonds with those of their own species. This, however, is not always the case and occasionally unlikely friendships can form. This is what happened at a zoo in Belgium, where a family or...

Here at the Hearty Soul, we love optical illusions, puzzles, and mind tricks. The more frustrating they are the better, and this most recent puzzle certainly fits the bill. How fast can you find the odd turtle in this puzzle? Full disclosure: it took me more than 15 minutes! (don’t tell anyone) How Fast Can...

Every spring a familiar pest reemerges from its winter hibernation: the carpenter bee. While they don’t have stingers, these large, noisy, black and yellow insects wreak havoc on our houses, decks, and patio furniture, boring holes into the wood to make their nests. The male bees then aggressively patrol the area surrounding their nest, which...

Birds are always looking for places to build nests where they can safely lay their eggs and raise their young, protected from the elements and hidden from potential predators. While the typical nesting place for most birds is high in a tree, it is not uncommon for them to occasionally take up residence on a...

With the coronavirus pandemic hitting the poorest communities the hardest, New York State farmers are stepping in to help out. Instead of dumping the produce, milk, and other products that they are unable to sell, they are donating them to those in need. New York Farmers Donate Product to Feed Families After having to painfully...

Periodically throughout the year, different meteor showers come around for a few nights to light up the sky and give us the best light show the natural world has to offer. They’re easy to miss, however, if you don’t know when they are happening and where you need to go to see them. We’ve done...

Scientists and engineers around the world have been working to come up with innovative solutions for more sustainable, environmentally-friendly energy generation. While there have been several promising projects, one German company has come up with a solution that has stood out from the rest: floating solar panels. As our world has become increasingly advanced and...

There are many unexplained natural phenomena around the world. The sailing stones in California’s Death Valley National Park, Australia’s Pink Lake, and the Fairy Circles in the Namib Desert are just a few examples of natural wonders that have baffled scientists for decades. One lesser-known but equally fascinating occurrence that fits into this category is...

Fake news is a broad term that means a lot of different things to a lot of different people. Some use it to describe content that is outright false, written in a misleading way, or as an attack on content they personally disagree with, regardless of accuracy. At The Hearty Soul, we define fake news...