You can find micro-habitats and surprising nature in big cities if you know where to look. Just ask Nature Obscura author Kelly Brenner. Her hometown of Seattle has a history of clearing hills and paving over nature in the process. But Brenner exposes a diverse range of strange, unknown creatures that have survived, including moon snails and slime molds. From forests to neighborhood parks, and in graveyards and backyards, she uncovers how these land alterations have changed the natural environment for better and worse, as well as the unusual wildlife and plants that live alongside us—often unseen. Join this live stream to hear Brenner talk about the interconnectedness of ecosystems, species, and human activity in urban environments.
Kelly Brenner is a naturalist, writer, and photographer based in Seattle. Brenner is the author of Nature Obscura (Mountaineers Books, 2020). She founded The Metropolitan Field Guide in 2009 and has bylines in Popular Science, Crosscut, National Wildlife Magazine, and The Open Notebook. She earned a B.A. degree in landscape architecture from the University of Oregon in 2009 and a certificate in non-fiction writing from the University of Washington in 2016.
This online experience is part of Atlas Obscura’s Wonder From Home initiative. At Atlas Obscura, our mission has always been to inspire wonder and curiosity about the incredible world we all share. Now, more than ever, there’s a need to stay connected—not only to our sense of wonder, but to each other. Follow and share the hashtag #wonderfromhome for inspiring stories, more incredible online experiences, and live streams with the Atlas Obscura community. And check out AtlasObscura.com, the definitive guide to the world’s hidden wonders, to keep virtually exploring the world through the website’s atlas of amazing places, unique stories, and videos.
