Yearly Archives: 2021

Tribute to the Nature Ramblers

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The
Nature Ramblers

cribbed from many, assembled by Tom Shelton

 

As the
World Turns, The Sun Also Rises over
The Good Earth

where A River Runs Through
It and Where the Wild Things Are,

away from the Asphalt
Jungle, Crosstown Traffic and City Lights.

For many Wild Things
it’s A land For All Seasons,

but Some Like it Hot
and A Place in the Sun,

and move on before The Big
Chill.

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FINE Things No. 30

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Piedmont forest floor, winter 2021.
Linda Chafin
graphite and colored pencil.
Can you identify these trees?
(Answers at end of this post.) 		           

 

Eight simple actions that individuals can take to save insects from global declines. (link)

These FINE Things were suggested by Nature Ramblers Eugenia Thompson, Tom Shelton, Jan Coyne and Emily Carr:

A 99-million-year-old beetle shines light on the evolution of glowing insects. (link)

How dung beetles roll their food in a straight line. As they craft their humble lives from piles of manure, the insects look to the skies for direction.(link)

Figs show that nonnative species can invade ecosystems by forming unexpected partnerships. (link)

Biden’s Covid-19 Plan Is Maddeningly Obvious. (link)


Conspiracy theories seem to meet psychological needs and can be almost impossible to eradicate. One remedy: Keep them from taking root in the first place. (link)

Slippery flowers help deter nectar-stealing ants. (link)

It’s tough to drive a spade through compacted soil, and plant roots seem to have the same problem when growing in compacted ground. But plants are smart enough to stop pushing. How do they know when to quit? (link)


Answers to tree quiz:

Scarlet Oak leaf and acorn, Southern Red Oak leaf, Beech leaf,
Pignut Hickory nut and husk.

 

FINE Things No. 28

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The Georgia Museum of Natural History has been sponsoring a monthly series of “Turtle Pond Talks” on the first Monday of each month. These are aimed at a general audience and are now being offered as live Zoom virtual meetings. The next talk is Monday, January 11 at 10am. The Zoom information to participate is available here. The speaker this month is Dr. Jim Hamrick, professor emeritus at UGA (Plant Biology). His talk is “What Makes a Tree a Tree.” His research has been on southeastern as well as tropical plants. This is a chance to hear the real deal!!

DNA “barcoding” reveals more hidden species, sometimes a lot more.

The evolution of sleep: 700 million years of melatonin.

Few of us have been to New Zealand, but, if you manage to visit, here is a sight you might want to see. These “glowworms” hang from the ceiling of caves and attract their prey with blue light.
A little closer to home, in northwest Alabama, there is a similar light display by relatives of the New Zealand insects. It’s in Dismals Canyon. More information about the insects and tours is available here.

Jellyfish swim by creating an invisible “wall” of water and then pushing against it.

Will global warming make animals darker-or lighter?

Dismay greets end of U.S. effort to curb devastating forest pest.

Unexpected gorilla snacking behaviors make scientists question what we know about early humans. Gorillas’ eating habits don’t match their tooth specializations, raising questions about determining early human diets from fossil records. 

 

Rising temperatures are altering the sex ratio of sea turtles. Researchers are exploring one possible fix.

I do a lot of random browsing on the internet – it’s fun to suddenly stumble across something that is totally unknown (to me, anyway). This blog post is one such example. It has two terms that were new to me: xerochastic and hygrochastic. Are you curious? Go ahead. One click will satisfy your quest for knowledge.

“Murder Hornets” were in the news this year and people were anxious about them becoming the next terror insect. Here’s a video showing one approach to dealing with unwanted hornet nests.

That’s all for this week.

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