A major obstacle to identifying trees by bark is that the bark can look very different at different stages of the lifecycle. Guidebooks usually show only the bark at full maturity, which can make it difficult to identify younger trees and leaves out a fascinating metamorphosis. Young walnuts closely resemble their relatives, the hickories. ThereContinue reading “Walnut Bark at Different Stages of its Lifecycle.”
Category Archives: the environment
Crocus, Snowdrops, and Winter Aconite
A week ago we had ten inches of snow. There’s still some snow left, piled up along the edges of parking lots, but that hasn’t stopped winter blooming species from taking advantage of the suddenly temperate temperatures. Firstly, above, there are the Crocuses. Something I didn’t know about this genus is that the spice saffronContinue reading “Crocus, Snowdrops, and Winter Aconite”
What is Winter Creeper?
Winter creeper, also known as Fortune’s spindle—not because it has anything to do with luck, but because the first European to classify it was named Robert Fortune—is a highly invasive shrub/vine which can smother trees to death. It’s everywhere in my neighborhood. In a totally unscientific way, I’d estimate it has infested 1 in 5Continue reading “What is Winter Creeper?”
Why don’t trees freeze? Ice nucleation and winter photos.
Did you know that pure water droplets remain liquid until -37 degrees C (-34 F)1? This is because ice has to form around something, usually dust or tiny particulate matter in the atmosphere2. Trees exploit this fact to avoid internal ice damage during the winter. Trees produce proteins which attract ice formation (called ice nucleators)Continue reading “Why don’t trees freeze? Ice nucleation and winter photos.”
Carbon Footprint of the Mars Mission?
I have to admit I am one of the few people not particularly excited about space exploration. To put my cards on the table, I could care less whether we ever land a person on Mars. Recently on the radio I’ve been hearing about the Perseverance rover and whether or not there has been lifeContinue reading “Carbon Footprint of the Mars Mission?”
Tracks
Beautiful snow this morning in Bloomington. Signatures of the neighborhood animal life. In the cat tracks above, notice how the back feet land almost directly on top of the front. In animal tracking this is called “direct register,” and is typical of cats and foxes. For more tracking terms check out this link. Cottontail rabbitsContinue reading “Tracks”
Zero-waste-ish: Small Changes I’ve made this Year
We’ve all got to start somewhere, and I started with Kroger brand “Crumb dilly icious” sandwich cookies. No particular reason except for their ridiculous name, and the fact that I ate A LOT of them. Kroger, by the way, has an impressively (what I assume to be) tongue-in-cheek marketing strategy. Either that or they’ve reallyContinue reading “Zero-waste-ish: Small Changes I’ve made this Year”
recycled paper clips 