Why Do Birds Fly South?
Every fall, birds take to the sky and head for the warmth of the south. Why do these migratory birds leave the northern lands once temperatures start to drop? It is in their genes to migrate. Even captive birds get restless when the temps start dropping. The Earth’s magnetic field plays a large part in their migration. Scientists have discovered small bits of magnetite, a magnetic mineral in the brains of several animals, including bats, birds, whales, and even dolphins. Magnetite could help migratory animals use the Earth’s magnetic field as a guide to the south. Birds also use celestial navigation to find their way in the dark. How cool is that! When scientists put captive birds in a planetarium, the birds changed their directional orientation when the star pattern on the ceiling changed and then became confused when the stars dimmed, showing that birds use the layout of constellations as a compass.
Insect and Amphibian Apocalypse
We are entering the insect and amphibian apocalypse. Over the past few decades, more than 40% of insect species have declined, and a third are endangered. Research indicates that pesticides have contributed to declining amphibian populations over the last few decades. Frogs can tell you a lot about how healthy or not healthy the environment around them is. Frogs are sensitive to environmental chemicals. They can die if they consume poisoned insects or lay their eggs in polluted water. The insect populations are at risk, too. Our nation's treasure, the monarch butterfly, has decreased by more than 99 percent since the 1980s due to the loss of milkweed habitat and the overuse of herbicides. Also, put bees on the list of declining insects. Bees are responsible for pollinating one-third of the world’s food supply. Pesticide use kills non-target insects like the honey bee, whose numbers have dropped dramatically by over 30% in the past 15 years.. Overusing pesticides, insecticides, and herbicides is a vast problem in neighborhoods. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that Americans contaminate their lawns with over 80 million pounds of pesticides a year; this is 10 times higher than what the nation’s farmers use on their crops, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Since putting in our chemical-free small backyard pond we have attracted numerous frogs, dragonflies, and other critters. Adding native flowers has attracted many pollinators to the mix.
Proper Posture Creatures
Who are those adorable animals with great posture? Meet the Meerkats. Meerkats are African animals found in the deserts and grasslands of southwestern Africa. Meerkats are tiny members of the mongoose family. Since Meerkats are smaller, they need to stay vigilant to avoid being someone's dinner. They stand tall on their hind legs, monitoring their surroundings. Meerkats have different alert calls for each threat, much like a prairie dog. They prefer living in the arid grasslands or savanna. Meerkats share their dens with other animals, like ground squirrels. Their burrows are 5 to 8 feet deep and have many rooms. Meerkats are cuddly at night to conserve their body heat and keep their babies warm. They are early risers and enjoy sunbathing first thing in the morning, but on rainy days, they prefer to stay underground. When evening comes, they retire back into their den. #meerkats
Pharmaceuticals in Our Waterways Research Paper
Beekeeper Interview
My visit with Southwind Farm beekeeper William Winchester.
Southwind Farms is an extraordinary place with rows of tall sunflowers, golden chickens rooming the vegetable fields, and light buzzing sound around every corner. This has been William Winchester's remarkable life for almost 40 years.
My recent visit to his farm gave me a glimpse of what is happening to our honeybees. The U.S. National Agricultural Statistics show a honey bee decline from about 6 million hives in 1947 to 2.4 million hives in 2008, a 60 percent reduction. What is happening to our most valuable insect? According to Winchester, it is a combination of drought, mites, and viruses.
When there is drought, there are not enough young bees for winter. The hive needs to have enough young bees to survive the winter because the old ones die off. As it gets colder outside, the worker bees form a thermoregulating cluster. The cluster is a tight circle that the bees create inside their hive to stay warm. In the cluster, worker bees vibrate their flight muscles to make enough heat, helping the workers and queen bee to survive the cold.
Before winter, beekeepers need to medicate for the Varroa mite. The mite pierces the exterior of the bee to feed. The bite allows viruses to get inside the bee. In honeybees, 18 viruses have been identified. Five types of viruses are linked to honeybee colony collapses, with the Deformed Wing Virus (DWV) being the main suspect in the recent honeybee deaths. DWV causes wing deformity resulting in emerging bees not being able to fly.
As far as Neonicotinoids harming his bees, Mr. Winchester stays away from all chemical insecticides as he prefers to use his chickens as a pest control. His 20-acre farm has just enough space for his beehives. The surrounding neighbors do not use large amounts of chemicals on their properties neither.
Mr. Winchester has a tremendous amount of respect for the earth. He is someone we should all aspire to be like, which is kind, humble, and appreciative. William Winchester is the author of "A Very Small Farm," a book about living a simple and fulfilling life off the land.
We need more trees!
Can we help the climate? Yes we can
We are experiencing drier soils around the world. Dry soil causes the land to heat more rapidly, increasing temperatures. Vegetation helps to anchor soil, cool ground temperatures, and keeps soil from drying out. More building (western U.S.), more crops, and more grazing mean fewer trees and more soil exposed (dust bowl). Cities are growing, causing the urban heat island effect. Dark asphalt absorbs more solar radiation than rural grasslands. This means cities have a low albedo level, absorbing a greater portion of light and raising the temperature. Cities have lower albedo rates than rural areas, about 2–5% lower than grasslands and forested areas at the same latitude. Low albedo (asphalt, buildings, concrete) is undesirable, whereas high albedo (grass, snow, ice) is advantageous. Do your part in helping the planet. Plant more trees, grow a garden, stop spraying your lawn (the pollinators and microbes hate pesticides), go paperless, and refuse, reuse, and recycle.
North American Weather shift
How are weather is changing
In the 1800s, John Wesley Powell, a geologist, said a clear boundary runs longitudinally through North America along the 100th meridian west, separating the humid eastern part of the continent from the dry western plains. Over 140 years later, scientists confirmed that boundary exists, and it is shifting to the east due to climate change.
Back in 2018, research was published in the journal Earth Interactions, found the divide is created by three factors: the Rocky Mountains stopping moisture from the Pacific Ocean reaching farther inland, Atlantic winter storms bringing moisture to the eastern half of the U.S., and moisture from the Gulf of Mexico moving north and curving eastward during the summer months. Powell said North America has something called the 100th meridian. The divide goes through eastern Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, the Dakotas, and the Canadian province of Manitoba. Climate scientist Richard Seager of Columbia University and his colleagues have been studying rainfall and temperature data since 1980. They have discovered that this climatic boundary has shifted east about 140 miles, so it now sits closer to the 98th meridian. They believe it will continue to move east as warming global temperatures increase evaporation from the soil and change precipitation patterns. #climatechange #weather