How to Recycle (just about) Anything

I'm always wondering what to do with the random things I collect over the years; at one point they just have to go. When I've exhausted the Second Hand Shop option and I've recycled all that I can, I have a moments hesitation before launching into the garbage something that at one point in time meant something to me or could maybe one day serve again.

Getting to the point now, I found an informative article available, FOR FREE, on Real Simple.com. (Click here)

Here are some that I found particularly interesting :

* Bring your old iPod back to the store to get 15% off the purchase of a new one and get the old one recycled properly.

* Nike recycles old sneekers into courts and running tracks. (I've seen people do it with old tires as well- such a great surface to run on!)

* You can recycle aluminum toothpaste tubes.

Take care!

Sparked Wings

My friend made this amazing video for, I'm guessing, a new Doritos flavour. Yeah, I know, that doesn't have much to do with nature and environmental things BUT, he makes the Doritos fly into the shape of a rooster. Awesome! Check it out by clicking on the following link :

Sparked Wings

A Killer Killer Whale

February this year brought it's share of distressing news. I was reading Katie Stanley's blog Labrish Jamaica: Musings on Earth and Life when I learnt that Tilikum, a killer whale trained and displayed at Orlando's Seaworld, had grabbed and drowned its trainer at the end of its performance. (You can read the entire article here.) How unsettling must that have been for the public and other trainers watching incapable of providing any assitance.

Katie goes on in her blog to relate this incident to killer whale behaviour and ecology with this striking picture to support her post.  -----­>

Killer whales are a large migratory species that cover great distances over the course of one year. Although I have no litterature to support this, common sense tells us that if a creature is used to having a lot of space and is genetically programmed to search for cooler waters at a certain time of year, it might not enjoy captivity in a area nearing the equator (although they can be found in tropical waters).

I love killer whales or orcas as some call them. Their colouration and shape, their pack hunting habits, everything about them SCREAMS predator. They are the wolves of the sea, a formidable oppenent even for larger whales. They are an apex or super predator since they have no known predators. Never will I forget the documentary showing killer whales catching and juggling seals one after the other only to let them sink to the bottom of the ocean. Even so I can not help but be in awe of them (Free Willy must of had something to do with it).

If you've seen Free Willy (1, 2, and 3), you know that the Orca plays an important part in many Native American legends.  I like this one :

''Some legends claim that the first killer whale was previously a supernatural white wolf that entered the sea and transformed into a whale. Mother Earth painted markings on the side of the killer whale as a reminder that it used to be a member of the wolf family. Indeed, both the killer whale and wolf share similar characteristics as they both have similar coloring. They both also stay and hunt in family packs. There are also legends that describe the killer whale being able to transform back and forth into a wolf.''

Although zoos play an important role in conservation efforts, public education, and create awareness about vulnerable species, it comes at a great cost: life on both sides.

Take care.

Shepherd's Purse and their Canivorous Seeds

Shepherd's Purse (Capsella bursa-pastoris), a common weed found all over Montreal, a weed I frequently unearthed from my garden, a weed I found cute enough to repot, in a adorable tiny earth pot, and take care of for months before it died of thirst (I like plants, I never once said I was any good at keeping them alive).

Well, this little plant capable of producing 50,000 seeds is CARNIVOROUS!

Actually,  it's seeds are to be more precise, which makes the seed production number quite alarming don't you think? The seeds of the Shepherd's purse are covered by mucilage, a sticky substance, that attracts, captures and digests insects (larvae mostly, we're fine). These added nutrients gives the seed a competitive edge when germinating.

I know right? Not exactly what you expected from a carnivorous plant. Bet you were thinking more on the lines of Mario Brothers, Pitcher plants, Venus Fly traps, and sundews.

Yep, Nature Rocks!




Take care!

New blog

Hey all!
I started a new blog all about yoga. No worries, I am not dropping this one but I felt it necessary to blog about my yoga practice to give myself an added incentive to practice everyday.

Check it out at wolfyoga.blogspot.com.

Take care!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

What happens when the temperature drops

These past few weeks have been hard on the east coast of southern USA. Washington received it's biggest snowstorm in 90 years on the weekend of February 5th. It was impressive. How do I know? Well, yours truely and her brave husband drove through it all the way from Virginia Beach to New York. It was scarey, driving at 30 miles an hour on the interstate, creeping past car after car after truck stuck in the ditch on either side of the road. The long moments of total darkness as the only car for miles driving through what may have been a black hole, for all we could see. Flicking on our high beams gave us the impression of jumping into hyperspeed; giant reflective snowflakes speeding towards us and swerving away at the last minute following the expertly engineered airflow around our car (thank you Saturn Ion designers).
The weather may have frustrated many an American but the impact on animal and plant populations is devastating. A recent article published in Discovery News reveals the ever increasing death toll in Florida's everglade marshes. The author reports the alarming death of over 200 manatees. These gentle aquatic cows are already on the endangered species list because of habitat degradation; biologists fear the worst for this species. They do not tolerate cold temperatures and meteorologists do not predict any warming in the near future. Florida is experiencing unusually cold temperatures and the animals there don't have central heating and 24/7 Starbucks to help them get through it.
There is a up side to these bleak conditions; the cold, as well as killing native and protected species, is killing off the tropical invasive species. Apparently, green iguanas are falling out of trees frozen and snakes are turning up frozen stiff like popscicles, this is great for the native flora and fauna ... if they survive that is.

Take care!

[Picture credits Mojo- 4th Ring Road]

Cutest nightlight ever

My brother found this amazing little thing. It's so cute that I had to share. For more pictures you can check out this post called Creative Bulb Holders.

Take care!

My most sincere apologies

This is no way to keep a blog or to treat faithful readers. (I am very fond of the precious few I have.) I've been busy, well, it's a complex blend of writer's block, stress, the loss of Internet, a snowstorm, and the preoccupations that come with moving all of your belongings to a storage facility halfway up the continent. Ooof! Now that all the crazyness is over, I'll be settling back down into a slightly more consistent posting pattern. I've got lots of fascinating topics to share, most of which are just waiting patiently as drafts. So please do come back! I promise I'll do better.

In hopes of your forgiveness, I offer you this drawing I did a couple years back - probably one of my best to date.

 

You can find more drawings I posted on Deviant Art by clicking here. 

        How about a little science behind the art. My little fairy is resting in the broad and elongated leaf of a purple orchid (which although inspired by many species, does not represent one in particular). Orchids are monocots and therefore have the characteristic simple leaf with parallel venation also found in the tulip and maize. They represent the largest group of flowering plants and although they are most abundant in the tropics, you can find species all the way up to the Arctic Circle and on land masses nearing Antarctica. 

Image by santoshnc via Flickr

    Their abundance and wide spread distribution may be linked to their highly risky and complex reproductive strategies. Their mimicry is unmatched in the plant world and their mechanisms so complex they merit their own segment (hint hint foreshadowing). Orchids produce millions of minute seeds that are dispersed mainly by the wind. Their size allows them to be transported to far off places. Their numbers allow for mutations that may insure the survival of the seedlings in various conditions.

     They are the record holders for the smallest seeds produced by vascular plants. This, however, comes at a great cost. To save space, orchid seeds do not have endosperm, stored food in the form of starch, oils, and proteins. Endosperm is what allows germination before the seedling can produce its food from the environment. Orchids bypass this need by forming a symbiotic relationship with mychorrizal fungi. Obviously this is easier said that done which is why cultivating orchids is such a challenge, but somehow they manage and produce incredible results.

If you wish to see more examples of the diversity and beauty of orchids and don't feel like playing with google images, Greg Allikas has produced this beautiful orchid slideshow you can look at by clicking here.

Take care!

OPOSSUM MANIA

Holy Moly!

Image via Wikipedia

I can't believe it. I've seen them in movies, I've seen them stuffed in museums, I've seen them in field guides and documentaries, I've seen them dead on the side of the road, and now, I've seen them alive and kicking (actually, it was probably foraging). I have seen the only representative of the marsupials naturally occurring in North America, the Virginia Opossum (Didelphis virginiana).

Zero garbage

I found this amazing blog about a women's 2009 challenge to produce zero garbage. I thought it was amazing and wanted to share. The blog is stocked full of interesting facts, links, and ideas.

Here's the link, go have a look! 
http://zerogarbagechallenge.info/

Take care!

Scrabble Enhansing Word : Dreikanter

I'm reading this fascinating book by Carl Sagan called The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark . Among other brain stunning words, I came across  

DREIKANTER.

Dreikanter is a german word meaning three sides. It is used to call naturally occuring pyramids found in Antartica but also on Mars. These pyramids, as Carl Sagan explains so expertly, are "generated by wind erosion - the splatter of fine particles picked up by strong winds blowing in the same direction and, over the years, sculpting what once were irregular hummocks into nicely symmetrical pyramids."

This picture of Mars' surface led many people to believe in the presence of life on Mars. Scientists now explain these rock formations through wind erosion. [Picture Credits Erol Torun]

Take care!

We've reached 1000!

Wow! I'm very excited. There have been 1000 different people from around the world that have viewed this little blog. Mindboggling if you think about it. Who would of thought that somehow, my words would find a way to reach 46 different countries, some of which, I am sad to say, I had never heard of.

To celebrate this milestone and the many more to come, I offer you Harry the Horned Octopus (Eledone cirrhosa).

 I met Harry during my Fisheries and Wildlife Management field course which took place in New Brunswick (north-eastern Atlantic). I was so excited to meet my first live octopus that all other finds we're abandoned and I stood watch by the bucket making sure the water stayed cold and occasionally letting it grab hold of my fingers with its little tentacles. What an experience. Yes, I felt the guilt of having partaken in ripping it out of its habitat at the bottom of the ocean and hauling it on board only then to be dumped on the deck with rocks, clams, sea stars and other fascinating creatures.  But it was nothing compared to my exhilaration.

Harry was probably around 15-20 cm (~6-8") from the tip of its head to the end of its tentacles. It's mantle (skin) was covered with little lumps. I identified the species thanks to the two little horns, one above each eye. I failed to notice however the number of sucker disk rows on each tentacle or if it's third right arm was shorter and thinner than the rest. If it had been, it would have confirmed Harry as being a male. (So we'll never really know if Harry should of been called Harriette.) Colour wise, it changed between red, beige, and browns either uniform colours or speckled. It was amazing to watch it change so rapidly. (Harry went red when its attempts of escape where thwarted with the palm of my hand. It then sank to the bottom only to attempt again on the other side of the bucket taking the time to change its colour to a light beige, I guess trying to blend in with the white bucket). Unfortunately, like most octopus species, there is not much information available on the Horned Octopus. Harry didn't survive the trip from the boat to the lab, probably due to stress related to handling, temperature, and pressure changes.

RIP Harry.

Cyane's Octopus

Image via Wikipedia

If you've been following my blog, you might know that I absolutely adore octopi. While surfing the web, I found these "funny" videos about the Cyane's octopus (Octopus cyanea) also known as the Big Blue octopus or the Day octopus. This octopus is commonly found in Australia's Great Barrier Reef but it's range extends from Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean to East Coast of Africa and the Indian Ocean. 

Contraily to most octopi, O. cyanea is diurnal, it hunts during the day. To facilitate it's hunt, it can ,at will, change it's colouration and texture to match that of it's environment. (You can't say that's not cool, right?) With a mantle reaching an average radius of 16cm (~7") and it's legs extending to 80cm (~32"), O. cyanea is relatively large.

It's size and way of life makes O. cyanea a 

master of camouflage and visual deception.

Video1 : Mating Ritual where we learn that even octopi are sensitive about their "size"



 Video 2: O. cyanea out hunting where we learn another way they make sure they are left alone




For more information click here and scroll down.

Take care!

Photosynthetic Sea Slug

Presenting Elysia chlorotica, a photosynthetic sea slug. This slimy critter is the first known multicellular animal to harness the power of photosynthesis. A team of scientists from the University of Maine lead by Mary Rumpho were astonished to discover that the algae eating E. chlorotica not only steals its food's chloroplasts (photosynthetic cells) but also the DNA sequence necessary to keep them functioning. A feat in itself but the leaf-shaped sea slug does not stop there, they also found evidence that the stolen DNA could then be passed on to the next generation. Is this the begging of the next generation of organisms? The solution to world hunger? Unfortunately, even if we wanted it with all our hearts, no vegetarian or vegan diet out there will allow humans to gain access to the wealth of the suns power through our stomachs,"[o]ur digestive tract just chews all that stuff up - the chloroplasts and the DNA" Rumpho was quick to clarify to NewScientist's journalist. There is much to discover about our neighbours in the sea.

Interested? Read more about it on msnbc.com and NewScientist.com.

Oh well, I guess there is no need to worry about matching our wardrobe to the green hue of our skin anytime soon

Take care!

James Cameron's Avatar: An Activist Survival Guide

I have just discovered the book I was dreaming about. Of course the marketing team behind Avatar would have pushed for the publication of a Survival Guide to the wonderful and exciting world of Pandora. I mean, they know the market. 


You can buy it on Amazon.com for about 11$. They also offer a free peak inside. It's designed to look like a used field guide with crumpled pages and pictures that are stuck in with paper clips and tape. With only 224 pages and I'm guessing lots of big pictures, I wonder how many plants are covered in this book. Oh well, we'll see.

Avatar: A Confidential Report on the Biological and Social History of Pandora (James Cameron's Avatar)


Take care!

The World of Avatar

Image via Wikipedia

...and it's resemblances to existing earth creatures.



I confess, I went to see James Cameron's Avatar twice, once in a regular movie theater and the second time in IMAX 3D. This movie is amazing. Story aside, it's a visual masterpiece. The universe created on the scene is complete, the level of details is mind boggling, and the species extraordinary yet maintain a level of familiarity. In some cases, the species used are magnified and glorified and spliced versions of creatures present on our very earth and in our oceans.

I will mention only the few I can think of off the top of my head and which required little to no further research for the moment. Having seen the movie might help understand what I'm refering too as I have no footage of the movie to support my findings.

In the forests of Pandora, plants are gigantic. My darling hubster noticed was he described as tentacle like plants which disappointedly weren't carnivorous. He expected them to unravel and grab an unsuspecting skyperson (to use the Na'vi term for human) and rip it apart or something exciting of the sort. I laughed and shook my head. He was referring to the giant Fiddleheads, baby ferns to be romantinc. To be more scientific, Fiddeleheads are the unfurled fronds of young ferns. Young ferns unroll as it emerges from the ground. Certain species are harvested in early spring for consumption in Asia, Australia, New Zealand and North America. They are not farmed therefore they must be sustainably and manually harvested from the forest. A word of caution for the brave and adventurous eaters, fiddleheads must be cooked before eating as they do contain toxins - a necessary protection against herbivores.

The second plant/organism that stood out was the retractable spirally plant Jake Sully (main character) plays with on his first official outing in Pandora in his avatar. When I saw it on screen, my zoology class instantly came to mind. I introduce to you, dear reader, the Christmas tree worm.

[Picture on the left by  Peter Landecker and on right by Jim Kasson]

These little creatures are sedentary tube-building worms with stunning breathing and filter-feeding apparatus which resemble a christmas tree. And, they are retractable! Each worm has two colourful fir-shaped crowns. They are present all over the world and are a favorite of divers. The feather-like tentacles are called radioles and are designed to move trapped food to the worm's mouth and serve as gills for breathing purposes.

The movie version has been identified as an Helicoradian. Avatar Wiki describes it as follows : 

"Helicoradian (also known as Loreyu, meaning "beautiful spiral") is a zooplantae (part animal, part plant) possessing a single leaf that responds to touch by coiling up and retracting to the ground. Its neuromuscular system makes it difficult for xenobiologists to classify. Helicoradia can grow to 6-8 meters (20-26 feet) in height and 2.5 meters (8.2 feet) across.
The Na'vi use leaves of the Helicoradian to make ornate ceremonial robes and other garments, tents and sacks. Orange pigments in leaves can be extracted and used for paint. 
The helicoradian is a type of "sensitive zooplantae" that responds to touch by coiling up so that the single large leaf is no longer exposed to any herbivores that would eat it. Because it grows in clusters, the touch response, or thigmonasty, by one helicoradian often triggers the same response in others growing nearby so that the entire population recoils, one plant after another. This retraction is both defensive and an effective feeding mechanism to trap insects and small animals.
The Na'vi are able to wander among the helicoradian without triggering this defense response, but are warned of the presence of danger when the helicoradian start to retract."

I wonder who did the research for background botany of this movie, I would love to meet this person, not to mention own the Pandora Botany book. (Such a nerd...sigh...) My brother uses the term "Avatreckie", to describe people like myself and my hubby, that enjoy Avatar a little too much - so be it, Avatreckie we are.

Next Avatar post, I'll tell you why I don't think their sacred tree is a plant.

Happy New Year!

Pandora, the planet behind Avatar

Have you seen Avatar? 

Twelve Days of Christmas - Epiphany Reached

Well, it seems that even though I took on this task at the beginning of the month, the holidays caught up with me. Here is the end of this Holiday Favorite.

Seven Swans a-Swimming

The last of the animal/plant based gift.  Do you recall the story of the Ugly Duckling? The little grey cygnet that didn't fit in with the other ducklings in the pond until he turned into a majestic white bird and out shined all the others. I like it. Anyway, moving on. 

The concerned species is probably the European Mute Swan (Cygnus olor). Here are some random facts on swans.

Swans are beautiful birds that mate for life which is why they are often used are a symbole of longlasting love. 

An adult male is called a cob and a female a pen. 

They are one of the largest flying birds alive today. 

Northern hemisphere species are pure white while southern hemisphere species have black feathers contrasting with their overall white. 

I hope you had a wonderful holiday and wish you the best for the new year. If you didn't already know, here are the last five days of the Twelve Days of Christmas. 

Eight Maids a-Milking

Nine Ladies Dancing

Ten Lords a Leaping

Eleven Pippers Pipping

Twelve Drummers Drumming

Take care!

Let is Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow

In celebration of the light dusting of snow Virginia Beach received last Saturday, I give you another lyrical science piece written during a beautiful snowstorm in Montreal last year. Enjoy.

The rapidly approaching Christmas frenzy and the cooling of the exterior air stimulates, in most northern dwelling people, a euphoric feeling and expectancy that can only be heightened by the arrival of snow. Even in my earliest childhood memories, the first snow fall is always accompanied with joyful leaps and spontaneous outbursts of festive song. The effect of snow on children is such that teachers can often predict an upcoming storm without the help of high tech instruments, simply by evaluating the restlessness of the classroom.

Image by Vlastula via Flickr

As snowflakes gently float down from above, lightly dusting the ground below, one might wonder what magic lies behind these intricate shapes. Snow and rain falls generally occur after a warmer period; water molecules evaporate and condense in the sky gathering together to form the fluffy white clouds. As they dance upon the wind, these molecules will encounter other particles like dust, bacteria, and other water molecules with which they shall form bonds and, if the temperature is low enough, they will crystallize. 


Water takes on a hexagonal conformation in its crystalline state and additional molecules will adhere in a six sided fashion creating the characteristic snowflake shape. When their combined weight exceeds the elevating strength of the wind, they tumble through the air masses towards the earth. If the air temperature remains cold throughout their descent, the crystals will remain, if not, they shall return to liquid or semi-liquid form.

Image by Liralen Li via Flickr

As snow falls gently upon your bundled up form, dimming sounds and prompting the appearance of a healthy glow on exposed areas, take a moment to observe the intricate beauty of their translucent shapes. You should rejoice and be amazed by the abundance of shapes, sizes and patterns, a vivid testimony to nature's creativity. The accumulation of their individuality upon the sleeping land appears as a blanket of downy whiteness to our eyes because of the light reflecting and refracting through their crystalline bodies. Rest assured that the light blue tinge, which freshly fallen snow sometime takes on, is not a trick of your mind,but is linked to the slight preference of the ice crystal lattice to absorb red light and refract blue. (Yellow snow is a whole other ball game.)

Image via Wikipedia

In the past years, the snow fall and accumulation has diminished and has been replaced with increasing rain and sleet. Knowledgeable scientists associate this reduction with the increasing heat capturing capacity of our atmosphere; crystals are still forming in the sky but they cannot maintain their form on falling, to our greatest desolation when we awaken to a green and rainy Christmas morn. Bringing more meaning to the classic Christmas song "White Christmas" by Bing Crosby. 

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas, 

just like the ones I used to know... 

Merry Christmas!

Six Geese a Laying

On the sixth day of Christmas, 
my true love gave to me:
Six Geese a laying,
Five Gold Rings,
Four Colly Birds,
Three French Hens,
Two turtle doves, and
A partridge in a pear tree.



For the sake of those paying attention, yes, I skipped over the fifth day of Christmas. Gold rings, although made from a naturally occurring precious metal, I'm no Geologist; I'll just stick to what I know - plants and animals. Day six, showers us with yet another animal based gift. Not only are we receiving six Geese, but they are laying. Geese, as you may know, are also a somewhat domesticated fowl that one would keep for its meat and eggs. Contrarily to the hens, which have a repetitive and short egg cycle, geese only lay eggs once a year and it takes them a while (between 1 and 2 years) to reach a size worthy of the table. However, by giving this cumbersome gift of soon to be overprotective snapping females, this person's true love is yet prooving his worth as a provider but also improving the social status of the receiver - the bigger the gaggle of geese, the wealthier the owner is. As interesting as this may be, I could not identify a specific species, so here is my favorite fun goose fact.

A large goose can snap your arm with a beat of it's wing.

Take care!

Tool Wielding Octopi

The octopus is by far my favorite animal. It is considered the most intelligent invertebrate in the world and I think it's the cutest.

Image by Borneo-Aquanerds via Flickr

My friend sent my this link to this amazing video of a Indonesian Veined Octopus (Amphioctopus marginatus) using coconut husks to build itself a shelter. Not only is this octopus shown building a shelter, it's also shown transporting the coconuts from one place to another. It can no longer be considered an impromptu utilization of its environment; some cognitive decision was made.  
The use of tools is frequently used to separated the "higher organisms" like humans and primates from the rest.

Click the following link to watch the video :
http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/index.php?cl=17147353

Yeah for Octopi!
Take care!

Four Calling Birds

On the fourth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me

Four Calling Birds,
Three French Hens,
Two Turtle Doves, and
A partridge in a pear tree.



Calling birds is an Americanization of the traditional English Colly birds. "Colly" is a dialect word meaning "black as coal". Colly bird or Black bird most likely refers to the Common Blackbird, Turdus merula.

The Common Blackbird is an old world thrush native to Europe, Asia and North Africa. It was successfully

Image via Wikipedia

introduced to Australia and New Zealand.The male of this species is black with yellow eye rings and bill. The female and juvenile, like most passerine birds, have dark brown mottled plumage.

Both male and female and territorial and will defend their carefully built, mud-lined, cup shaped nest.
It has a pleasant and distinctive song - a medley of chirps and whistles - and various warning calls.


I found this Youtube video by a patient birdwatcher. You can hear and see a Common Blackbird from Szlovákia. 




Take care!

Three French Hen

 [Thank you]

On the third day of Christmas, my true love sent to me

Three French Hens,

Two Turtle Doves,

 and

A Partridge in a Pear tree

This is a tough one seeing that French Hen's aren't a particular species. It's most probably a reference to a variety of chicken that was developed in France. There are three main varieties of French Chicken that may have inspired this song, the Crevecoeur, the Houdans, and the La Fleche.

The chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus) is thought to have first been domesticated in Vietnam. It is the most common and widespread domesticated animal. Chicken's live in flocks and are omnivorous ground feeders. Their flying ability is limited but they are good runner. They will chase you ferociously and for a considerable distance if angered and their peck is painful.

The Crevecoeur is a black crested bird probably derived from a Polish breed. It originated is Normandy and is reputed as not being very friendly. It's egg and meat production is average and therefore this breed is mainly used for show. 

It's name, in French, literally translated means Break/Rupture Heart - maybe because they are not very nice.

The Houdans are appreciated for their meat and large white eggs. They differ morphologically from the Crevecoeur by their mottled black and white colouration (in some cases pure white), a fifth toe and a beard.They are named after the place they were bred.

Mypetchicken.com qualifies them as docile and easy the find and raise in the States. Like the Crevecoeur, the Houdan is qualified as ornamental.

Last but not least, the La Fleche - meaning the arrow in french. The La Fleche is black with white cheeks.  This breed is very rare and is distinguished from other ornamental chicken's by the pair of spikes instead of the usual comb (they look like little devil horns).

Image via Wikipedia

I close this post with a entry from the Guiness Book of World Records, the oldest chicken was female and died of a heart attack at the ripe of age of 16. No information was provided to whether the chicken was eaten or not.

After all this, I still do not care much for chickens, the only thing they have got going for them is how cute and fuzzy they look as chicks.

 Take care!

Two Turtle Doves

On the second day of Christmas, my true love gave to me:

Two Turtle Doves and

a partridge in a pear tree.

The Turtle dove, Streptopelia turtur, is a recognized emblem of love since the species is renoun for it's strong pair bond. Contrarily to most illustrations of this second verse, the Turtle dove, strickly speaking, is not white.  However, the name Turtle dove is sometimes mistakenly used for the Ring-neck dove (S. capicola) and the Collard dove (S. decaocto). Such confusion strengthens my resolve about the importance of latin names. S. turtur is native to Europe and North Africa, between which it migrates back and forth.

Image via Wikipedia

The Turtle dove is brownish with dark and white specks across it's wings and the side of it's neck. This pattern that vaguely recalls a turtle's shell may be responsible for this bird's common name. It's latin name, S. turtur, refers to the call it makes during the male's mating display.

It's tail is wedge shaped. The central feathers are dark with white tips and framed with white feathers on either side. The tail feathers are frequently flaired during flight, displaying the stunning colouration for the pleasure of onlookers.


I have never had the pleasure to observe a Turtle dove in the wild, I therefore leave you with this pretty painting Wikipedia so gratiously presented to me. 

Image via Wikipedia

Take care!

P.S. For the sake of my insatiable curiosity, do you have an advent calendar and if so, do you prefer it to hold daily chocolates?

The Twelve Days of Christmas

                                                                                                                                       Thanks for the image

The official Twelve Days of Christmas begin on December 25th and end January 5th, right before Epiphany. I am beginning on December 1st because this song popped into my head this afternoon as hubster and I were debating whether a Norfolk pine could substitute for our traditional Balsam Fir Christmas Tree (although the latter is not native to Virginia, it's smell is essential for my enjoyment of this festive time, the topic is still up for debate). Each lyric of this text holds mnemonic clues for the basic teachings of Christian faith. This song is reputed to have been created in the 16th century to enable the secret transmission of Christian instruction to the children of England during the reformation. However, there is no hard evidence in this matter. You may read about the hidden Christian Teachings here. Other sources say that this song comes from a translation from the french which in turn came from a translation from the Greek and much of the lyrics are translation errors or linked to Greek mythology. Which ever origin you choose to believe makes little to no difference for the following posts as I shall be looking at today's song from a scientific/biological point-of-view.
Let's begin shall we. 
 

On the first day of Christmas,
my true love gave to me                   
A partridge in a Pear Tree
 



                                                                                                                                                             Thanks
The partridge is a non-migratory, ground-nesting bird native to Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle-East. The specific partridge illustrated in most illustrations related to this song is most probably the Grey Partridge (Perdix perdix) as it is the most common species. It has been successfully introduced to North-America and is a favoured hunting target.

Image via Wikipedia

This bird does fly although not as gracefully as the swallow and generally only for short boubts generally brought on by being scared or flushed from bushes. Although it does not build it's nest in trees, it can find refuge in tree branches if the need be.
 They are related to the bigger and more commonly known and more colourful pheasant.

Partridge annecdote, I travelled by bus from St-Andrew's Scotland to Ullapool - approximately a 4hr trip if I remember correctly - and during this trip, three partridges managed to fly directly into the bus.


The pear tree is native to coastal areas of western Europe all the way to Asia including the north Africa. They are medium size trees comparable to the apple tree. Most species are cold hardy which allows them to be cultivated in Quebec, Canada where winter temperatures can drop below -40 degrees Celsius. Pears have been cultivated in China for over 3000 years. The Romans also cultivated pears, however, they did not eat them raw. China, Italy and the United States are the present days main pear producers and exporters.

The pear, is botanically referred to as a pome, same for the apple. The five petaled flower of the pear tree is generally white, rarely tinted pink or yellow. It is, at time, impossible to tell a pear tree from an apple tree without tasting it's fruit; the pear has a gritty texture because of the presence of sclerids or stone cells - structural cells with a hardened secondary wall.
Pears are a good source of fiber which helps with the regulation of intestinal absorption of glucose and digested fats in addition to preventing constipation.

Pears ripen from the inside out which explains why you and I have frequently found ourself biting into what we believed to be a wonderfully juicy pear only to find it to be rotten at the core. You can avoid these situations, test for ripeness by gently pressing near the stem with your thumb. If it's soft, the pear is most probably ready to eat. Pears don't ripen on the tree, they are harvested before that happens. To speed up the ripening on a pear (or any fruit), place it in a brown paper bag for a couple days. This closed environment will capture the ripening gas, ethylene, produced by the fruit and it's increased concentration will cause the fruit to ripen faster. The more fruit in the bag together, the faster the ripening process will be (to a certain point). To keep a pear slightly longer, keep in a cool open space. Now, if only pears traveled better, they might compete with the apple as my favored on the go snack. 
Take care!