Nature Moments

Nathaniel T. Wheelwright

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The Songs of Trees

August 7, 2018

If you close your eyes on a breezy day, you can identify trees just by the rustle of their leaves. Are they singing to each other? For David G. Haskell, ecologist and author of The Songs of Trees, listening closely to the distinctive voices in a forest “can ignite our curiosity and get our minds into the lives of trees.”

Filed Under: Summer Tagged With: August, July, June, October, Plants, September

Climate Change: Trust But Verify

July 6, 2018

Is climate change just a hoax? It’s not … but why not follow Ronald Reagan’s advice and “trust but verify” by looking for evidence — pro or con — in your own backyard? If you pay attention to animals, plants and weather, you may discover that your neighborhood really is getting warmer.

Filed Under: Summer Tagged With: Animals, April, August, Climate Change, December, February, January, July, June, March, May, Nature Moments, November, October, Plants, September

Lichen Partnerships

June 7, 2018


Those splotches on rocks, tree trunks and twigs? Lichens! Lichens are actually a symbiosis between two major divisions of life, neither of which is a plant. And you can find them everywhere, as long as the air is not polluted.

Filed Under: Fall, Spring, Summer, Winter Tagged With: April, August, December, February, Fungi, January, July, June, March, May, November, October, September

Galls, Cankers and Witch’s Brooms

April 9, 2018


Have you ever noticed tumor-like growths on plants? Fungi, insects, mites and bacteria are like “body snatchers,” penetrating plant cells and manipulating them to produce galls, cankers and witch’s brooms for the parasites’ benefit. Fortunately, most are benign.

Filed Under: Fall, Spring, Summer, Winter Tagged With: April, August, December, February, January, July, June, March, May, November, October, Plants, September

The Odd Thing About Mosses

March 30, 2018


Mosses are among the most ancient plants on earth, and their peculiar biology shows it. The lovely leafy green plant that all of us are familiar with? It has just half the normal number of chromosomes, like an egg or sperm!

Filed Under: Fall, Spring, Summer, Winter Tagged With: April, August, December, February, January, July, June, March, May, November, October, Plants, September

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Acknowledgements

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