Juvenile Cardinal

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I’ve seen several rounds of juvenile robins in my shade garden so maybe I shouldn’t have been surprised when a juvenile cardinal was there recently. The bird perched on a hose I had used to water the area after some of the vegetation looked like it was not getting enough water to offset the high heat. I saw the bird from my office chair and took the pictures through the window!

The adult feathers were just beginning to come in. At first, I assumed that the bird was a female but the area around the eye is red already --- so probably a male.  

Plastics Crisis: Getting Focused

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In early August, I saw an article that made the point that the World Cannot Recycle Its Way Out of Plastics Crisis. A few days later, I saw the notice for a community workshop about using less plastic and I registered. They sent out a list of documentaries and webinars to view prior to the workshop. I viewed almost all of them; they were all good and thought provoking but the tipping point for me was Dr. Megan Wolff’s webinar on plastics and health presented for Missouri River Bird Observatory in March 2025; I highly recommend viewing this in its entirety to everyone that is concerned about health of the planet and every living thing on it, including ourselves.

I have been concerned about single use plastics for the past few years. Stories reporting about how microplastics (and nanoplastics) being found in more and more parts of our bodies keep coming out …and how they are damaging to health. Most of the data has been correlations, but recent research it pointing to the details of how the small bits of plastic cause problems.  

A few days after watching the video, the news came out: Global plastic treaty talks end in failure as countries remain bitterly divided over how to tackle the crisis. There was an attempt to hold out some hope: Plastic pollution treaty talks adjourn, but countries want to ‘remain at the table’: UNEP chief. I wondered how many people even noticed the news. I did another search and found a bit more information: How a global plastic treaty could cut down pollution—if the world can agree on one. The articles name Saudi Arabia, Russia, and Iran and the large presence of people working for oil and gas firms and plastic manufacturers as the group that wants to ‘manage waste’ instead of capping production (and if production is not capped it is projected to climb dramatically). Based on a story from Reuters it appears that the United States, the world's number two plastics producer behind China, should have been listed with the three other countries blocking a deal. One positive development was that top plastics producer China publicly acknowledged the need to address the full-life cycle of plastics.

I am planning to do a series of posts on the Plastics Crisis as I learn more…as I search for a course of action that can make a difference. My next post will be after I attend the workshop.

Luna Moths Finale?

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Back in the first week of August, a lot of luna moths I had raised from tiny caterpillars to cocoons emerged within a couple of days.

I had already taken eggs, cocoons, and moths to the Butterfly House, so I simply enjoyed the show…deciding to release the moths near my house. I quickly discovered that the mating moths don’t want to be moved…they stayed in the cage. And then there were eggs on the side of the cage.

I finally had some that were single again to release…although some were still reluctant. They would fly a short distance and not always toward a tree. I managed to move a few from the cage directly to my dogwood tree; it isn’t a food plant for caterpillars, but it did provide shelter for them. Eventually they all flew away.

The release I enjoyed the most was of a female moth that was clinging to my finger. She vibrated in place – revving – and then flew gracefully away and up to perch in a river birch.

I kept the eggs and let them hatch. Several references said that luna moth caterpillars ate maple leaves…so it was something worth trying. They did not eat the maple leaves at all! I was so hoping the maple would be acceptable to them because I have a maple in my yard.

I still have some cocoons that seem to be viable, but they have not emerged yet. I am beginning to wonder if those cocoons are going to not emerge until next spring!

Gleanings of the Week Ending August 23, 2025

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The items below were ‘the cream’ of the articles and websites I found this past week. Click on the light green text to look at the article.

The strange-but-true origin story of the humble potato - Scientists have known that potatoes are most closely related to two groups of plants — the tomatoes and a cluster of three species called Etuberosum. Certain genes suggested that potatoes were more closely related to tomatoes, while other genes gave the impression that potatoes and Etuberosum had the closer relationship. The interbreeding event occurred some 9 million years ago, which happened to be excellent timing for the potato. This is when the Andes were forming and lots of cold and dry high elevation habitat was appearing.

Pompeii’s Secret Second Life Revealed by Latest Archaeological Finds - Shortly after Pompeii was buried in up to 20 feet of ash and pumice, people returned, some to sift opportunistically through the ruble, and others to try and restart their lives as best they could. The redevelopment had Rome’s backing. By the 5th century, life in the ruined city grew even more strained following the structural damage dealt by resurgent seismic activity, including a second eruption of Vesuvius in 472 C.E. Within 150 years, Roman life at Pompeii appears to have ended. This time for good.

Why lung cancer is a 'hidden epidemic' in this part of the world - There are almost no nerve endings in the lungs, so in the early stages, the most common symptom of lung cancer is no symptom at all. And when symptoms do appear, they are often quite generic — chest pain, coughing up blood, and difficulty breathing. So, doctors in sub-Saharan Africa often misdiagnose lung cancer patients as having tuberculosis, given the high burden in the region. Patients would go through the whole treatment regimen for tuberculosis and not really be investigated for lung cancer. Those lost six to nine months of possible treatment can be deadly, since 55% of people with lung cancer die within a year.

Should we all be taking vitamin supplements? - Evidence is starting to grow that popping a daily multivitamin could be beneficial for health, particularly for older adults. "Mega-dosing", or taking quantities of vitamins higher than the recommended daily allowance, is not recommended.

The Amazon Rainforest Approaches a Point of No Return - Under increasing threats from rampant deforestation and climate change, portions of the Amazon now emit more carbon to the atmosphere than they absorb. The southern Amazon has become hotter and drier, with less soil moisture, lowered water tables, and a higher-than-normal rate of tree mortality. Scientists now believe the Amazon could reach its tipping point — when it loses its natural ability to regenerate and will become permanently degraded — as soon as 2050. The impacts will reverberate globally.

The Many Types of Fluids That Flow in Yellowstone - Yellowstone is no doubt one of the most dynamic places on Earth. The many types of fluids that flow between the mantle and the atmosphere generate explosive volcanic and geyser eruptions, create lava flows, bubbling mud pots, and very rare sulfur flows, and they span nearly the full range of possible material viscosities.

New, Implanted Device Could Offer a Long-Elusive, Drug-Free Treatment for Rheumatoid Arthritis - In late July, the United States Food and Drug Administration approved an implant that uses electrical signals to control inflammation by tapping into the vagus nerve—a pair of nerves that connect the brain with important internal organs. The move marks the first time an electrical therapy has been approved for the treatment of any autoimmune disease.

Midwestern butterfly count: Big data yields bad news and clues – A study of 4.3 million observations in the U.S. Midwest from 1992–2023 to characterize changes in butterfly biodiversity. The results: 59 of the 136 species declined in abundance over the study. Both common and rare butterflies are waning.

104 Grams of Protein For $1.50? - How much ribeye steak is needed to reach 104 grams of protein? It would be about 19 ounces of ribeye steak, which costs $12–20 per pound, and premium cuts can cost more. The ribeye would cost about $14 on the low end or a bit over $20 on the high for the non-premium cuts. The black-eyed peas are only $1.50.

Historic Artifacts from Frank Lloyd Wright’s Only Skyscraper Saved by Conservancy – The Price Tower has been in the news over the past few years…controversy and renovations promised never done. Some objects from the building were sold in a breach of the easement on the building…and now they have been purchased by the Frank Lloyd Wright Conservancy to avoid their being dispersed; the plan is for them to be returned to the building after renovation. The post includes pictures!

Life Magazine in 1940

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Internet Archive has digitized versions of many Life Magazines. I have been browsing through them – slowly since there was an issue for each week. As I looked at the issues from 1940, I thought about my parents in elementary school then and becoming more aware of the war as they got older. Their families were probably listening to the radio but many of the reports must have seemed very far away, and it is unlikely that saw the pictures in Life Magazine. (Click on any of the sample images below to see a larger version.)

 Life Magazine 1940-01-01 – War’s impact on the London Zoo

Life Magazine 1940-01-08 – Trucks from the US going to France for troops

Life Magazine 1940-01-15 – Torpedoed British freighter goes down in the Atlantic

Life Magazine 1940-01-22 – Finnish people fleeing the war

Life Magazine 1940-01-29 – War in Turkey

Life Magazine 1940-02-05 – Swedish aviators

Life Magazine 1940-02-12 – Hardship in Spain

Life Magazine 1940-02-19 – In Russia

Life Magazine 1940-02-26 – Germans in Poland

 

Life Magazine 1940-03-04 – Life in Miami

Life Magazine 1940-03-11 – Maginot Line

Life Magazine 1940-03-18 – Coco Cola ad

Life Magazine 1940-03-35 - Plastics

Life Magazine 1940-04-01 – Niblets corn ad

Life Magazine 1940-04-08 – Stratoliner plane

Life Magazine 1940-04-15 - Fashion

Life Magazine 1940-04-15 – A German-transport armada crosses to Norway

Life Magazine 1940-04-29 – Europe’s sea power

 

Life Magazine 1940-05-06 – Shirley Temple

Life Magazine 1940-05-13  - British destroyer crew rides waves of North Sea after Germans sink ship

Life Magazine 1940-05-20 – German Blitzkrieg

Life Magazine 1940-05-27 – British in Belgium

Life Magazine 1940-06-03 – Germany’s fighting forces

Life Magazine 1940-06-10 – German private with a French flag captured in battle

Life Magazine 1940-06-17 – British wounded

Life Magazine 1940-06-24 – Mussolini struts his stuff as prelude to war

 

Life Magazine 1940-07-01 – Britons aim at the sky, send children to the US

Life Magazine 1940-07-08 – Admiral Byrd’s expedition to the Arctic

Life Magazine 1940-07-15 – Imaginary invasion of Britain

Life Magazine 1940-07-22 – British children housed in an American Castle by the Sea

Life Magazine 1940-07-29 – Easter in Paris

Life Magazine 1940-08-05 – Vacation at the Grand Canyon

Life Magazine 1940-08-12 – Japanese bomb Chungking

Life Magazine 1940-08-19 – Parachute practice

Life Magazine 1940-08-26 – War in English Channel and over London

 

Life Magazine 1940-09-02 – The Oval Office

Life Magazine 1940-09-09 – German bombers try to break civilian morale

Life Magazine 1940-09-16 – Heart diseases a major factor in US death rate

Life Magazine 1940-09-23 – Hitler tries to destroy London

Life Magazine 1940-09-30 – The bombing of London

Life Magazine 1940-10-07 – Bombing of London (damage)

Life Magazine 1940-10-14 – Praying for Great Britain in Washington’s National Cathedral

Life Magazine 1940-10-21 – US Industry

Life Magazine 1940-10-28 – The US Navy

 

Life Magazine 1940-11-04 – International Trucks

Life Magazine 1940-11-11 – Hitler’s Reich Chancellery

Life Magazine 1940-11-18 – Times Square on Election Night

Life Magazine 1940-11-25 – The world’s biggest ship leaves New York to join the war at sea

Life Magazine 1940-12-02 – Mussolini tries to break Greece

Life Magazine 1940-12-09 - Gibraltar

Life Magazine 1940-12-16 – German plane crash

Life Magazine 1940-12-23 – Ruins of Coventry

Life Magazine 1940-12-30 – Germans in Paris

What is eating the pokeweed?

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I have learned to tolerate pokeweed (Phytolacca americana) in many places in my Missouri yard…where it provides lush greenery…eye-catching magenta stems…flowers for small pollinators…food for birds.

This is the first year I have noticed that something is eating the leaves.

I thought perhaps it could be Giant Leopard Moth (Hypercompe Scribonia) caterpillars that are reported to eat the plant….but I have never seen them on the plants.

I did see some frass one morning (the fly is for size comparison) but the caterpillars are apparently stealthy.  The mystery is not a bad thing necessarily; it motivates me to check the plants more frequently…and I’m pleased that the pokeweed leaves are food for something rather than remaining pristine!

Big Landscaping Change – Tweaking the Plan

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The Missouri Master Naturalist chapter meeting this month was about the Lake Springfield Boathouse Garden. As we walked around the boathouse and learned the history (and challenge) of some of the plantings, I realized that I was mentally tweaking the plan for my front yard.

The beautyberry at the Boathouse is thriving and it provides winter food for birds. I have one in my backyard and am going to plant another one in the front yard rather than a wild hydrangea which was not doing well at the Boathouse.

The serviceberry at the Boathouse was about 4 years old and had already lost most of its leaves (i.e. young trees might not have pretty fall color). I am still going to plant one, but I am adding a spicebush to my list to enhance the near-term look of the garden.

The big bluestem clumps looked great in the back of the garden at the Boathouse. They would be great to provide a different color and shape among the other plants in my front yard. The garden is on the south side of the house so the plants will always get some sun for part of the day…so the grass should thrive long term.

The cup plants are insect magnets, but they are too tall for the front garden. I decided to buy some to plant along my back fence (I can put some twine looped to the fence to hold them up).

It could be 4 years before the new plantings are big enough to look like I want – but there should be improvement each year. I might add some nectar plants like coreopsis next spring. To fill in around the young plants

I’m going to trim some of my larger plants before they get buds/are too tall (like gray headed coneflower and pokeweed) to see if I can keep them short enough to use as front yard plants too. I’ll do that experiment in my backyard next spring with the plants already established there.

After this first round of tweaking – the plantings I will buy in early October are:

  • Roundleaf groundsel  Golden ragwort Packera aurea (3) (change made because of what the native plant vendor offers)

  • Blue Wild Indigo Baptisia australis (3)

  • American Beautyberry Callicarpa americana

  • Big bluestem Andropogon gerardii (2)

  • Spicebush Lindera benzoin

  • Serviceberry Amelanchier arboria

  • Pawpaw Asimina triloba (2- one for the front and one for backyard)

  • Cup plant Silphium perfoliatum (2 for backyard)

The plan for before winter comes is:

  • Order more wood chips/mulch and complete making the new bed (lots of work)

  • Place order for plants to be picked up the first week in October

  • Make 811 request (need to do before digging)

  • Plant (lots of work…but maybe not as much as making the new bed)

  • And, of course, continued pulling of weeds as they come up in my new landscaping area!

  • I am making a diagram to guide my planting…and will in include it in my next progress report.

Previous posts about Big Landscaping Change

Thinking of my Mother

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I cut one of the naked lady lilies to bring indoors – a single stem in a vase that easily fits on the windowsill.

The flowers remind me of my mother. The bulbs came from her garden to mine a few weeks before she died. Until this year, I had thought they hadn’t survived the emergency transplanting in January 2023. When I noticed the three stalks with blooms (I had missed the foliage in the early summer), they prompted memories of her last decade.

  • Her joy when they bloomed in August. She could see the sea of pink blooms from her garden room. She would sit by the largest window in the morning sun to read the paper or make notes….or she would look up from working on the jigsaw puzzle. The scene of the outdoors called to her repeatedly.

  • Her desire to be outdoors among the blooms. She frequently went outdoors when it was cool enough (generally only in the morning in August) to see the flowers either from the edge of the patio or wading into the flower bed to cut a few stems. Toward the end of the decade, a walker was increasingly required, and the family tried to accompany her into the beds….although she still managed some solo forays and (thankfully) came back unscathed.

  • Her making of bouquets. The naked lady lilies are not ‘day’ lilies, so they lasted longer after they were cut. She would sometimes have a vase full of just the lilies, but other times would combine them with other plants….but always the lilies were the standout of the bouquets for the duration of their bloom time.

I have some other plants from my mother’s garden (chives and irises are the ones thriving), but the naked lady lilies are the ones that prompt the most memories…her good times in August.

Spicebush Caterpillar Update

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After a hard rain – I checked to see if the caterpillars were surviving on the spicebush. I had seen 4 very tiny ones when I checked a week ago. I found a very tiny one right way and then two that were probably from the group I saw last week. One was completely enfolded in a leaf and was probably waiting to dry out a bit before venturing out. The other was partially in a leaf…looked like it had eaten part of its hiding place!

Hopefully I will have some that will survive to become Spicebush Swallowtail butterflies.

I didn’t look over the entire plant…it could be that there were other caterpillars although birds could have eaten some of them. Caterpillars are – after all – high quality bird food.

Butterfly House – August 2025

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So many things to see in the Botanical Garden and the Roston Native Butterfly House this month. There are plenty of native plants in bloom in the rain garden on the walk between the Botanical Center and the house….but I just take a quick look since I want a few minutes to get things cleaned up before turning the sign to ‘open.’

Sometimes we find butterflies that have died overnight. I took a picture of one before we put it in the small bin we keep for butterflies that have succumbed. Another morning I found the 4 parts of a cecropia moth’s wings scattered on the floor; maybe a mouse ate the body during the night?

I like to see butterflies getting nectar from flowers…but sometimes it is enough to see them ‘resting.’ There are often fresh zinnias for the butterflies – freshly cut from the Master Gardener area of the Botanical Gardens. And there is always something blooming in the house itself. I like the Zen of the place when there aren’t many people but there is always the magic of a child’s wonder seeing a butterfly in a way they haven’t before.

The caterpillar that was ‘new to me’ this month was a Zebra Swallowtail…large enough to make its chrysalis – picked up off the floor when it was trying to leave the plant!

The moths are easily photographed because they are not very active during the day. The Luna moth is my favorite….but the Polyphemus is beautiful too. They, along with the Cecropia, have large caterpillars that are always interesting to visitors.

Gleanings of the Week Ending August 16, 2025

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The items below were ‘the cream’ of the articles and websites I found this past week. Click on the light green text to look at the article.

Fall 2025 International Student Enrollment Outlook and Economic Impact – The drop in new international student enrollment in the United States this fall could result in a 15 percent drop in overall enrollment. This drop would result in nearly $7 billion in lost revenue and more than 60,000 fewer jobs.

Woodpeckers thrive where missiles fly. How a bombing range became a wildlife refuge - A U.S. Air Force bombing range in Florida has become a sanctuary for endangered species like the red-cockaded woodpecker!

Used EV Batteries Get New Life Supporting the Texas Power Grid - In Texas, retired EV batteries are being repurposed to shore up the state’s unstable electric grid. Batteries have made significant capacity contributions within Texas’ electric grid in recent years and have been credited with helping prevent summer blackouts by bolstering grid reliability.

World Cannot Recycle Its Way Out of Plastics Crisis - The world churns out more than 200 times as much plastic today as it did in 1950, and production is only rising. Microscopic bits of plastic waste have been found nearly everywhere. Many of the more than 16,000 chemicals used in plastics — flame retardants, fillers, dyes — can harm human health, and fetuses, infants, and young children are particularly vulnerable. Without efforts to stem the use of plastic, production is on track to nearly triple by 2060.

Gorgeous, Hidden Animal Tattoos Discovered on a More Than 2,000-Year-Old ‘Ice Mummy’ by Using Digital Imaging - Tigers, stags and a leopard twist around each other, the animals’ stylized and intricate details spread in ink across a woman’s forearm. On her hand is the delicate outline of a bird with a fluffy tail. It sounds like something you might see from a tattoo artist today, but these designs appear to be preserved on a more than 2,000-year-old “ice mummy” from Siberia’s Pazyryk culture.

How do the microplastics in our bodies affect our health? - The use of plastics in society first came into being on a large scale in about the 1920s, and we see a big increase from the 1960s onwards. In a study published in 2024, scientists found that consumption of the particles has increased sixfold since 1990, particularly in various global hotspots including the US, China, parts of the Middle East, North Africa and Scandinavia. In February 2025, scientists identified microplastics in the brains of human cadavers. Most notably, those who had been diagnosed with dementia prior to their death had up to 10 times as much plastic in their brains compared to those without the condition. Because humans are consuming so many different types of plastic, it's both unlikely and impractical, without vast sources of funding, for researchers to be able to identify a direct link between ingesting microplastics and one particular disease….but there is mounting evidence that they are impacting health.

See the Faces of Two Sisters Who Toiled Away in a Neolithic Mine 6,000 Years Ago – Skeletons found in the Czech Republic chert mine.

This diet helped people lose twice as much weight, without eating less - People eating minimally processed foods lost twice as much weight as those on ultra-processed diets, even though both diets were nutritionally balanced and participants could eat freely!

A Promised U.S. Drilling Boom Has Yet to Materialize - The price of oil, the world’s most-traded commodity, is more responsive to global demand and supply dynamics than to domestic policy and politics. The economics of solar and wind are increasingly too attractive to ignore. They are now almost always the least expensive — and the fastest — option for new electricity generation.

Your sleep schedule could be making you sick, says massive new study - A global study of over 88,000 adults reveals that poor sleep habits—like going to bed inconsistently or having disrupted circadian rhythms—are tied to dramatically higher risks for dozens of diseases, including liver cirrhosis and gangrene.

Chihuly Seaforms in 1995

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I always enjoy seeing Chihuly glass in museums and gardens…and enjoyed browsing this book available from Internet Archive with wonderful pictures of some of his work. It is my book of the week.

Glass is a material that is strong yet fragile, shaped when molten then rigid. It’s my favorite kind of 3-D art. The graceful curves and vibrant colors seen in this book are like a meditation prompt for me!

Chihuly Seaforms

Volunteering – August 2023

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I have three areas of volunteering going on this summer: Friends of the Library, Master Naturalist chapter, and Butterfly House (that counts as Master Naturalist hours too).

I volunteer once a month to sort used books at my local library that will be sold in the sales that happen once a year at each branch. Setting up or helping during the sale itself is another volunteer opportunity (I prefer the set up!). This month the sale will be at the branch closest to where I live but I have used the sales as an opportunity to explore other the parts of the county that I am not as familiar with. The monthly sorting usually starts out a bit daunting with tables full of books that have been donated. Two people come in each week but there are certainly times that there is more than two people can sort into shelving by subject or box up within the 2-hour shift. I am always relieved when the table is cleared when I leave…and that the area is air conditioned; sorting books is good exercise.

I am the programs chair for my local Missouri Master Naturalist chapter, so I am doing the behind-the-scenes activity to arrange for speakers…and writing announcements to the chapter about what is happening. The speakers count as advanced training so I create an entry in the tool we have for logging our advanced training so that others can simply select it when they attend…minimizing what they must do to get credit for the training.

The Butterfly House has been my most substantial volunteering this summer…both in the house itself talking to visitors as they enjoy the butterflies and moths there and raising Luna moth caterpillars at home that have been taken to the house as big caterpillars and moths recently. The large cecropia caterpillars on display in the butterfly house recently were the 3 that were raised with my luna caterpillars (because they were mixed in when I was given the bin with a lot of newly hatched caterpillars). 

I’ve enjoyed all the volunteer gigs I’ve had this summer…even the ones that were outdoors on very hot days!

Our Missouri Yard in August 2025

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July was very dry here, but our sprinkler system has kept up. Our shade garden looks lush with violets and a few hostas and lambs ear going to seed. The dried remains of alliums and some grass seed heads offer some highlights in the sea of violets.

The American Spikenard is blooming with violets under it a little further up the hill – and where I can see it from my office window.

Even further up the hill with violets around it, is the spicebush I planted last fall. I have been checking it for eggs or caterpillars --- and it finally has caterpillars. I counted 4 – all Spicebush Swallowtail caterpillars. I am leaving them alone right now but will go out and check on them. They are easy to spot even when they are small because they pull the leaf around themselves (like a leaf taco) when they resting.

One morning last week when I was out weed eating, I noticed that one of my mother’s naked lady lily bulbs that I planted in my yard in January 2023 has survived! The pokeweed shades it from the heat. There was a second plant that was mostly still buds. I was happy to see it --- glad it was there to spark memories of Mom. I took some macro images of the flowers. They start out a darker pink then fade as they mature.

The pokeweed seems to have more evidence that insects are eating its foliage…but has plenty of energy to make seeds. None of reached maturity yet (i.e. no purple fruits). I am going to let the ones in the bed with the lilies make seeds and hope the birds will enjoy the this fall/winter.

There are birds around: a female hummingbird that comes to my feeder frequently and sometimes flies to the nearby pine or visits the plants in the shade garden, a family of finches,

A young wren,

And a juvenile robin in the pine tree (the third brood for the summer). I am glad that the shade garden seems to be attractive to so many birds.

In the front yard, the crape myrtles are doing better than I expected. They tend to die back in winter but this year they seem to be more robust.

The Virginia creeper is a thick ground cover in the front bed around two of the crape myrtles. I periodically pull it off the bricks although the way it adheres is not damaging like English Ivy can be.

Our yard is looking good in August…and I am looking forward to the work to do the landscaping this fall in the front of the house.

Macro Daylilies and Cecropia Moth

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I enjoy macro photography with my phone (iPhone 15 Pro Max)…today’s post shows two different rounds – one from July and the other from August.

In July, I realized that I would have to dig out my daylilies that were growing around the maple to be cut down – so I cut all of them that were in bloom to enjoy indoors….and too photograph.

I like the shapes and textures and shades of color. They all change as the flowers age: texture and color intensify …and the shapes often become collapsed curls. The flowers and stems are now in my shade garden to decompose among the pine needles and plants growing there; another component of the mulch.

On the morning I volunteered in the Butterfly House last week, there were two Cecropia Moths that had died. The adult forms don’t live very long (10-14 days) since they don’t eat as adults.

The Cecropia Moth is the largest species in North America. It is a type of silk moth and has one life cycle per year. It overwinters as a cocoon made of silk and leaves. I took pictures of the body from different angles…marveling at how ‘hairy’ the scales look there. The antennae look feather-like. The tips of the wings have what looks like an eye…and markings that look like a snake profile!

The dead cecropia were interesting to visitors. They were able to feel how soft the wings were – like velvet – which is not something we suggest with living moths. It doesn’t take long before it is noticeable that some scales have been rubbed off. Moths and butterflies are beautiful…and relatively fragile.  

Big Landscaping Change – the plan

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Having a maple cut down after a storm damaged it, prompted some thinking about what to do with our front yard. It looked way too open, and I didn’t want more grass to mow! I talked to another Master Naturalist that has a lot more experience than me for advice about good native plants for a front yard. She had done a lecture about native plantings last fall when I attended the Missouri Master Naturalist core training, and I remembered her comments about serviceberry (Amelanchier aborea) – was leaning toward that plant as the largest in the new landscaping. She invited me to see the plantings in her yard…and that helped me decide on the other plants I wanted:

Wild hydrangea (the one that would be the next largest and be planted midway between the remaining maple and the serviceberry)…this is the one in am still thinking about…my alternative would be a Ninebark like I had in Maryland…it does well here too!

Multiple wild indigos as a smaller shrub and a legume that will put nitrogen into the soil

Roundleaf groundsel that will become the groundcover and will stay green when the other plants are dormant

My Homeowners Association has an Architecture Committee that wants to know about significant landscaping changes so I drew a sketch and listed the plants I was considering….and they approved it about 30 minutes after I sent the email! It was much easier that I thought it would be.

Now to get the bed made (an area encompassing the three areas I heavily mulched with wood chips from the maple)…and order the plants…and plant them in late September/early October.

Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge

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The next morning was bright and sunny. I appreciated the golf course scenes from the front of our hotel room. The sidewalk was wide enough to accommodate tables and chairs; quite a few people were outdoors enjoying the morning sunshine. The bird houses seemed to be populated with sparrows.

Our destination for the morning was Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge. It was our second visit (our first was in June of 2024) to see the big cats (and a few bears) that had been rescued from around the country and then provided for in this sprawling facility near Eureka Springs, Arkansas. Many of the cats have health challenges either from prior abuse and/or genetic disorders caused by inbreeding. We arrived just in time for the first tram tour at 9 AM. One high point of the tour for me was a juvenile racoon that was perched on the top of one of the enclosures. Hopefully it got itself back to the forest rather than wiggling through to where it would be no match for the big cat.

The other high point was sound. Two lions were communicating! We couldn’t see either one, but it was interesting to hear their back and forth conversation across the facility.

After the tram, we walked through the area closer to the entrance. I remembered some of the cats from our last visit – a serval found by a farmer in Missouri and brought to the refuge…some bobcats found as cubs. There are also some habitats for large cats. I remembered the black leopard; she was in the same place I saw her on my previous visit; She either is turned away from people or follows them as the move about on the other side of the double fence.

One tiger was new to her area and not settled in yet. She was near the back of the enclosure and trying to ignore people and the cats in the enclosure next door. A staff member was encouraging people to be quieter near her enclosure.

There were butterflies active on a patch of zinnias: several Spicebush Swallowtails, a dark morph of the Tiger Swallowtail (I am assuming….there was one that was a lot larger than the Spicebush Swallowtails), and a Common Buckeye butterfly.   

We headed toward home, stopping at a restaurant that floated on Table Rock Lake. I took a picture of the view from our table…the bluff across a narrow arm of the lake.

On the way back to the car – turtles were visible in the water along the pontoon walkway! The red-eared slider’s markings make identification easy.

We stopped at our house on the way to my daughters…and were greeted at the door by our 3 housecats…wanting cuddles and more food!

Gleanings of the Week Ending August 9, 2025

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The items below were ‘the cream’ of the articles and websites I found this past week. Click on the light green text to look at the article.

Scientists unveil bioplastic that degrades at room temperature, and outperforms petroplastics – Sounds great…but will the existing plastic (made from petroleum) industry let this innovation move forward?

The world is getting hotter – this is what it is doing to our brains - As heatwaves become more intense with climate change, scientists are racing to understand how extreme heat changes the way our brains work. A range of neurological conditions are made worse by rising heat and humidity, including epilepsy, stroke, encephalitis, multiple sclerosis, migraine, along with several others. Heat can also alter other ways our brain functions – making us more violent, grumpy and depressed. Hospital admissions and mortality rates among people with dementia also increase during heatwaves. Rising temperatures have also been linked to an increase in stroke incidents and mortality. And there is a lot we do not know.

Bizarre New Creatures Discovered 30,000 Feet Under the Sea - Entire communities of animals, rooted in organisms that can derive energy not from sunlight but from chemical reactions. Through a process called chemosynthesis, deep-sea microbes can turn compounds like methane and hydrogen sulfide into organic compounds, including sugars, forming the base of the food chain.

Hawaiian Petroglyphs Reemerge for the First Time in Years - The full panel of petroglyphs has been exposed again after seasonal ocean swells swept away covering sand. In all, the petroglyphs are spread across 115 feet of beach and consist of 26 figures and abstract shapes that archaeologists believe were created 500 or more years ago.

The US Commercial Rooftop Solar Market Is About to Explode, Federal Tax Credits or Not - If all goes according to plan, all 500+ projects will be completed during this year into 2026, proving yet again that solar is the fastest way to add more capacity to the nation’s grid. Generating electricity on commercial rooftops and distributing it into the grid is America’s most shovel-ready energy option.

The Power of the Emerald Edge - Whether a tropical forest or coastal temperate rainforest, all forests must contend with a unique set of stressors including changes in land use, invasive insects and disease, and extreme weather events. Rapid changes in climate compound these stressors. How do we prepare our forests for the future? Preserving old-growth forests is one of the most powerful steps we can take.

Elusive and Majestic Red-Crowned Cranes in Hokkaido – Beautiful photographs…of beautiful birds.

Germany’s Stunning Fairytale Castles Added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List - The royal castles of Neuschwanstein, Linderhof, Schachen and Herrenchiemsee have been added to the prestigious list, which includes more than 1,200 sites. Neuschwanstein Castle, located near the village of Schwangau in Bavaria, is one of Germany’s most popular tourist sites. Every year, roughly 1.4 million travelers visit the site.

Learning how to live with shrubbier grasslands (part 1 and part 2) - Our grasslands are getting “shrubbier” and it’s increasingly difficult to prevent that. Because the drivers for that change are mostly beyond our control, it seems obvious that we need to start thinking differently about grassland management.

3 Ways Ancient Egypt Left Its Mark on Modern Art – Empire furniture, art deco, and artists like Bridget Riley.

Pearson’s Birds of America

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This week’s book is the Birds of America edited by Thomas Gilbert Pearson and published in 1917. Pearson was one of the co-founders of what became the National Audubon Society and was an American conservationist in the early decades of the 1900s…a time when egrets were killed for their plumes to be used in lady’s hats. The book includes 106 plates by Louis Agassiz Fuertes. It is available for browsing on Internet Archive.

Birds of America

Onyx Cave

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After Cosmic Caverns and lunch, we opted to see a second cave. It wasn’t on our original itinerary, but the rain had forced a change in plans. Onyx Cave became our afternoon destination. It has been famous since 1891…and there is considerable damage that has accumulated over the years.

The first part of our tour was self-guided with headphones that described things at each stop. The second part was a guided tour.

The lighting in the cave was not as good as in other caves I have visited, including Cosmic Caverns, but it is still possible to get reasonable pictures. Sometimes the damage (sawed off stalactites and soda straws) revealed the inner structure of the formations. The cave is damp but many of the formations have been touched often over the years…so they have a dry look.

I think my favorite cave tour this year is Onondaga Cave that I toured back in April (posts one and two).