In the Middle Patuxent River – January 2020

Last week I was in the Middle Patuxent River at Robinson Nature Center for the quarterly (winter) water monitoring. The temperature was in the 50s and sunny – an easier sampling than most years. I always like to take some pictures from right at or in the river. It’s a different perspective that being on a forest or meadow trail.

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I was the only one of the sampling crew with just boots….everyone else had waders. But the river level was not too high. I didn’t get water in my boots…and no one fell in either.

We caught a madtom (catfish) in one of the collection nets (collecting macroinvertebrates). We took pictures and let it go before we headed up the hill to the Nature Center.

In the lab, we divided the buckets of samples into plastic bins and we all started collecting macros from our bins and randomly putting them into the two partitioned trays.

Then random numbers were drawn to determine the compartments we would id and count until we got to 100….and then we looked at what was left for anything unique. Almost everyone took a few pictures of macros. The most unique thing we found was a white worm!

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This was the first time I participated in a winter monitoring and it might have spoiled me – being as warm as it was.

Reeve’s Conchologia iconica

I usually select three eBooks to feature in a monthly post…and I’ll do that in a week or so. Today I want to feature a series of books I found recently on Internet Archive: Conchologia iconica, or, Illustrations of the shells of molluscous animals by Lovell Augustus Reeve. There are 20 volumes (Vol v.01 (1843), Vol v.02 (1843), Vol v.03 (1845), Vol v.04 (1847), Vol v.05 (1849), Vol v.06 (1851), Vol v.07 (1854), Vol v.08 (1855), Vol v.09 (1856), Vol v.10 (1858), Vol v.11 (1859), Vol v.12 (1860), Vol v.13 (1862), Vol v.14 (1864), Vol v.15 (1866), Vol v.16 (1866), Vol v.17 (1870), Vol v.18 (1873), Vol v.19 (1874), and Vol v.20 (1878)) all published in the mid-1800s. The author died in 1865 and the series was continued by George Brettingham Sowerby. Soweby did the plates for most of the volumes. I found a reference about the books that said: It will always remain a standard work, although many of the species which Reeve created are now held to be invalid. That’s probably to be expected given the many years since they were published; science is always learning more. Still – the plates are beautiful and provide a broad view of the variety of shells known at the time. I collected one plate from each volume to use with this post.

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The question that I wonder about is how many of the mollusks that produced these shells have gone extinct in the intervening years. How many types of shells represented in the books are no longer grown? The International Union of Conservation of Nature lists 310 recently extinct species.

Gleanings of the Week Ending January 18, 2020

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.

Earth at Night – This is an eBook from NASA that was last updated in December 2019….lots of pictures of the earth at night, analysis, and the technology behind the images.

Genomes Sequenced for Every US and Canada Butterfly | The Scientist Magazine® - Work by an evolutionary biologist at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. 845 butterfly species were studied.

Adding copper strengthens 3D-printed titanium -- ScienceDaily – Current titanium alloys used in 3D printing were prone to cracking and distortion. The copper alloy seems to overcome that problem.

When the best way to take notes is by hand - BBC Future – I like to take notes by hand….it always seemed easier to me than using a laptop (although I tried using a laptop to take notes in meetings during my career). Now it seems that it is better for internalizing concepts too. No need for me to try to change to anything else!

Blue Whales’ Hearts Can Beat Exceptionally Slowly | The Scientist Magazine® - As low as 2 times per minute! The high was 37 beats per minute.

Image of the Day: Ochre Paint | The Scientist Magazine® - Evidently ancient people heated aquatic bacteria mats growing in iron rich water to make a bright red paint which was used for rock art. The paint contains microfossils of the bacteria (Leptothrix ochracea). The red color is highly thermo-stable…something that has applicability to manufacturing.

Crows could be the smartest animal other than primates - BBC Future – Clever crows. Not so long ago we thought humans were the only ones to make and use tools.

Incredible Winners of the 2019 EPSON International PANO Awards – Panoramic photographs…a little eye candy for the week.

Trashed farmland could be a conservation treasure -- ScienceDaily – Interesting idea…but how much land is in this category and what happens to the people that are still trying to eke out an existence on that land.

Future For Silversword Plants At Halaeakalā National Park Dark – Rare plants…have not recovered as well as the Nene (Hawaiian goose) – for several reasons. Plants around the world are having to adjust to changing climate and some will not be able to change fast enough to continue to exist in the same places…some may become extinct. I hope the Silversword survives.

Eastern Bluebird – January 2020

On the second day of the year, a male Eastern Bluebird appeared in our backyard. I saw him first near the bird bath. By the time I got my camera, the bird was in the sycamore…looking serious. It was a relatively cold day so the bird’s feathers were a little fluffed to provide more warmth; he looks very rounded.

I thought he had flown way but when I checked the videos from our birdfeeder, I found that the bird had attempted to visit the feeder….but headed to a perch was too high to get and seed. It quickly backed away and I didn’t see it again. Even though the clips from the Reolink video are a little blurry – it does show how the bird maneuvers to back away from the birdfeeder.

We don’t see bluebirds very often so this it was a pleasant surprise to see the bird. In January 2018, I managed to photograph 3 bluebirds at our birdbath!

Gleanings of the Week Ending January 11, 2020

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.

Top 25 Wild Bird Photographs of the Week: Seabirds – Starting with the birds this week. I’m thinking about the Delmarva birding sessions later this month…they’ll be sea birds and more to see.

Clearing damaged cells out of the body helps heal diabetics' blood vessels -- ScienceDaily – Interesting….but still a lot of research needed before it could potentialy be used in treatment.

The toxic killers in our air too small to see - BBC Future – Nanoparticles – 90% of particles by busy roads are nanoparticles below 100nm. The smaller the particles, the greater potential toxicity. Anything smaller than 30 nm can make it to through the lungs and into the blood stream (larger than that doesn’t gets past the lungs). The Global Burden of Diseases study estimates that air pollution could account for 21% of all deaths due to stroke and 24% of deaths from ischaemic heart disease.

A little prairie can rescue honey bees from famine on the farm -- ScienceDaily – Food crops can provide good food for honey bees…but maybe not for the whole season.

Adult Humans Can Regenerate Cartilage: Study | The Scientist Magazine® - microRNA may have potential in human regeneration of tissue.

Agar Art Contest 2019: See this year’s winners – Art made with live bacteria.

Infrared Reveals Egyptian Mummies' Hidden Tattoos | Smart News | Smithsonian – 7 mummies – 3,000 years old. All the mummies with tattoos at the site were women.

Gabapentin: A Risky Answer to the Opioid Epidemic - The Atlantic Gabapentin has become the 10th most-commonly-prescribed medication in the US. It is viewed as a safer alternative to opioids for chronic pain….but it is problematic in combination with other sedating medication and it doesn’t work as well as hoped….particularly for back pain. It appears that looking for a quick fix for chronic pain is – again – not working as advertised.

Photography In The National Parks: My Favorite Spots For Great Photos – From Arches, Bryce Canyon, Big Bend, Acadia, and Padre Island.

Scientists Don't Know Why Freshwater Mussels Are Dying Across North America | Smart News | Smithsonian – It’s not just in one place….and may have multiple causes. But this just highlights that some mussel species that have already gone extinct…and our rivers are very different than their ‘natural’ state.

Camera on the Birdfeeder – Setting Up

I posted some initial results of our bird feeder camera back in December. This post is a little more about our experience…now that we’ve settled on a configuration. The camera we are using is a Reolink Argus 2. In December, we were experimenting by using a ladder to temporarily mount it; our goal was to decide where to mount the camera and the best settings.

Our first attempt at more permanent mounting (and one that would not show in the pictures like the ladder did) was on a bracket just below the eave of the covered deck. We discovered almost immediately that the bracket was not as stable as we had thought it would be; a breeze could cause the camera to move. So – we started thinking through alternatives.

Even with a wobbly camera,  we did capture a good sequence of a male and female red-bellied woodpecker interaction at the feeder (the male is the one that has red from front of his head all the way back to where the black and white feathers begin). The female was there first but flew to the support for the covered deck when the male arrived – pecking the wood (in frustration?) then flying off.

Our next mounting scheme was to mount a board to the supports for the covered deck and then the camera with its solar panel on the borad.  So far it is working well. We’ve been tweaking some settings. I’ll post some results in a few days.

I use the Reolink Client on my PC to view the videos captured by the camera. I download the ones I want to clip for my blog – either as single images or a sequence of images. It’s been a lot of fun to watch the antics of birds that I didn’t catch from my office window. So far, we haven’t had any unexpected visitors…but I am enjoying the views of behaviors I would not have seen otherwise.

Gleanings of the Week Ending January 04, 2020

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 Use Agricultural Waste to Develop New Road Deicer - Yale E360 – Grape skins and other agricultural wastes rather than sodium chloride.

Poor Potato Crops Could Lead to a North American French Fry Shortage | Smart News | Smithsonian – Not a good year for potatoes in the US and Canada evidently. I wonder if prices will go up.

Hydration may affect cognitive function in some older adults -- ScienceDaily – Evidently overhydration has an impact on cognitive function as well…so it is important for older people to understand symptoms of both and actively manage their hydration.

Could Migraine Pain Relief Be Found In The Color Green? : Shots - Health News : NPR – Interesting research. Do green glasses help as much as the green LED light?

How everyday products are supercharging landfill gas, and what that means -- ScienceDaily – Some basic research that could be applied to getting more energy from our landfills.

U.S. States Have Eliminated Thousands of Environmental Protection Jobs Since 2008 - Yale E360 – “Neither EPA nor states have the funding they need to meet their responsibilities under the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and other laws that protect the public’s health and our environment from dangerous pollution.” Not good.

How hacking the human heart could replace pill popping - BBC Future – Pacemakers are primitive compared to the devices that are being worked on now. The future implants will adjust to the situation…reading and writing to the nervous system to treat such things as diabetes, bladder control and chronic pain (and heart issues). Maybe they will address the root cause of some chronic diseases rather than just the symptoms.

Colouring Europe at Work: download our industrial heritage colouring book | Europeana Blog – Learn some history while your color.

IBM Changes the Energy Storage Game With Cobalt-Free Battery – Lots of research in the battery arena these days. This one caught my eye since I spent some of my career working for IBM. Maybe these will be part of the next-gen technology for batteries.

Tiny shells reveal waters off California are acidifying twice as fast as the global ocean -- ScienceDaily – Looking at shells of foraminifera in sediments provides a vertical record of ocean acidity.

First Day of 2020

I got up early enough yesterday to see the sunrise. The clouds were too low and thick for it to be a great one…but it was the first of 2020. I did the same thing last year….with clouds making the color smudgy.

We decided that the clouds were going to clear off enough to make a trek to Conowingo Dam to see the bald eagles worthwhile. It was a cold morning, so we wore snow pants and took hand warmers. As we drove in, I noticed the seagulls first; we hadn’t seen any gulls last time we went to Conowingo (in late October). As I got out of the car, I heard some eagles and saw one flying with a stick. It circled around and went up to the platform near the top of an electrical tower. I later zoomed in for a picture of the sticks accumulating for the nest. There was a nest there in previous years so the pair may just be adding new sticks…making sure the sides are high enough to contain the chicks until they are ready to fledge.

The water was high from recent rains and the dam was generating power. Both gulls and eagles were benefiting from the fish available – stopped by the dam. We didn’t see any cormorants or great blue herons this time.

The eagles were active but very far away on the rocks and abutment…swooping above and into the water for fish. It is very close to out of range for my camera so most of my pictures are a little blurry.

There was an interaction between two birds on the abutment. They both looked rounded with their feathers fluffed and I wondered if it was from their ‘argument’ or just being cold.

Another interaction – two juveniles. One was on the rock but flew off just as the other came in for a landing.

Another juvenile was fishing…but didn’t manage to land a fish in this foray.

My husband’s camera did a bit better. He managed to photograph an adult catch a fish, jostle it into position, be chased by a juvenile…and then take the fish up to the nest. Was there a mate at the nest? We couldn’t see.

He also got some good pictures of juveniles; we are both beginning to appreciate the wing patterns of the juveniles – lots of variety in their look before they get their adult plumage.

I took a picture of one of the two cranes that are on the top of the dam facing the lake. I assume they are used to get large debris that washes down the Susquehanna from points north out of the water.

Gleanings of the Week Ending December 28, 2019

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.

Top 25 Wild Bird Photographs of the Week: Colourful Birds – National Geographic Society Newsroom – Starting off this last gleanings list of 2019 with birds! My favorite picture of this set is the scarlet macaw with a stick. Is it eating it or using it as a beak-pick?

Artistic Photographs of Mushrooms and Myxomycetes by Alison Pollack – Focusing on small things in the forest.

In Search of Australia’s Amazing Rainbow Finch – A bird survey experience…and some pictures.

Patchwork of Corn in the Snow – As of late November a lot of corn was unharvested because it was too wet. Corn needs to dry on the stalks before it is harvested and this 2019 crop may not be harvested in some areas until February or March of 2020.

Watching Wildlife on Skis – Winter wildlife….another benefit to being out and about (with proper gear) during the winter.

Life Rides the Wind in the Desert | The Scientist Magazine® - Finding life in the Atacama Desert.

Decking the halls of history: the origins of Christmas decorations – A little historical note for after the holiday.

Image of the Day: Horns and Wings | The Scientist Magazine® - Technology that can turn off genes is the enabler of this research into how horns and wings develop in dung beetles…and maybe other insects too.

Children’s Book Review: Wake up, Woods – A book about native woodland plants for children.

Real Reindeer Are More Amazing Than You Ever Imagined – Another Christmas themed post…about an iconic animal that isn’t just a cartoon.

5 Free eBooks – December 2019

I usually pick 3 books to feature in the monthly ‘free eBooks’ post; this month I am featuring 5. The titles all begin  “An Artist in…” and there were published between 1910 and 1915 although not by the same publisher. I think of them as a window into 5 places just before World War I: Spain, Egypt, Italy, Corfu and the Riviera. I am reminded that artists tend to correct ‘imperfections’ as they paint…even if they are trying for realism! Enjoy the scenes from over 100 years ago!

Michael, Arthur C. An Artist in Spain. London: Hodder and Stoughton. 1914. Available from Internet Archive here.

Tyndale, Walter. An Artist in Egypt. London: Hodder and Stoughton. 1912. Available from Internet Archive here.

Tyndale, Walter. An Artist in Italy. London: Hodder and Stoughton. 1913. Available from Internet Archive here.

Atkinson, Sophie. An Artist in Corfu. London: Herbert & Daniel. 1913. Available from Internet Archive here.

Tyndale, Walter. An Artist in the Riviera. New York: Hearst’s International Library Co. 1915. Available from Internet Archive here.

Camera on the Birdfeeder

The new ‘toy’ we are playing with over this holiday week is a camera on our birdfeeder!

So far, we’ve been experimenting with temporary mounting on ladders to decide where to position it more permanently and adjusting parameters. The camera is not very big physically (the white blob on the right side near the top of the ladder is the camera).

This was my first image I clipped from one of the videos – a female red-bellied woodpecker.

I’ll get better with my editing over time. It’s very different than my usual pictures through my office window.

Ever see a squirrel climb a ladder? This one climbed right up to the camera after it was unsuccessful in dumping the seed from the bird feeder!

Next steps are to mount the camera from the eve of our covered deck and put out the small solar panel to help keep it charged. I’ll share some the technical details of our set up…once we get it working a bit better. My husband and I are enjoying the project!

Gleanings of the Week Ending December 21, 2019

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.

Top 25 Wild Bird Photographs of the Week: Waterbirds and Camouflage and Forests and Birds in Pairs – Starting out this week’s list with some bird pictures….catching up the backlog

Liver cancer deaths climb by around 50% in the last decade -- ScienceDaily – Survival rates are low too. Obesity and smoking are two preventable causes.

How Climate Change Will Affect Maryland's Birds | Audubon – I looked at the page for Maryland because that is where I live. The red-headed woodpecker is on the ‘high vulnerability’ list. The data is available for other states as well (scroll down on the ‘home’ page and select by state or zip code). The red-headed woodpecker appears on the high vulnerability list for Texas and Missouri too (those are two other states I checked).

First Global Map of Saturn's Moon Titan Reveals Secrets of Earth's 'Deranged' Twin | Smart News | Smithsonian – There are plains, sand dunes, mountains, labyrinthine valleys…and lakes of methane.

'Self-cleaning' concrete could keep buildings looking new -- ScienceDaily – Maybe a new building material…but can it be made in a ‘green’ way?

Everything You’ve Ever Wanted to Know About Turkeys – I’m just catching up on some reading…this would have been more appropriate for the Thanksgiving week gleanings…but better late that never. Turkeys are interesting birds!

Air Pollution Tied to Brain Cancer: Study | The Scientist Magazine® - Combustion-related nanoparticles can reach our brain! The concentrations of these particles in highly polluted areas are also causing other health related problems as well. For example, the air pollution in Kabul, Afghanistan may be causing more deaths than war in that area

Owling: A Field Guide to Finding Winter Owls – Seen any owls? They are often easier to hear than see.

Slideshow: Images from The World Beneath | The Scientist Magazine® - A few pictures from a new book about sea creatures and coral reefs. Lots of vibrant color and camouflage.

Eating in sync with biological clock could replace problematic diabetes treatment: An early-morning, carb-filled meal improves glycemic control among diabetics -- ScienceDaily – We are shifting our meals…largest one at midday…smallest one at night. If we eat a high carb meal it will be at breakfast. I had gingerbread cake this morning!

Flying Wild

Last Friday – I was in Annapolis for a Flying Wild class offered by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. It was a day to learn some activities that celebrate birds designed for age groups I normally encounter as a volunteer and Maryland Master Naturalist. The forecast for the morning drive was a little threatening (freezing rain) but it didn’t materialize. It was my first time at the Tawes State Office Building where the class was held do I took a few minutes for pictures of lobby area of the building (it was rainy and cold so no outdoor pictures): Maryland symbols, a frayed Baltimore Checkerspot (which is very rare these days), a garden drawing on one of the windows looking out onto a real courtyard garden and a sculpture of a tree planting.

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We did a sampling of the activities available from Flying Wild. One of my favorites was nest building. In teams of 3, we used wire to make a frame for a nest and then used materials that we had scored for strength, flexibility, and space filler. We could use as much material as we wanted except for clay; we were only allowed a golf ball amount of that. After we constructed our nest, there were tests: 3 marbles were used as ‘eggs’ (did they fit in the nest and not roll out when the nest was shaken); then some weights were put into the nest to simulate the growing chicks. It was a lot of fun and our nest ‘passed.’ We all gained a healthy respect for birds building nests with just their beaks and feet!

Of course, I come home with lots of stuff – handouts and the book…a poster and a ‘prize’ for being on the winning team for the nestling feeding relay. There were Black Eye Susan Seeds to plant next spring too!

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I’m already thinking about doing some of the Fly Wild activities with summer campers!

Gleanings of the Week Ending December 14, 2019

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 Two Genomes in Every Eukaryotic Cell | The Scientist Magazine® and Infographic: How the Mitochondrial and Nuclear Genomes Interact | The Scientist Magazine® - A lot has been discovered about mitochondrial DNA (and genetics) since I was in college in the 1970s!

Yellowstone's Wolves: Infusing Wildness into The Landscape – The story of wolves in Yellowstone over the past 25 years – the positive impact on the ecosystem as a whole

Sunlight-Tracking Polymer, Inspired by Sunflowers, Could Maximize Solar Power | Smart News | Smithsonian – Another way that solar panels can gain efficiency.

Springfield Plateau: Yellowjacket Nest – A yellowjacket tale from Springfield MO. I was surprised that ice was the treatment for a sting. I’ve always used baking soda with ice as the backup plan if there isn’t any baking soda available.

Why biodegradables won’t solve the plastic crisis - BBC Future – There are only pieces of a solution at this point….nothing comprehensive. It seems like the best strategy for at home is to reduce all single use plastic as much as possible. There are some easy things like reusable shopping and produce bags, but it becomes hard quickly. So many groceries and toiletries only come in plastic containers.

Remote Sensing Data Advances Soil Health Science – Cover crops and no-till practices were an advantage in record-breaking rainfalls of spring 2019.

How the House Finch Conquered Your Feeder…and A Continent – A little history of House Finches – originally from the southwest and Mexico…now in found widely across North America.

How the Aztecs could improve modern urban farming: Chinampas: An old technique might provide new solutions to sustainable urban agriculture -- ScienceDaily – The article made the multiple harvests per season seem feasible in tropical wetlands…not so much in the temperate zone where the artificial islands would go through a real winter although maybe it would just mean the use of cover crops during that time period.

Top 25 Wild Bird Photographs of the Week: December – Bird photography to enjoy!

Listening to Nature: The Emerging Field of Bioacoustics - Yale E360 – An up and coming technology for remote sensing of birds, insects, frogs and other animals.

Maryland Water Monitoring Council Annual Conference

The 25th MWMC Annual Conference was held last week. It was my third time to attend and it was, once again, a great opportunity to catch up on water-related research and Maryland specific plans, activities, and accomplishments. The two themes in the sessions I chose to attend were watershed health and remote sensing. I am hoping the agenda with links for the presentation material will come out soon since my note taking is not all that legible.

I also enjoyed the vendor tables. One of the companies that did the stream restoration at Howard Country Conservancy’s Davis Branch had a table – and a post card picturing the project (before last summer’s drought)!

One vendor had a great ‘Got Bugs? Banner and another had macroinvertebrate stickers.

There were other giveaways too – lip balm, pens, a frog shopping bag, and a folding card Field Guide to Aquatic Macroinvertebrates.

The conference was the largest every – with over 600 attendees.

Gleanings of the Week Ending December 7, 2019

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.

Red Tides Under the Microscope | The Scientist Magazine® - It’s surprising what we don’t yet know about the organism responsible for red tides – Karenia Brevis. Spanish explorers of Florida in the 15th and 16th centuries described fish kills in Gulf waters. The first official documentation was in 1882 – published in the Proceedings of the US National Museum. This article is about what we know….and where more research is needed.

The woman who reshaped maths - BBC Future – Hilda Geiringer…a refugee from the Nazis. A BBC Future column celebrating a ‘missed genius’ whose contributions are still notable in the world today.

NOAA weather balloons find no zero-ozone regions above South Pole during 2019 ozone hole season | NOAA Climate.gov – A little science…a little history…a projection. The positive message – if the trend continues, it’s estimated that the ozone layer will recover around 2070.

Abrupt shifts in Arctic climate projected: Likelihood of an abrupt increase in wildfires also noted -- ScienceDaily – With specific modeling of permafrost as it continues to degrade….it appears that the changes won’t be as gradual as  previously assumed.

Lake On Bottom Of Halema‘uma‘u Crater At Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park Now Bigger Than Football Field – The lake was noticed back in July….and is being studied with instruments on drones. More information is at the National Park Service site for the park.

Top 25 Wild Bird Photographs of the Week: Wild Birds – National Geographic Society Newsroom – I always enjoy the bird photography compiled by National Geographic every week.

Offshore Wind Has the Potential to Fulfill Global Electricity Demand 18 Times Over - Yale E360 – Hurray for this potential….the transition is the challenge.

AP: At least 1,680 dams across the US pose potential risk – There is a link to an interactive map that shows where the 1,680 dams are located. The last paragraphs of the article are the most troubling. There are a lot of dams with unknown status. Roughly 45% of Texas dams are exempt from regulation…in Missouri safety inspections are only done on 650 of its more than 5,000 dams. And states that know about problematic private dams often can’t identify the owners to address the dam’s issues.

Aging in good health: The inequalities are widening -- ScienceDaily – A study with over 11 million people tracked for 25 years!

Susquehanna Sediment in the Chesapeake Bay – Imagery of big rivers and the Chesapeake Bay after a storm at the end of October…. close to where I live. On a positive note - the sediment (even after the record rains earlier this year) has not damaged the underwater grasses on the Susquehanna Flats as much as was initially feared.

eBotantical Prints – November 2019

All the books added in November were from the same authors. Charles and Edouard Morren were a father and son. They produced 35 volumes of La Belgique Horticole from 1851-1885. Both men died in their early 50s and there was no continuation of the publication after the death of the son.  This monthly post has sample images from 28 of those volumes and I will continue the series into December (posting the images for those volumes in early January). The illustrations are quite varied. They are often illustrations rather that full botanical prints – still beautiful and particularly appealing this time of year when our gardens here in Maryland are mostly brown. I’m looking forward to the upcoming volumes. The list for the individual volumes from this month is after the sample images; for a list of all the volumes Internet Archive has – check here.

The volumes are all freely available on the Internet. The whole list of more than 1800 books can be accessed here. Sample images and links for the 28 new ones are provided below. (click on the sample image to see a larger view) Enjoy!

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La Belgique horticole : Journal des jardins V1 * Morren, Charles; Morren, Edouard * sample image * 1851

La Belgique horticole : Journal des jardins V2 * Morren, Charles; Morren, Edouard * sample image * 1852

La Belgique horticole : Journal des jardins V3 * Morren, Charles; Morren, Edouard * sample image * 1853

La Belgique horticole : Journal des jardins V4 * Morren, Charles; Morren, Edouard * sample image * 1854

La Belgique horticole : Journal des jardins V5 * Morren, Charles; Morren, Edouard * sample image * 1855

La Belgique horticole : Journal des jardins V6 * Morren, Charles; Morren, Edouard * sample image * 1856

La Belgique horticole : Journal des jardins V7 * Morren, Charles; Morren, Edouard * sample image * 1857

La Belgique horticole : Journal des jardins V8 * Morren, Charles; Morren, Edouard * sample image * 1858

La Belgique horticole : Journal des jardins V9 * Morren, Charles; Morren, Edouard * sample image * 1859

La Belgique horticole : Journal des jardins V10 * Morren, Charles; Morren, Edouard * sample image * 1860

La Belgique horticole : Journal des jardins V11 * Morren, Charles; Morren, Edouard * sample image * 1861

La Belgique horticole : Journal des jardins V12 * Morren, Charles; Morren, Edouard * sample image * 1862

La Belgique horticole : Journal des jardins V13 * Morren, Charles; Morren, Edouard * sample image * 1863

La Belgique horticole : Journal des jardins V14 * Morren, Charles; Morren, Edouard * sample image * 1864

La Belgique horticole : Journal des jardins V15 * Morren, Charles; Morren, Edouard * sample image * 1865

La Belgique horticole : Journal des jardins V16 * Morren, Charles; Morren, Edouard * sample image * 1866

La Belgique horticole : Journal des jardins V17 * Morren, Charles; Morren, Edouard * sample image * 1867

La Belgique horticole : Journal des jardins V18 * Morren, Charles; Morren, Edouard * sample image * 1868

La Belgique horticole : Journal des jardins V19 * Morren, Charles; Morren, Edouard * sample image * 1869

La Belgique horticole : Journal des jardins V20 * Morren, Charles; Morren, Edouard * sample image * 1870

La Belgique horticole : Journal des jardins V22 * Morren, Charles; Morren, Edouard * sample image * 1872

La Belgique horticole : Journal des jardins V21 * Morren, Charles; Morren, Edouard * sample image * 1871

La Belgique horticole : Journal des jardins V23 * Morren, Charles; Morren, Edouard * sample image * 1873

La Belgique horticole : Journal des jardins V24 * Morren, Charles; Morren, Edouard * sample image * 1874

La Belgique horticole : Journal des jardins V25 * Morren, Charles; Morren, Edouard * sample image * 1875

La Belgique horticole : Journal des jardins V26 * Morren, Charles; Morren, Edouard * sample image * 1876

La Belgique horticole : Journal des jardins V27 * Morren, Charles; Morren, Edouard * sample image * 1877

La Belgique horticole : Journal des jardins V28 * Morren, Charles; Morren, Edouard * sample image * 1878

Gleanings of the Week Ending November 30, 2019

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.

US-born residents more than 5 times likely to use prescription opioids than new immigrants -- ScienceDaily – Evidently new immigrants are often healthier than non-immigrants despite their poorer background….which is a clue that there is something about American culture that influences opioid use.

Top 25 Wild Bird Photographs of the Week: Spectacular – National Geographic Society Newsroom – Enjoy the birds! We are enjoying the birds coming to our feeder and (heated) bird bath…in the trees around our house. They are easier to see now that the leaves have fallen from the tees.

50 Fish, 50 States: Small Stream Wonders – Cool Green Science – Lots of small fish! When we are in the streams with high school students, we often find small fish but since they aren’t what we are looking for – we simply put them back without identification. Maybe I should look for a simple small fish ID to take a long and start to photograph them too.

A Giant Treehouse 'Like A Castle' Is Destroyed By Fire In Tennessee: NPR – My sister and I visited this giant treehouse in 2012 when we were in that area of Tennessee. Sad that it’s gone.

Hurricanes have become bigger and more destructive for USA -- ScienceDaily – An expensive trend.

When Turkeys Attack – I’m glad the wild turkey population is recovering….hope we can develop strategies to co-exist!

Scientists study impact of sediments and nutrients from Conowingo Dam on Chesapeake Bay -- ScienceDaily – Close to home. The base of Conowingo Dam is where we go to view Bald Eagles. There is a lot of concern now about the sediment build up in the reservoir --- state governments and the utility are working to determine best options for prolonging the energy generation capacity of the dam and improving water quality into the bay.

Big Box Stores Leading the Shift to Renewable Energy - News | Planetizen – Wal-Mart and Target are all in….what about other big box stores? What about owners of shopping centers? Lots of stores are in leased spaces.

Five Architectural Firms Retained to Redesign National Mall Tidal Basin – Another ‘close to home’ in this set of gleanings. This one is in the District of Columbia. Think of the Jefferson Memorial and the cherry blossoms. Flooding has increased over the time we have living in this area (now over 35 years). Hope they can develop a good design and get the funding to implement it.

Manta Ray Populations Have Complex Social Structures | The Scientist Magazine® - A study of the reef mantas as they aggregate around the reefs of the eastern Indonesian archipelago Raja Ampat. The study showed two distinct groupings: one dominated by older females and the other a mix of sexes and ages.

3 Free eBooks – November 2019

So many wonderful books available online. Here are three I explored this month.

Freer Gallery of Art. Arthur M. Sackler Gallery; Smithsonian Institution. Annual Records for 2003-2010. Asiatica 2003-2010. 8 volumes available from Internet Archive here. Images (and short articles) from the annual record of these museums. I choose a sample image from each of the 8 volumes.

Mason, Otis Tufton. Aboriginal American Basketry: Studies in a Textile Art without Machinery. Washington: Government Printing Office. 1904. Available from Internet Archive here. A large book – over 800 pages with over 200 plates (a few in color). Some of the baskets are simple and utilitarian…other are works of art (and maybe still utilitarian as well).

Cort, Louise Allison. Seto and Mino Ceramics. Washington: Freer Gallery of Art, Smithsonian Institution. 1992. Available from Internet Archive here. Dark-glazed, conservative Chinese-inspired ceramics from two Japanese ceramics centers.

Gleanings of the Week Ending November 23, 2019

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.

Top 25 Wild Bird Photographs of the Week: Seed Eaters – National Geographic Society Newsroom – Quite a variety. Some are small and somewhat drab…but with the camera’s magnification – it’s easy to see that many are more interesting..

The best and worst countries to be a woman – Inclusion, security and justice. Yemen, Afghanistan, Syria, and Pakistan are the worst….Norway, Switzerland, Finland and Denmark are the best. The US scored 19 of 167 countries.

We asked women around the world these 6 provocative questions – Thought provoking and a good read for the answers from women.

Computer science classes break down cultural barriers, study shows -- ScienceDaily – This was certainly true for computer science classes and gender barriers in the US during the 70s and early 80s….and then it wasn’t. Hopefully the same does not happen in the future to this project and projects like them.

Renaissance Nun's 'Last Supper' Painting Makes Public Debut After 450 Years in Hiding | Smart News | Smithsonian – A little art history -- Plautilla Nelli. The article includes pictures before and after restoration of the painting.

California's crashing kelp forest: How disease, warming waters, and ravenous sea urchins combined to kill the kelp and close the red abalone fishery -- ScienceDaily – An ecological horror story that happened between 2013 and 2017.

Infographic: Red Tides Still Hold Tantalizing Mysteries | The Scientist Magazine® - There have been more stories about red tides in Florida again recently, so this article caught my attention. It appears that there is still a lot to learn about the organism.

Horrifying True Stories of Insect Zombies – Cool Green Science – Insect parasitized by fungus, worms, other insects….the amazing complexity of natural interactions.

Replacing coal with gas or renewables saves billions of gallons of water -- ScienceDaily – This is a big deal – particularly in areas that are water challenged (like much of the western US).

The fragrance factory: Roure-Bertrand Fils and the perfume industry in Grasse | Europeana Blog – Perfume history…from the early 1900s.