None of you thought it might be important to tell me that ferns have sperm that swim??? I just had to find all this out on my own?
And, (apparently, & no one thought to bring this up either🙄) fern plants are only one form... they have this 'other form' (tiny, ephemeral, difficult to find in the wild) alternates generations-- Fern spores don't grow into ferns! (WHAT) they grow into 'gemetophytes' (WHAT) THEN you get a fern.
I think CA required evolution to be in our elementary science textbooks, which is why it was stapled by the teacher who disagreed with it. (Also, stapling the textbook will raise kids' interest in the subject more than skipping it when teaching).
Another all too barren spring in NYC. There should be so many insects, so many ants, so many tiny creatures filling the parks, hitting the windshields of cars.
Remember when bugs used to hit the windshields of cars because the air was so full of life?
I guess most people think this is 'improvement' but they are wrong. There is a campaign to put the American bumblebee on the endangered species list!
We are living in an eerie lifeless netherworld and I don't know why more can't see it!
@futurebird All our neighbors have electric bug zappers running 24/7 to kill all the flying insects in existence. So there are less spiders catching them in giant webs, which means less hummingbird nests. The same neighbors often have hummingbird feeders out. #irony#Insects#birds#wildlife
@compost I have extra seeds (especially green onions) and sometimes plants. But is there such a thing as too many seeds?🤔
(I used to send them for "business" day at my kid's school, where they were popular with the kids--they had school cash they earned for good behavior in class they could trade for stuff other kids brought from home to "sell").
I have gotten unexpired seeds that wouldn't germinate and have grown from packets that expired a decade ago.
Generally, stores that keep seeds outside (in the plant area) are not as likely to grow as those that are inside (temperature controlled). One store even had rain in its seed area due to no roof in that section.😱
@melanie@compost
I usually only send seeds that were harvested in the past year or less. Some seeds will keep several years, decades or even millennia someplace cool & dry (I.e. a seed vault). The store packets have expiration dates so they put out fresh seed every year (stores used to keep stuff on the shelves for years until it sold). There shouldn't be germination issues with "fresh" (under a year old) seed unless it is handled incorrectly.
@mjausson@ai6yr It's from an anime where they open portals with CERN (Stein's Gate?). Far too many conspiracies start as works of fiction that someone decided to take literally. I just want to be able to enjoy fiction without having to prove it isn't real some days.
“Thousands of schools across the Philippines, including in the capital region Metro Manila, have suspended in-person classes. Half of the country’s 82 provinces are experiencing drought, and nearly 31 others are facing dry spells or dry conditions, according to the UN, which has called for greater support to help the country prepare for similar weather events in the future. The country’s upcoming harvest will probably be below average, the UN said.”
@pvonhellermannn We had no A/C at our school and never got a day off, even when the high was 115 F. But the school was designed to stay cool in summer. I don't think they design to keep buildings & outside spaces cool without A/C anymore. So our heat-resistant infrastructure is disappearing at the same time temperatures climb. Not a good combination.😭
@ai6yr Just think of all the methane & waste that protocol will generate! (Yes, I am totally composting any and all dead chickens I encounter into soil, not landfilling them). #PolyCrisis#Compostodon
The #sky today. Relatively cool so far (under 90F/32C) so far. Surreal listening to people on the radio going on about #ClimateChange finally. #ClimateDiary
#SnowFree cloud passage through the local #CloudForest near #LakeArrowhead. In my lifetime, this area has gone from snowed in most of the year (September to May), to mostly snow free, to possibly no snow at all this year. #ClimateChange#ClimateDiary
#Spring is here as the #AppleTree is starting to leaf out. Last freeze should be towards the end of May here, but it may have been last weekend (mid-April) by the weather forecast. #ClimateDiary
#Rain here, several inches of #snow up by #LakeArrowhead. Still some rain falling, indoor activities planned for today as seeds were planted yesterday to take advantage of the rain. #CaWx
Now that we have a clear day, it looks like we got 10 1/2 inches (25.9 centimeters) of rain from Sunday to today and 19 3/4 inches (50.1 centimeters) in the last week. #CaWx#LosAngelesCounty#ClimateChange#ClimateDiary (We are fine, just a bit soggy).
@ai6yr It's $30/lb for nettles at the one local grocery that carries it dry. So fancy, gourmet, free meals? (It is awesome added to any brothy soup, including instant ramen).
Hmm, finding a vegetarian Indian dish to make for dinner from scratch (which doesn't require a lot of ingredients I don't have and time) is an interesting challenge 🤔
Thus, why Indian restaurants and grocery stores here with takeout counters are appealing, LOL.
@ai6yr The spice mix is always what gets you. You can mix canned chickpeas, tomatoes & random greens (spinach, kale, etc) with tumeric & other spices (or purchased yellow sauce like curry or korma) for a nice dish (from my Indian co-worker). Heat oil medium hot, add black mustard seeds until popping & spices to toast, then add chickpeas and tomatoes on lower heat until warm, then toss in greens & maybe paneer cheese until barely cooked.
@ai6yr $1.69 to $9+ per dozen depending on the store and egg labels the last few months, most around $2/dozen.
But we get the high end (green, blue & dark brown shells) free from our pet chickens daily. (We wear masks around them just in case they get a respiratory disease, but they have been extremely healthy the last few years).
@ai6yr@mattlanza Most of the areas with lower heat indexes have a lot of native vegetation. The native oaks in Houston are amazing at cooling things down (plus they have low tannin acorns). We used to have so many random people stopping to take a break under ours, especially in the summer. I also noticed that area is one of the cooler spots on the map. (The native oaks also did an excellent job reducing wind speed during the hurricane).
@Barbramon1@ai6yr Coconut oil is the vegan substitute for lard. But its best property is being liquid at room temperature/body temperature and a solid on ice cream.😉
@ai6yr
This is the major difference between Texas & Iowa drivers.
Iowa drivers won't let them cut in, you are expected to find an alternative route as you failed to get in queue for your exit. (And they will start honking if you try).
Texas drivers come in two types: those that cut across 4 lanes of traffic less than 100 feet from the exit in front of those waiting in queue & the drivers who are waiting patiently to exit who let 3-4 cars cut in front of them before proceeding into the exit.😬
To us, the best mulch that you can use for the garden beds does not come from the garden center.
It is whatever biomass you have next to you that can be used and that is free.
This year I have used leaves from our trees in the garden beds and chopped weeds into the aisles.
Yes, it is labor-intensive to do that but I know that every year I have this resource available for free. So instead of sending this yard waste to the landfill and creating greenhouse gasses, it is best to find ways to use it in the garden.
I pull the weeds and use them for mulch in designated spots (where they are piled thick). As I am spreading them close to the collection point for weeds & plant trimmings instead of sending them out with the trash, it is less work for a healthier garden. I just leave grass trimmings & leaves where they fall 90% of the time.
I live in a high fire area, the recommendation here is to keep organic mulch to 3 inches (7-8 centimeters) thick or less. I find once the soil is active, it is hard to keep more than a thin layer of mulch due to rapid decomposition. Anything too thick for mulch should be buried or burned (in a fireplace) with ashes returned to the soil (e g. tree branches). No exposed compost piles! (Look up trench composting for something that is ok).
