I have been on
#WhaleWatching boats on both US coasts and I *never* see any
#whales. I have been on this very same whale watch out of Dana Point! No whales!
But *this* bunch of lucky so-and-sos saw a
#GrayWhale giving birth in full view of the boat!
https://www.sgvtribune.com/2023/01/03/video-gray-whale-calf-born-in-front-of-amazed-crowd-off-dana-point/
Video: Gray whale calf born in front of amazed crowd off Dana Point
The birth was documented and drone video capturing the mammal’s first moments could be a first.
It's good luck to clean seeds on New Year's Day, according to an ancient tradition I just made up. I prefer a dry breezy day for milkweed seed de-fluffing, so as to let the fluffs disperse themselves, instead of sticking to every damp surface as they did today. But if I don't adhere to my own made-up traditions, who will?
#Milkweed #ButterflyWeed #NativePlants #PollinatorGardenTerrifying news this morning of multiple gas explosions leveling at least 4 rowhouses in Port Richmond neighborhood (Northeast Philly). The
#climatecrisis isn't the only reason we need to ban so-called
#naturalgas in our cities and everywhere else.
https://www.inquirer.com/news/port-richmond-philadelphia-gas-explosion-new-year-2023-20230101.html
Multiple homes collapse in series of Port Richmond gas explosions early New Year’s Day
None of the injuries appeared to be fatal, but details were few as of Sunday morning about the explosion that occurred shortly before 3 a.m.
"'For many conservation projects you do not see the results for a very long time, but with this one, we completed it on a Friday. It rained all weekend and on the Monday when we went to look at the beck, there was just this completely restored river, that curved and meandered and looked like it had been there for ever.'
"Within about three months, the rewards continued as salmon began spawning again in the gravel bed..."
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/dec/26/diversity-returns-to-lakeland-stream-after-restoration-puts-its-bends-back
#rewilding
#biodiversity #riverrestoration
Diversity returns to Lakeland stream after restoration puts its bends back
Nature ‘in charge again’ at Swindale Beck for first time in 200 years as award-winning conservation project bears fruit
Hiya! This year I managed to injure my ankle just as cold weather set in, so my iNat observations slowed down even more than usual! I don't have very specialized I.D. skills, but I do some general plant phenology annotations during the winter months - tedious but I think very important.
Meanwhile, my mom (different household, different Zoom call), who gets along mostly OK on email and the Web, still refuses to learn how to cut and paste links. So when she sees a cartoon online that she wants to share, she prints it out and sets it on her desk, then waves it at the screen during the family Zoom.
My dad, a lifelong train buff, sometimes forgets to close a browser window when on family Zoom calls, so we'll suddenly hear a melancholy train whistle from out of nowhere because he's still streaming the train depot in Ashland, VA.
Happy Winter
#Solstice! It may be the shortest day of the year, but when you live in a
#rowhouse, it's also the day the sun reaches the farthest inside. 🌞
So I'm engaging in making
#PollinatorGardens slash
#WildlifeGardens in a series of very limited spaces. And I want to support others in doing the same. I'm always looking for ideas and resources, always trying to figure out how best to balance diversity and abundance within strict limits.
A black swallowtail
#butterfly was my gateway critter. I've been a plant nerd for decades, but the insect obsession is newer. From a few potted plants outside, to a tiny garden of my very own, to adding
#NativePlants to public spaces within a short walking distance of my home...that's how things have developed in recent years.
