Not in the existential sense, but why spend your limited time on Earth looking at this website? Lots of other stuff to do. You could be playing backgammon. Or watching your kids’ lacrosse match. Or inventing an exciting new style of shoelace. Maybe baking some muffins or learning Sanskrit. Instead, you’re looking at this website. And we hope it amuses. If you have an interest in natural history, particularly that of the Piedmont region of the Eastern United States, you may find it diverting and possibly informative. And quit honestly, much more relevant than Sanskrit.
Blog
Figuring out Juglandaceae: the Black Walnut
Black walnut, along with the various hickories and the pecan, is a native Piedmont trees of the family Juglandaceae. They are large trees with especially leafy leaves (bipinnate leaves if you wanna be all sciency sounding), and have nuts of varying tastiness. The nuts have a fleshy coating covering, a hard shell, in some cases …
Continue reading “Figuring out Juglandaceae: the Black Walnut”
Spotted Salamander Development
Spotted Salamanders, Ambystoma maculata, lay eggs in February and March, often laying as a group, resulting in masses of egg masses. On March 16, 2015, one egg mass from one such mass laying was placed in an aquarium for observation. Using amphibians as an easy way to observe embryos isn’t new. The larvae returned to …
Ambystoma maculata, the Spotted Salamander
About the Author
The administrator of this website is a slightly crabby middle aged woman who keeps bees, has trained cats, serves as webmaster for some rather snazzy non-profits, used to speak two separate Bantu languages but has forgotten nearly everything, does far too much needlework and studied non-linear dynamics at one point. So don’t be challenging her sciency mojo. In general, she has had far too weird of a life to fit into this web page.
If you’re interested in some assistance with your presence upon the inter webs, you’re welcome to send her a note.
Or if you know the Lugwere word for hedgehog, which she used to know and regrets forgetting.
About the Frog
The frog is a Cope’s Grey Tree Frog, Hyla chrysoscelis. There’s a curious story involving its genetics. It’s worth a thought.