#PLANTSANIMALS

[physicsalertofficial]

Paleontologists Identify Exceptionally Well-Preserved Dinosaur Species in Thailand A multi-institutional team of paleontologists made an astounding discovery in Thailand back in 2012 when they unearthed the fossil of a previously unknown dinosaur species. The remarkable finding was recently published in the journal Diversity, where the group of researchers meticulously detailed the fossil’s origin, characteristics, and state of preservation. The Unearthing of Minimocursor phunoiensis […]

[relativelyinterestingskeptic]

Nikon Small World: Unbelievable Macro Shots Nikon Small World is regarded as the leading forum for showcasing the beauty and complexity of life as seen through the light microscope. For over 30 years, Nikon has rewarded the world's best photomicrographers who make critically important scientific contributions to life sciences, bio-research and mat

[practicalsolarpunk]

Let’s talk about seed bombs

They’re pretty cool, right? Planting flowers, saving the bees, guerilla gardening, what’s not to love? But there are some things to consider before jumping in, in order to ensure that they are effective and to avoid causing any harm to the local ecosystem.

1. Native species

Many of the seed bombs available for purchase are... less than responsible about what kinds of seeds they use, even the ones that advertise as native. Read the list of species, look them up, ascertain whether or not they’re actually native to your specific region.  Take the U.S. for example. It’s a massive country, and while a particular plant may be native to the country in general, it may be native to a state on the opposite coast. Do your research, make sure the seeds are actually native to your specific area. 

Some resources to help with that*:

https://www.audubon.org/native-plants

https://www.wildflower.org/plants/

https://www.nwf.org/NativePlantFinder/Plants

https://xerces.org/pollinator-conservation/pollinator-friendly-plant-lists (scroll down on this page and there’s some international resources, too)

2. Where to place them

This one is a bit harder, because there are so many variables.  Is the soil bare? Why? Is the soil so poor nothing will grow there, not even the most tenacious weeds? Is it high traffic? Is it heavily compacted? Some kind of pollution leaking into the soil and making it inhospitable?

Or is the soil covered? Is it grass? Is it a native grass? Does it get mowed? Is it going to get sprayed? If it isn’t grass, what’s already growing there? Is it native species? Is it naturalized, polite, nonnative species that aren’t threatening the biodiversity of the regions? Or is it a highly invasive nonnative that will choke out anything else trying to grow?

Observe the area for a while.  What kind of sunlight does it get? Is it wet? Dry? Is there erosion? Mixing many different types of seeds together into one bomb might not be the best idea - even plants that are native to your area can have vastly different needs. The resources above should also have information about the growing conditions for the plants. Again - do your research. 

3. Saving the bees

Not to stir the pot too much, but honeybees, while facing issues due to pesticides primarily, are not really in danger of extinction, they’re supported by humans enough to survive.  Native bees, on the other hand, are, and we depend on them just as much, if not more, for pollination of our food than we do on honeybees. Pretty much globally, native bees and other pollinators and insects in general are in dire straits.  They are desperately in need of love, less poison, habitat, and food sources.  So, what kinds of bees and other pollinators do you have in your area? Which ones are most threatened? What do they eat? Where do they live? Many times, native insects have their own niche they fill, with specific plants that they depend on, and those plants depend on those specific insects in return.  It’s pretty fascinating to do a deep dive into local insect and plant species, and their interactions. Once again, research is the way to go!

Some resources*:

https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/national/plantsanimals/pollinate/

https://saveplants.org/pollinator-search/

4. Over seeding

Ok, some of the recipes I’ve linked below call for absurd amounts of seeds per batch - don’t do it.  The seeds won’t spread out, so they’ll all be attempting to grow in maybe a few square inches of space at the most.  Each bomb should only have a few seeds, otherwise in their fight for space, sun, nutrients, and water, they’ll all die.  Putting a dozen or more seeds in a single bomb is wasteful, expensive, and counterproductive.  There is literally no benefit to it, please, for the love everything green and growing in the world, don’t do it.

Now that we’ve covered some of the things that need to be taken into consideration, let’s talk about how to actually do this, hopefully successfully!

1. Seriously consider making your own! The process of making them involves wetting all the ingredients, including the seeds, which may start the germination process.  If they then dry out again, they likely won’t grow.  It will likely work best to make them right before planting, and toss them before they have a chance to dry too much.  Also, if you make your own, you can be 100% sure that the species are well suited for the area, because you’ve done your research! Good for you, working hard to ensure those little bombs have a big impact!

Here’s some recipes, take your pick! (But, as mentioned above, ignore the parts that say to use too many seeds - you only want a few in each bomb. depending on the type of seed.)

https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/actions/how-make-seed-bomb

https://littlebinsforlittlehands.com/make-seed-bombs-earth-day-activity/

https://seed-balls.com/basic-seed-ball-recipe

And a handy image via this site:

[photo id: a graphic titled How to make seed bombs. Below it reads: You will need: meadow flower seeds or seeds collected from the garden, peat-free compost, water, powdered clay from craft shops - use clay soil if you can’t find any, mixing bowl.  1. In a bowl, mix together 1 cup of seeds with 5 cups of compost and 2-3 cups of clay powder. 2 Slowly mix in water with your hands until everything sticks together, then roll mixture into firm balls. 3 (no words, but a drawing of seed bombs laying on grass). 4 Now for the fun bit - plant by throwing your seed bombs at bare parts of the garden!]

2. Toss them out in the spring (or whatever season they germinate best in), when you know there will be a few rainy days in row.  Seeds need wet to germinate, and good, steady moisture for the first bit of growing.  If that isn’t feasible in your region, consider going back to water them gently at least once a day for a few days or a week or more, until the seedlings are strong enough to withstand a bit of drought.  Unless, of course, the seeds are wet loving, and have been tossed somewhere that already maintains a decent moisture level for them.

3. Where to get seeds

Collect from native plants already growing in your area, that you have permission to collect from, or that are on public land.  Make sure you are 100% sure of your id - don’t want to be spreading invasive species around!

Buy them from a reputable source such as*:

https://www.prairiemoon.com/ (they have lots of awesome info about native species in north america - a great resource!)

https://www.nativeseeds.org/  (focuses on food crops mostly, but a fantastic resource all the same)

https://www.seedsource.com/

Another method if you’ve got space is to buy seeds, but plant them in your own garden and collect seeds from them. Those seeds can get really expensive, so this way you only need a few, and then with time they’ll multiply!

Try to make connections with people in your area already growing native plants - they’ll probably be happy to help you get started with some seeds!

Phew that was a lot of information! I hope it helps you all in your bombing adventures!

- Mod S

*North America focused, I’m sorry, I tried to find resources and databases for other regions and couldn’t find ones that looked reliable or comprehensive. If anyone has any, please add it on or send in an ask.

[imbirart]

TATTOO DESIGN COMMISSIONS

I am currently starting my masters degree-Sadly I need to move out of my apartment and the rent prices are INSANE so if you like my drawing style feel free to dm me about commissions- or if you prefer here is a link to my fiverr account I have re-activated

[j-hall]

basically i want to help save the earth.

what a big goal. me? one person to save the whole world? what a silly thing to try to reach for, right?

take it like this then... domino effect, if you tip over that first domino the rest run like a train! but my point is... if i spread the word to you, and you spread it to the next.. inevitably it will get around to just about every person (at least in america) and thats the first and biggest step we can all take as a country & a planet as a whole.

why arent we enraged about pollution, the ocean, the bees, our trees?

>did you know that three-fourths of the world’s flowering plants and about 35 percent of the world’s food crops depend on animal pollinators to reproduce.

have you heard that bees are disappearing and bats are dying? from habitat loss, disease, parasites, and environmental contaminants. they all contributed to the decline of many species of pollinators. in other words bees, butterflies and moths, birds and bats, and beetles and other insects are essential to us for our sources of food. no pollinators, no food. no food, no humans. this is all because of our waste (& a couple other small things but mainly waste!)

>another fact! the ocean is the life support system for the planet, providing 50% of the oxygen we breathe and regulating climate. the ocean is also the pump that allows us to have fresh water.

so basically if our ocean dies... so do we.

also let me add, if we're getting our fresh water from the ocean.... ew... and the ocean is full of nasty filthy garbage, you're drinking that garbage. how does that make you feel to think about that?

you wouldn't eat off a plate that was in the dumpster.. bc THATS GROSS... so why would you keep throwing garbage in our water hole?

IS THIS STUFF NOT SCARING YOU?

this is all real life, the real life that each & everyone of us are living day by day! how many of you (me included) really pay attention to the amount of waste you collect in a day? how many squares of TP do you use when you go to the bathroom? that shampoo bottle you just threw away. that wrapper from your candy bar. all those bags from chic-fil-a & taco bell.

what my big picture is that i'm getting at, id i want everyone to be aware, MORE aware of the garbage that they have.

i challenge you to go through your home and find one thing to replace & start using a no waste company each week! ill share a link in each of my blogs from now on supporting a company that does no waste. it'll be your job to take on that challenge. together we can make the world a better place. we can fix what's broken, but it takes all of us, collectively to work as a TEAM to build our world up.

i know some people might skip over my blog, or read it and laugh and carry on... but if one person changes, that's one step forward. dont be afraid to be that one.

(bc i was almost embarrassed to start this blog, i understand)

it has to start somewhere!

below is a link to one (of many) no waste cleaners. you pay $39 for the initial kit & only $2 for refills! how cool is that?? cheap & they deliver! (ugh covid)

just remember, one step!!

https://www.blueland.com/products/the-clean-essentials

sources:

https://www.google.com/amp/s/seashepherd.org/2015/09/29/if-the-ocean-dies-we-all-die/amp/

https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/national/plantsanimals/pollinate/

[savethebeesdeb]

Annotated Bibliography

Andrew, Scottie. “Seven Simple Things You Can Do to Save the Bees on National Honeybee Day.” CNN, Cable News Network, 17 Aug. 2019, www.cnn.com/2019/08/17/us/national-honeybee-day-tips-save-bees-trnd/index.html

The author discusses how important bees’ are to humans and gives tips on how we can all help save the bees. Bees’ around the world are dealing with poor nutrition issues. Some tips include plating variety of flowers, letting overgrown roots, and unwanted plants grow out.I used this information to state that we can all contribute and do our part in order to save the bees. Most tips listed are fairly easy and don’t cost anything.

Colla , Sheila  R, et al. “Figure 2f from: Irimia R, Gottschling M (2016) Taxonomic Revision of Rochefortia Sw. (Ehretiaceae, Boraginales). Biodiversity Data Journal 4: e7720. Https://Doi.org/10.3897/BDJ.4.e7720.” Biological Conservation, vol. 129, no. 4, 3 Jan. 2006, pp. 461–467., doi:10.3897/bdj.4.e7720.figure2f.

The authors in this journal discuss how pathogens can spread to other bees through contact. The researchers demonstrated an experiment where they tested two sets of bees, one set were wild bees and the other were bees that were kept in a greenhouse. The researchers tested if wild bees that are located near greenhouses would have diseases, and their data concluded that they do. They tested this a different locations and their results were that wild bees do have diseases such as Nosema bombi or crithidia bombi, but data at various locations vary.  Researchers did not find a consistent pattern at every location where they tested wild bees and greenhouse bees. Researchers say that these diseases spread through pollinating the same plants, feces or decaying bees. 

Cox-Foster, Diana, and Dennis vanEngelsdorp. “Saving the HONEYBEE.” Scientific American, vol. 300, no. 4, Apr. 2009, pp. 40–47. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1038/scientificamerican0409-40.

This article discusses Colony Collapse Disorder and researchers also do an experiment on Isaereli acute paralysis virus. It’s been reported that multiple counties have also noticed empty colonies. There were no dead bees near the empty colony, so it was hard to test those bees. Scientist believe pathogens, pesticides  and recently discovered viruses are linked to bees declining, but these are secondary factors. I used this information by showing that viruses are just another contributing factor, but are not the main factor.

Givetash, Linda. “Bees Are Dying at an Alarming Rate. Amsterdam May Have the Answer.” NBCNews.com, NBCUniversal News Group, 9 Sept. 2018, 

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/bees-are-dying-alarming-rate-amsterdam-may-have-answer-n897856.

This news article states that while scientists around the world are alarmed over the bees declining, wild bees and honey bees in Dutch Capital have increased by 45 percent since 2000. The city has let their sidewalks and weeds overgrow. They have also stopped using pesticides in order to create a bee friendly environment and improve the ecosystem. They believe this is really important since insects are the start of our food chain. Amsterdams government has made a big investment in rebuilding their ecosystem and helping the bees. I used this source in my paper by stating how there are helpful solutions that wouldn't only benefit bees but also the ecosystem. Bees’ are declining and there are ways we can help. 

“Natural Resources Conservation Service.” NRCS, May 2015, https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/national/plantsanimals/pollinate/?cid=stelprdb1263263.

This news article addresses how important bees are because that one out of every bite that we take depends on bee pollination. Bees help bring in $15 billion dollars into the United States. Bees help pollinate over 120 fruits and crops that we eat. Unfortunately, during the last 50 years, bees have been declining . NRCS is working with agricultural production in order to implement conservation practices in order to help pollinating insects. This article talks about how conservation efforts works, how it benefits producers, and also the public.I used the amount of money that is brought into the United States simply with the help of  pollinators. Without them, we wouldn't just have very few food selection, but the United States will also suffer in revenue. 

Press, The Canadian. “Pesticides Linked to Bee Deaths Will Be Phased out in Canada, CP Sources Say.” CTVNews, CTV News, 14 Aug. 2018, www.ctvnews.ca/politics/pesticides-linked-to-bee-deaths-will-be-phased-out-in-canada-cp-sources-say-1.4052698.

This news article states that the Canadian government is going to ban the use of neonicotinoid pesticides in the beginning of 20201. It has brought to their concern that bees are mysteriously dying and they do not know the primary factor. What they do know is that studies have linked  neonicotinoid pesticides and mites. This chemical make bees more susceptible to diseases and bad weather. More than 1,100 peer review studies were reviewed and it was no doubt that neonicotinoid harm bees. The loss of bees represent a significant issue in human food source since bees pollinate one third of our fruits and vegetables. I used this information to help support that this is a contributing factor to bees declining worldwide. This chemical is used by farmers and gardeners, however, certain countries are becoming aware of this toxic issue and are willing to ban this pesticide in order to help save the bees. 

Rupp, Rebecca. “Dying Bees Spell Trouble for U.S. Agriculture.” National Geographic, 12 Jan. 2015, https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/food/the-plate/2015/01/12/bees/.

The author discusses some background history on honeybees such as, how honey is made, and how bees control our food supply. It states that bees pollinate plants that account for over one third of our intake. Bees pollinate a majority of our fruits and vegetables. Without bees, we would not be able to eat a lot of our favorite dishes or desserts. Data has been recorded from winter 2012-2013 and about 45 percent of bee hives are gone in the United States.One thing we can do for the bees is plant more flowers.I used this article to help support how important this issue is and how long this problem has been going on for. 

Zimmer, Carl. “2 Studies Point to Common Pesticide as a Culprit in Declining Bee Colonies.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 29 Mar. 2012, https://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/30/science/neocotinoid-pesticides-play-a-role-in-bees-decline-2-studies-find.html?searchResultPosition=1.

This article addresses how two experiments performed by two different scientists have led them to suspect that pesticides are contributing to bees declining, but their results are a little ambiguous and conflicting. Two researchers published studies suggesting that low levels of pesticides can have an effect on bee colonies. One researcher indicates that the toxic chemical fog honey bees brains, making them harder to get back home. The second scientist suggest that they keep bees from supplying their hives with enough food to produce new queens. Both scientists agreed that it raised alarms of the use of pesticides, known as neonicotinoids. They state that they would prefer for this chemical to not be used until more studies are done. However, pesticides are just one of the several factors that scientists have linked to bees declining.  

[charliespostcards]

approx. 116m x 169mm

[charliespostcards]

approx. 116m x 169mm

[charliespostcards]

approx. 116m x 169mm

[charliespostcards]

approx. 116m x 169mm

[charliespostcards]

approx. 92mm x 152mm

[charliespostcards]

approx. 92mm x 152mm

[charliespostcards]

approx. 92mm x 152mm

[charliespostcards]

approx. 92mm x 152mm

[charliespostcards]

approx. 92mm x 152mm