#animal phenology

[delicatelysublimeforester]

The Rhythm of Seasons: Understanding Phenology through Weather and Traditional Knowledge

[jadafitch]

APRIL! 

[rebeccathenaturalist]

Why Have All the Birds Stopped Singing?

Originally posted on my website at https://rebeccalexa.com/why-have-all-the-birds-stopped-singing/

Summer is nearly halfway through, and while the days are still long there are already changes hinting at fall’s arrival. The heat causes some of the leaves on trees and shrubs to begin to turn just a little, and the sunset is a bit earlier each evening. One phenomenon that often startles people is when they realize that–seemingly overnight–the birds stopped singing.

Now, it’s not unusual for them to quiet down when a predator passes by (that includes us big, scary humans, by the way.) After all, they don’t want to be noticed by something that would happily turn them into a snack. But with each passing week there are fewer birdsongs in the daily chorus, and by the end of August pretty much all the birds stopped singing. Why is that?

Well, first we need to look at why birds sing in the first place.  I start noticing songs late in winter, and then the diversity and frequency build up throughout spring. This is correlated with nesting season. Both male and female birds sing, though male songs have historically been given more attention.

Songs serve to establish and protect territory in which mated pairs of birds build their nests; birds of the same species know that this spot is taken, move along, please–or else. And they also help birds to attract their mate for the year; male songs in particular have been studied in this regard. So what sounds like lovely music to us is serious business for birds, meaning either “Hey, baby, check ME out!” or “GET OFF MY LAWN!” (Birdsong is also more surprisingly complex than we had assumed!)

The singing continues throughout nesting season. Some species of bird only raise one clutch of young a year, especially those whose young may take several weeks to fledge. Others, especially many songbirds, can raise two or even three clutches a year, seeing their young fledge and leave the nest within two weeks of hatching. As long as the nest is active, the parent birds work actively to protect it, to include re-establishing residency through song.

There is, of course, a risk associated with singing. Birds aren’t the only animals noticing the singer; predators also use these songs to home in on a potential meal. Singing does increase the likelihood of becoming prey, but it’s effective enough in helping spread one’s genes that it’s worth the risk from an evolutionary perspective. A bird that gets nabbed while singing near a nest is more likely to have passed its genes through at least one clutch of eggs, and if the surviving parent can get some of the young to fledgling age, then they have a good chance of surviving to spread the singing genes on to the next generation.

As soon as the nest is empty for the year, and the last batch of young have successfully fledged, the birds stopped singing. Why keep bringing attention to yourself when you no longer need to? It’s time to transition to non-breeding behavior patterns, whether that means a solitary existence, or a social group for winter.

But there’s another reason birds quiet down this time of year. By this point, their feathers are pretty beat up from their spring migration (even many resident species still engage in local migrations), and then defending their nests and literally running themselves ragged getting food for demanding, hungry young. They have to prepare for the fall migration, which for many species is a marathon thousands of miles long to their wintering grounds.

If you’re a bird whose flight feathers in your wings and tail are torn and even broken, you aren’t going to be a very efficient flier. Each wingbeat is going to cost you more energy, and on a long journey that inefficiency can be fatal. So July and the first part of August are prime times for North American birds to molt, shedding out old feathers and growing fresh new ones. By the time they’re ready for liftoff for the fall migration–or simply surviving winter’s cold right here–those shiny, undamaged feathers are going to be the perfect tools for energy-efficient flight. By saving valuable calories, they increase the likelihood that they’ll survive to see another breeding season next year.

This northern mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) looks a little sad with a bare head–but don’t worry, those feathers will grow back soon!

But while they’re molting, they’re going to be additionally hindered in flight. That makes them even more vulnerable to predation. So this is another great reason for birds to quiet down as summer winds on. (They also may look a little silly, and while they probably don’t feel embarrassed about losing all the feathers on their head, I wouldn’t blame them if they were, in fact, a little self-conscious about it.)

Never fear, though–once late winter arrives next year, we’ll get to start hearing our birds warming up their syrinxes again, and soon the mornings will be full of the dawn chorus, fresh and new.

Did you enjoy this post? Consider taking one of my online foraging and natural history classes or hiring me for a guided nature tour, checking out my other articles, or picking up a paperback or ebook I’ve written! You can even buy me a coffee here!

[captainofthenautilus]

phrenology has ruined phenology for me

[dandelionsresilience]

Dandelion News - November 8-14

Like these weekly compilations? Tip me at $kaybarr1735 or check out my Dandelion Doodles!

1. Agrivoltaics for sustainable food, energy and water management in East Africa

“[… C]ertain crops […] thrived under the partial shade provided by solar panels. The shade also helped to reduce water loss through evaporation, leading to more efficient water usage. Additionally, rainwater harvested from the panels could be used to supplement irrigation needs.”

2. The world’s largest wildlife crossing is now standing in California

“The structure crosses a 10-lane freeway and has been built to help protect all sorts of wildlife[….] And it’s not just for fauna: some 5,000 plants grown from seed collected within a five-mile radius have been nurtured in two specially created nurseries. The bridge will be topped with wildflowers, shrubs and native grasses that will also benefit insect populations.”

3. Judge rules the military must cover gender-affirming surgery for members' dependents

“[Judge] Torresen found that [gender-affirming] surgery is indeed medically necessary and that the Defense Department had not shown that any important governmental interest was advanced by denying the coverage.”

4. Social Media Can Boost Caracal Conservation

“The team found that searches on the species doubled after the project [using “social media to educate about the caracal”] launched. […] ”The research demonstrates how a public interest in urban ecology and the global phenomenon of ‘cats on the internet’… can be harnessed to leverage conservation action.””

5. US Labor Board Bans Captive Audience Meetings to Ensure 'Truly Free' Worker Choice

“[T]he National Labor Relations Board on Wednesday ruled that employers cannot force workers to attend anti-union speeches. [… W]orkers will no longer have to take part in so-called "captive audience meetings," which employers often use as a union-busting tool and a form of coercion.”

6. Study links grazing with plant phenology and abundance

“In general, plants where caribou or muskoxen were present experienced earlier green-up and greater abundance later in the growing season. “We're used to thinking of the timing of plant availability as impacting the productivity of grazing animals, but not the reverse," Post said.”

7. Frog populations once decimated by disease mount a major comeback

“"These results provide a rare example of how reintroduction of resistant individuals can allow the landscape-scale recovery of disease-impacted species, and have broad implications for amphibians and many other taxa that are threatened with extinction by novel pathogens."”

8. California Announces Special Session To Protect Trans People

“Newsom’s directive is clear: safeguard reproductive healthcare, support immigrants, and shield LGBTQ+ people from what is viewed as existential threats to civil rights and democratic norms. […] California has a unique opportunity to set the blueprint for other states in resisting a Trump administration[….]”

9. When ‘OK, Boomer’ Means ‘Let’s Go Protest’

“Youth activists across the country recognize the efforts of their eco-minded predecessors and welcome them as mentors, role models, and collaborators in their battle against the climate crisis. […] “The idea that Boomers don’t care, he said, is “just misinformation.””

10. How Aussie Waste Warriors are Redirecting Excess Food to Those in Need

“A growing movement is working to reduce perfectly good food going to waste by redirecting it to homes and charities. [… C]haritable organisations [… are] transforming fresh produce that would otherwise have gone to waste into millions of cooked, nutritious meals for people in need each year.”

November 1-7 news here | (all credit for images and written material can be found at the source linked; I don’t claim credit for anything but curating.)

[heavenslittlemachine]

Analysis in 2022, led by Bennet Bacon, an amateur archaeologist, showed that lines, dots and "Y"-like symbols on Upper Palaeolithic cave paintings were used to indicate the mating cycle of animals in a lunar calendar. The markings found in over 400 caves across Europe were compared to the mating cycles of the animals with which they were associated, showing a correlation with the month of the year in which the animals depicted in the cave paintings would typically give birth. The markings were 20,000 years old, predating any other equivalent writing systems by 10,000 years.

?????

An Upper Palaeolithic Proto-writing System and Phenological Calendar

[chronichlesofnillory]

Phenology Wheel for local practice

So I feel like this would be something really cool for more witches to do and I feel kind of silly for not doing it before.

I've read a lot of really amazing posts from witches talking about creating their own localized special days based around their specific area and I feel like something like this could really help to understand patterns better.

Maybe this has been on my mind because we've only just had our first day under 70 here this fall (yeah it was 82 yesterday, which is about 15 degrees warmer than normal) but it feels even more important than ever to localize your craft. I've always felt kinda weird about "wheel of the year" stuff because it's just so different from what I've ever seen, but as global climate change progresses and makes those kinds of nature related markers even more different I really want to key in on what's going on around *me* and going on in *my* neck of the woods.

So if you're like me and you're trying to really localize your craft and now that it's the part of the year where less stuff is growing, something like a phenology wheel based on migrating animals, or the moon, or hours of sunlight or days of rain might be cool to celebrate too. Maybe the stars and when certain constellations rise or the brightness of certain planets.

[shangtusianheroes]

Avalician Calendar

So doing Milla's file i began to ask myself " gee whats the Calendar for Avalice like " as i considered dates. And my DM brain started running in over drive and i sort of came up with this. I think this makes alot of sense! so ill probably refer to it in the future!

First, the Year! Trying to work this out seems impossible to determine. We don't know what the current year in game is but i worked an easy way to determine this for myself. The creation of the kingdom stone was the start of a new Era for the 3 kingdoms and the Kingdom Stone became a central part of there lives. Yet its destruction marked a new Era of technological advancement. So i worked out the following.

Era of the Kingdom Stone or EKS Era After the Kingdom Stone or EAKS or just AKS for short.

Much like in our modern era, with the destruction of there central icon of practical worship. They started the calendar over, resetting its value and going from 1. Thus we are in year 3 AKS going into year 4, which is an easy way to handle this for myself at least.

The Months of the Year

Figuring the months out i simply went to the lunar calendar. Originally i was going to use year of the rat, or bull ect as the months but since its a world of anthropomorphic animals that felt weird so instead i used an older calendar!

1: 陬月 Zōuyuè  Month of the Pegasus(Constellation) 2: 杏月 Xìngyuè Month of the Apricot 3: 桃月 Táoyuè Month of the Peach 4: 梅月 Méiyuè Month of the Plum 5: 榴月 Liúyuè Month of the Pomegranate 6: 荷月 Héyuè Month of the Lotus 7: 蘭月 Lányuè Month of the Orchid 8: 桂月 Guìyuè Month of the Osmanthus 9: 菊月 Júyuè Month of the Chrysanthemum 10: 露月 Lùyuè Month of Dew 11:  葭月 Jiāyuè Month of the Reed 12: 冰月 Bīngyuè Month of Frost(Ice/Winter)

So this is the 12 months, from the Phenological calendar which is very much ingrained in plants. Now month 1 and 12 are outliers maybe i'll change those later but for now i'll leave them.

The Days of the Week

Sunday= 星期日 Xīngqīrì Monday= 星期一 Xīngqīyī Tuesday= 星期二 Xīngqīèr Wednesday= ���期三 Xīngqīsān Thursday= 星期四 Xīngqīsì Friday= 星期五 Xīngqīwǔ Saturday=星期六 Xīngqīliù

This is the only days of the week i could find, without getting into super complex 10 day week cycles, that was to much for my brain to handle! this also keeps the 12 months and 7 days we have in the real world making dates much easier to figure out.

So as an example... today is Xīngqīsān the 28th of Bīngyuè in the 3rd year AKD

Anyway =D now i can effectively figure what day and year it is in Avalice! for any future threads! is this way to much info? probably but its how my brain works! enjoy!

[hewldlvfrst]

I listen to this science podcast and the other day I was listening to an old episode about Phenology (not to be confused with racist Phrenology), which is the study of fall/the transition into fall. They were talking about how nature journaling is important to that field because sometimes they use people’s old journals for learning about plants and animals. That being said, I figured I already post so much about nature that I might as well start journaling seasonal changes/cues !!

[rjalker]

uh PSA?

Captive planted (things you planted in your garden, things planted in a botanical garden, street trees, other trees you know for a fact were planted by someone less than 150 years ago) won't be counted towards Research Grade observations, but that's just to help resarchers find wild ones, it doesn't mean they can't or won't use data from planted ones!

They also count towards the plant phenology graph! If you have the time, when you upload plants from your garden or street trees, add annotations for what they were doing on that day! Flowering? Flower budding? Fruiting (which just means anything that holds seeds!)? Not doing any of those things? Mark it!

If enough plants get marked with the plant phenology annotations, then you'll get to look at the graph on the main species page and see what they do during certain times of the year!

Check out the pawpaw graph, which I have been working on for a while now :)

This also applies to animals, for life stage! The Monarch butterfly graph is a great example, since a lot of people make sure to mark for them!

[horizon-verizon]

Yes, of course, because we all know Moorish Spain is actually a climate. Stop being so racist, and admit that the Martells are brown people.

*EDITED POST* (9/6/24)

Also, refer to this post from now on.

I never said Spain was a climate, though? I said that it has the climate of an arid region and yes climate does affect culture (food, dress, etc.) which in turn inevitably will shape the ethnicity's distinguishment from others.

Yes and no: yes, because they were obviously darker and had more Rhoynish roots than say the Dornish Fowlers and Daeron I thrust the exonym of "salty" on them; but no, bc almost all Dornish, including the Martells, practice the Faith and spoke the Common Tongue and Dorne is mean to be a Spain analog, not a PoC country/people.

If being a league of your own makes you "brown" or "PoC", sure. But in-story AND real modern =/= medieval race. Westerosi racial definitions =/= real, modern racial definitions. And the circumstances under which we'd recognize racial oppression simply don't exist in Dornish-nonDornish interactions and history.

The entity that is "Dorne" mimics/an analog of not a PoC nation or people but a white European one: Spain. Brown people are not European--by phenological skin color, sure sometimes, like Greek and Spanish and other Med peoples, sure...racially, no.

A) what GRRM has said:

B)

Definitions of racism:

(Google) - prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism by an individual, community, or institution against a person or people on the basis of their membership in a particular racial or ethnic group, typically one that is a minority or marginalized - the belief that different races possess distinct characteristics, abilities, or qualities, especially so as to distinguish them as inferior or superior to one another (Merriam-Webster) - a belief that race is a fundamental determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race

VS

Definition of xenophobia (Merriam-Webster):

fear and hatred of strangers or foreigners or of anything that is strange or foreign

Xenophobia specifically refers to a person or group having an “outsider” status within a society.

Racism relates explicitly to race or ethnicity, whether the person or group has “outsider” status or not.

We have and can use them interchangeably, but it's still important to remember that the difference in the Westerosi context is that xenophobia does not come from a context of systematic oppression.

Notes:

I am arguing all of this in mind of the argument people make that Rhaegar abandoned Elia because he thought her his racial inferior and Lyanna her racial superior, which is false bc such notions are not present or supplied by a ra cially oppressive state.

"race" and ethnicity are already strange in the ASoIaF world, anon. "Stranger" even than real events where different people with different religions define themselves what their ethnicity is, and what makes them a separate people during times of constant intermarriages and cultural influencing (Anglo-Normans and Spain).

Race is not ethnicity.

Climate absolutely affects how an ethnic group creates its tools, clothing, food, accessories, medicine, religious beliefs (animism), language, and literature or oral storytelling (what does "heat" vs "cold" usually signify and mean to that society, winds, etc? esp in connection to their religious beliefs) -> ex. the ironborn (who are not Andal by ethnicity nor First Men) a sea versus storm god and associating storms and winds as "evil" due to the dangers of storms to fishermen, sailors, and their reavers; Culture absolutely gets its legs and structure from the people's physical needs and surroundings. The region can indicate climate and climate gives us a clue into what region(s) we are talking about.

While climate doesn't equal ethnicity, it has a heavy influence on many physical and cultural features that hegemonic forces use to create their racial categories according to what legal and social hierarchies they want.

For the Martells and Dornishpeople to be PoCs exactly like the PoCs today in real life, there kinda has to be a history of a) the Dornish having been assimilated into Westerosi society/infrastructures and made subordinate to the "white" Westerosi b) actual systematic oppression against the Dornish from the nonDornish, and Dorne has been able to maintain its independence from Westeros pretty much since Westeros' inception. Even after Daeron II married Myriah Martell, the Martells and the Dornish still worked as their own principality rather than a region totally under the control of the Westerosi monarchy. There was no colonization or successful imperialist campaigns on Dorne. Like the Targs, Dorne is "queer" not more for skin color nor religion so much as the Rhoynish traditions towards gender equity--at least regarding succession and leadership--and sexuality.

C)

First, neither I nor ozymalek claimed that climate alone equaled ethnicity nor race.

This is what was said:

wales (historical influence more than cultural or ethnic)

spain and palestine (in terms of climate) [me: really, "region" and how climate will affect food, clothing, etc]

moor-influenced spain (ethnicity; rhoynar influence on the region paralleling that of moors)

1.

ozymalek seems to say that GRRM wants us to think the Andal-Dorne and Rhoynish melding is inspired by a "Caucasian" European country with a history of interacting and sometimes intermarrying melding into/from communities of African Muslims and Sephardic Jews, but this time a lot more successful and actually ending with a whole new state called "Dorne", as GRRM has not written of any racial strife in Dorn itself. 

The Welsh, Scottish, and Irish fought and resisted the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms--that would become the kingdom of England sometime in the 900s--when the Western Saxon kings conquered and took control over the others for a long time, and they were ethnically different from these people, with their own customs, language, etc., with even their own language. Even today. They are all also racially considered "white" globally, while in their own local English vs Irish (for example) were racially categorized as inherently different from Anglo-Saxon-Norman descent peoples and racially categorized and conceived of as inherently different from Protestants in the U.S. upon their immigration until they themselves adopted whiteness-defined. In those Cetlic groups that make up most Irish clans of "yore", you find suggestions of women having a lot more political influence and activity than their ancient Roman and later Saxon 900 A.D. counterparts. Similar to how the Dornishmen have very different customs regarding sexuality and women from other Westerosi, but not exactly the same. So while the Wales inspiration is there, so is the Spanish history of cultural influences from Moorish and Jewish people.

And even though Spain has its Muslim African influences historically, we still think of Spain as a white, European country--if we want to go with race instead of ethnicity.

Spain and Wales both are European, they have separate ethnicities, but the people are considered racially white by some people's definition of "whiteness": be descended of/be raised as Europeans or just Northern Europeans (the "English" islands, France, all Nordic regions, Germany); not be Jewish/have any other religion other than Christianity (Dorne is of the Faith); and look pale enough to be taken as if you were just descended from N.Europeans. Race is weird and a false thing we nevertheless live by.

Yes, the lords of Westeros at Daeron II's court, especially the Stormlanders, looked askance at the Dornishmen peoples filling up the court and several favored positions both because they felt they hadn't dominated the Dornishmen quite yet, the Dornish did not practice the misogyny that they had encoded in their customs, AND they wanted those positions themselves, using the warring to argue that the Dornishmen didn't deserve those positions. Yes, it is similar to how white Americans call against Mexicans, Caribbean, and South Americans "taking all our jobs" or "intruding" previously Stormland/Reachmen spaces/having what they thought of as their privileges. Such things also happened between Normans and Anglo-Saxon barons before and after the Norman Conquest, and both these groups were European/racially white, as well, and are obviously coming from xenophobia. The Dornish are not a systematically marginalized racial group in Westeros.

Before it's brought up, "Southron" Andal-descent lords don't totally play well with Northern old god worshippers and consider themselves very different culturally, yet they have also intermarried for centuries with Andal peoples before the Targs--they are supposed to be analogs of pre-Irish migration (19th century) Northern England, which had strong linguistically Old Norse influence from Viking contact in the 9th and 10th centuries. Most of northern and eastern England was part of either the Danelaw or the Danish-controlled Kingdom of Northumbria. It doesn't really make them any less "white" nor less intended as such and it's clear that Northerners are more considered "Westerosi" or can be closer to the "whiteness" because they are not too different in the cases of sexuality and primogeniture.

2.

ozymalek also seems to say that the Rhoynish were only like the Moors in that their arrival and joining with the Martells resulted in the previously only-Andal Martells' culture and political structure changed and was redefined without erasing it altogether:

metal-working with iron which was better than the "steel" Andals/pre-Nymeria Martells/pre-Rhoynish Dornish had

equal primogeniture and gender rule in the Martell succession

paramours' higher regard

the toleration of homosexuality

Rhoynish language shaping esp Martell and other Dornish's pronunciation of the Common Tongue differently (they still actually just speak the Common tongue and use it as an official language like the nonDornish lords)

Arrival and practices. (Arrival of Moors - the arrival of the Rhoynar).

I don't agree that the Rhoynar are not PoC, but yet again, we moderns consider Spain and its kingdoms racially white and European by region and appearance.

3a.

The Dornish (mostly those who live near or in the Red Mountains, whom Daeron I called the "Stony" Dornishmen like the Wyls and the Vulture King) are also like the Welsh vs English/Anglo-Saxons in that like the Welsh, they warred and get/got into skirmishes with the other Westerosi kingdoms (Westeros is analogous to "England") and lords often. Not even culturally, just those warring behaviors tied to resistance against occupation and political hegemony into cultural subsumption and the usual fighting over resources/space/territory. From both perspectives the resisiting and makes up a lot of what culturally defines Dornishmen.

First Meria Martell resisted the first 3 Targ conquerors, insisting on their Dornishmen independence and determination to remain so.

Then to Dornishmen and Dornish marchers consistently warring with Stormlanders, Reachmen, reach marchers, and Stomlander marchers for resources, revenge, and "glory".

And then the smallfolk resisted Daeron I after most of the nobles were subdued, leading to the final ambush that killed Daeron I.

Aegon IV's complete failure to even enter Dorne with his mechanical wildfire-throwing structures collapsed on themselves in the Kingswood.

They never, not once, considered themselves part of the later "Westerosi" realm, that territory ruled by a unifier monarch. Yet they practice the same religion and think of themselves as more Andal as well (I believe since there's no indication of them rejecting an Andal identity), without thinking of themselves as true subjects of the Westerosi crown. Way before the Targs reached Westeros. At the same time, the Andals (Catholic and white, "N.EU" analogs) and the First Men themselves came from Essos, the "orient" of the ASoIaF world .... and their political structure is still favorable towards men holding power. But the Andals came from the northwestern part of Essos with their sigils, Faith religion, the importance placed on swords indicating male strength, and female subservience to that. How do we define all those FM and Andal lords who are not Dornishmen, anon? (We'll have to ask GRRM what is up here. And, you know, open a history book.)

Daeron I was the one to create "stony" vs "sandy" vs "salty" racial categories for Dornishmen, exonyms for the sake of nonDornish people to categorize Dornishmen. For now, it would seem that there is no true giving away of privileges to stony versus subjugations against sandy or salty Dornishmen. Because, once more, there is no systematic marginalization of the Dornish people who don't even think of themselves as "salty", etc.

3b.

What made people ethnically "different" in most medieval mindsets had more to do with religion or being a noble versus a nonnoble than skin color. Until maybe the later 1490s and beyond (when EU was really beginning its colonizing legs and coming across non-Christian groups far from EU), skin color was more a sub-element than the prime one that defined what made people different for a long while until people actively began using skin color alone to connote spiritual purity and assigned a moral being to skin color....which is the origins of racial concepts we understand today, the modern conceptions of race. And most Dornishmen just so happen to be Andal Faith worshippers.

The Martells are not totally like the Wyls, Daynes, Fowlers, Yronwoods in some cultural practices (because the Rhoynish influence is less the more north you go in Dorne, and some northern Dornish or Dornish marcher can go by Andal male primogeniture) but even that is vaguely told and we don't know what "influence" shaped what stony practices and how.

We get a look into how they do not look the same across different regions from a non-Dornish, Targaryen perspective:

The trouble in ASoIaF is that because the Andals were supposedly white Catholic analogs who still originated from an Asian/Mediterranean-analogue continent...how are we supposed to view the other Essoi peoples? The Valyrians were pale and had pale hair with violet eyes yet they lived on a peninsula surrounded by waters as if they were ancient Mediterranean-inspired. (Greek-ish city-state controlling the lands around them, like Athens or--more likely--the city of Rome is what we may think Valyria is like, except times 100 because they had dragons and were one "city".)

Here is a QUOTE describing the Rhoynar before the Valyrians attacked them. Are they Mediterranean, or Indus River Valley-inspired? If Med, they are white. If Indus River, they are not. If both, what then? (I think they are PoC, the Rhoynar, by modern definition of race [not ethnicity, it's obvious they have completely different ethnicities]).

Because again, ethnicity, then race, doesn’t really work the same when it comes to non-Summer Islanders-Westerosi peoples--Summer Islanders and Westerosi. Summer Islanders are definitely Black-Pacific Islander analogs and we actually see how the Westerosi treat them and refer to them like how Europeans referred to and treated nonChristians black people. "Black Pearl" Bellegere Otherys, also known as the Black Pearl of Braavos and that Summer Islander man who visited King's Landing's court to get political support for his own interests, how Cersei, an Andal nonDornishman Westerosi and a westerlander, thinks of him. There is no real racial category for the summer Islanders in ASoIaF, they are just called Summer Islanders, and "Black" refers to their darkness of skin color alone, not a racial category.

But because the Rhoynish-Andal Martells, Fowlers, Daynes, Wyls, etc. still have the Seven (Catholicism) as their faith and cultural categorization was more about religion than skin color in real-world medieval Europe...well it seems that the Westerosi nobles would have considered the Martells Westerosi "enough" by-class-religion-and-proximity, especially after Daeron II got the Dornishmen to be more integrated into the Westerosi kingdom. (Despite, again, their Rhoynish-custom-influence and not wanting to be a part of the Westerosi political state/territory to be ruled by a king as if they weren't their own autonomous realm that the Martells rule as autonomous rulers, as some people argued for the black Velayrons of HotD).

D)

Mediterranean/South European white people like Greeks, Italians, and Spaniards have and are imagined to have “olive” skin. Just because they are darker than the image of a Northern European, doesn’t mean that they aren’t white..because they are still European and do not come from colonized non-EU regions.

They are, yes, racially categorized differently at different times of world history, but it really took ground in legal organization and close-quarter social interactions AFTER THE 18th century! Eugenists and American nativists (and people today) categorized them and Greek people as the "black" Europeans and Jewish people as "not white".

[rebeccathenaturalist]

Why We Need to Care About Insects

Originally posted on my website at https://rebeccalexa.com/why-we-need-to-care-about-insects/

Some months back a study was released that demonstrates just how damaging climate change is to insects, particularly those in tropical areas. Warming temperatures cause insects to die from overheating and dehydration, kills off their food sources, and lowers their fertility rates to dangerous levels. Moreover, changes in climate affect insect phenology, the timing of when they hatch, migrate, breed, and so forth.

And because insects are so small, they’re often disproportionately affected by many of these problems. As ectotherms, they rely on the air around them to regulate their body temperatures; their small mass means they lose heat faster than larger animals, and can be overloaded with heat much more quickly. Tropical insects are especially at risk from major fluctuations in temperature because they are adapted to a relatively narrow temperature range.

Gray spruce looper moth (Caripeta divisata)

But the problem goes far beyond the tropics, and we are in the middle of an insect apocalypse. This problem often flies under the radar of those who are not already aware of invertebrate conservation. While a few insects, such as monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) and domestic honey bees (Apis mellifera), find themselves in the press on a regular basis, most species don’t have large fan clubs. Some of my favorite insects include the white-tipped ctenucha moth (Ctenucha rubroscapus), the velvet snail-eating beetle (Scaphinotus velutinus), and the black-tailed bumblebee (Bombus melanopygus), none of which are insects you’re likely to find making the headlines.

To be fair, there are a lot of insect species out there, so it would be hard to feature every single one individually. But we already face the problem that many people simply just don’t see why we need to worry about fewer bugs around. Last year I wrote an article about how search engines tend to produce exterminator sites at the top of results for various insects, and while some of that is no doubt due to advertising-oriented algorithms, they do reflect a widespread demand for extermination services that isn’t matched by more positive attention to these little animals.

Much has been said among entomologists, ecologists, and other professionals about why we need to be concerned about the drastic drop in the numbers of many insect species, and I’ve written about it as well. I could reiterate what would happen if we lost our pollinators (and also how to save them!) or the crucial role insect detritivores play in reducing diseases and keeping the food web cycling along. And I am still a champion for mosquitoes and other unpopular insects.

Green stink bug (Chinavia hilaris)

But these things always bear repeating. It may be that nine out of every ten organisms on this planet is an insect. Insects play an incredible number of ecological roles, from ecosystem engineers to pollinators to food sources and much more. Without them, ecosystems around the planet would collapse entirely.

I could certainly take the self-interested route and emphasize that fully one-third of our food relies on insects and other pollinators. I might also point out that insect detritivores help nourish the soil needed for everything from food crops to timber. While terrestrial insects and other arthropods only make up about a fifth of the amount of global biomass as their marine counterparts, they still represent a natural sink that holds about 200 million tons of carbon at any given time.

But our anthropocentric worldview rarely considers the intrinsic value of insects simply for existing. We’re constantly weighing and measuring their worth based on our biases and values. We divide them into “good” or “bad” insects: good insects are those that do things we like, like pollination or looking pretty, while bad insects are the ones that chew on our homes and plants or which bite or sting us when threatened or seeking food. For a lot of people, any insect beyond maybe a butterfly is a reason to say “Ewww, gross!” I’ve even seen this widespread among self-professed nature lovers, whether they have a true entemophobia or not, though there may be an evolutionary reason for this seemingly disproportionate reaction.

So consider this yet another attempt to change opinions about insects. I can’t cure entemophobia, but I can at least get people thinking more critically about personal and societal attitudes toward insects. I hope to get people to realize that widespread use of pesticides and other garden/agricultural chemicals–which has increased fifty-fold in twenty-five years–is driving the loss of so many insects. I’ve mentioned before that habitat loss is the single biggest cause of species endangerment and extinction, and that goes for insects, too. And, of course, the study mentioned at the start of this article is just one highlighting the increasing impact climate change has on insects worldwide.

Metric Paper Wasp (Polistes metricus)

Let me wrap this up on a bright note: word is getting out. There is a lot more awareness than there was twenty years ago, and there’s more nuance than we had in the early “save the (domesticated European honey) bees” campaigns. More people are ditching pesticides and other garden chemicals unless absolutely needed, and regenerative agricultural practices that use fewer chemicals overall are gaining ground. And while numerous organizations are increasing awareness of insect conservation, the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation–the oldest organization dedicated solely to invertebrates–is still going strong.

And you can help spread the word, too. Share this article with others, and some of the resources and organizations linked throughout. Consider your own relationship to the native insects in the world around you, and whether you might make their lives a little easier. And remember that sometimes it is the smallest of things that have the greatest importance in such a massive system as an entire living planet.

Did you enjoy this post? Consider taking one of my online foraging and natural history classes or hiring me for a guided nature tour, checking out my other articles, or picking up a paperback or ebook I’ve written! You can even buy me a coffee here!

[warningsine]

The sardine run is well known among residents of the KwaZulu-Natal coastline that runs along South Africa’s east coast. Every year in winter, sardines migrate close to the shoreline. The event is well documented in the local press.

The sardine run is of great economic importance because it provides prime fishing opportunities and attracts large numbers of tourists who come for dolphin and shark sightings. Similar migration patterns are seen in Sweden, Chile, and the Pacific Ocean.

The sardine run is what scientists term a “phenological event” – a biological event that occurs at the same time every year. Phenological events are standard for plants and include the appearance of leaf and flower buds, blossoming, fruit development, fruit harvest and leaf colouration and fall.

For animals, the events are more varied and include hibernation, hatching, animal calls, moulting, and in the case of birds, game and fish (among others) migration.

Scientists have become very interested in phenology over the past few decades, because it’s one of the most sensitive biological indicators of climate change. As temperatures increase, the plants or animals experience their triggers for spring earlier and their triggers for winter later. As a result, many of these phenological events are occurring at different times of the year.

In a recently published paper in the South African Journal of Science, we examined newspaper articles written between 1946 and 2012 that reported on the South African sardine run. From these articles we established an annual date of the peak of the sardine run.

We then explored how the dates of the sardine run have changed over the 65-year period, and statistically examined oceanographic and climatological factors to determine the cause of this change. We did this because there are very few phenological records for South Africa and consequently, the rate of phenological shifts and the associated climate signal is largely unknown.

Phenology is highly species and location specific, and so it’s important to reconstruct records for as many locations and as many plants and animals as possible. It’s also known that climate affects the timing of phenological events globally, including marine environments.

Our research sought to determine changes in the pattern of the sardine run and, possibly, what might be behind them. The hope is that this can help fisheries plan for delays or failed migrations which are happening more frequently.

Nature’s biological clock

Phenological shifts are specific to species and location. For example, Granny Smith apple trees are flowering approximately four days earlier for each 1°C increase in temperature in Poland. In South Africa, these Granny Smith apples are flowering two days earlier for each 1°C increase in temperature.

For many species these events are happening earlier. This is because they are spring events and, under climate change, the temperatures that are perceived by plants and animals to be the onset of spring are occurring in late winter. For events that occur in autumn, the events are often occurring later, because the cooling that marks the start of winter has not yet occurred.

This is the case for the South African sardines.

We found that over the 66-year period, sardines arrived off the coast of Durban increasingly late – at a rate of 1.3 days later per decade. Over the six decades this has meant the date has changed from arrivals as early as mid-June at the beginning of the record to dates as late as mid-July in the last decade.

Through statistical analysis comparing the constructed phenological record with climate and ocean data, we hypothesise that the delay could be caused by two things.

First, the ocean water is warmer. Sardines can tolerate a maximum surface temperature of 21°C. But this temperature isn’t being reached consistently at the same time every year due to changes in ocean temperature.

The second factor is mid-latitude cyclones. There have been an increasing number of these in the east coast region. The relationship between them and the sardine run is complex and difficult to pin down. But this has also been recorded for sardine migration in the North Pacific.

Why it matters

The delay is concerning. First, the large influx of sardines is important for the fishery industry. If the sardine run occurs at an unexpected time, or doesn’t occur at all, supply chains are disrupted and fishermen are placed at economic risk.

The unpredictability is also a problem for tourism. The sardine run attracts visitors who are keen on shark and dolphin sightings and may leave disappointed.

The delays in the sardine run also result in food shortages for predators such as sharks, which feed on the sardines. This is termed a species mismatch, and is increasingly observed as a result of climate change induced phenological shifts, where predators and their prey are no longer in the same place at the same time. This is because each species has its own unique trigger for a particular activity.

[rashaanayah]

Unraveling Ecosystem Services with Rasha Anayah (JHU)_ Climate Change_s Ripple Effect on Human Well-Being

Rasha Anayah

Unraveling Ecosystem Services with Rasha Anayah (JHU): Climate Change's Ripple Effect on Human Well-Being

Climate change has emerged as one of the most pressing global challenges of our time, impacting ecosystems and human societies in profound and far-reaching ways. As temperatures rise, sea levels climb, and extreme weather events become more frequent and severe, the delicate balance of Earth's ecosystems is disrupted, leading to a cascade of ecological and societal consequences. In this blog, we delve into the complex web of interactions between climate change and ecosystem services with the help of experts like Rasha Anayah (JHU), unraveling the ripple effect on human well-being and highlighting the urgent need for collective action to mitigate and adapt to these changes.

Disruption of Food Security

Climate change poses a significant threat to global food security, affecting crop yields, water availability, and agricultural productivity. Rising temperatures, erratic rainfall patterns, and extreme weather events, such as droughts and floods, disrupt agricultural systems and compromise the stability and reliability of food production. In regions already vulnerable to food insecurity, such as Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, climate-induced crop failures and livestock losses exacerbate hunger and malnutrition, threatening the health and livelihoods of millions of people.

Moreover, changes in temperature and precipitation patterns alter the distribution and abundance of pests, diseases, and invasive species, further compromising agricultural productivity and food safety. As ecosystems undergo shifts in species composition and phenology, the resilience and adaptive capacity of agricultural systems are put to the test, requiring innovative solutions and sustainable practices to ensure food security in a changing climate.

Degradation of Water Resources

Climate change exacerbates water scarcity and pollution, placing immense pressure on freshwater ecosystems and jeopardizing access to clean and reliable water sources for drinking, sanitation, and irrigation. Changes in precipitation patterns and melting glaciers as highlighted by experts like Rasha Anayah (JHU) alter the hydrological cycle, leading to fluctuations in water availability and exacerbating droughts, floods, and water shortages in many regions of the world.

Furthermore, rising temperatures and increased evaporation rates contribute to the depletion of surface water bodies and groundwater reserves, exacerbating water stress and competition for limited water resources. The degradation of water quality due to pollution from agricultural runoff, industrial discharge, and urbanization further compounds the challenges of water management and conservation in a changing climate. Addressing the dual challenges of water scarcity and pollution requires integrated approaches that prioritize ecosystem-based solutions, such as wetland restoration, watershed management, and sustainable water use practices.

Loss of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services

Climate change accelerates the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services as emphasized by experts like Rasha Anayah (JHU), undermining the resilience and functioning of ecosystems essential for human well-being. Habitat destruction, fragmentation, and degradation, driven by land-use change, deforestation, and urban expansion, exacerbate the vulnerability of species to climate impacts and reduce their capacity to adapt and survive in changing environments.

Furthermore, climate-induced shifts in temperature and precipitation alter the distribution and abundance of plant and animal species, disrupting ecological interactions and ecosystem dynamics. As species migrate in search of suitable habitats, ecosystems experience disruptions in pollination, seed dispersal, pest control, and nutrient cycling, compromising the provision of essential ecosystem services that support human societies.

Impact on Public Health

Climate change has significant implications for public health, exacerbating existing health risks and creating new challenges for healthcare systems and communities worldwide. Rising temperatures and prolonged heatwaves increase the incidence of heat-related illnesses and exacerbate respiratory conditions, cardiovascular diseases, and heat stress among vulnerable populations, such as the elderly, children, and outdoor workers.

Moreover, changes in precipitation patterns and temperature regimes influence the distribution and prevalence of vector-borne diseases, such as malaria, dengue fever, and Lyme disease, as well as waterborne illnesses, including cholera and diarrheal diseases. Extreme weather events, such as hurricanes, floods, and wildfires, can disrupt healthcare infrastructure, overwhelm emergency response systems, and exacerbate mental health issues, such as anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), among affected populations.

Socioeconomic Impacts

Climate change exacerbates socioeconomic inequalities and disparities, disproportionately affecting marginalized and vulnerable communities with limited resources and adaptive capacity. The impacts of climate change, such as crop failures, water shortages, and extreme weather events, exacerbate poverty, food insecurity, and economic instability, particularly in developing countries and low-income regions where livelihoods depend on climate-sensitive sectors such as agriculture, fisheries, and tourism.

Furthermore, climate-related disasters and environmental degradation can lead to displacement, migration, and conflict as communities are forced to flee their homes in search of safety, resources, and opportunities. The loss of homes, livelihoods, and cultural heritage due to climate impacts further exacerbates social tensions and undermines community resilience and cohesion. Addressing the socioeconomic impacts of climate change requires holistic approaches as emphasized by experts like Rasha Anayah (JHU) that prioritize equity, social justice, and community empowerment, ensuring that vulnerable populations are included in decision-making processes and have access to resources and support to build adaptive capacity and resilience.

Navigating the Path Forward

The ripple effects of climate change on ecosystem services and human well-being are profound and multifaceted, posing complex challenges that require urgent and coordinated action at local, national, and global levels. By recognizing the interconnectedness of climate change impacts and ecosystem dynamics, we can develop holistic strategies that address the root causes of environmental degradation and promote sustainable development pathways that enhance resilience, equity, and prosperity for present and future generations.

Through integrated approaches that combine mitigation, adaptation, and ecosystem-based solutions, we can mitigate the impacts of climate change, restore ecological balance, and safeguard the essential services provided by nature. By investing in renewable energy, sustainable land management, ecosystem restoration, and climate-resilient infrastructure as emphasized by experts like Rasha Anayah (JHU), we can build a more resilient and sustainable future where ecosystems thrive, and human well-being flourishes in harmony with nature. As we navigate the path forward, let us embrace the opportunity to create a more resilient and equitable world, where the health and prosperity of people and planet are safeguarded for generations to come.      

[tearsinthemist]

noun: phenology

the study of cyclic and seasonal natural phenomena, especially in relation to climate and plant and animal life.