bio-phil

lizzy

Tue, 11 Jul 2006 20:07 -0600

Recent research at the University of Melbourne, Australia and Pennsylvania State University has revealed that in fact many lizards in the iguanians and monitor (lizard) families have venom-producing glands. None of these poses much danger to humans, as their poison is introduced slowly by chewing, rather than injected as with poisonous snakes. Nine toxins previously thought to only occur in snakes have been discovered, and a number of previously unseen chemicals as well.

Buddha

Fri, 07 Jul 2006 07:51 -0600

looking forward

weather forecast: bad mood

Sun, 02 Jul 2006 19:03 -0600

With over 5,000 species described, frogs are among the most diverse groups of vertebrates. However the declining numbers of certain species of frogs are increasingly giving cause for concern. [Wikipedia]

Monarch on Paph

Sun, 25 Jun 2006 11:08 -0600

The last generation of the summer lives up to 7 months, during which it flies to the overwinter location. This generation does not reproduce until it leaves the overwinter location the following spring. How the species manages to return to the same overwintering spots over a gap of several generations is still a subject of research; the flight patterns are inherited, based on a combination of circadian rhythm and the position of the sun on the sky.[1] A recent study suggests that butterflies have special ultraviolet photoreceptors that provide them with a sense of direction.[2] This is one of the few insects to manage transatlantic crossings. [from Wikipedia]

Nymphaea

Sat, 24 Jun 2006 15:29 -0600

The ancient Egyptians revered the Nile water-lilies, or lotuses as they were also called. The Egyptian Blue Water-lily, N. caerulea, opens its flowers in the morning and then sinks beneath the water at dusk. The Egyptian White Water-lily, N. lotus, flowers at night and closes in the morning. Remains of both flowers have been found in the burial tomb of Ramesses II. [from Wikipedia]

season

Tue, 20 Jun 2006 21:34 -0600

'Fall, leaves, fall' [EJ Brontë]

Union Station

Sat, 17 Jun 2006 21:34 -0600

Architect Daniel Burnham, assisted by Pierce Anderson, used a number of techniques to convey this message: neoclassical elements combined the Roman architecture of the triumphal arch with the great vaulted spaces of Imperial Roman public baths, such as the Baths of Diocletian in Rome; prominent siting at the intersection of two of Pierre L'Enfant's avenues, with an orientation that faced the United States Capitol, just five blocks away; a massive scale, including a facade stretching more than 600' and a waiting room ceiling 96' above the floor; stone inscriptions and allegorical sculpture in the Beaux-Arts manner; expensive materials such as marble, gold leaf, and white granite from a previously unused quarry. [from Wikipedia]

fleur

Fri, 16 Jun 2006 21:17 -0600

The summer's flower is to the summer sweet, Though to itself it only live and die [W. Shakespeare]

Malacosoma americanum,

Wed, 14 Jun 2006 21:34 -0600

These are among a small number of caterpillar species that live in large colonies. The colonies form tent-like nests in the branch-crotches of their host plants, where they seek shelter for much of the day. They do leave the tent to feed, and can cause considerable defoliation on infested trees. This species has 1 generation per year, with the caterpillars present only in spring. It is sometimes confused with the fall webworm, which also forms tents on many of the same tree species, but only in the fall. [from Wikipedia]

blue mountains

Tue, 13 Jun 2006 21:05 -0600

Much of the region is covered with forest yielding quantities of valuable timber, especially in Canada and northern New England. The most valuable trees for lumber are spruce, white pine, hemlock, juniper, birch, ash, maple and basswood; all excepting pine and hemlock, and poplar in addition, are ground into wood pulp for the manufacture of paper. In the central and southern parts of the belt oak and hickory constitute valuable hard woods, and certain varieties of the former furnish quantities of tan bark. The tulip-tree produces a good clear lumber known as white wood or poplar, and is also a source of pulp. In the south both white and yellow pine abounds. Many flowering and fruit-bearing shrubs of the heath family add to the beauty of the mountainous districts, rhododendron and kalmia often forming impenetrable thickets. Bears, mountain lions (pumas), wild cats (lynx) and wolves haunt the more remote vastnesses of the mountains; foxes abound; deer are found in many districts and moose in the north. [from Wikipedia]