Mother Nature.

08/24/2026

08/12/2026

07/16/2026

Michigan looks like a scene straight out of an apocalyptic movie today. Orange and yellow tinted skies are the normal today, and will continue as wildfire smoke filters sunlight.

Thank you to Heather for sending this in from Lewiston.

07/16/2026

In the bustling Colombian city of Medellín, urban planners tackled the intensifying challenges of the urban heat island effect through an innovative nature-based solution.

Launched in 2016, the Green Corridors initiative transformed roadsides, riverbanks, and public spaces into interconnected networks of lush vegetation.

By strategically planting approximately 880,000 trees and 2.5 million smaller plants, the city created living corridors that mimic natural forests, providing extensive shade and promoting evapotranspiration, where plants release moisture to cool the surrounding air.

This ambitious greening effort replaced heat-absorbing concrete surfaces with foliage that actively regulates temperature.

Within the first three years, average temperatures in some of the hottest districts dropped by up to 2°C, offering immediate relief to residents amid rising global heat.

The project not only combats climate change impacts but also delivers multiple co-benefits, including improved air quality through pollutant filtration, enhanced biodiversity by creating wildlife habitats, and more inviting public spaces that encourage community interaction and physical activity.

Involving local citizen gardeners, many from disadvantaged backgrounds, the program fostered social inclusion while building long-term urban resilience.

Medellín's success demonstrates how targeted urban forestry can serve as cost-effective infrastructure against extreme heat, potentially cooling the city further by several degrees in coming decades.

It stands as a model for cities worldwide seeking sustainable adaptation strategies rooted in nature rather than mechanical solutions.

Source: Reasons to be Cheerful, "How a Colombian City Cooled Dramatically in Just Three Years", and Times of India coverage.

07/16/2026

When a team of researchers dredged a clam up from the cold seabed off the coast of Iceland, there was nothing about it to suggest they were holding a record-breaker, since it looked much like any other ocean quahog, a species already known for its long life in cold northern waters. Only when they examined it closely did the true scale of what they had found become clear.

Scientists estimate the age of these clams by counting the fine growth lines the animal lays down in its shell year after year, in almost exactly the way the rings of a tree record the passing seasons. By that count, this particular clam had been alive since the year 1499, which earned it the nickname Ming, after the Chinese dynasty that ruled the world when it first settled onto the ocean floor.

At 507 years old, Ming holds the record as the oldest individual animal ever found, having outlasted five centuries of human history without ever leaving the seabed where it began. While empires rose and collapsed above the surface, the clam simply kept adding one faint ring after another to its shell.

There is a rueful footnote to the discovery, because researchers only learned Ming's true age after opening the shell to count those rings, a process that ended the animal's remarkable life. The loss did push scientists toward gentler, non-destructive methods of aging such creatures, so that the next Ming, whenever it is found, might be allowed to keep on living.

07/15/2026

Two goldfish have made legal history in Argentina. 🐟

After an animal advocacy group challenged the conditions they were being kept in at a Buenos Aires sushi restaurant, a court ruled that the fish – Fede and Magui – are sentient beings with rights, not mere objects.

The pair were rescued from a small, sun-exposed 10 gallon tank and moved to a 660-gallon aquarium at the home of an animal specialist, who adopted them.

The ruling is significant because it sets a legal precedent: fish can be recognized as victims of cruelty, giving them greater legal protection when they're kept in conditions that cause suffering. While keeping fish isn't illegal in Argentina, keeping them in conditions that amount to mistreatment is.

Animal advocates say this decision could have far-reaching implications for the millions of fish kept in homes and businesses, reinforcing what science has long shown — that fish are sentient animals capable of experiencing pain and deserving of legal protection.

12/20/2025

🐿️ The Squirrel: “YOUR PEANUTS FEEL LIKE LOVE. MY BONES CALL IT A DEFICIENCY.”

YOUR PEANUTS FEEL LIKE LOVE. MY BONES CALL IT A DEFICIENCY.
“A peanut-only diet drains calcium from my body. Peanuts are legumes, not nuts—they are high in phosphorus, which forces my body to ‘steal’ calcium from my own bones to balance my blood. Mix in natural foods and let me find wild nuts so I don’t limp into a short, painful old age.”

The Biological Reality: Squirrels require a precise Calcium-to-Phosphorus (Ca:P) ratio. High‑phosphorus foods like peanuts or sunflower seeds, when fed exclusively, cause the body to leach calcium from bones and teeth to maintain blood levels, leading to permanent disability.

📰 FIELD REPORT: The Phosphorus Trap
Angle: Demineralization through “junk food.”
Squirrels are biological athletes that require structural integrity to survive. Peanuts and sunflower seeds are the equivalent of “junk food” for them. When phosphorus levels in the blood become too high, the parathyroid gland triggers the removal of calcium from the skeletal system. This leads to “soft bones,” where a simple jump can result in a shattered pelvis or spine.

🧩 THE ANATOMY OF A HIDDEN DEFICIENCY
1. “Glass Bones” and Paralysis
Extreme Fragility: A squirrel with MBD (Metabolic Bone Disease) can break a limb or its back just by missing a jump by a few inches.

Neurological Failure: Calcium is vital for nerve transmission; severe deficiency leads to seizures, tremors, and hind‑limb paralysis often mistaken for being hit by a car.

2. Dental Malocclusion
Brittle Teeth: Without calcium, incisors—which grow continuously—become brittle and break.

Starvation: If teeth break unevenly, they do not wear down properly, eventually preventing the squirrel from eating at all.

3. The Addiction Factor
Caloric Preference: Much like humans, squirrels will choose high‑fat, high‑calorie peanuts over the mineral‑rich bark and buds they actually need.

🤝 Our Duty: Diversify for Protection
Supporting a squirrel means respecting their complex nutritional needs.

🛡️ The Action: The Balanced Buffet
Limit Peanuts: They should never exceed 5% of their total intake; treat them as a rare “candy,” not a meal.

Offer Whole Nuts: Provide hazelnuts or walnuts in the shell to help wear down their teeth naturally.

Direct Calcium: Leave a cuttlebone or naturally shed deer antlers in the yard; squirrels will gnaw on them for pure calcium.

Plant for the Future: The best help is planting native oaks, hickories, and maples that provide natural, mineral‑rich buds and mast.

A squirrel’s agility is its only defense. By balancing our offerings, we ensure these backyard acrobats keep the strong bones and sharp teeth they need to thrive in the canopy. Don’t turn a wild athlete into a fragile pet.