The melting of the Arctic ice pack due to global warming, scientists say, may cause a hybrid of the polar bear and grizzly bear to become fairly common as their habitats increasingly overlap. Arctic biologist George Divoky has dubbed the brownish-white bruin the "grolar bear.' "Grizzlies are moving north while at the same time the polar bears are forced to be on the beach, Divoky said, "and we've found a number of grizzly-polar bear hybrids." DNA tests on one animal shot in the Northwest Territories confirmed that it was fathered by a male grizzly and a female polar bear.
The big old apple tree that leans precariously near our front door is full of pink-tinged blossoms. Come August, the lawn will be littered with little green apples (remember that Sixties hit song by Roger Miller?) to the delight of white-tailed deer that wade across the creek from our woods. We'll wake up one morning and a doe or two and their fawns will be gobbling up the worm-pocked spheres.
The U.S. Geological Survey reports that the cause of the deaths of thousands of bats at more than two dozen caves and mines in the Northeast states remains a mystery. The illness is known as "white-nose disease" and USGA has issue a bulletin asking wildlife agencies throughout the country to be on alert for and report any suspected cases at bat colonies in their states.
Hardly a day goes by without more grim news about the likely impact of global warming. The Arctic and its polar bears, of course, have become a poster child for the negative effects of climate change. However, a team led by University of Washington scientists reports that tropical species may face a far greater peril in a warmer world.
The rose-breasted grosbeaks dropped in at Seasons, our retreat in the Taconic Hills on the New York-Connecticut line, on Sunday morning May 4th, right on schedule. They arrived just ahead of an overdue front of warm spring weather that kicked daytime temperatures from the cold 40’s into the sunny 70’s. Like magic, four ravenous males and a single female suddenly appeared at our feeders. Their migration from wintering to breeding areas had begun in Central America or perhaps Colombia or Ecuador with a stopover in the South.
Western bumblebee on scarlet gilia [photo copyright David Inouye]
Last week, on what passes for a warm spring afternoon here in the south-central Rockies, I planted the heirloom tomato starts I've nurtured indoors since early March. As I worked, I scanned my kitchen garden for insects.
Beginner Mind
In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities. In the expert’s mind there are few.
-- Roshi Shunryo Suzuki
Last week my colleague, Rene Ebersole, blogged about "greening" her house with salvaged materials, such as French doors resurrected from the castoffs of a yacht club. To build on Rene's post, I'd like to make a hearty recommendation to patronize your local thrift store--particularly those associated with non-profit organizations.
Say you’re sitting in your living room and a friend calls to tell you that there’s a big parade coming down your street. You would at least go to the window to look out, right? Well—I’m your friend, and I’m calling to let you know that the parade is out there. It’s outside your window right now.
Finally, we had a slice of the American dream: a 100-year-old Victorian fixer upper in the suburbs of New York City. There was insulation to yank from the rafters. Linoleum to peel from the floors. Tar to be scraped from ceiling tiles. My husband and I were new homeowners, with a vision for our derelict domicile, and an ambitious mission to renovate it environmentally.
That was three years ago.
