eBotanical Prints – June 2025 - updated

Twenty more books were added to my botanical print eBook collection in June - available for browsing on Internet Archive. Most books were published in the 1800s (14 of the 20) although there were 5 from the 1700s. The first book on the list - The Illustrated Garden: Books from the Missouri Botanical Garden, 1485–1855: An Exhibition at the Saint Louis Art Museum – was published in 2004 and is going to be a great reference and I continue to explore eBotantical Prints!

My list of eBotanical Prints books now totals 3,143 eBooks I’ve browsed over the years. The whole list can be accessed here.

Click on any sample image from June’s 20 books below to get an enlarged version…and the title hyperlink in the list below the image mosaic to view the entire volume where there are a lot more botanical illustrations to browse.

Enjoy the June 2025 eBotanical Prints!

The Illustrated Garden: Books from the Missouri Botanical Garden, 1485–1855: An Exhibition at the Saint Louis Art Museum * Herndon-sonsagra, Francesca * sample image * 2004

Album containing watercolors of plants * American School * sample image * 1881

Curiosites de la nature. des fleurs * French School * sample image * 1756

Four albums of flowers by an amateur artist and botanist V1 * English School * sample image * 1828

Four albums of flowers by an amateur artist and botanist V2 * English School * sample image * 1828

Four albums of flowers by an amateur artist and botanist V3 * English School * sample image * 1828

Four albums of flowers by an amateur artist and botanist V5 * English School * sample image * 1828

La natura, e coltura de' fiori fisicamente esposta in due trattati con nuove ragioni, osservazioni, e sperienze * Arena, Filippo * sample image * 1768

Roberti Icones Platarum V1 * Robert, Nicolas; Bosse, Abraham; Chastillon, Louis de * sample image * 1701

Roberti Icones Platarum V2 * Robert, Nicolas; Bosse, Abraham; Chastillon, Louis de * sample image * 1701

Nouveau Duhamel, ou, Traite des arbres et arbustes que l'on cultive en France V1 * Loiseleur-Deslongchamps, M. * sample image * 1812

Nouveau Duhamel, ou, Traite des arbres et arbustes que l'on cultive en France V2 * Loiseleur-Deslongchamps, M. * sample image * 1812

Nouveau Duhamel, ou, Traite des arbres et arbustes que l'on cultive en France V3 * Loiseleur-Deslongchamps, M. * sample image * 1812

Nouveau Duhamel, ou, Traite des arbres et arbustes que l'on cultive en France V4 * Loiseleur-Deslongchamps, M. * sample image * 1812

Nouveau Duhamel, ou, Traite des arbres et arbustes que l'on cultive en France V5 * Loiseleur-Deslongchamps, M. * sample image * 1812

Nouveau Duhamel, ou, Traite des arbres et arbustes que l'on cultive en France V6 * Loiseleur-Deslongchamps, M. * sample image * 1812

Nouveau Duhamel, ou, Traite des arbres et arbustes que l'on cultive en France V7 * Loiseleur-Deslongchamps, M. * sample image * 1812

Nouveau Duhamel, ou, Traite des arbres et arbustes que l'on cultive en France V8 * Loiseleur-Deslongchamps, M. * sample image * 1812

Collection du regne vegetal, arbres, forestiers et fruitiers, leurs fruits * Ledoulx, Pierre Francois; Verbrugge, Jean Charles; Ducq, Joseph Francois * sample image * 1831

A catalogue of English plants drawn after nature by Lady Frances Howard  * Howard, Lady Frances * sample image * 1766






Gleanings of the Week Ending July 26, 2025

The items below were ‘the cream’ of the articles and websites I found this past week. Click on the light green text to look at the article.

Greenland Sled Dog DNA Reveals a Story of Human Migration and Ancestry of the Unique Breed - The ancestors of the Inuit arrived in Greenland earlier than previously thought—potentially even before the arrival of the Vikings.

A Bird’s Eye View: Drones Search for Grassland Birds in Colorado - Drones have been used to survey animals from afar for years; this project borrows from those learnings for the novel —and challenging—task of detecting small-bodied, ground-nesting birds (Bobolinks) amid thick, tall grass, without disturbing the species of interest.

Hungary's oldest library is fighting to save 100,000 books from a beetle infestation - Tens of thousands of centuries-old books are being pulled from the shelves of a medieval abbey in Hungary to save them from a beetle infestation that could wipe out centuries of history. I wondered how many of the books have been scanned.

'Wobbly-tooth puberty': How children's brains change at six-years-old – A stage in which a child is constructing their identity, and they're trying to figure out who they are in relation to other people. The transformation includes a greater capacity to reflect on their feelings and modify them when needed, along with an "advanced theory of mind" that allows them to think more sophisticatedly about others' behaviors and respond appropriately. They also begin master the basics of rational enquiry and logical deduction, so that they can take more responsibility for their actions

How a hidden brain circuit fuels fibromyalgia, migraines, and PTSD - Scientists at the Salk Institute have discovered a hidden brain circuit that gives pain its emotional punch—essentially transforming ordinary discomfort into lasting misery. This breakthrough sheds light on why some people suffer more intensely than others from conditions like fibromyalgia, migraines, and PTSD. By identifying the exact group of neurons that link physical pain to emotional suffering, the researchers may have found a new target for treating chronic pain—without relying on addictive medications.

Greenland’s Bejeweled Ice Sheet - In spring 2025, jewel-toned points of blue began to appear on the white surface of the Greenland Ice Sheet. As summer arrived, they grew larger and more numerous, taking on unique shapes and occasionally forming connections. The colorful seasonal phenomenon is due to meltwater from snow and ice, which pools atop the ice sheet in places each melt season. An image from the Operational Land Imager-2 on NASA’s Landsat9.

Easter Island Was Far Less Isolated Than Previously Believed, Study Reveals - Earlier genetic studies in the 2010s laid the ground for the most recent investigation, showing that Easter Island was reached at least two times by the 14th century. Further influence arrived from pre-European South Americans, an interaction evidenced by the presence of sweet potatoes and the Birdman concept. This post is about the idea that after language, plants, animals, and material culture arrived on Easter Island from the west, monumental ritual architecture began traveling in the opposite direction.

In a First, Solar Was Europe’s Biggest Source of Power Last Month - Solar was the largest source of electricity in the EU in June, supplying a record 22 percent of the bloc’s power. Solar amounted to more than 40 percent of generation in the Netherlands and 35 percent in Greece. Analysts say that the June surge in solar power helped Europe weather a brutal heat wave, which saw temperatures soar upwards of 110 degrees F (43 degrees C). Last month was the warmest June on record in Europe, and scientists say that climate change played a key role in the heat wave, pushing temperatures to dangerous extremes.

Inequality has risen from 1970 to Trump − that has 3 hidden costs that undermine democracy – A thought provoking post. The author described 3 ways that the increase in inequality undermines democracy: 1. Fraying social bonds and livelihoods, 2. Increasing corruption in politics, 3. Undermining belief in the common good.

Honeybees remove 80% of pollen—leaving native bees with nothing - Our modern agricultural industry is so reliant on honeybees that humans have introduced them worldwide, and in many cases, they have escaped human management and risen to prominence in natural ecosystems as non-native, feral populations. And, like any other non-native organism, feral honeybees may perturb native ecosystems when they become sufficiently abundant.

Life Magazine in 1939

Internet Archive has digitized versions of many Life Magazines. I have been browsing through them – slowly since there was an issue for each week. As I looked at the issues from 1939, I thought about my parents in elementary school then. War was becoming more serious over the course of the year but Pearl Harbor was not until December 1940; the US was providing supplies but was not actually engaged in the war effort.

Life Magazine 1939-01-02 – Japanese Navy holds the Yangtze

Life Magazine 1939-01-09 – Very cold in Europe

Life Magazine 1939-01-16 – US Capitol building

Life Magazine 1939-01-23 – Scenes from Mexico

Life Magazine 1939-01-30 – Tourist trailers in Tampa municipal park

Life Magazine 1939-02-06 – American plane breaks speed records

Life Magazine 1939-02-13 – Fort Wayne house goes up in 1 hour 4 minutes

Life Magazine 1939-02-20 – Birthplaces of presidents

Life Magazine 1939-02-27 – This is the way the fleet goes to battle

Life Magazine 1939-03-06 – German battleship launched

Life Magazine 1939-03-13 – World’s Fair

Life Magazine 1939-03-20 - Goebbels

Life Magazine 1939-03-27 – Construction of “America” at Newport News shipyard

Life Magazine 1939-04-03 - Coelacanth

Life Magazine 1939-04-10 – Madrid falls and General Franco’s Spain joins the European dictatorships

Life Magazine 1939-04-17 – Britain’s defense against planes from continent

Life Magazine 1939-04-24 – Marian Anderson

Life Magazine 1939-05-01 – Louis Raemaekers drawings from WWI

Life Magazine 1939-05-08 – Burning ship in Le Havre

Life Magazine 1939-05-15 – British royal women

Life Magazine 1939-05-22 – Chicago fire affects the price of wheat

Life Magazine 1939-05-29 – Hyde Park and the Roosevelts

Life Magazine 1939-06-05 – Grand Coulee Dam

Life Magazine 1939-06-12 – Albert Switzer

Life Magazine 1939-06-19 – British royalty in Washington

Life Magazine 1939-06-26 – WWI trenches

Life Magazine 1939-07-03 - Antarctica

Life Magazine 1939-07-10 – Emperor Hirohito

Life Magazine 1939-07-17 – Mount Rushmore and fireworks

Life Magazine 1939-07-24 – Coca-Cola ad

Life Magazine 1939-07-31 – Texaco Dealers (rest rooms registered)

Life Magazine 1939-08-07 – Japanese showing captured Russian tank and plane wreckage

Life Magazine 1939-08-14 – Bloody climax of U.A.W. Strike

Life Magazine 1939-08-21 – Concentration camps

Life Magazine 1939-08-28 – Wizard of Oz (technicolor)

Life Magazine 1939-09-04 – Madeline (children’s book)

Life Magazine 1939-09-11 – Salvaging the relics of WWI I France

Life Magazine 1939-09-18 – Liner “Athenia” is sunk

Life Magazine 1939-09-25 – German leaves its mark

Life Magazine 1939-10-02 – The English take the war in their stride

Life Magazine 1939-10-09 – Queen Elizabeth looks over London’s air-raid precautions

Life Magazine 1939-10-16 – Hitler reviews German Army from plane

Life Magazine 1939-10-23 – Hitler and von Ribbentrop walking

Life Magazine 1939-10-30 – German submarines in the North Sea

Life Magazine 1939-11-06 – 3 Ocean liners in New York

Life Magazine 1939-11-13 – Helen Hayes and family

Life Magazine 1939-11-20 – Nazi Bombers reach Scottish coast

Life Magazine 1939-11-27 - Lockheed

Life Magazine 1939-12-04 – 6  of 140 Allied and neutral ships sunk in the war

Life Magazine 1939-12-11 – French guard on German border

Life Magazine 1939-12-18 – Military inspired toys for Christmas

Life Magazine 1939-12-25 - High spots of “Gone with the Wind”

Luna Moth Cocoons

Some of my 30 or so luna moth cocoons are over 2 weeks old now. So far – no moths have emerged, but the pupas are making noises as they move around inside the cocoon! I made a short recording of the small noises that reassure me that they are indeed viable and developing.

The cocoons are optimally silk produced by the caterpillar and sweet gum leaves, but sometimes other things get incorporated – twigs and bits of paper towel (which was on the floor of the bin) are the most common additions. At the time these caterpillars made their cocoons, the bins were very crowded and sometimes two cocoons are side by side…too close to separate without risking damage to the cocoons. It will be interesting to see what happens as all of these emerge.

Sometimes the caterpillars don’t use silk and leaves; they are ‘bare.’ I have three that are like that. They are easy to see moving so seem to be acting like the ones that do have the outer covering. Will they emerge and be healthy? In the wild, it seems like they would be vulnerable to be eaten although if they fell to the ground, they might look enough like poop that they would be left alone.

I have so many cocoons that I will have plenty of opportunity to observe moths emerging….so looking forward to that experience.

Gleanings of the Week Ending July 19, 2025

The items below were ‘the cream’ of the articles and websites I found this past week. Click on the light green text to look at the article.

Doctors say we’ve been misled about weight and health - Doctors' advice about healthy eating and physical activity is still relevant as it may result in better health. The main goal is to offer good care irrespective of weight, which means not caring less but rather discussing benefits, harms, and what is important to the patient.

Let’s Consider a Couple of Workable Solutions to the Plastic Crisis – The first is to reduce the reliance on plastic shopping bags. Research shows that plastic bags were much less frequently found in beach litter where communities had implemented plastic bag policies. The second is green roofs in cities. Green roofs were shown to be more than capable of intercepting microplastics — at the rate of 97.5% efficiency for trapping microplastics from atmospheric deposition…..and roof areas make up 40-50% of urban impermeable areas.

Melting Glaciers Will Lead to More Volcanic Eruptions – New research from the Chilean Patagonia. Glaciers tend to suppress the volume of eruptions from the volcanoes beneath them. But as glaciers retreat due to climate change, the findings suggest these volcanoes go on to erupt more frequently and more explosively. According to a 2020 study, 245 of the world’s active volcanoes are within three miles of ice. 

A Partnership for a Healthier Appalachian Forest - The story of the southern Appalachians – and many forests across the United States – is one of widespread logging between the early 1900s and 1940s. That was followed by the “Smokey Bear era” of fire suppression. Now active management is the strategy including thinning, herbicide application and controlled burns.

The Vienna cemetery where endangered species and biodiversity thrive – 2.4 sq km (0.9 sq miles). The cemetery is home to European hamsters, Europea green toad, Alpine longhorn beetle, European ground squirrel, and Eurasian hoopee….and many other species.

Photos: Before-and-after satellite images show extent of Texas flooding destruction – It’s hard to fathom the scope of the destruction...and how fast the water rose in the darkness.

Florida Seniors Face Rising Homelessness Risk - Florida seniors make up a growing portion of the state’s unhoused population as the housing crisis continues. Cost of housing is increasing with institutional investors buying up land and insurance costs skyrocketing.

Researchers Unearth 3,500-Year Old Peruvian City with an Illustrious History - Probably a market hub, and that once connected Pacific coast communities with those in the Andes and Amazon thriving around the same time as early Middle Eastern and Asian civilizations. The urban center is known as Peñico and was founded between 1,800 and 1,500 B.C., experts said. It is near the location where the Caral civilization, said to be the oldest in the Americas first appeared 5,000 years ago. Following eight years of research, the experts classified as many as 18 structures including ceremonial temples and residential housing complexes. Sculptural reliefs and works showing the pututu, a conch shell trumpet can also be seen on some of the walls. Researchers also found clay sculptures of human and animal figures, as well as necklaces created with beads and seashells.

Emily Sargent’s Long-Hidden Watercolors Debut at the Met – John Singer Sargent’s younger sister watercolor paintings. They were lost for decades, until some of her relatives found a forgotten trunk in storage containing hundreds of her paintings.

Blast From the Past: Arizona’s Meteor Crater - Meteor Crater (also called Barringer Meteor Crater) is located between Flagstaff and Winslow on the Colorado Plateau as seen by the Operation Land Imager (OLI) on Landsat 8. I’ve seen it from the ground!

Lake Springfield Boathouse – July 2025

The garden around the Lake Springfield Boathouse is maintained by Springfield Plateau Chapter of the Missouri Master Naturalists. I’m not part of that team but I do enjoy their results. My husband was looking for a place to practice a technique for photographing bees and the first place I looked was a good starting location for him: the buttonbush near the front door of the building! I took a few pictures before he even got his gear unloaded!

While he tried out his new technique, I photographed the other plantings. The second place I hoped to find insects/bees was the cup plant, but it wasn’t blooming yet. It did have buds…so should be a great place to check later in the season.

We headed past the purple martin houses (which were very busy) to the meadow area. The milkweed was blooming but the flowers looked less colorful than I expected, and they were not attracting large number of insects either. The bee balm was more attractive to bees than the milkweed. There was a spiderweb that looked a little like a hammock in some dried stems from last season; it was highlighted by the heavy dew. I took some backlit images of 2 plants that were not blooming but had interesting shapes.

One of the pictures I took of an insect on a milkweed leaf had a surprise when I looked at it on my big monitor at home: a tiny egg (maybe a Monarch egg)!

Across the walking trail there are brambles and trees. The locust was full of still-green pods and vetch was blooming in the undergrowth.

It was a productive morning activity. My husband thought maybe it was not warm enough for peak insect sightings; he might have been right but, with the humidity, it was the best time for us to be there!

Yard Work – June 2025

It’s the time of year when there is a lot to do in the yard. There is always something to see along the way….like an insect on one of lawn mower knobs. I am appreciating the new blades my husband installed on the mower.  It does not clog as easily when the grass is a little wet and the batteries seem to last longer too.

With my husband’s surgery in May, we got a little behind on edging and weed eating. When he was recovered enough to do the edging, he went out to check the situation and someone in the neighborhood had already done it! They also did some weed eating which was not as appreciated since they cut some daylilies and my Missouri evening primrose too. There was a smashed bird nest/egg nearby as well (although that could have been from another cause). I put some bricks around the cut primrose and later pulled most of the grass growing around it. I posted a thank you with a proviso about the evening primrose and day lilies on the neighborhood’s Facebook page since I have no idea who did it.

We have hackberries coming up everywhere….planted by birds. There is a large hackberry near the neighborhood pond – probably the parent. I am cutting them at this point but might leave one if it comes up in a place that it could grow to be a tree. Poke weed and Virginia Creeper are other natives that are prolific in the yard…..sometimes a little overwhelming and I usually leave them – particularly in the back yard. Poison ivy is something I always try to pull as soon as I find.


A hedge parsley came up in one of my flower beds…and it was pulled since it is not native to North America and tends to spread. I do the same with tree and Asian honeysuckle. A forsythia (also non-native) has been an ongoing project in my back yard. I am gradually cutting it down and will eventually paint the cut stubs with herbicide to kill it. I would rather have a native bush there. In the meantime, the results of my pruning are making a higher pile on my deck….drying out now and will be burned in the fall in my chimenea.

I planted a pot of flowers and veggies and a white oak seedling in late May. The zinnias are beginning to bloom! I won’t do it long term since it must be watered frequently….not something I want to do! I’ll have to decide where to put the white oak.

Other than my mower - my pruners, water bottle and gauntlet gloves are my primary tools. I’ve purchased some summer weight sunblock shirts and wear a hat, so I don’t need sunscreen except on my face!

Gleanings of the Week Ending July 12, 2025

The items below were ‘the cream’ of the articles and websites I found this past week. Click on the light green text to look at the article.

How Has U.S. Energy Use Changed Since 1776? – Historical perspective. Coal, petroleum and natural gas did not surpass renewables (i.e. wood) until 1885!

Is this the end for Easter Island's moai statues? – The moai are made from tuff, a volcanic rock largely composed of compressed ash. This type of stone is porous and unusually soft. The wind and rain do not treat it kindly. Weathering of the moai appears to have increased sharply during recent decades; drier weather followed by very heavy rains, more wildfires, rising sea level  and increased wave event have all contributed.

20 Incredible Nominees for the BigPicture Natural World People’s Choice Award – Some great photography.

In Yellowstone, Even Animals Sometimes Make Mistakes – A bison stumbled into Grand Prismatic Spring…and there was no happy ending.

London Inches Closer to Running Transit System Entirely on Renewable Power - London will source enough solar power to run its light railway and tram networks entirely on renewable energy. The deal brings Transport for London closer to its goal of running its entire transit system, including its sprawling underground railway network, on renewable energy by the end of this decade.

Time For Canada to Dump the Big Three & Go Electric with China – Something valid for Canada to consider…certainly more forward looking than subsidizing old technologies.

The end of tuberculosis that wasn’t - In the late 1980s, many thought the fight against tuberculosis (TB) had been won. A disease that had plagued humans for at least 9000 years was on the path to being eliminated. Three factors raised concerns about the resurgence of tuberculosis in the United States and rich countries in Europe in from mid-1980s and 1990s: HIV/AIDS epidemic, the rise in drug-resistant tuberculosis, and higher rates of TB in foreign-born populations.

The US’s asbestos U-turn: why the Environmental Protection Agency is reconsidering its ban - Each year, around 40,000 deaths in the US and about 5,000 in the UK are attributed to asbestos exposure. If the US ban is lifted, it’s possible that the number in the US could increase over the coming decades while those in the UK will continue to fall. While global consensus moves toward stricter regulation, the US now finds itself at a crossroads, between scientific evidence and pressure from industry.

Inside Egypt’s Enigmatic $1 Billion Grand Museum - During a press conference on June 14, Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said the official opening was postponed due to “current regional developments”—loosely referring to the then-escalating conflict between Israel and Iran.

These Colorful Satellite Views Reveal Our Forests in Unprecedented Detail and Showcase the Potential of the New Biomass Mission - The European Space Agency’s satellite will measure trunks, branches and stems in forests to shed light on how much carbon is stored in trees across various continents. The example image of the Beni River in Bolivia shows a lot of oxbow lakes!

Silver and Gold of the Viking Age

My pick for the week’s eBook is from the British Museum and was published in 2011. It is available on Internet Archive. Many of the artifacts are jewelry. They showcase the design and metallurgy skills of the period. Many times we focus on the violence of the Viking Age…their ships and weapons and raiding of coastal settlements. Looking at jewelry provides a different perspective. I wondered how many of the designs were from the Vikings themselves or were looted (or copied) from the peoples they encountered.

The Cuerdale Hoard and Related Viking Age Silver and Gold from Britain and Ireland in the British Museum

Gleanings of the Week Ending July 5, 2025

The items below were ‘the cream’ of the articles and websites I found this past week. Click on the light green text to look at the article.

See the Face of a 10,500-Year-Old Woman, Reconstructed by Archaeologists and Artists – Based on well-preserved ancient DNA.

Rare, Mind-Bending M.C. Escher Works Are Up for Auction - Escher was a skilled artist who seamlessly bridged the worlds of art, mathematics, and science in the mid-20th century. Today, his influence remains as important as ever, with a fascinating body of work that continues to mesmerize and inspire minds across the world.

As Wind and Solar Grow, China Ships More Coal Overseas - Analysts say the era of “more renewables, more coal” in China is over, with solar and wind now set to displace coal, rather than supplement it. Even under conservative assumptions coal generation in China could soon peak and enter structural decline.

Work, wages and apprenticeships: sifting for clues about the lives of girls in ancient Egypt - Elephantine, a town at Egypt’s southern frontier near modern-day Aswan, provides a unique window into the urban life of some girls who worked in textile workshops during the ancient Egyptian Middle Kingdom, which dates approximately 2030–1650 BCE. Girls received payment for their labor. It also suggests a structured apprenticeship system where young girls (and boys) worked alongside experienced craftswomen. Historians must always look beyond elite contexts to incorporate diverse evidence types – administrative documents, archaeological remains, and artistic representations – to construct a more complete picture of ancient lives.

Earth’s Clouds on the Move - Clouds are common on Earth, but they are ephemeral and challenging to study. Remote sensing has helped scientists tremendously by enabling consistent, global tracking of the elusive features, even over inaccessible areas like the poles and open ocean. Two published studies: 1) Where storm clouds form has changed. The implications for the climate are significant: This has added a large amount of warming to the system. 2) The shift in storm clouds increased the amount of energy absorbed by the oceans by about 0.37 watts per square meter per decade—a substantial amount on a planetary scale. Big question: What has caused the reduction in reflective storm clouds and whether the trend will continue.

Sinkhole Exposes Remnants of Medieval English Hospital - Walls hidden just beneath the city streets that once belonged to the twelfth- or thirteenth-century St. Leonard’s Hospital. The institution was built just after the Norman conquest and replaced the earlier St. Peter’s Hospital, which was founded by the Anglo-Saxon King Aethelstan. It was a place for caring for the unwell, elderly, and the condemned, but also served as an orphanage, helped feed the poor, and provided meals for the prisoners in York Castle. The hospital was destroyed during the Reformation under the reign of Henry VIII.

Lightning Strikes the Arctic: What Will It Mean for the Far North - A warmer world is expected to bring more thunderstorms, especially at higher latitudes. Scientists are now reporting a dramatic surge in lightning in the Far North and are scrambling to parse how this could affect wildfires, the chemistry of the atmosphere, and Arctic ecosystems.

Scavenger Animals Are in Trouble, and That Could Spell Bad News for Human Health - Scavengers are in trouble—and their decline could be harmful to human health. Half of the 17 obligate scavenger species included in the study are considered “vulnerable” or “critically endangered” by the IUCN. When they are reduced in numbers or disappear, some smaller, occasional scavengers are proliferating. These creatures, such as rodents and feral dogs, tend to transmit diseases to humans.

How do sleep trackers work, and are they worth it? A sleep scientist breaks it down - Most modern sleep trackers do a decent job of estimating your total sleep each night. Some are more accurate for sleep staging, but this level of detail isn’t essential for improving the basics of your sleep. Focus on improving your healthy sleep strategies and pay attention to how you feel during the day.

Is an apple a day really good for your health? - Eating an apple a day is great– but only if that is part of a diet rich in various other plant-based foods, since that is a key driver of good health.

eBotanical Prints – June 2025

Twenty more books were added to my botanical print eBook collection in June - available for browsing on Internet Archive. Most books were published in the 1800s (14 of the 20) although there were 5 from the 1700s. The first book on the list - The Illustrated Garden: Books from the Missouri Botanical Garden, 1485–1855: An Exhibition at the Saint Louis Art Museum – was published in 2004 and is going to be a great reference and I continue to explore eBotantical Prints!

My list of eBotanical Prints books now totals 3,143 eBooks I’ve browsed over the years. The whole list can be accessed here.

Click on any sample image from June’s 20 books below to get an enlarged version…and the title hyperlink in the list below the image mosaic to view the entire volume where there are a lot more botanical illustrations to browse.

Enjoy the June 2025 eBotanical Prints!

The Illustrated Garden: Books from the Missouri Botanical Garden, 1485–1855: An Exhibition at the Saint Louis Art Museum * Herndon-sonsagra, Francesca * sample image * 2004

Album containing watercolors of plants * American School * sample image * 1881

Curiosites de la nature. des fleurs * French School * sample image * 1756

Four albums of flowers by an amateur artist and botanist V1 * English School * sample image * 1828

Four albums of flowers by an amateur artist and botanist V2 * English School * sample image * 1828

Four albums of flowers by an amateur artist and botanist V3 * English School * sample image * 1828

Four albums of flowers by an amateur artist and botanist V5 * English School * sample image * 1828

La natura, e coltura de' fiori fisicamente esposta in due trattati con nuove ragioni, osservazioni, e sperienze * Arena, Filippo * sample image * 1768

Roberti Icones Platarum V1 * Robert, Nicolas; Bosse, Abraham; Chastillon, Louis de * sample image * 1701

Roberti Icones Platarum V2 * Robert, Nicolas; Bosse, Abraham; Chastillon, Louis de * sample image * 1701

Nouveau Duhamel, ou, Traite des arbres et arbustes que l'on cultive en France V1 * Loiseleur-Deslongchamps, M. * sample image * 1812

Nouveau Duhamel, ou, Traite des arbres et arbustes que l'on cultive en France V2 * Loiseleur-Deslongchamps, M. * sample image * 1812

Nouveau Duhamel, ou, Traite des arbres et arbustes que l'on cultive en France V3 * Loiseleur-Deslongchamps, M. * sample image * 1812

Nouveau Duhamel, ou, Traite des arbres et arbustes que l'on cultive en France V4 * Loiseleur-Deslongchamps, M. * sample image * 1812

Nouveau Duhamel, ou, Traite des arbres et arbustes que l'on cultive en France V5 * Loiseleur-Deslongchamps, M. * sample image * 1812

Nouveau Duhamel, ou, Traite des arbres et arbustes que l'on cultive en France V6 * Loiseleur-Deslongchamps, M. * sample image * 1812

Nouveau Duhamel, ou, Traite des arbres et arbustes que l'on cultive en France V7 * Loiseleur-Deslongchamps, M. * sample image * 1812

Nouveau Duhamel, ou, Traite des arbres et arbustes que l'on cultive en France V8 * Loiseleur-Deslongchamps, M. * sample image * 1812

Collection du regne vegetal, arbres, forestiers et fruitiers, leurs fruits * Ledoulx, Pierre Francois; Verbrugge, Jean Charles; Ducq, Joseph Francois * sample image * 1831

A catalogue of English plants drawn after nature by Lady Frances Howard  * Howard, Lady Frances * sample image * 1766

Gleanings of the Week Ending June 28, 2025

The items below were ‘the cream’ of the articles and websites I found this past week. Click on the light green text to look at the article.

Meet the Kangaroos That Live in Trees - Filling an evolutionary niche akin to monkeys, they’re keystone species in the rainforests of New Guinea and Australia.

Manet Cut This Painting in Half 150 Years Ago. Now, the Two Sides Are Back Together for a Rare Reunion - In 1874, Manet began to paint a scene of the Brasserie Reichshoffen on a large canvas. Unlike his paintings of military scenes or upper-class life of the 1860s, the new piece captured the dramas of everyday life. But Manet became dissatisfied with the composition of the large work and opted to cut the canvas in two. Over the next few years, he refined each half into more concise, if slightly less ambitious, depictions of the same café: At the Café and Corner of a Café-Concert. While both paintings are well regarded, Manet’s contemporaries struggled to understand his decision to separate them. But Manet’s conviction that the two should be kept apart remained strong. When the two paintings of the same café were exhibited at the Triennial Salon in Antwerp in 1879, they were shown in separate rooms.

Deconstructing Buildings: The Quest for New Life for Old Wood - A growing number of cities have launched initiatives to reuse the wood waste from construction and demolition that now ends up in landfills. The challenge, proponents say, is to deploy new techniques for disassembling old buildings and markets for repurposing the salvaged wood. Using reclaimed wood in buildings stores carbon and helps reduce emissions by avoiding the need to cut new trees. Going forward, some architects say, buildings should be designed for disassembly — meaning every structure is built not only to last but also for easy dismantling and repurposing when its time is up.

Why the appendix is much more important than we once thought - The appendix has been shown to be an important component of immune function, especially in early life. In addition, the appendix itself contains a very diverse and varied microbiota distinct from other parts of the gastrointestinal tract, suggesting a specialized role. Removal of the appendix has been associated with a reduction in gut bacterial diversity which can lead to intestinal dysbiosis and potentially increase susceptibility to various diseases. Appendectomy has also been linked to an increase in fungal diversity in the gut; the appendix may play a role in the balance between bacterial and fungal populations, potentially acting as a store of commensal gut microbiota that repopulate the colon after exposure to pathogens or antibiotic treatment. The appendix may play a further role in protecting the gastrointestinal system from invading pathogens.

How Extreme Heat Impacts Children - Infants and young children sweat less and are unable to regulate their core body temperature as well as adults. Playgrounds are not always built with materials designed to withstand heat and prevent burns. Older children such as high school athletes face increased risk of heatstroke and other illnesses during practices and games. 

Weather makers: How microbes living in the clouds affect our lives - Trillions of bacteria, fungi, viruses and single-celled organisms travel the globe high in the atmosphere. Current aerobiologists deploy sophisticated air-samplers on drones and use DNA-sequencing technology to identify airborne life by its genes. The aerobiome, researchers now recognize, is an enormous habitat filled only with visitors. By one estimate about a trillion trillion bacterial cells rise each year from the land and sea into the sky. By another estimate, 50 million tons of fungal spores become airborne in that same time. Untold numbers of viruses, lichen, algae and other microscopic life forms also rise into the air. It's common for them to travel for days before landing, in which time they can soar for hundreds or thousands of miles. The aerobiome is a force to be reckoned with – one that exerts a powerful influence on the chemistry of the atmosphere. It even alters the weather. It turns out that biological molecules and cell walls are exceptionally good at triggering rain. More sobering… In a 2023 survey of clouds, bacteria carrying 29 different kinds of resistance genes were found.  A single airborne bacterium may carry as many as nine resistance genes, each providing a different defense against drugs. Every cubic meter of cloud could hold up to 10,000 resistance genes. A typical cloud floating overhead may hold more than a trillion of them.

The New Normal Is Already a Loss: How Shifting Baselines Skew Our View of Nature - Think back on the bird song you woke up to this morning. You might have pulled out a few recognizable threads, perhaps the robin, the crow, the sparrow. Now imagine what morning might have sounded like to your grandparents. Major scientific studies indicate that it was likely a cacophony of song by comparison—many kinds of birds and more of them. The difference, the shift in normal, is gradual over time and the loss, without memory or data, is hard to define. With each generation, our perception of the natural world changes, and with it, our understanding of what accounts for abundance and loss of biodiversity. A term bandied about is the “new normal.” In ecology, it’s called the shifting baseline syndrome. 

Fungi to the Rescue: How Mushrooms Are Helping Clean Up Toxic Lands - Mycoremediation, the use of fungi to break down pollutants and absorb heavy metals from contaminated soil. Certain species can transform petrochemicals, pesticides, and heavy metals into harmless compounds or concentrate them for safer removal. This nature-based method offers an affordable, less disruptive alternative to traditional “dig and dump” remediation approaches.

A History of Some National Park Roads – The only roads mentioned in the article I haven’t experienced is Generals Highway in California and Going-to-the-Sun Road in Montana!

The Famous, Feathered Dinosaur Archaeopteryx Could Fly, Suggests New Study of a ‘Beautifully Preserved’ Fossil - A fossil collector discovered the Chicago Archaeopteryx sometime before 1990 in limestone deposits near Solnhofen, Germany, where all known Archaeopteryx fossils originate. As the Field Museum’s preparators worked on the pigeon-sized Chicago Archaeopteryx, they realized that the fossil included more soft tissues and delicate skeletal details than any other known Archaeopteryx specimen. From previous fossils, they already knew the dinosaur had asymmetric feathers, which are vital to creating thrust in modern, flying birds. But the hard slab of limestone around this specimen had also preserved a key layer of feathers called tertials that had never been documented before in Archaeopteryx.

The Craftsman (magazine)

I browsed 50 months of The Craftsman magazine from the early 1900s back in February. They are available from The University of Wisconsin-Madison digital library.

They are a way to understand the way people were living at the time – a time when my grandparents were born. Click on any of the sample images below to see a larger version…and use the links to browse the whole magazine.

The craftsman Vol. XIII, Number 4 January 1908

The craftsman Vol. XIII, Number 5 February 1908

The craftsman Vol. XIII, Number 6 March 1908

The craftsman Vol. XIV, Number 1 April 1908

The craftsman Vol. XIV, Number 2 May 1908

Wichita Falls, Texas

Instead of driving directly back home after visiting my dad in Dallas, I drove to a friend’s house near Decatur, TX. We’d been exchanging Christmas cards/notes for over 55 years but hadn’t seen each other since she moved away from Wichita Falls while we were in Junior High. We discovered there was a lot to share that hadn’t made it into the annual exchange! We had been communicating via text messages for more than a year and a half trying to find a time to meet in person…and we finally did. What a joy to reconnect like this! We are already planning a next visit…in Decatur again since she has family obligations that keep her at home.

After the visit, I continued to Wichita Falls. I spent some formative years there in the 1960s (grades K-10 for me) but had not been back for a long time. I opted to stay in a hotel near downtown. The blue clad building – the most distinctive of the skyline – was the bank where I had my first savings account (in elementary school); I was pleased that I could see it from my hotel room window. I was also impressed with the plantings around the hotel…lots of plants that thrive in higher heat and less water.

I drove by the house my parents built in the early 1960’s. It is well maintained except for some missing (decorative) shutters. The elementary school that I attended for grades 3-6 is still an elementary school. One difference that is noticeable from the outside is that the windows no longer open and some have been blocked rather than just covered with blinds; when I went to school there, it was not air conditioned, so the windows opened, and fans were in every classroom.  I’m glad that the students today have air conditioning!

I had done some research about Wichita Falls and opted to see the River Bend Nature Center – something that was built after I moved away. The conservatory was being renovated and not open…maybe I’ll have to visit again to see that.

Some of the animals normally in the conservatory were in the large classroom/store area of the nature center.

I decided to spend most of my time walking around the paved trail (there is also a rustic trail but I was wearing sandals and opted to stick to paved this time). What a wonderful place! Lots of trees, some benches (an Eagle Scout project), an area for outdoor gatherings (including a nature play space), native plantings. If I still lived in Wichita Falls, this would probably be the primary place I would volunteer!

It was good that I was at the nature center the first hour they were open since the day was going to be a hot one. I headed toward home – 6 hours….I-44 the whole way!

Gleanings of the Week Ending June 21, 2025

The items below were ‘the cream’ of the articles and websites I found this past week. Click on the light green text to look at the article.

From Dead Dirt to Healthy Soil in 7 Simple Steps – The articles from Leaf & Limb are always full of practical suggestions. I am doing all 7 of these steps in my yard!

A Large, Invasive Lizard Was Spotted in a California Park – An Argentine black and white tego. Another invasive...probably a pet that escaped or was released. Tegus have established populations in several parts of Florida, where they’ve been declared an invasive species. The lizards have also infiltrated southeast Georgia, and they have been spotted in Alabama, Texas, South Carolina and Louisiana.

Ultra-processed foods are everywhere — and they’re quietly raising health risks - The effects of UPFs can pile up over time, adding to the risk of heart attack, stroke and other serious health issues by raising blood pressure and blood sugar levels. While ultra-processed foods include obvious culprits like potato chips, candy and frozen pizza, there are also some that people may believe are good for them, such as packaged granola bars, sports drinks and fruit-filled yogurt.

The hunt for Marie Curie's radioactive fingerprints in Paris - Marie Curie worked with radioactive material with her bare hands. More than 100 years after her groundbreaking work, the lingering radioactive fingerprints she left behind are still measurable.

5 simple (and cheap) things to make your house use less energy - Climate solutions for reducing home energy use can be extremely simple — and sometimes even free.

When Rivers Take a Weird Turn – Two examples where water (river) flows in unexpected ways…with satellite images from Landsat 9 of the two areas.

6 feel-good exercises to alleviate sore, achy feet – Some of these were new-to-me. I’m trying them all!

Is it better to neglect your garden? – Maybe…except for stepping in strategically to keep invasives from taking over. My yard is a work in progress but the goal it to make changes that mean it will require less and less intervention over time.

Sequoia And Kings Canyon National Parks' Giant Sequoia Trees - Giant sequoia trees can live to be more than 3,000 years old! Large giant sequoias often owe their size to rapid growth rather than age, so an old giant sequoia will not necessarily be the largest specimen. While these giant trees are more resistant to threats, they are not immune. Climate change influences the growth and survival of sequoias, particularly in the form of droughts with unusually high temperatures known as “hotter droughts.”

5,000-Year-Old Bread Buried in Bronze Age House - The flatbread, which measures, five inches wide and one inch thick, is among the earliest known baked items ever discovered. Analysis determined that it was made from a coarsely ground flour made of emmer, a type of ancient wheat, and lentils. A modern bakery has already begun to reproduce and sell breads based on the ancient recipe.

The Green Island

The book-of-the-week is a children’s book about the Botanical Garden in the middle of Moscow published in 1983. The story is about a visit to the garden by a six year old boy and his father. It is illustrated with colorful art and photographs. I’ve picked 4 sample images but there are many others to browse via Internet Archive. The author (and photographer) is Victor Datskevich and translated from Russian by Jan Butler.

The Green Island

This is one of the many books published in the waning days of the Soviet Union and part of the MIR-titles collection in Internet Archive.

Springfield Botanical Garden – June 2025

I had a few minutes before I needed to head into a class at the Springfield Botanical Gardens last week; it had just rained, and the clouds were still thick. There was plenty of time to take a few pictures of plants on the way down to the Butterfly House…looping back to the Botanical Center where my class would be. I notice more when I am in ‘photo mode’ and am glad my iPhone 15 Pro Max does a reasonable job for this type of garden photography! The only challenge was the breeze moving the vegetation around.

There were water droplets on the new leaves of a redbud,

Clumps of spiderworts,

Seed pods on wild indigo,

Clusters of milkweed buds, and

Spirals of unfurling leaves.

There is always something new to notice in the garden!

Gleanings of the Week Ending June 14, 2025

The items below were ‘the cream’ of the articles and websites I found this past week. Click on the light green text to look at the article.

Millions of new solar system objects to be found and 'filmed in technicolor' -- studies predict – The era C. Rubin Observatory ‘first look’ event is June 23! It is located on Cerro Pachon ridge in northern Chile. I found myself wondering how the deep funding cuts in the US will impact the facility and the scientists involved.

How electric scooters are driving China's salt battery push - Even as the rest of the world tries to close its gap with China in the race to make cheap, safe and efficient lithium-ion batteries, Chinese companies have already taken a head-start towards mass producing sodium-ion batteries, an alternative that could help the industry reduce its dependence on key raw minerals. A bigger market for sodium-ion batteries may be energy storage stations, which absorb power produced at one time so it can be used later.

Dead End: Nine Highways Ready for Retirement - This year’s nominees include Austin’s Interstate 35, which exacerbated segregation in the urban core when it was built in 1962, replacing a once-vibrant boulevard that served as a community gathering space.

The Overlooked Biodiversity of Appalachian Caves – Many of these creatures would be on the list for Missouri caves as well!

A Bauhaus-Trained Artist Wove Tapestries in the Woods for Decades. Now, Her Legacy Comes into Focus – I enjoyed the art and the biography of the artist!

Unique Silla Kingdom Crown Was Decorated with Insect Wings – Found in South Korea in a 1,400-year-old grave…a gilt-bronze crown decorated with a series of heart-shaped indentations that had been delicately inlaid with the colorful wings of the jewel beetle, some of which remained in situ after almost a millennium and a half.

Tea, berries, dark chocolate and apples could lead to a longer life span - Increasing the diversity of flavonoids within your diet could help prevent the development of health conditions such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease (CVD), cancer and neurological disease.

Experts Think the Hagia Sophia Is in Danger. They’ve Got a Plan to Protect It from Earthquakes - In light of recent earthquakes in Turkey, experts fear the 1,500-year-old mosque is structurally vulnerable, and the Turkish government has ordered a renovation. A team of government-appointed engineers, architects and art historians will begin by stripping a layer of lead that covers the main dome and looking for ways to strengthen the connections between it and the semi-domes. They’ll also look for ways to improve the main pillars and subterranean supports. Experts are also hoping that the work may reveal older murals from previous periods in the Hagia Sophia’s layered history.

Secrets of the Gobi Wall Revealed - Snaking for 200 miles across the inhospitable terrain of southern Mongolia, the so-called Gobi Wall is the least studied section of a system of medieval fortifications that once extended from China into Mongolia. The wall was primarily constructed from rammed earth, stone, and wood during the Xi Xia period (AD 1038-1227), a dynasty ruled by the Tungut tribes of western China and southern Mongolia. It was much more than a purely defensive mechanism built to repel invasions, but that it also served to regulate trade and manage frontier movements.

Why climbing the stairs can be good for your body and brain - Climbing stairs has been found to improve balance and reduce the risk of falling for older people and improve their lower body strength. Other studies also find that climbing a couple of flights of stairs can positively affect our cognitive abilities such as problem-solving, memory, and potentially creative thinking. As a "low impact" form of exercise, even short bursts of stair climbing can help improve cardiorespiratory fitness and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Zoologia typica

Louis Fraser was a British zoologist and collector active in the mid-1800s. He travel widely and spent his last years in America. His Zoologica Typica, or figures of the new and rare animals and birds in the collection of the Zoological Society of London, this week’s book of the week, was published in 1849. It is lavishly illustrated and now easily browsed on Internet Archive.

Zoologia typica

Goldfinches

The shady space between the pine and the hollies has become a more welcoming place for birds and insects since I replaced the grass with pine needles, hostas, lamb’s ear, violets and American Spikenard. The insects active on the flower stalks of the lamb’s ear are big enough to see from my office window. I know there are critters in the pine needles because I see the juvenile robins find them.

I had been considering trimming the low branches from the pine since there are so many plants growing under it. The juvenile robins I saw a few weeks ago tended be in the higher branches before they dropped to the pine needles.

I changed my mind after I observed some American goldfinches using the lowest branches to survey the shade garden. One of them perched long enough for me to get pictures through my office window.

My small Canon Powershot SX730 HS is going to stay near my mousepad….ready to photograph birds enjoying the shade garden!