Gleanings of the Week Ending July 25, 2026

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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.

07/13/2026 Science Daily Why are healthy young non-smokers developing lung cancer? - Younger Americans under age 50 who have never smoked and consume more of fruits and vegetable than average may face a higher risk of developing lung cancer. Commercially grown (non-organic) fruits, vegetables, and whole grains generally contain higher levels of pesticide residues than dairy products, meat, and many processed foods. There is also previous research showing that agricultural workers with long term pesticide exposure experience higher rates of lung cancer. The next phase of the research will involve measuring pesticide levels directly in patients' blood or urine samples. That work could help determine whether certain pesticides are more strongly associated with lung cancer risk than others.

07/09/2026 NWF Blog Spark Joy in Your Outdoor Events by Blending Forest Bathing, Nature Appreciation, and Wildlife Education - Learn more about the practice of forest bathing and to access tips and resources on how to level up your outdoor events this summer through forest bathing, nature appreciation, and wildlife education.

07/08/26 Archaeology Magazine Scythian DNA Study Examines Elite Family Ties - The remains of 38 of the Scythians were recovered from kurgans that also contained elite weapons and gold artifacts, while the other 47 were recovered from smaller kurgans that lacked gold grave goods. The elite Scythians were 11 times more likely to be related to each other than to the other Scythians. Nearly half of the elite individuals in our dataset were female, indicating that women held high social status within Iron Age Scythian society.

07/08/2026 Smithsonian Magazine Sperm Whales Living in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea Seem to Have Developed a Distinct Dialect from Those in the West - From Southern drawls to Irish brogues, humans can sound very different while speaking the same language. It turns out that some whales might have similar regional variations in their vocalizations, too. Sperm whales living in different parts of the Mediterranean Sea appear to have their own distinct dialects. Scientists think that about 20,000 years ago, a group of intrepid sperm whales swam into the Strait of Gibraltar and entered the Mediterranean Sea, where they’ve remained ever since. The individuals living in the Mediterranean rarely leave the sea—and other sperm whales don’t often enter the area—so they’re considered a genetically distinct subpopulation.

07/07/2026 Clean Technica New York Now at 8 Gigawatts of Distributed Solar Power - New York has just reached 8 gigawatts (GW) of installed solar power capacity in the “distributed” solar market — rooftops and small-scale installations. The state has a target of reaching 10 GW by 2030, and this new milestone puts them ahead of schedule. Just from lowering electricity demand on the power grid during times of peak demand, solar power is estimated to have saved New York $90 million last summer. Greater savings will come this summer.

07/08/2026 Yale Environment 360 What Do We Actually Know About the Microplastics Inside Us? - I know it is easy to say we don’t have enough information yet, but we do know about [the health risks from] these chemicals that are in all the plastics that your food is wrapped in. From that perspective, it is still a good idea to reduce plastics or eliminate them where possible. – Cassandra Rauert

07/07/2026 The Conversation Island life changed how Brazil’s Noronha skink reproduces, but the lizard’s strategy might be failing in a rapidly evolving world - Reproduction occurs during a relatively narrow period of the year, in the dry season. Not all females reproduce annually: our data suggest that many reproduce only every two or even three years. When they do, they produce only two eggs at a time — a very low number for lizards in this group. These eggs, however, are large relative to the mother’s body size, indicating a high investment in each offspring.

05/20/2026 PLOS One Skeletons in the permafrost: Exploring climate-driven heritage loss and occupational health at the early modern whaling burial site of Likneset, Svalbard - Rapid Arctic warming is accelerating the degradation of permafrost-preserved archaeological sites, threatening both cultural heritage and the scientific information it contains. Early modern whaling burial sites on Svalbard are particularly vulnerable due to their organic-rich burial contexts and exposed coastal settings.

Homegrown National Park How to build a mosquito bucket – A non-toxic way to control mosquitos in your yard.

Leaf & Limb 7 Ways to Help Your Trees and Shrubs During (and After) a Drought – My area of Missouri is not in drought right now….but it has been in previous summers. The suggestions in this post can be done any time….and keep trees healthier ahead of the next drought!  

Serendipity Trees

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Serendipity trees are one of the joys of native gardening! I have 3 different kinds in my yard.

The oaks are from ‘squirrel planted’ acorns – probably from my neighbor’s red oak. Most of the time I mow the seedlings but there is one that is growing in the place where we had to cut down a pine (it fell on its own really). The oak is growing well and is no longer much shorter than the plants around it: iris, beautyberry, gray-headed coneflower, and newly planted elderberry. My plan is to enlarge the bed as the oak grows so that most of its leaves will fall in places that will never be mowed! In the front yard, there is a younger seedling in the native plant garden that is shorter than the Missouri evening primrose beside it! It too can continue to grow and the bed can be expanded over time to receive its leaves.

There is a dying redbud near the neighborhood stormwater pond, but it is leaving its progeny all over the neighborhood – seeds probably transported by birds. Some are growing as shrubs near the holly…and other is growing in a good place to provide some nice afternoon shade to our deck in the next few years.

The hackberries are also bird planted; there is a big healthy tree near the dying redbud with lots of seeds that I see on the sidewalk in the fall. I have several that are coming up in the bed with the hollies and with a Japanese barberry. The Japanese barberry is not native and somewhat invasive so I will be cutting it down repeatedly until it dies – making room for the hackberry!

I like the serendipity trees. It akin to a savanna replenishing itself naturally.

Tabling at the Butterfly Festival

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The annual Butterfly Festival at the Springfield Botanical Garden was held last weekend. It had rained a lot before the event and was still sprinkling as I was setting up; everyone was relieved when the day was dry after that! The local Missouri Master Naturalist chapter had two tables with several activities/topics: Highway 13 Butterfly trail, trees needed by butterfly/moth caterpillars, a butterfly symmetry craft, bugs, and rotten logs to explore. My collection of bookends worked to keep the items on the table from blowing off the table.

Over the course of the day, we had over 900 people visit our tables! I brought most of the materials in my car and was relieved that I had three helpers for each of the two shifts (9-12 and 12-3). One came early and helped me wrangle the table clothes onto the tables (with the corners tied at the ends to keep them securely on the tables and out of the mud). The pictures above are of the tables before the crowds arrived.

The mosaic below is from the butterfly symmetry craft. We often had a line waiting to make their butterfly and it was a challenge to get a picture of most of the creation before they moved on to the next activity.

The rotten log activity looked more like mulch than logs by the end of the day. We were allowed to leave it under a nearby cedar which made cleanup a simple matter of folding up the tarps.

By the end of the day, I was exhausted…but exhilarated that we had such a great turnout for the Butterfly Festival. I didn’t have time to look at other activities/tables – but they must have been great since everyone that we encountered at our tables seemed to be enjoying the day.

Gleanings of the Week Ending June 13, 2026

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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.

06/1/2026 Science Daily Your kitchen sponge is releasing microplastics every time you wash dishes – Use sponges with lower plastic (or no plastic) content! Using less water for dishes has and even greater environmental impact.

05/30/2026 Clean Technica Illinois First Great Lakes State to Enact Plastic Pellet Pollution Law - Just days before the end of the 2026 legislative session, the Illinois state legislature passed HB4418, which defines pre-production plastic pellets as a pollutant and gives the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency the authority to establish policies to prevent them from being released into the environment. eople complain about government overreach and faceless bureaucrats, but the truth is that without legislation such as this and governmental organizations like the Illinois EPA to enforce it, the world would be a much more toxic and dangerous place. It is long past time to stop giving polluters a free pass so they can maximize their profits.

05/11/2026 RNZ Is it really possible to live a plastic-free life? - Our lives are riddled with plastic, and growing evidence suggests it is affecting our health in myriad ways. (New Zealand)

04/27/2026 Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology Endocrine-disrupting chemicals in breast milk and early life exposure for infants in the United States – Melamine, cyanuric acid, BPA, BPS, and triclosan were detected with high frequency in breast milk samples in the study, and our study suggests that breast milk is an important exposure pathway for these chemicals among nursing infants. Given the importance of breastfeeding for infant health, our study highlights the need to investigate potential health effects of these chronic exposures.

04/26/2026 Earth.com Plastics are entering food crops and stunting their growth - Farmers, waste managers, and regulators now face a harder truth: plastic in soil can slow crops, gather around roots, and enter plants. The next step is tracing whether weathered nanoplastics reach edible tissues at harvest and deciding which plastic inputs should be cut first.

04/02/2026 Medical Xpress Seven days without plastic contact slashes phthalates and bisphenols in body – A clinical trial investigating levels of plastic chemicals in the human body has found that a low-plastic diet could be a fast and effective way to reduce exposure. (Australia)

05/31/2026 The Conversation Trees and greenery can cool cities by as much as 18°C – but only if it’s the right type - Field measurements from Melbourne, Munich and Hong Kong were compared to test how different kinds of urban planting changed the heat people experience outdoors. Layered vegetation – where trees are combined with shrubs and ground cover – often cooled cities more effectively than trees alone. We also found local climate and street design strongly shaped whether greening worked well. Cities need planting strategies tailored to local conditions rather than universal greening formulas. In parks and open green spaces, layered vegetation can provide strong cooling while also supporting biodiversity. In dense streets, planners may need to balance shade with ventilation.

05/28/2026 My Modern Met Hand-Colored Photos From 19th-Century Japan Offer a Glimpse of Traditional Life - Photography arrived in Japan very early—a little less than a decade after it was invented in Europe. Throughout the 1850s, as Japan opened up to foreigners, the images from this time capture not only a nearly forgotten moment in history but also a rare transitional time in which traditional Japanese life was being affected by rapid modernization.

05/20/2026 BBC Chile's Atacama Desert is one of the darkest places on Earth. But now the light is intruding - The battle against encroaching artificial light in the Atacama is a microcosm of a global problem. As electric bulbs have proliferated, around 80% of Earth's population now lives under light-polluted skies. A recent study of star visibility found that, on average globally, the sky brightened due to light pollution by almost 10% a year between 2011-2022. If a person could see 250 stars at the start of the period, the researchers found, they would only spot 100 by the end.

5/28/2026 Smithsonian Magazine Giant, Destructive Hail Is Becoming More Common with Climate Change - A new study finds that these giant hailstones will become more common as the climate warms from human-caused carbon emissions. In models of predicted future warming, the researchers found that the frequency of hail larger than a marble will increase 47 percent by 2100 in a worst-case scenario. Even in a more optimistic model of future climate change, the potential for storms producing giant hail will rise 38 percent.

Butterfly House Trees

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I decided to document the trees in the Roston Native Butterfly House during one of my recent shifts. All of them are there to provide food for certain caterpillars. So here is a tree tour of the house…starting on the right side as you enter the trees are

Wafer ash for Giant Swallowtail caterpillars

Hackberry for Hackberry Emperor caterpillars

Spicebush for Spicebush Swallowtail caterpillars

Pawpaw for Zebra Swallowtail caterpillars

False Indigo for Silver Spotted Skipper caterpillars

Black Walnut for Luna Moth, Polyphemus Moth, and Red Banded Hairstreak caterpillars

(turning back toward the front of the house…looking at the trees on your right)

Tulip poplar for Tiger Swallowtail caterpillars

Black Willow for Red Spotted Purple caterpillars

Of course, there were lots of butterflies and a just-emerged Cecropia Moth that I couldn’t resist photographing too!

Field Trip Reconnoiter

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I’ve been busy working on the curriculum of the core training to be offered next fall by my local Missouri Master Naturalist chapter. One of the field trips we had added to the curriculum was unfamiliar to everyone….but had been one the places featured in a 2025 Ozark Public Television production called Wild Ozarks. Four of us participated in a reconnoiter trip to the place last week.

Wow! It is a great place for a field trip.

Easy to get to from Springfield

Springs and sinkholes

Remediated riverbank…and ash trees (dead or dying) replaced with other tree species

Tree cavities

Some invasives but not overwhelming

Road or mowed trail for hiking

Pawpaw patch

And much more!

I loved the handmade tree signs!

We modified the plan to divide the students into 4 groups rather than 3 (so 6-7 students/group) and the topics will be: forest ecology, geology (karst), tree identification (using dichotomous key), and nature journaling/nature observation.

I am looking forward to seeing the place in the fall….and observing the students discovering this special place.

Suburban Savanna - 1

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Shortly after I started the 9-month Missouri Woodland Mentor series back in January, I started pondering whether the sterile suburban yards (highly fertilized, sprayed with pesticides, rigidly trimmed, full of non-native plants, toxic to most wildlife) could be transformed into something with a positive impact on the natural environment. It seemed to me that the definition of a savanna fit closest to what suburbs looked like on the surface: grass interspersed with trees providing less than 30% canopy cover.

There are some qualities of a suburb that would work against it becoming a full-fledged savanna:

There is too much impervious surface: streets, houses, sidewalks, driveways…which means that water will run off more quickly. There are often water retention ponds in newer developments to collect run off – somewhat slow the flow.

The building of the houses and infrastructure often is a severe disruption to the land: scraping off topsoil and hauling it away, removing almost all vegetation, and planting of turf. Sometimes there are a few trees planted by the builder – but they are not necessarily natives.  It takes a long time to recover from that disruption. It is the starting point for neighborhoods to progress toward a suburban savanna.

Even with those challenges, there are things I am already doing to nudge my yard toward the savanna goal:

  • I don’t spray pesticides or herbicides….and I don’t fertilize.

  • I don’t mow the fall leaves in my back yard until late spring (let the moths and insects emerge.

  • The non-native trees to Missouri (a Kousa dogwood and an eastern white pine and a variety of holly) are not going to be cut down…but I am planting more native woody plants: pawpaw, fragrant sumac, spice bush (hosted spice bush swallowtail caterpillars last summer), red buckeye, elderberry, and Ozark witch hazel. A red maple and shortleaf pine are the two native trees that were already growing in my yard. The forsythia and Japanese barberry will eventually be dug up.

  • The violets that were contained in a bed on the east side of the house when I moved here have been allowed to spill out taking over half the grass/moss area of that side yard. I have noticed more birds finding food in the debris from the violets over this past winter – even that small change has made a difference to birds.

  • I have planted a native plant garden in the middle of my front yard. As it matures – I will extend it so that there will be less ‘turf’ remaining.

  • Last summer I avoided mowing patches of clover I found growing in the year as a step toward improving the quality of the soil.

  • I am learning to recognize goldenrod, asters, and Rudbekia coming up in my yard that I can simply mow around!

I will post next month about my progress transforming my yard into a suburban savanna. My focus currently is on my yard …but I will take every opportunity to encourage others in my neighborhood to begin the process as well.

Gleanings of the Week Ending April 11, 2026

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2/23/2026 I’m Plastic Free Watched The Plastic Detox? Your Guide to Reducing Microplastics Exposure - The Plastic Detox is a powerful documentary exposing the hidden health risks of plastics in our homes. As six couples commit to removing plastic from their homes, the experience transforms their families in lasting ways. The documentary uncovers what microplastics are, how their associated chemicals affect our bodies, and what practical steps individuals can take to regain control over their health.

3/30/2026 BBC Salmon sperm to bird droppings: The science behind bizarre skincare trends - While even the most bizarre of skincare routine fads may have some scientific backing, scientists think that options for the next generation of skincare therapies will involve, among other things, finding new ways to optimize collagen supplementation. Other new therapies are exploring novel ways of manipulating the skin microbiome, the populations of invisible microbes that live on our faces and contribute heavily to the inflammation present in our skin.

3/30/2026 Smithsonian Magazine Sharks in the Bahamas Test Positive for Drugs, Including Cocaine and Painkillers - Sharks in the Bahamas are ingesting drugs—including cocaine, caffeine and painkillers. Scientists identified blood contamination in about one-third of tested animals, findings that further highlight how humans are harming marine environments. While the detection of cocaine—an illicit substance—tends to draw immediate attention, the widespread presence of caffeine and pharmaceuticals in the blood of many analyzed sharks is equally alarming.

3/30/2026 ScienceDaily Simple therapies beat drugs for knee arthritis pain relief - Non-drug treatments like knee braces, hydrotherapy, and exercise can significantly ease knee osteoarthritis symptoms. These approaches not only reduce pain and improve mobility, but also avoid the risks tied to common medications.

3/27/2026 NWF Blog Building hope, organizing communities, and strategic planning on Florida’s Coast - To learn more about the Tampa Bay Coastal Master Plan and efforts to use nature-based solutions to adapt to sea level rise and climate change, with resilient strategies like living shorelines, habitat enhancements, and habitat preservation, please visit this site.

3/26/2026 The Conversation Mosquitoes carrying malaria are evolving more quickly than insecticides can kill them – researchers pinpoint how - The mosquito-borne disease malaria kills over 600,000 people annually. Mosquitoes are quickly evolving counterstrategies that make these insecticides ineffective, putting millions of people at greater risk of deadly infection. Mosquitoes today from Ghana to Malawi are often able to survive insecticide concentrations 10 times the previously lethal dose. Genome-scale sequencing remains important to detect new or unexpected evolutionary responses. The risk of adaptation is highest under a continuous, strong selection pressure, so minimizing, switching and staggering pesticides can help thwart resistance.

3/25/2026 CleanTechnica Why Nature-Based Investments Produce Results - Nature-based solutions have the potential to lift a billion people out of poverty, create 80 million jobs, add an additional $2.3 trillion of growth to the global economy, and prevent $3.7 trillion of climate change damages. Investing in biodiversity conservation and restoring ecosystems have a lot going for them.

3/23/2025 NASA A Fault Line in Bloom – Flowers had turned areas around Soda Lake a bright shade of yellow, and by mid-month, they had spread even farther. Yellow wildflower blooms are visible amid the dendritic network of streams flanking the alkaline lake, which dries out completely during drought years. Colors were particularly vibrant across the Carrizo Plain National Monument, even decorating meadows along the zipper-shaped San Andreas Fault with splashes of purple due to blooms of Phacelia ciliata.

3/30/2026 National Parks Traveler Three Florida Reef Corals "Functionally Extinct" Due To Marine Heat Waves - Extinction has claimed staghorn and elkhorn corals, whose distinctive antler-like arms once peppered the sea floor off Florida but now are all but impossible to find thanks to warming waters and disease throughout their coastal habitat. They are “functionally extinct,” meaning they lack numbers and health to survive threats facing them in the wild. It doesn’t mean they are entirely gone. Scientists are keeping the two species alive in coral nurseries, both onshore and offshore. Many facilities are working to preserve them and raise their offspring as just one aspect of efforts to save the Florida Reef, a 350-mile-long collection of reefs besieged by disease and marine heat waves since the 1970s that have robbed the reef of an estimated 98 percent of its live coral cover. Pillar coral was designated functionally extinct in 2020. On a positive note - elkhorn and staghorn corals typically are ready to move from onshore nurseries into the ocean in about 18 months.

3/30/2026 Yale Environment 360 Even a Few Scattered Trees on Farmland Can Be a Boon for Wildlife - ll told, 58 scientists took part in the effort, using on-the-ground surveys, sound monitoring, and satellite imagery to track close to 2,000 species of birds across more than 1,000 forest remnants. They found that a fragment of forest surrounded by farmland might host more than twice as many bird species as a reservoir island of the same size. 

George Washington Carver National Monument

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Last week my husband and I made our first visit to George Washington Carver National Monument. It is south of Carthage, MO and a bit over an hour from our house near Springfield….a good choice for a day trip.

It was a sunny and cool spring day. I took a few pictures of plants in my yard while I was waiting for my husband to be ready to go. The dandelions are blooming and there was one seed puff already! My Missouri Evening Primrose is coming up from last year’s roots and the maple is already forming seeds.

On the way, I noticed that the redbuds along I-44 were beginning to bloom. The flowers were probably not fully open, but there was enough color to identify the trees as we drove. The redbuds at our house were not quite so far along.

I enjoyed the walk through the woods at the monument. There were some wildflowers – and clumps of daffodils (not wild, obviously) in the woods.  A few insects were out as well so the flowers will be pollinated!

There is a statue of a young George Carver in an area of stream/forest. He was born to a slave family on the farm…almost died when he was young (illness and kidnapping)…managed to survive and was able to become educated…he became head of the Tuskegee Agriculture Department in 1896; he taught there until his death in 1943. He is buried at Tuskegee University.

The woods were greening with the wildflowers, but the trees were mostly dormant. Some of them were probably ashes and would not be leafing out again. It is a common occurrence in Missouri right now; the emerald ash borer that killed the ashes in Maryland before we moved to Missouri is now killing the ash trees in Missouri. There is water in many places along the Carver Trail (loop) – Williams Pond/Branch and Carver Branch.

There were lots of birds, but I only managed to photograph a Dark-eyed Junco. We heard several woodpeckers.

We were at the monument on a Saturday, and I was pleased that there were other people that were there – many with children. The place is closer to Joplin so I assume the ‘regulars’ are mostly from Carthage or Joplin. It is a good place to visit in the spring….and maybe even better in the fall. In the summer, it would be very humid.

We opted to drive to Carthage for lunch at Iggy’s Diner. I am trying to find places other than fast food that my husband likes…and the diner seemed to be a hit with him. The quality of food is better than a fast food chain!

Gleanings of the Week Ending November 15, 2025

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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.

Inflammation Starts Long Before the Pain in Rheumatoid Arthritis - Millions of people around the world suffer from rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune disorder that causes debilitating joint swelling and pain. New research reveals more early biomarkers for rheumatoid arthritis which may lead to ways to prevent, rather than treat, the disease.

Bottled Water is a Major Source of Microplastics - Nano- and microplastics have been linked in studies to inflammation, immune dysregulation, cardiac events, and metabolic disruptions. Though human data are still emerging, evidence also suggests a connection to respiratory disease, reproductive issues, and even neurotoxicity. 

Traces of Opium Detected on Egyptian Alabastron - Traces of opium have been detected in an ancient Egyptian alabaster vase held in Yale University’s Peabody Museum. It had been previously suggested that such vases held perfumes or cosmetics for royal elites.

Gum disease may quietly damage the brain - Researchers observed that participants with gum disease had significantly more white matter hyperintensities, even after accounting for other risk factors. The findings hint that chronic oral inflammation could subtly impact the brain, especially in older adults.

6 Best Non-Toxic Lunch Boxes That Don’t Shed Microplastics – I am using my glass left-over containers….but I don’t need to carry my lunch every day!

How Air Pollution is Aging People Faster - Long considered mainly a threat to the lungs and heart, air pollution is now emerging as a driver of biological aging at the molecular level. With air pollution’s role in accelerating aging, researchers are exploring interventions ranging from reducing emissions to using protective measures. Alongside identifying the effects of different pollutants, scientists are now investigating the biological mechanisms through which air pollution accelerates aging.

Domestic Solar Manufacturing Booms During Trump Administration with Entire Solar Supply Chain Reshored - New data from the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) shows that the entire solar supply chain has been reshored and U.S. manufacturing capacity has grown across every segment of the solar and storage supply chain. With the news of Hemlock’s new ingot and wafer facility coming online in Q3, the United States now has the capacity to produce every major component of the solar supply chain.

Covid 2020: Where cruise ships went to die - Aliağa Ship Breaking Yard in Turkey is the fourth-largest facility in the world for breaking down large ships, and as the effect of cancelled cruises began to bite, it's where many of the cruise companies sent their huge ships to die.

China Has Added Forest the Size of Texas Since 1990 - In many wealthy nations — the U.S., Canada, Russia, and much of Europe — forests are making a comeback, according to the U.N. assessment. As India and China become more developed, they too are seeing forests return. Even as fires and drought destroy some forest, on balance, these countries are adding trees. Over the last three and a half decades China has planted roughly 120 million acres of forest, according to U.N. figures, much of it added to contain the spread of deserts.

How Do Cadaver Dogs Recognize Human Remains? - Someday scientists will understand how cadaver-associated molecules bind to receptors in dog noses and how this binding, in turn, affects the molecules’ structure and chemistry. Knowing the exact stimuli that cadaver dogs pick up may also advance researchers’ efforts in building “electronic noses.” These chemical sensors are not meant to replace cadaver dogs but rather as stand-ins that could go to places that are inaccessible or too dangerous for dogs.

Ten Little Celebrations – October 2025

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October included some great volunteer and travel experiences…and plenty at home to celebrate too.

Road trip to Jefferson City – I celebrated the Missouri Department of Conservation Partners Roundtable (particularly Dr. Nadia Navarrete-Tindall talking about edible native plants), touring the Missouri capitol building, and Ha Ha Tonka State Park!

Corn on the cob from the grill - The temperatures were milder…we cooked on the grill more often and I always enjoy the corn on the cob cooked that way.

New faucets on bathroom and kitchen sink - My husband installed new faucets (with a little help from me holding things together while he tightened from underneath). The old ones had been leaking onto the counters when they were turned on. We are both enjoying the dry counters around the new faucets!

Season finale for the Butterfly House - I savored the final volunteer days and the celebration for the volunteers and staff.

Home school fair – I celebrated that so many people visited my table at the Home school Fair and seemed to enjoy learning about trees.

My car repaired – The damage to my car (mostly underneath) was repaired and I have already taken it on a road trip. I celebrated that it was fixed quickly and that it looks ‘good as new.’

Hiking poles – I cheered myself onward during my first test walk with hiking poles…have high hopes that they will help me avoid back pain on future hikes.

Memory care – I celebrated finding two memory care facilities that would be good candidates for my dad’s next home. My sisters and I had a difficult time choosing (and it was stressful)….not something I am celebrating.

New hot water heater and dishwasher – I celebrated that the new appliances were installed quickly…that the hot water heater is better for the environment (heat pump electric rather than natural gas) and the dishwasher is quieter than our old one.

A rainy day - The past few months have been very dry in our area so the rainy days in the later part of October were something to celebrate – although the rain came too late to have brilliant leaf colors this fall. The leaves are still mostly on the trees…muted colors.

Gleanings of the Week Ending October 25, 2025

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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.

The maritime lions hunting seals on the beach - In Namibia, a group of desert lions have left their traditional hunting grounds for the Atlantic coast, to become the world's only maritime lions.

Progress on Africa’s ‘Great Green Wall’ Stalls as Seedlings Die Off - The African Union launched the project in 2007, planning to create a 10-mile-wide strip of trees that would stretch from coast to coast, across 11 countries in the Sahel. By stopping desertification, the project aimed to protect farmers, help shore up the supply of food, stem migration, and even fight extremism. But as of last year, the project was estimated to be only 30 percent complete.

The Red Sea that vanished and the catastrophic flood that brought it back - The Red Sea once vanished entirely, turning into a barren salt desert before being suddenly flooded by waters from the Indian Ocean 6.2 million years ago. The flood carved deep channels and restored marine life in less than 100,000 years. The Red Sea is a natural laboratory for understanding how oceans are born, how salt giants accumulate, and how climate and tectonics interact over millions of years.

Pumpkin: A favorite sign of fall, with a bit of shady history - When European settlers reached the present-day Americas, they encountered Indigenous people growing pumpkins — a useful source of food that's easy to grow and can be stored in cold weather. In precolonial times, Indigenous people in the Americas domesticated different types of these sort of pumpkin precursors at least six different times.

Egyptian Pharaoh’s Tomb Opens to the Public After 20-Year Restoration – Amenhotep III. The huge tomb is in a secluded part of the Valley of the Kings outside the southern city of Luxor and was in severe need of work following centuries of neglect. The tomb was discovered in 1799 whereupon its contents were looted. At its center, visitors today encounter the pharaoh’s giant granite sarcophagus lid, which is covered in hieroglyphics and was too heavy to be carried away.

New Solar Glass Cranks Up Lettuce Crop Yields by Almost 40% - The new solar glass (the performance of quantum dots integrated with passive solar glass) was field tested by researchers at the University of California – Davis. If the performance of lettuce is a bellwether for other crops.

The rise of ‘nightmare bacteria’: antimicrobial resistance in five charts - Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is projected to cause 39 million deaths worldwide over the next 25 years. But global efforts to find treatments for drug-resistant infections are not going to plan. The reports show that the global antibiotic drug-development pipeline is facing a dual crisis: a scarcity of drugs in development and a lack of innovation in methods to fight drug-resistant bacteria. Awareness of this issue is increasing; however, it is still a silent pandemic with many deaths not being attributed to AMR.

A Search for the Cassia Crossbill, Idaho’s Endemic Bird - Searching for an endemic bird brings you fully immerses you in the complexity of the world. What might look like just another set of hills from the highway is revealed to be a habitat shaped by a lack of squirrels and abundant woodpeckers and thick pinecones. And that place offers you a glimpse of this special bird, one that exists only here, as if clinging to a lodgepole life raft in the desert.

Brain cancer that eats the skull stuns scientists - Glioblastoma isn’t confined to the brain—it erodes the skull and hijacks the immune system within skull marrow. The cancer opens channels that let inflammatory cells enter the brain, fueling its deadly progression. Even drugs meant to protect bones can make things worse, highlighting the need for therapies that target both brain and bone. The discovery reframes glioblastoma as a whole-body disease, not just a brain disorder.

Babies take a lesson from soldiers in the war against malaria - For years, the U.S. military has treated uniforms with insecticide to repel mosquitoes and the malaria they can transmit. In a rural part of western Uganda, 200 mothers with kids between 6 and 18 months got a permethrin-soaked baby wrap, while 200 others got a wrap just soaked in water. All participants got a brand-new treated bed net too. Over 6 months, 34 kids in the permethrin-wrap group tested positive for malaria, compared with 94 in the water-soaked wrap group. About 8.5% of babies had a mild rash in the treatment group compared with 6% in the control.

My Missouri Neighborhood – October 2025

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The mornings are cool…a sign of fall. I headed out for a short walk around the neighborhood pond. There is always something to photograph.

There are two good sized willows at opposite ends of the pond. I photographed the one that seem healthier…no dead branches; its branches move gracefully in dapples of sunlight.

Some of the native plants added last spring near one of the bridges have survived. They will probably do even better next year. There was a skipper sitting on one that seemed to be holding still just for me!

In the water, a few of the pickerel weeds are thriving. There were quite a few that didn’t. Hopefully the plants growing now will propagate…begin to take some of the extra nutrients out of the water. There is a lot of algae in the water this fall.

The maples are beginning to show fall color. We’ve not had much rain the past few months so it might not be as brilliant this year although these maples are near the pond so perhaps they got enough water.

I only saw one turtle, and it was gone before I could get closer. There was a lot of mud on that side of the pond and I wondered if it was from the weed eating too close to the edge.

A river birch has leaves dipping into the water.

The stump from a tree one of neighbors cut down before we moved to area has almost completely decayed. There is some fungus still working on the last of it…and another of the same kind in the nearby grass that might have been working on a root from the old tree.

When I got back to my driveway I noticed a mushroom near the streetlight in a corner of my front yard. It may be that mulching of grass as I mow has increased the plant debris in the soil enough to support more kinds of mushroom – I hope that is what’s happening!

Homeschool Fair 2025

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I provided a Missouri Master Naturalist table at an annual Homeschool Fair; the year it was held at the Springfield Botanical Garden. Our original location was not available (a delay in a renovation) so we were on a grassy area under a canopy. I shared my tree table with another Master Naturalist doing a soil filtration demo! The image below is what the table looked like before the crowd.

While we were setting up, it was very foggy, and we wondered if we would get some rain. Fortunately, it didn’t rain although here was a brief time that was blustery, and we had to grab things on the table and legs of the canopy! That was all before the event started.

The event was from 10-2 with a short break for lunch (for me it was only enough time to eat a protein bar). There were over 400 people that came by our table and I gave out all my copies of Missouri Department of Conservation booklets on trees.

Between the Homeschool Fair and the Native American Heritage Celebration, our chapter of Missouri Master Naturalists interacted with about 1000 people! There are some lessons learned to apply to future events:

  • Have at least 2 volunteers per table during peak times

  • Assign the person not doing as much talking to use the clicker…get a good count of people visiting the table

  • Tie the 2 corners of the tablecloth together at each end of the table; the table clothes are extra-large so this helps keep them from dragging on the ground plus reduces the impact of breezes on the tablecloth.

  • The table signs for the chapter take too much room on the table. We need an alternative type of sigh…maybe something that could hand from the canopy.

Native American Heritage Celebration

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I volunteered in the Master Naturalist booth at the Native American Heritage Celebration at Wonders of Wildlife in late September. It was a Friday-Sunday event with school groups coming on the Friday. We had two tables – one for bison (things that were made from bison parts) and trees of Missouri.

The students seemed to enjoy both topics – some spending quite a lot of time touching items and interacting with us. I usually did the tree table…linked trees to Native American heritage with the hedge apple/osage orange wood being used for bows and eastern redcedar (medicine, flavoring, ritual/ceremony). The first year maple-in-a-bottle sparked their interest too…particularly the variety of roots (some hairlike, some stubby, the thick central root).

They looked at different kinds of cones (the egg shaped/sized shortleaf cone being the only one native to Missouri) and talked about things children might do with pine cones – now and before Europeans came.

I was glad that I could put tree related Missouri Department of Conservation publications on a nearby table…they were available but not taking any space away from my tree samples.

All or Mothing (1)

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Last weekend, Friends of the (Springfield Botanical) Garden offered the docents for the Butterfly House a summer afternoon/evening treat - a potluck (with barbeque provided) and seeing what came to lights/sheets after dark. It was a place I had been for a field trip last fall during my Missouri Master Naturalist training (my posts about it: one, two) and I was excited to visit again. My husband came along this time, and I was glad that we were his car rather than mine (his has a higher clearance). The gravel rutted road that was the last leg seemed longer than I remembered!

There was an extreme heat warning for the day, so we didn’t do any hiking…sticking to the shady area around the cabin.

I photographed the moss on the shingles of the roof over the old well.

I remembered the spice bush from last fall; the fruit was red in the fall…still green now. The yucca pods were still green as well, but they are interesting shapes already.

To be continued…in a few days.

Late June Storm

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We are still dealing with the aftermath of a late June storm. At our house, one of the two maples in our front yard lost some larger branches. It spilt in such a way that leaves it vulnerable to the next high wind event – likely to fall into the street. This was the first year that the daylilies I’d planted around its base have been numerous enough to look good. It is upsetting; we’ve accepted the arborist’s recommendation to cut it down. In preparation I’ve cut the daylily flowers and am going to transplant the rhizomes elsewhere. We aren’t going to grind the stump. Instead, I am going to create a native plant garden around where the tree was cut and incorporate a lower place where a tree was removed before we bought the house. It will include a small tree (maybe a serviceberry), a bush (maybe winterberry holly or ninebark)…and then some perennials; I’m looking for a landscaping company that can do most of the work…hopefully leaving it where I can maintain it. I’ve also requested the wood chips from the tree that I can spread elsewhere around my yard…keeping the nutrients on my land.

My daughter’s yard had damage too. One of her amur maples dropped a limb on the driveway and the other dropped a limb on a fence (but gently enough that it didn’t take the fence down. Her husband handled the branch in their driveway shortly after it fell. The tree service will take the limb that fell on the fence and the junipers that fell over at the side of her house. She had her trees trimmed earlier this season or she probably would have had more damage. She is contemplating what to plant once the junipers are gone.

There were many people that had more damage that we did and were without power for days. We are using the destruction of the storm as an opportunity to plant more natives in our yard!

Gleanings of the Week Ending June 21, 2025

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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.

Gleanings of the Week Ending May 17, 2025

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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.

Frank Lloyd Wright’s Iconic Hollyhock House Faces Closure Amid City Cuts – Budgets tightening across the board. It seems that cultural things previously funded by governments are among the first to go.

The surprising power of breathing through your nose – The nose can be the first line of defense for your immune system. Mouth breathing has been shown to increase acidity and dryness in the mouth, linking it to cavities, demineralization of the teeth and gum disease. You can think of the nose like a wind chime for the mind; when air moves through your nose, it seems to have a significant influence on your cognitive processes. Nasal breathing has positive effects on the limbic system – the parts of the brain that regulate emotion and behavior – in ways that mouth breathing doesn't.

Spring (Baby) Fever – A baby animals quiz….with cute pictures.

Dust in the system -- How Saharan storms threaten Europe's solar power future - New research reveals how Saharan dust impacts solar energy generation in Europe. Dust from North Africa reduces photovoltaic (PV) power output by scattering sunlight, absorbing irradiance, and promoting cloud formation. Based on field data from 46 dust events between 2019 and 2023, the study highlights the difficulty of predicting PV performance during these events.

In Galápagos, Iconic Giant Tortoises Get a Helping Hand - Fifteen species of giant tortoises — the largest in the world — once roamed the Galapagos Islands but today only 11 survive. Dome-shelled tortoises reach sexual maturity at 20 to 25 and lay 16 to 20 eggs at a time. When the park was established in 1959, some of the tortoise species were heading towards extinction while others were deemed vulnerable or threatened. But a captive breeding program launched in 1965 has shown great success and has released more than 10,000 giant tortoises back into the wild.

Walmart Announces Nationwide EV Charging Network - According to a press release from the company, “With a store or club located within 10 miles of approximately 90% of Americans, we are uniquely positioned to deliver a convenient charging option that will help make EV ownership possible whether people live in rural, suburban or urban areas.”

Shingles vaccine lowers the risk of heart disease for up to eight years - There are several reasons why the shingles vaccine may help reduce heart disease. A shingles infection can cause blood vessel damage, inflammation and clot formation that can lead to heart disease. By preventing shingles, vaccination may lower these risks. Our study found stronger benefits in younger people, probably due to a better immune response, and in men, possibly due to differences in vaccine effectiveness. The study was done in South Korea.

Hikers Make Stunning Discovery of $340,000 Gold Hoard in Czech Mountains - Most of the coins are French with the overall hoard broadly dated from 1808 to 1915. There is, however, a notable exception: the Austro-Hungarian coins. Small markings on the coins, known as countermarkings, indicate that they were reissued in 1921 in an area of Yugoslavia most likely encompassing modern-day Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. The hoard remains under investigation and archaeologists hope that with the aid of archival records they will be able to work out the full story behind the treasure.

All of the biggest U.S. cities are sinking - The fastest-sinking city is Houston, with more than 40% of its area subsiding more than 5 millimeters (about 1/5 inch) per year, and 12% sinking at twice that rate. Some localized spots are going down as much as 5 centimeters (2 inches) per year. Two other Texas cities, Fort Worth and Dallas, are not far behind. Some localized fast-sinking zones in other places include areas around New York's LaGuardia Airport, and parts of Las Vegas, Washington, D.C. and San Francisco. Massive ongoing groundwater extraction is the most common cause of these land movements. In Texas, the problem is exacerbated by pumping of oil and gas. Droughts will also likely worsen subsidence in the future. Some buildings in the Miami area are sinking in part due to disruptions in the subsurface caused by construction of newer buildings nearby.

How Herbicide Drift from Farms Is Harming Trees in Midwest - There’s growing evidence that agricultural herbicides — which are also used on golf courses, lawns, and rights of way — are inflicting widespread damage on trees and other vegetation across the Midwest and upper South and perhaps doing broader ecological harm as well. The problem is causing increasing concern and even alarm among landowners, state forestry officials, and scientists. In 48 percent of the cases, researchers found damage more than 1,000 feet from the nearest farm field; six samples showed herbicide damage at more than a mile. 

Spring Miscellaneous

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So much going on in April --- I’ve been out and about…noticing and photographing bits of springtime.

These first two are from my yard – two native plants I added 2 years ago: the fragrant sumac (a woody plant) that is putting up more stems and is blooming right now and the American spikenard (a perennial) that is coming up where I can see it from my office window!

On the Missouri State campus as I walked to my geology lab class: two maples that have produced samaras, sweet gum has small leaves and is beginning of seed formation, and some ‘carnation’ trees that have been added very recently are blooming at the edge of a parking lot.

There were some things I noticed at my daughter’s house as I waited for the tree crew to arrive: hostas coming up (she could easily divide these to supplement the few that are growing under her southern magnolia), a bed recently cleared of a bush honey suckle and other invasive plants…and there is some good stuff that survived underneath), Carolina silverbell in bloom, an azalea with a few flowers in deep shade under the hemlock,

Leaves unfurling on the oak leaf hydrangea, and

I like the garden gate on the shady side of her house. It’s idyllic looking but in previous years not a place to sit…because the mosquitos tend to like the area. Now that the redbud is gone, the area will get a little sun…maybe make it a pleasant place for a chair and small table.

Back at my home, the front yard has been mowed, and I made the decision to put mulch under the Asian dogwood tree. I cut the grass that had come up there very short with the weed eater and trimmed off the lower branches. I had enough cardboard to put under the mulch. The day was windy, so it was a bit challenging to keep the cardboard in place before I got the mulch on top. I used about 1/3 of the mulch I got from my daughter: a big blue bin and then a smaller bin. I used the snow shovel to move it around on top of the cardboard pieces…was pleased with the results. I am already planning the projects for the rest of the mulch – waiting to accumulate enough cardboard!