Not long after my last post on progress of the nesting phoebes and their chicks, activity in and around the nest ceased. It appeared that the chicks -- I had seen at least 3 by that time -- had either died or been eaten. The parents (or another couple?) immediately... Continue reading

A colony of Violet Wood Sorrel (Oxalis violacea) on 4 May 2013 [Photo credit: Cathie Bird] Violet Wood Sorrel flowers (Oxalis violacea) on 14 May 2013 [Photo credit: Cathie Bird] Continue reading

A USGS press release today illustrates the value of long-term monitoring and data collection: March 2012 set records for warm temperatures that promoted early leafing and flowering across large areas of the United States. A team of scientists at the USA National Phenology Network, which is sponsored by the U.S.... Continue reading

Citizen water monitoring through the ACE Project empowers the citizens of the Central Appalachia to claim their rights to clean water and healthy communities. This citizen science initiative equips everyday people with the knowledge, instruments, and professional support to monitor local waterways. In some cases, state agencies in the Appalachian... Continue reading

Over 5000 children’s products contain toxic chemicals linked to cancer, hormone disruption and reproductive problems, including the toxic metals, cadmium, mercury and antimony, as well as phthalates and solvents. A new report by the Washington Toxics Coalition and Safer States reveals the results of manufacturer reporting to the Washington State... Continue reading

I found a link to this great piece by Frank Summers on Facebook today. The post is his presidential address to APA Division 39's Spring Meeting in Boston. Here's an excerpt: The analytic stance and Nikeism stand in stark opposition, and to see who is more popular one need only contrast Nike’s undisputed perch at the top of the shoe sales pyramid with the paucity of clinical psychology programs offering any meaningful representation of psychoanalytic ideas. As analysts we do not “Just do it” nor are we “faster;” in fact, little is slower than a psychoanalysis. The essence of analysis... Continue reading

While I was waiting for photos in my last post to upload, I got this video of an eastern phoebe nestling being fed. The parents have had to catch bugs in the rain all day, but the chicks have a roof over their heads when they eat: Related articles Today... Continue reading

In addition to bird sightings in the holler this week, I happened across some other amazing life forms: a red eft, a resting eastern tailed-blue butterfly, and a rather large colony of violet wood sorrel: Red eft (Notophthalmus viridescens) on 2 May 2013. [Photo credit: Cathie Bird] The red eft... Continue reading

It's official: both eastern phoebe parents are bringing insects to the nest and close examination of some video footage on May 2nd revealed a fraction-of-a-second flash of baby bird fuzz (I recommend changing the video quality to HD for both of these): And while I was filming phoebes, I got... Continue reading

A great article by Cassidy Randall on how toxic chemicals impact women. Women are the first environment for the next generation. Biologically, we can pass chemicals on to our children in the womb and through breastfeeding. Read the whole article at www.womensvoices.org You can also take action by asking your... Continue reading

Great article at Tom Dispatch by Gerald Markowitz and David Rosner, authors of Lead Wars: The Politics of Science and the Fate of America’s Children... Today, we are all unwitting subjects in the largest set of drug trials ever. Without our knowledge or consent, we are testing thousands of suspected... Continue reading

The Amazon has over half of the planet’s remaining rainforest habitat and is home to more plants and animals than any other land region on Earth. Indigenous people in the Amazon forest live in a way that preserves and regenerates the resources they use. Unlike people in other cultures, they... Continue reading

This is amazing... Continue reading

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Thought I'd share this beautiful video meditation on this Earth Day 2013: Related articles Google doodle celebrates Earth Day 2013 Happy Earth Day Earth Day 2013 Continue reading

Thought I'd share this beautiful video/meditation from Bonnie Gold Bell and David Sun Todd: Continue reading

Spring emergence has been in warp drive here in the holler for the past 10 days or so. On April 11, a common expression in the neighborhood was, "It's like everything popped out overnight!" Redbud1 and Beech 1 on 18 April 2013 [Photo credit: Cathie Bird] Today Redbud1's flowers are... Continue reading

Terrapene carolina, 18 April 2013 [Photo credit: Cathie Bird] Continue reading

Trillium sulcatum, 18 April 2013 [Photo credit: Cathie Bird] Continue reading

Les Leopold is pretty much reflecting my feelings about Tennessee politics right now: If you're worried about where America is heading, look no further than Tennessee. Its lush mountains and verdant rolling countryside belie a mean-spirited public policy that only makes sense if you believe deeply in the anti-collectivist, anti-altruist... Continue reading

Yellow Trout Lily (Erythronium americanum) on 7 April 2013 [Photo credit: Cathie Bird] Continue reading

In a report titled, “ The Outskirts of Hope,” (PDF) the ACLU shines a light on a harrowing “debtors’ prison” system in Ohio — one that violates both the United States’ and the Ohio constitution. Ohioans are being jailed for “as small as a few hundred dollars,” despite the constitutional violation, and the economic evidence that it costs the state more to pay for their jail sentence than the amount of the debt. via www.alternet.org Continue reading