Number 85 - To see a tree asmiling.

sumac -- I've sent your WY post to everyone i know --- they all loved it.......

MORE MORE MORE!!!!!!!!!!

Thank you.

And love your info posts!!!!!!

SEPTEMBER 22, 2010, 10:22 AM

Giving Nature Its Due

By ANDREW C. REVKIN

When today’s children are grown, will they only be able to regard today’s biological marvels in museums, as my younger son Jack did last March at the National Museum of Natural History in Washington?


Jack was examining one of the trays of extraordinary beetles slid from a cabinet labeled Oh My (shown to us by the entomologist Gary Hevel). These species are still extant. But will that be the case a few decades from now?

Decisions made around the world in the next few years could well determine the answer.

At the United Nations today, world leaders will take a step toward giving nature its due as they come together for the first “High Level Meeting On Biodiversity” — putting aside discussions of bullets and bombs in favor of beetles and bears. It would be far better to have such a meeting in the Adirondacks or the Amazon instead of stuffy plenary chambers, but at least it’s a start.

[11:04 a.m. | Updated In an address, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said, "We are bankrupting our natural economy" and encouraged leaders to invest in a rescue package akin to the one used to stem the recent global financial implosion.]

There’s a long chain of United Nations conclaves that have aimed at blunting the human impact on the planet’s biological patrimony. The Convention on Biological Diversity has had mixed results since taking effect in 1993 (and many of its 193 adherents remain frustrated that the United States, joined only by the Holy See and Andorra, has refused to join them thanks to a handful of Senate opponents).

Agreements on trade in endangered species are having an impact, with a living tiger cub recently spotted amid stuffed toys in a traveler’s bag in Bangkok and shipments of rare species interdicted around Asia.

But losses, which in the case of extinction are permanent (at least for now), outnumber victories. Even some staunch libertarians, including Indur Goklany, the Cato Institute scholar and author of “The Improving State of the World,” agree that the degradation of ecosystems is one of the few global indicators heading in the wrong direction.

To some extent, today’s session is just part of the broader North-South tussle over how to share benefits (derived from biological resources) and burdens (from constraining greenhouse gases and adapting to changing climate patterns).

But it does mark a baby step toward deepening consideration of the rising pressures humans are putting on the planet’s veneer of life as populations and appetites head toward a mid-century crescendo. And it perhaps indicates that humanity is preparing to take fuller account of the vital services such living systems have for tens of millenniums provided free of charge. (For some background, I recommend you explore the 2005 Millennium Ecosystem Assessment and The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity, a 2008 report written by Pavan Sukdhev, a longtime international banker who has spent the last several years assessing ecological economics for the United Nations.)

Given the persistent norms of growth-driven economics, can the values of life, both direct – as in the filtration of stream water –- and less effable — as in the howling chorus of a pack of wolves –- be better integrated into how communities live today and make decisions about the future?

This is another way of asking the question posed here a week or so ago: Can we avoid “peak everything” before we hit “peak us”?

Edward O. Wilson, the Harvard biologist and much-lauded author, provided some guidance in 2008, in laying out for me what he playfully described as “Wilson’s Law”:

If you save the living environment, the biodiversity that we have left, you will also automatically save the physical environment, too… If you only save the physical environment, you will ultimately lose both.

Here he describes the concept in an excerpt from the documentary “Behold the Earth“:

.
I also encourage you to read John Rennie’s analysis of the challenge, and opportunities, involving in simultaneously addressing poverty and environmental conservation.

Through Wednesday, I’ll be posting more on the United Nations meeting, including excerpts from interviews I conducted on Tuesday with two remarkable women involved with this week’s events — Isabella Teixeira, Brazil’s environment minister, and Julia Marton-Lefevre, the director general of the International Union for Conservation of Nature. That group issued a report in 2008 that meshed agendas for conservation and human advancement around a single notion: building “a humane future for a diverse earth.”

It has a nice ring to it.

Rain deficit of 8.3 inches, no measurable rain for 29 days.

SEPTEMBER 23, 2010, 2:55 PM
Flight of the Honey Bees

By CELIA GORMAN
Celia Gorman John Howe works to save a beehive that was disrupted by the storm last week.
An epic battle broke out in Fort Greene after the tornado touched down in Brooklyn last Thursday. Soldiers attacked damaged fortifications and raided larders. Rescue efforts failed, and no one made it to the refugee camp. The queen is missing — presumed dead.

Human wars are often about money. This war was about honey.

The tornado on Sept. 16, which destroyed thousands of trees citywide, ripped a large branch off a tree on South Oxford Street, revealing a honeybee colony nestled in the fork of the London plane. The fallen limb left a gaping hole in the hive, making it vulnerable to attack from marauding bees from other colonies. A group of “robber bees” of unknown but local origin swarmed in and stole all the honey.

“It was a mess,” said James Fischer, an apiary expert. “The colony could not be saved.”

In the bee world, spring is a time of peace, when pollen abounds and the bees are busy harvesting. But when the leaves start to fall, honeybees get grumpy. Fall is the time of bee warfare. So the storm struck South Oxford Street at a time when the natural hostility between bee colonies was at its seasonal high.

Mr. Fischer, who teaches beekeeping classes for NYC Beekeepers, a nonprofit organization, says bees aren’t so different from humans. “If you were to tear all the windows out of Macy’s, people might shoplift.”

Mr. Fischer led an attempt to save and relocate the colony on Friday.

A group of NYC beekeepers removed sections of honeycomb from the damaged hive and put them into an artificial hive made of wooden frames in a white cardboard box.

“The hope is the bees would go into the box and the queen would follow,” said John Howe, a Fort Greene beekeeper and the founder of the NYC Beekeeping Meet-Up.

But that didn’t happen. The queen was never found and the robber bees stole all the honey. Even if they had been able to move the colony, the bees wouldn’t have survived the winter without their honey, Mr. Fischer said. “By the time Saturday afternoon rolled around, it was already too late.”

The London plane tree was also a casualty of the tornado, damaged so badly that the Parks Department removed it on Tuesday. The falling branch broke a second-floor window and landed on two cars, said Frederick Whitfield, who has lived directly across from the tree for 20 years.

The brownstone block, which is just south of Fort Greene Park, is lined with trees. But that London plane was special.

“That was my favorite tree on the block,” said Mr. Whitfield, who wasn’t aware of the beehive above his head. “I’m going to miss it.”

Nan Doyle, another block resident, also had a soft spot for the giant tree.

“We were sad to see this tree go because it was the oldest tree on the block I think, and certainly one of the largest,” said Ms. Doyle.

On Wednesday, Ms. Doyle was watching Mr. Howe remove the last evidence of the bee-tree saga. Ignoring the robber bees buzzing around him and trying to get one last bit of honey before returning to their own hives, he pulled each wooden frame out of the box and dumped the decaying honeycomb into a garbage bag.

Mr. Howe left with the white bee box, leaving only a stump behind as evidence of the greatest battle ever fought in the most-loved tree on South Oxford Street.

Copyright 2010 The New York Times CompanyPrivacy PolicyNYTimes.c

Robber Bees??? My goodness - what's next???

Good morning wildclickers. Have clicked and going out to drag the hose to water shrubs and trees. Day 31 without rain and temps expected to be 96. This is getting very boring.

sumac,, looks like the world is turning upside down. We are having cooler wetter weather here in TX. Wow, I was thinking you were getting some wet weather. Looks like ehBeth is both wet and hot. My goodness. Strange planet these days.

well, young man, that's a bit of a personal comment! I am shocked and appalled.

I am also extremely hot

temp today hit 31 C, with a humidex reading of 35 c

not at all pleasant

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

clicked
clicked

and clicked some more

Ooooops, I just realized what I said..... I was speaking of the weather my dear......

Tomorrow temps...high 90's...beautiful Fall weather

Unpack the summer togs Beth (for a few days anyhooo)

Seasonal trip to Apple Hill with daughter, granddkids, and their mom. So much fun and lots to see and buy.

Ah, apple time. They grow them in the mountains here but not on the Piedmont. Too hot. Speaking of hot, we have had a series of record breaking days here with another one expected for today. Then, blessed relief. Cold front is supposed to be coming through, meeting up with humid Gulf air, and producing both rain and lower temps. I will believe it when I see it. Going to go click now.

Don't expect me to say anything about the weather - except for here outside the house........Grin
Rain today and cooler temps.

Although it should be wet and hot in the rainforest....... That's a good thing.

All clicked.

I can't say enough bout the weather such a beautiful day!!

sue, last winter the drought was finally over for California after four years. There's hope for a good winter for your state.

Will be an adventure seeing what nature has in store for the Sierras in a few months. Bought tire chains just in case...rock salt...and new snow boots.

So the windsock hangs on the tree not doing much...and still looks like a headless elf. Has lovely orange, green, and gold leafs at the top and long streamers w/ more leafs attached. When the wind catches, it's awesome!

The great outdoors, Fall, beautiful weather...can't ask for more. Blessed

clicked in and around having my tribute to autumn hair done

first Tafelmusik concert of the season tonight - looking forward to it enormously

if it doesn't rain in the a.m. will take the dogs out to the b.e.a.c.h for a breakfast picnic

Good Sunday Morning all..........

Tafelmusik - let us know how it went. From the Nat'l news it looks like you will have the b.e.a.c.h. break but much cooler temps on the way and it should still be a l.i.t.t.l.e. d.a.m.p. where you are........

Oh poor Stradee, you seem to w.a.r.m.i.n.g. up. Hopefully, it won't get too w.a.r.m.

Looks like sumac is getting all the rain she wanted - all in one day......... Watch out for flooding sumac.

The weather in AK seems to be starting in the direction of really really cold. That's how it was 40 yrs ago. We down here in the lower 48 may be in for a cold Winter.

Tafelmusik sounds marvelous

Stradee is a happy camper with the warm Fall weather...finishing up outdoor work and gearing for indoor beginning soon. wuuhuuu

sue, sooooooooo glad the rain gods dropped by for a howdy.

A friend of mine lives in Shaparral NM (about 10 minutes from El Paso). Beautiful area except for sand storms, thunder and lightening with about 8 inches of rain per years. Lots of critters near her house also...coyotes, rabbits, snakes, scorpions, and other smaller burrowing animals. Trippy

She says she's moving back to California in a few months. Wonder why?

No rain yet but expected tonight and particularly tomorrow. I will gladly take it all. All clicked.

Good morning all wildclickers. Blessed, blessed rain has arrived and a fair amount of it at that. I will take it all. Even so, I am going to have to use a root feeder to get sufficient water down to the root systems of large shrubs and trees. That is how bad it got.

Let's hear it for sumac!!!

HoooRaaaay!!!! More rain and good root care.

Way to go.........

Good clicking all.

Hurrah!!!!

raindancin'

Triple digits today...yardwork done super early...luvin' the weather!