Monthly Archives: February 2020

Signs of Winter 11: Natural History of a Northern Red Oak

(Click here to listen to an audio version of this blog!) I have seen  many northern red oaks (Quercus rubra) along the hiking trails of Western Pennsylvania. Their very distinctive, vertically striped bark helps to them to stand out even … Continue reading

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Signs of Winter 10: The Biodiversity Hypothesis and the Wonder of Soil!

(Click here to listen to an audio version of this blog!) When I was in graduate school at SUNY-ESF there was a large, on-going project involving the use of sewage sludge as a forest soil amendment.  One ESF professor was … Continue reading

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Signs of Winter 9: New Ideas on the Evolution of Land Plants

(Click here to listen to an audio version of this blog!) The Earth is about 4.5 billion years old. Life began on Earth (best guess) about 3.5 billion years ago. The first organisms were bacteria: very simple entities on the … Continue reading

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Signs of Winter 8: The Great Backyard Bird Count (2020)

(Click here to listen to an audio version of this blog!) Starting next Friday (February 14th) and running until the next Monday (February 17) the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, the National Audubon Society and  Birds Studies Canada are sponsoring their … Continue reading

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