Ecology

Reading "The Voyage of the Beagle" makes Charles Darwin the second millenia intellectual, vis a vis with Einstein. W. Bush is ultimate anti-thesis of the Universe. This not a political agenda. It my obervation for the past eight years. It will be nine years when the ball drops at Times Square.

Vulture Culture in New Jersey

I am a naturist short of being a member of a nudist camp in nearby Somerset county.

There has been a come back of black vulture to New Jersey. They are called that way because of the dark gray featherless head in contrast to the turkey vulture whose head has that bright red color similar to a turkey head.

I have noticed this event in my daily commute.

Road kill is a common occurrence and these raptors are the natural undertakers of these carrion.

At first sight, these birds looks ugly. But, they are elegant and mellow birds.

At least in Tewksbury, a balanced ecology is coming back.

A Jersey Tree State of Mind

These are the trees indigenous to New Jersey that I have been able to identify in my property. Coniferous trees are excluded.

Black cherry (Prunus serotina)

Flowering dogwood (Cornus florida)

Silver maple (Acer saccharinum)

Sugar maple (Acer saccharum)

Japanese maple (Acer palmatum)

White ash (Fraxinus americana)

Sassafras (Sassafras albidum)

Sweet cherry (Prunus avium)

Northern red oak (Quercus rubra)

Tulip tree (Liriodendron tulifera)

Ailanthus (Ailanthus altissima)

It feels good to be green again.

Another Ecology Come Back to New Jersey

Fisher (Martes pennanti) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fisher_%28animal%29, the size of a cat or red fox, is a carnivore and a hunter. It does not prey on fish but preys on squirrels, mice and a natural predator of porcupines. It feeds also on carrion of deer, which is abundant in New Jersey.

It belongs to the weasel family. This animal was virtually wiped-out in New Jersey because of excessive logging and expansion of human habitat.

Despite our dense population, its come back has been documented. It seems like New Jersey is becoming eco-friendly.

Keeping Earth green in our own small ways

The issue of global warming has been in forefront lately. Time magazine has most of its articles related to global warming. My family has finished watching the second series of 'Planet Earth' on Discovery Channel that portrays how we and the rest are so closely interdependent ecologically.

My family has started doing its share to our keep our Earth a little bit greener. My wife bought a set of CFL (compact fluorescent light) bulbs to replace existing light bulbs as they burn out. I have been wearing lighter and looser clothes to work and at home. I keep trees as much as I can in my property, nurture and protect the tree saplings that grows in my backyard. I would run my diesel pick-up on vegetable oil.

LED's (Light Emitting Diodes) are seen on traffic lights, tail and break lights, building signs and garage lights.

One more and a wild thought. If we could correct obesity, there would be less CO2 in the air. We eat less. The body becomes more efficient, less heat and carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

I thought of wind turbine but my town does not get enough wind to generate energy.

Peeper frog in New Jersey

Last night and tonight I heard a few sounds of the frog Northern Peepers (Pseudaris crucifer crucifer). It heralds the coming of spring. I am waiting for the mallard ducks to visit my pond.

Tree's buds are swollen and about to open up. The tulip tree in my front yard stands about 70 feet is about to bloom its spring flower.

Deer's droppings were so visible when I took a walk in my backyard. Snow had melted.

It was cold at sunset. Temperature dropped to 46 F.

Peepers' sound became more audible as it got darker.

Frogs are excellent indicator of a viable environment. If you hear them in spring, your neighborhood's ecology is healthy. If you do not hear them in spring, your property and your neighborhood is worth a s---.

Spring has sprung.