Flora and Fauna: Steer rides shotgun; beans are back; beavers inherit the world; this dog has a home

It's a Howdy Doody ride. (Washington Post snapshot)

Some things are just way too fun not to share -- like Howdy Doody. "Howdy Doody, (is) a 2,200-pound, 9-year-old Watusi-longhorn mix steer who's more doglike than fierce fighting bull," reports María Luisa Paúl of The Washington Post. "His owner, Lee Meyer, said Howdy Doody enjoys going on walks on a leash, getting treats and, yes, feeling the wind rush past his face when they go on rides. Howdy Doody also knows some commands, such as 'back up' and 'come here.'" Link to the delightful video.

Beans have made a comeback. "The chaotic availability of food during the pandemic, coupled with a growing interest in plant-based nutrition and home cooking, helped boost bean sales by as much as 400 percent in 2020," reports Shleby Vittek of Ambrook Research. "But even before the novel coronavirus started making headlines that March, causing people to panic-purchase shelf-stable grocery staples like beans, flour, and yeast, consumers were revealing a budding obsession with the humble legume."

Scientists say beavers are truly busy. (Mongabay photo)

"If humans went extinct tomorrow, who would rule the world? Beavers. Well, at least in the Northern Hemisphere. These tree-felling, water-slowing, wetland-creating rodent engineers have a massive impact wherever they live," reports Jeremy Hance of Mongabay. "Indeed, when it comes to their power over water flow," biologist Cory Mosby told Hance, "I'm not aware of another species that does this (save humans) on the scale that a beaver population can." Who else is watching beavers? NASA.

Not all bugs are good bugs. "Scientists are experimenting with new ways to kill the spotted lanternfly, a worrisome threat to plants such as wine grapes and beer hops," reports National Geographic. "Native to China, this striking, black-and-red planthopper showed up in the U.S. for the first time in 2014, perhaps stowed away on an international shipment of decorative stone bound for Berks County in eastern Pennsylvania. . . . The invasive species has damaged agricultural crops since its arrival."

Vanessa and her favorite human, Ellie
(Photo by Danielle Carter via the Post)

Some good news: "Vanessa, a senior pit bull, was dropped off at the Louisiana shelter in 2012 when she was a puppy, and her owners didn't want her anymore." The dog was finally adopted after 11 years at a shelter, reports Cathy Free of The Washington Post. Paramedic Ellie Mitchell saw Vanessa's picture and submitted her application to adopt. Now Vanessa has found her forever home.

Montana has long been a fly-fishing haven, but climate change, industry and over-fishing "along the state's rivers like the Big Hole appear to be contributing to alarmingly low numbers of the state's renowned rainbow and brown trout," reports Jim Robbins of The New York Times. "Clouds of insects no longer hover in such big swarms, and some key species, like the salmonfly, that are critical sources of food for fish are less abundant. . . .State biologists report that the numbers of brown and rainbow trout in the river have plummeted over the last seven years to historic lows, with strange maladies afflicting some of the most sought-after fish."