Flora & Fauna: Wildlife and people agree on best mating sounds; eat your oats; 5.6 million bees found underground

Male zebra finch calls attract mates. Female zebra finches and human study participants
agreed on which males had the best calls. (Photo by Raina Fan via The Conversation)

When researchers compared which animal sounds, such as bird calls, frog croaks or cricket chirps, wildlife seemed to like best alongside which ones people preferred, the "results were striking," writes animal behavior expert Logan S. James for The Conversation. "Across our dataset, including animals separated from human beings by hundreds of millions of years of evolution, people tended to agree with the animals about which sound was more pleasant. . . . People particularly agreed with animals when it came to what researchers call 'adornments': the extra trills, chucks, clicks and flourishes that animals can add to their calls. These sounds were more appealing to both animal and human listeners alike." 

When a snow avalanche pummels an outdoor recreationist's spot, there's little people can do to find those buried under heavy piles of snow. That's when avalanche dogs are called to the scene. "Dogs play an essential role when an avalanche strikes," reports Christine Chung of The New York Times. "Their powerful noses help guide rescuers to people buried in the snow, saving critical moments that can mean life or death." Potential avalanche dogs are chosen for a very specific set of interests, skills and breed stamina, and their training starts when they're just a few months old. For avalanche dog handlers, training takes years. Click here to read about "Baggs," a golden retriever puppy from Wyoming who was once the runt of her litter. She's now a rockstar avalanche-dog-in-training.

Beta-glucan is what makes oats especially 
healthy. (Photo by Roman Matveev, Unsplash)

Among all the whole grains commonly eaten, oats may offer the most benefits. "Many studies have found that oats lower LDL cholesterol, or the 'bad' cholesterol that increases your risk of heart attack and stroke," reports Simar Bajaj of The New York Times. "Much of this effect comes from beta-glucan, a type of fiber that thickens the contents inside the gut, trapping cholesterol-rich bile acids and carrying them out of the body." Oat fiber also helps people maintain normal blood sugar levels, which "can be particularly beneficial for people with Type 2 diabetes."

What's not to like about bitter greens? For many people, pretty much everything, because bitter and astringent foods taste gross. But humans didn't always avoid bitter fruits and vegetables; in fact, they were once a regular part of our ancestors' diet. "Much of the produce on grocery store shelves has grown mild or sweet in flavor, designed to appeal to a mass consumer palate," reports Joti Heir of Offrange. "That sits in high contrast to the complex tastes of wild, ancestral crops." Emerging food science reveals how bitter foods contain "compounds that provide a small challenge to the brain, and with that, activate neural pathways that result in enhanced cognition." There's even research "showing the potential of using bitter compounds to treat Alzheimer’s Disease."

Rebounding salmon populations along the Golden Coast are good news for commercial fishing operations and seafood lovers. "Federal fishery managers voted to open waters off the coast of California to commercial salmon fishing for the first time since 2022," reports Sophie Austine of The Associated Press. More recent drought-ending wet winters have helped salmon populations recover. "The federal council has said forecasts for Chinook and coho salmon off the West Coast look promising this year, though the season will open with some restrictions."

 

Miner bees are important pollinators that live in 
underground nests. (Photo by C. Lewallen via USFS)

Bees are commonly known for their constant busyness and for living in outdoor hives. But in fact, 70% of native bees don't live in outdoor hives; they live in underground nests. Researchers recently discovered 5.6 million burrowing bees "revealing just how abundant some understudied pollinators are," reports Margherita Bassi for Smithsonian magazine. "The team estimated that in 2023, between 3.1 million and 8 million of the bees emerged from the ground in the Ithaca cemetery, with the average estimate being 5.56 million. For comparison, Manhattan’s population is about 1.7 million people." 

Honeybee hives are collapsing; here's how everyone can help pollinators thrive again

Unlike yellow jackets and hornets, honeybees' faces are often described as "fuzzy" or "hairy."
In general, they are more interested in flowers than stinging people. (Adobe Stock photo)

Honeybee colonies are collapsing due to a multitude of natural and human-made threats: "Parasites, loss of habitat, climate change and pesticides threaten to wipe out as much as 70% or more of the nation’s honeybee colonies this year, potentially the most devastating loss that the nation has ever seen," reports Ivan Penn of The New York Times. "Though most people fear the winged, golden insects with their fierce stingers, honeybees play a pivotal role in [crop] production." The items below offer some ideas of what farmers, gardeners and average Americans can do to help honey bees thrive once again.

Few animals are more dear to farmers and gardeners than bees. They bumble about humming in the key of C, ensuring crops grow. To help them get their work done, producers can create pollination-friendly pastures. "A buffet of native flowers and vegetables will attract bees, but they’ll also appreciate a place for shelter and nesting," reports Jodi Henke of Successful Farming. "Seventy percent of bees nest in the ground, and others burrow into twigs and old beetle tunnels. You can also provide shelter by building a bee box."

One of the most beneficial things people can do for bees is plant trees. "A tree provides much more forage than any patch of flowers ever could," reports Hilary Kearney of Keeping Backyard Bees. "Honeybees need millions of flowers to feed their colony. Individual foragers prefer to collect from a single type of flower and so, they favor plants that can provide large amounts of blooms or gardens where single varieties are planted in groupings. Now, imagine what a mature tree can offer compared to what a 10′ X 10′ pollinator garden offers. . ."

Farming includes crops and herds, but how about adding some hives? "More than 100 U.S. crops depend on assistance from pollinators. A free program is available and offers a chance to help," reports Alex Gray of Successful Farming. "The Seed a Legacy program was started to bring life back to pollinator habitats. This program enables landowners to make use out of the unproductive parts of their land, turning ditches and field corners into habitats for pollinators."

Protecting bees from chemicals is a key way to support their populations. "Synthetic pesticides, herbicides, and other agrochemicals can harm bees. By minimizing their use, we help maintain healthy bee and other pollinator populations, contribute to biodiversity, balance ecosystems, and mitigate downstream impacts on wildlife and human health," The Bee Conservancy reports. For farmers who use insecticide, reading all of an application's directions and spraying in the early morning or late evening when bees are less active can help minimize bee exposure.

Enjoying bees and supporting efforts to keep their hives thriving can be as simple as purchasing honey from a local beekeeper or donating funds to apiary science research. Once local honey is in your cupboard, a plethora of sweet or savory recipes can be explored, including honey-infused foods, barbecue sauces, whipped butters, biscuits, and simple syrups for cocktails and mocktails. Honey can also be a soothing addition to apple cider, tea and hot toddies.

When humans look out for bees, it's more than looking out for our food supply, science is still exploring the uniquely beneficial properties of honey. For example, honey can be used to protect and heal minor burns. "Studies in animal models have demonstrated that honey leads to faster healing and reduced inflammation than controls in infection-free superficial burns and full-thickness wounds and in wounds experimentally infected with Staphylococcus aureus," researcher M. Subrahmanyam writes in the Annals of Burns and Fire Disasters. "Honey is cheap, non-toxic, and non-allergenic, it does not stick to the wound, and it provides a moist environment conducive to rapid burn healing."

Quick hits: Hop on a historic train; new farming trilogy; free immigration resources for journalists; Big Foot sightings

Cumbres & Toltec Railroad riders enjoy being 'lifted'
137 feet high on the High Cascade Creek Trestle.

As summertime vacation beckons, consider boarding a historical train and chugging through parts of North America you've never explored. "Railroads revolutionized transportation in North America, permanently accelerating the pace of travel across the continent," reports Michael Harmon of The New York Times. "Today, many of those railroad tracks host an assortment of historic excursion trains, inviting riders to slow down and enjoy a grand day out." The Skunk Train, the Potomac Eagle Scenic Railroad, and The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad are all spectacular picks.

When young people leave home, they often see life through the lens of their upbringing. For author Jane Brox, that lens is generations of family farming in Dracut, Mass. Brox added a third book to complete her trilogy, In the Merrimack Valley, which celebrates early immigrant dreams, farm routines that enrich daily life, and all that is gained and lost when young adults set out into the world. Danny Heitman for The Wall Street Journal writes, “Brox created a multipart work that is more broadly about the nature of origins — what we might owe to the places where we started. Even and, perhaps, especially when we leave them."

Reversing a previous decision, the Trump administration "temporarily reinstated dozens of fired federal workers who help screen coal miners for black lung, a deadly and incurable disease caused by inhaling toxic coal dust," reports Maxine Joselow of The Washington Post. "The screening program offers contracts to radiologists across the country who are certified to evaluate X-rays for black lung. It also employs epidemiologists who recently concluded that 1 in 5 longtime coal miners in Central Appalachia has black lung — the highest level recorded in 25 years."

The Immigration Reporting Legal Guide is a free resource developed by The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press to help journalists navigate coverage of the complex web of federal and state entities that make up the American immigration system. The guide divides the topic into three parts: Immigration-related public records, how to access immigration proceedings and and details about journalists' rights to observe and record immigration enforcement officers on the ground. The guide is available in English and Spanish. There's also an extensive collection of free legal resources.

Spring and summer can be glorious times for hiking, fishing and taking nature walks. But sometimes, uninvited buzzing guests such as wasps and yellow jackets come along on warmer-weather adventures and sting humans -- often for unexplained reasons. And while no anti-sting plan is foolproof, Ashley Leath of Country Living has a few suggestions.

• Don't swat at wasps. Swatting tells a wasp to release pheromones that will trigger other nearby wasps to see you as a threat, exactly what you don’t want to happen.
• To prevent wasp nest building, try putting up a fake wasp nest. Wasps are territorial and don't like waspy neighbors.
• Don't remove a large yellow jacket nest on your own. They can sting more than once. Call a professional.
• To remove a smaller yellow jacket nest, read here.

Mysterious, massive and yet strangely elusive, Big Foot remains a North American legend with hundreds of sightings by locals, tourists and scouts paired with an equal number of people who are outspokenly skeptical Sasquatch exists. Beyond the argument, a separate exploration has formed which asks why some people want to believe that strange and unlikely creatures lurk just out of plain site. Sarah Melotte of The Daily Yonder writes, "I’m more interested in exploring why mysterious wildlife inspires obsession and fanaticism, and what it says about the American environmental psyche."

     
         Map by Sarah Melotte, The Daily Yonder, from Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization data

Since the Paleolithic era, honey bees pollinated apple trees and humans picked the apples. That's about to change.

A robot inspects apple blossoms for possible pollination.
(Washington State University photo via WSJ)

Human apple harvesters must scale ladders, fend off bugs, balance on branches and twist stretchy stems to get the job done. For farmers, hiring experienced apple pickers is difficult and expensive, which is why several "universities and startups are developing specialized robots for each stage of apple production," reports Jackie Snow of The Wall Street Journal. The bots will handle everything from "pollinating the trees to fertilizing them, pruning them and harvesting the fruit."

In areas where there aren't enough honey bees to pollinate apple blossoms, "researchers have developed robotic pollinators," Snow explains. Cameras help robots find apple blossoms, and then "a mechanical arm moves in close and releases a precise burst of pollen through a nozzle. Early results are promising."

Robots used to fertilize apple orchards base their application on individual tree's needs. Snow writes, "They consider multiple indicators, including trunk diameter, canopy growth patterns and fall leaf-color changes, and use AI models to determine precise nitrogen requirements. . . . Researchers believe precisely targeting individual trees could significantly reduce overall fertilizer."

Researchers are working on robots that can also prune. "The robots must evaluate the entire structure of each tree, analyzing branch length, angles, thickness and spacing to determine which cuts will promote ideal growth patterns."

To harvest apples, robots need to be gentle and nimble. "Researchers at Washington State are testing inexpensive, fabric-based robots that have three silicone fingers that close around apples," Snow explains. So far, their research has been in a lab "with fake trees and fruit. . . The system will face its first orchard trials during the next harvest season, in the fall."

Flora & Fauna: Bee slaps ant off the plank; grasshopper sparrows are back; boars aren't boring -- they're dangerous

This bee has had enough of ants trying to sneak into
her hive. (Popular Science photo)

Humans aren't the only ones who reach maximum tolerance and get slap-happy -- animals do it, too. How about this real-life wing-drop-swing-swipe maneuver a bee puts on an unsuspecting ant? The Night at the Museum's smack-it-out scene between Capuchin monkey "Dexter" and Ben Stiller's night guard character is a play-by-play theatrical version of living creatures being frustrated. We all get frustrated. For people, humor and possibly catharsis can help.

A steer and a cow crossed the road to munch on grass on the other side. The traveling adventure of two curious bovines from rural western New York may sound harmless. It wasn't. When they "strayed from their pasture, they set off a chaotic chain of events involving death threats, chicken rustlers and Joaquin Phoenix," reports Christopher Maag of The New York Times. "The town of Newfane, N.Y., hasn’t been the same since."

Very hungry spined sea urchins 'clean' coral by eating
harmful algae growth. (University of Florida photo via Hakai)

A spiky sea animal is helping Caribbean coral reefs recover from an onslaught of smothering algae. "Long-spined sea urchins (Diadema antillarum) play a vital role in Caribbean coral ecosystems," reports Lisa S. Gardiner of Hakai magazine. "Dark and rotund with spines radiating in all directions, some as long as knitting needles, the urchins eat massive amounts of algae that would otherwise smother corals or prevent coral larvae from affixing to rocks and growing into colonies." Some experts call these busy creatures the "janitors of the reef because they're so efficient at cleaning reef surfaces."

Birds can be incredibly resilient, but in the case of Florida's grasshopper sparrow, scientists intervened. "Numbers of the Florida grasshopper sparrow, seen only in prairies in central regions of the state, dwindled so severely by 2015, mostly through habitat loss, that authorities decided to remove remaining breeding pairs into captivity," reports Richard Luscomb of The Guardian. "Their gamble was rewarded." Experts released their 1,000th bird back into the wild . . . "adding to an increasingly stable population that researchers believe has turned the tide towards the species’ survival."

Feral pigs are fierce and carry diseases.
(Graphic by Adam Dixon, Ambrook Research)

Worried about shark season? Maybe another animal is a bigger danger. "Scientists determined feral pig attacks are more than three times deadlier to humans than sharks worldwide," reports Emma Glassman-Hughes of Ambrook Research. "That, coupled with feral hogs’ capacity for carrying disease, has raised their profile from farm pest to existential threat. But not enough people seem to understand the gravity of the situation, according to experts — and municipalities are struggling to control it."

Silver carp jump in the Fox River in Illinois.
(Photo by Ryan Hagerty, Fish  & Wildlife Service via the Louisiana Illuminator)

Winner, winner, Asian carp for dinner. Sound yummy? Midwesterners working to keep the invasive fish from establishing itself in the Great Lakes hope so. "Silver carp particularly represent a huge threat to the fisheries in the Great Lakes. . . . One way to get the silver carp population under control seems relatively simple – eat the carp," reports Elise Plunk of the Louisiana Illuminator. Americans aren't convinced Asian carp is a great dinner entre, but marketers are working to change consumer opinion. "Creative cooking, such as making carp burgers with dill pickles and cheddar or New Orleans-style carp po’boys, when paired with the knowledge that eating carp helps the environment, could be more palatable to Americans."

Commercial honey bees may not need saving, but other bee species do; the busy insects need wise-tending

Honey bees are busy and need year-round food supplies.
(Photo by Ciril Jazbecm, The New York Times)

A lack of understanding has kept the "Save the Bees" mantra alive while bee species that need human help remain ignored. "Researchers have found that many species of wild bees are, in fact, declining. So trying to save them makes eminent sense," reports David Segal of The New York Times. "But hobbyists and corporations, not to mention luminaries like Beyoncé and Queen Camilla, are drawn only to the seven or so species of honey bees — the one group supported by a multibillion-dollar agribusiness and that doesn't need the help."

Most people know that honey bees are vital to human food production, and the thought of their disappearance is alarming. But the notion that "all the bees are dying" doesn't stand up to scrutiny. "Honey bees, it turns out, are a commercially managed animal. . . and large beekeeping operations are remarkably adept at replacing colonies that die," Segal explains. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, "The number of beehives around the world has risen by nearly 26 percent in the last decade, to 102 million from 81 million." Scott Hoffman Black, executive director of the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation in Portland, Ore., told Segal: "There are now more honey bees on the planet than there have ever been in human history."

In urban areas, beekeeping on restaurant rooftops or as "art" has been hard to discourage, but factually, there are only so many flowers to pollinate. Andrew Coté, president of the New York City Beekeepers Association, was "asked to install hives at the Museum of Modern Art; Segal reports, he declined and said, 'The population is already overwhelming the finite floral resources. We don't need more honey bees here.'"

That is not to say that beekeepers don't have challenges, but restaurants and trendy bee hives are not an overall solution. Steven Savage for Forbes magazine reports, "Randy Oliver, who runs the ScientificBeekeeping.com website, publishes extensively in scientific and industry bee journals and is a sought-after speaker internationally on bee-related topics. From Oliver's perspective, the key challenges fall into three main categories:

• Giving beekeepers the tools they need to deal with the parasites and diseases that affect bee health
• Having adequate 'forage resources' or other feeding options to meet the full-season nutritional needs of the large hive numbers required for the pollination market
• Anticipating the future impact of climate change and the management of agricultural lands on pollinators and the business of beekeeping."

'Natural beekeepers' have changed their practices with less intervention and more bee-friendly conditions

The Western honey bee, Apis mellifera, is millions of years old.

(Shutterstock photo)

There’s more than one way to keep bees, including one that focuses more on leaving the bees alone. Common apiary practice includes human intervention focused on honey production, but another way exists called “natural beekeeping,” writes Sam Knight of The New Yorker in an article titled "Is Beekeeping Wrong?" “Natural beekeepers leave their bees alone. They seldom treat for disease—allowing the weaker colonies to fail—and they raise the survivors in conditions that are as close as possible to tree cavities.”

Mananged bees are kept in boxes, “as opposed to a snug nest high in a hollow tree. Most beekeepers’ colonies are much larger than those which occur in the wild, and rival colonies might be separated by only a few yards, rather than by half a mile,” Knight explains. “Much of the bees’ honey, which is supposed to get them through the winter, is taken before they have a chance to eat it.”

On balance, natural beekeeping’s foundation reflects deep respect for the Western honey bee, “which, as a species, Apis mellifera, is millions of years old. (It was introduced to North America by European settlers in the 1620s.) Although people have harvested its honey and wax—sweetness and light—for thousands of years, the honeybee has not been tamed," Knight writes. Gareth John, a natural beekeeper, told Knight: "Domestication is a mutual process. You could never domesticate a robin. Bees are the same as robins. They will quite happily live in a nest box that you give them. But they’re not dependent on you. They don’t need you.”

Natural beekeepers find joy in the mystery of bees. "They treasure the bees for their own sake—like a goldfinch that nests in the yard—and have an evangelical spirit, as if they have stumbled on a great secret. They are disdainful of conventional beekeepers," Knight recounts. Some natural keepers don't sell or even take bee honey. John told Knight, “It’s not my honey to sell." Knight adds, “Another natural beekeeper, who abstains from taking honey altogether, referenced ‘When Harry Met Sally’ to explain his position: ‘There was this line, Sex always gets in the way of friendship. I think honey always gets in the way of us appreciating bees.”

Flora and fauna: Golden milk; pickin' up pawpaws; the fearsome grizzly returns; meet a big island's only elk . . .

Guernseys graze in East Earl, Pa. (Photo by Art Petrosemolo)

Not your average glass of milk. This one is golden. "Decades ago, the Guernsey breed was the gold standard of the dairy world thanks to its uniquely colored milk," Art Petrosemolo reports for Lancaster Farming. "As the focus shifted toward production . . . Guernsey cattle took a backseat. But several breeders are optimistic the Guernsey can rise again, banking on the benefits of its distinctive milk. . . . People love the rich taste and the nutritional components that include beta carotene."

The grizzly bear has returned to the contiguous U.S., stirring awe and fear in "one of America's unlikeliest comeback stories," reports Gloria Dickie for High Country News. "The bears are among the slowest-reproducing mammals in North America; they require vast tracts of habitat (an adult male grizzly can have a home range of 600 square miles); and they kill people. Bringing back the grizzly required humans to overcome their fear of predators and champion the return of a known man-eater. . . . And as grizzlies expand into places they haven't inhabited in more than a century, they are crossing not only geographical and political boundaries but thresholds of tolerance."

Pawpaws look odd, but they are delicious.
(Photo by Wendell Smith, Flickr/Creative Commons)

To nab a sweet fruit with an equally sweet theme song, go "Way down yonder in the pawpaw patch" and plop some pawpaws in your pockets. (They're not at stores; they don't keep well.) "Some folks swear pawpaws taste like bananas; the highly nutritious, creamy fruits, rich in vitamins, minerals and amino acids, can be eaten raw or used in any recipe calling for bananas," Jessica Damiano reports for The Associated Press. "Pawpaws are easy to grow and exotically delicious."

What matters to bees? Flowers. But bee survival is much more complicated than making sure blossoms are plentiful. "Some of the most important sources of the global food supply — pollinators — are in decline, but work is underway in Wisconsin that could reverse that trend," reports Gaby Vinick of Wisconsin Public Radio. Conservation biologists and researchers are using state funds "toward increasing pollinator habitat at seven state parks, as part of the 'Pollinator in the Parks' program. . . . [At] Governor Dodge State Park, there was a documented sighting of the rusty patched bumblebee, a federally endangered listed species."

Photo by Ralph Downes via The Seattle Times

This elk decided to go for a swim, and he just kept swimming until he landed on 169-square-mile Whidbey Island in Puget Sound. "Meet Bruiser, the only elk on the island, with no other bulls or predators to deal with," reports Geoff Ziezulewicz for The Seattle Times. "He also was alone, the only elk on Whidbey. Life is choices. And today, ensconced in the island's bounty, Bruiser just might be America's loneliest elk. Does he even care?"

Designer bags, clothes, sunglasses and now, seeds. "In the future, the food you eat could be grown from seeds developed with gene editing tools," reports Mike Moen of Public News Service. "Mark Watne, president of the North Dakota Farmers Union, thinks the products will be on the scene soon, adding they could bring stronger yields for farmers, along with healthier crops to sell. . . . Watne argued there should also be strong 'truth-in-labeling' policies so consumers know exactly what they are getting. He added a robust approach could help meet future demand for food."

Environmental groups sue EPA over seeds coated with neonicotinoids, which are highly toxic to many insects

A pollen-loving honey bee (Shutterstock photo)

To curb neonicotinoids' harmful impact on pollinators, soil and water, "Environmental groups are suing the Environmental Protection Agency over pesticide-coated seeds they say have 'devastating environmental impacts' and are spread largely without regulatory oversight," reports Tom Perkins for The Guardian. "The suit alleges the neonicotinoid seeds are now spread on about 150 million acres of U.S. farmland and up to 95% of the pesticide on the seed sheds, polluting nearby soil, water and air. The first "neonic," imidacloprid, was found to make seeds so dangerous to wildlife that just one could kill a bird.

"Neonicotinoids are a controversial class of chemicals used in insecticides widely spread on cropland to treat for pests, but which a growing body of science has found harms pollinators and other insects not targeted by the chemical," Smith explains. "Neonicotinoids work by destroying an insect's nerve synapse, causing uncontrollable shaking, paralysis and death." Amy von Saun, an attorney with the Center for Food Safety, a co-plaintiff in the lawsuit," told Smith, "They [neonicotinoids ] are highly toxic to pollinators, insects, birds, aquatic organisms that build the base of our food chain. Because the seeds represent so much neonicotinoid use, this is where all the devastation is coming from."

The plaintiffs seek more rules and oversight to address "the seeds' minimal and unenforceable labeling. The suit asks a judge to compel the agency to require stronger and enforceable labeling" and "challenges the EPA's exemption of the seeds from registration as pesticides under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act," Smith writes. "Registration would trigger closer scrutiny of their environmental and health impacts and force the EPA to weigh the seeds' benefits against their costs. The agency would have to show the seeds do not cause unreasonable or adverse effects to the environment, as is the standard under FIFRA."

Smith reports, "The chemicals are water-soluble and easily leach into soils and streams, and clouds of neonicotinoid-laced dust released during seed plantings have caused mass bee die-offs, the groups say. Neonicotinoids from three major producers affect about 75% of all endangered species, the EPA recently found, and the United Nations reported cropland is now about 50 times more toxic than just a quarter of a century ago, contributing to an 'insect apocalypse.' The chemicals are so destructive that the European Union banned their outdoor use while Canada has also imposed restrictions."

Despite its own findings, EPA has "claimed it has already thoroughly studied neonicotinoids and does not need to conduct reviews of the seed," Smith adds. "The CFS in 2017 petitioned the Trump EPA to re-examine its exemption for the seeds and ban them. The EPA ignored the petition until CFS sued in 2021 to force a response, and months later, the Biden EPA denied the petition. The new case challenges that denial as unlawful."

Shared planet nips: Atmospheric CO2 is highest on record; solar farms have bee buddies; foraging for a purpose . . .

The 'flashy' American kestrel
(Photo by Bryan Anselm, The New York Times)

Starting with this, from time to time The Rural Blog will have roundups of environmental news.

American kestrel populations are disappearing, and scientists are struggling to understand why, reports Catrin Einhorn of The New York Times. "Scientists estimate that the continent has lost half its kestrels since 1970. . . . Previous raptor disappearances have been cracked like murder mysteries. . . . While some research indicates that declines may be leveling off, scientists are alarmed. . . . In the Anthropocene, one mystery leads to another."

"Carbon dioxide levels in the air are now the highest they've been in more than 4 million years because of the burning of oil, coal and gas," reports Seth Borenstein of The Associated Press. "The last time the air had similar amounts was during a less hospitable hothouse Earth before human civilization took root, scientists said." Carbon dioxide acts as Earth's blanket by trapping heat that would otherwise be released into space. As our planet's carbon dioxide levels increase, so do the Earth's temperatures.

Western Apache forager Twila Cassadore understands the burdens of addiction and mental illness--she once struggled with both, but through foraging, she found "a way out," reports Samual Gilbert for The Guardian. "It allowed her to reconnect to her 'identity, culture and people,' she said. . . . She spent years learning about traditional foodways, gaining the trust of community elders, listening to their stories, and harvesting the foods of her ancestors. . . . This gave her purpose and 'filled this void I had felt most of my life,' said Cassadore, now more than 20 years sober." Cassadore told him: "Foraging healed me."

Courtesy photo from Center for Pollinators in Energy

Let's hope it's sunny and windy. "The world is set to add a record amount of renewable electricity capacity this year as governments and consumers seek to offset high energy prices and take advantage of a boom in solar power, according to a new report Thursday," reports Frank Jordans of The Associated Press. "The International Energy Agency said high fossil fuel prices — resulting from Russia's attack on Ukraine — and concerns about energy security had boosted the rollout of solar and wind power installations, which are expected to reach 440 gigawatts in 2023."

Speaking of the solar boom, who else needs to get on that bandwagon? Bees. "Solar beekeeping is the practice of placing beehives on or near solar sites. While photovoltaic panels are generating energy from the sun, bees are busy making honey and pollinating the native and non-invasive plant species below the panels," reports the Center for Rural Affairs for AgriSolar Clearinghouse. "Beekeeping at solar sites can enhance the value of the land by keeping it in agricultural production, providing new streams of income for local farmers, and adding such environmental benefits as water filtration, reduced erosion, and enhanced soil health due to the presence of native and non-invasive vegetation."

Flora/fauna quickies: Dancing honeybees; brown widows attack black widows; bringing birds back to the farm . . .

The center bee does the waggle dance. (Photo by Heather Broccard-Bell, CC BY-ND)

They've got a waggle dancer, waggle dance groupies and distance dialects. It's not a rural string band, Black Velvet line dancing, or even "Hey! . . .Ho!" by the Lumineers. It's how honeybees tell each other "where to find resources such as food, water or nest sites," reports James C. Nieh for The Conversation, a platform for journalism by academics. Nieh studied how many "waggle skills" bees are born with and how many they learn from older bees, and reports, "In addition, each colony has a 'dance floor,' or the space where bees dance, with complex terrain that the dancers may learn to better navigate over time or by following in the footsteps of older dancers."

The connection between humans and whales has been so strong that a humpback whale song was included on NASA's Golden Records, launched into space on the Voyager spacecrafts as a representation of life on earth, reports Kiley Bense of Inside Climate News. "After decades of conservation efforts to protect whales, two recent books shed light on why they're still threatened—and how we might change that. . . . Tom Mustill's book, How to Speak Whale, offers one possible means of altering whales' fate: technology."

Black-capped chickadee (Photo by Scott Martin, Cornell Lab)

That's for the birds! What? Bugs. In California, the Wild Farm Alliance is working to bring birds back to the farm as natural pest control, reports Twilight Greenaway of Civil Eats. WFA Executive director Jo Ann Baumgartner told Greenaway, "There are so many beneficial things that birds do related to pest control, and different kinds of birds offer different kinds of pest control." Who are the best insectivorous birds? "Tree swallows, which are aerial foragers, meaning they're cruising around in the air and catching moths, flies, and flying insects," Greenaway shares. "There's chickadees, titmice, ash-throated flycatchers, violet-green swallows, and various kinds of wrens and nuthatches."

Mention Canada, and many people will think of mountains, beauty, Mounties, etc. One thing people don't think about is tornadoes. Canada has the second-highest number of tornadoes each year, reports Oliver Whang for The New York Times. Another surprise, Canada's tornadoes are hard to count. "Canada is vast. . . . Canadian tornadoes end up touching down in areas with no [human] witnesses. . . . The Northern Tornadoes Project in London, Ontario, has been seeking to address this. . . . Using social media and eyewitness reports, satellite imagery, drone footage and fallen trees, the group has tracked more Canadian tornadoes than ever before."

Left: Black widow spider. Right: Brown widow spider.
(Photos by Louis Coticchio, The New York Times)

Deadly, feared, found in song lyrics and old sneakers, black widow spiders have fearsome reputations. "But throughout the South, the bulbous arachnids with red hourglasses on their bellies are engaged in a lethal competition with the brown widow, a relative from abroad — and they're losing," reports Asher Albein of The New York Times. "Brown widows tend to be bold, investigating nearby webs and attacking spiders that don't resist. . . . The shy, retiring black widows generally try to escape, fighting back only as a last resort."

Found an egg in your pocket? Well, that's worth quite a bit. "For the first time in human history, the care and keeping of 11 hens all winter to receive one egg a day is now a pretty good deal," reports Eliza Blue of The Daily Yonder. "Imagine my delight then when the very next morning I arrived at the coop to discover not one, not two, but four eggs! It felt like I had won the egg lottery now that I knew how much they were worth. I complimented every single one of the hens since I couldn't be sure who had actually laid the eggs. . . . It also was a wonderful reminder that we've tipped toward spring and spring's abundance as hens increase their laying with the return of the light."

In some states, insects are not considered wildlife. They are left unprotected, and yet . . . "Bees, butterflies and beetles pollinate plants, enrich soils and provide a critical protein source for species up the food chain. The U.S. Forest Service says, 'Without pollinators, the human race and all of earth's terrestrial ecosystems would not survive,'" reports Catrin Einhorm of The New York Times. "Conservation officials in at least 12 states have their hands tied, legally speaking, when it comes to protecting insects. The creatures are simply left out of state conservation statutes, or their situation is ambiguous."

Flora/fauna quickies: Watching hybrid hogs from Canada, snaring pythons in Florida, protecting pets from coyotes

A long-exposure image shows Phacelia flowers waving in the wind. (Photo by Justin Benttinen, National Geographic)

Super. Fantastical. Fabulously. Epic. California is about to bloom! The state has received abundant rains and Mother Nature is planning a luscious “sea of flowers” this spring. Here’s how to soak in this increasingly rare phenomenon. California is also having an epic 'supershroom' season. These mushrooms are breaking records.

Invasive and "highly intelligent," a hungry, hybrid breed of pigs, created by matings of wild boars and domesticated sows, has gone feral. They are making their way from Canada, where they were bred for cold-hardiness and released when the hog market fell, and have been found in North Dakota.

As we ease into spring, it might be time to think about honey bees. You know, those highly social insects with a work ethic that makes even the most industrious human look lazy. Want to know how to become a beekeeper? Try a Cooperative Extension Service website. Want to read a wryly humorous book on beekeeping? Pick this one up.

Pythons are an invasive predator in the Florida Keys that have proved difficult to catch; however, researchers devised a way. They began "strapping GPS collars to opossums and raccoons. When one was eaten by a python, researchers programmed the device to notify them from within the snake’s stomach," reports Kyle Melnick of The Washington Post. "After roughly six weeks of searching for the python that activated the alarm, research technicians located the 66-pound snake hiding underground. . . . In her stomach, researchers discovered the collar — confirmation their plan worked."

A nuisance-animal bill aims to make farmers "honest folks," or at least that's what Iowa Rep. Dean Fisher thinks. House File 118 would allow farmers to trap and kill wild animals — such as groundhogs, opossums, raccoons, and skunks — without first contacting the Iowa Department of Natural Resources if they are a “nuisance.” Of course, there's controversy, “Because there’s a culture of breaking the rules or the law, we change the law?” said Rep. Elinor Levin, D-Iowa City." Story by Iowa Capital Dispatch here.

"Goran the bull escaped from his barn one Easter Sunday," chaos ensued, and everybody came to watch. Read selections from The Fearless Little Farm Boy by Astrid Lindgren, illustrated by Marit Törnqvist.

Coyotes are on the move. (Photo by Carolyn Cole, Los Angeles Times)

If you have pets, perk your ears up and prepare to protect them from coyotes. "Wildlife officials warn people to protect their pets during coyote mating season, which lasts from January to March. During that period, the males are particularly bold and aggressive," Sandy Banks of the Los Angeles Times reports, The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources warns, "Coyotes roam more to search for suitable partners and to establish territory, and as such, they find themselves in rural and urban areas."

Falco the Owl update: he will remain free and under observation. Falco is the Eurasian eagle owl that escaped from the Central Park Zoo in New York City after his enclosure was vandalized. Zookeepers tried to capture him "but Flaco eschewed the bait, and instead adeptly navigated the park and supped on the park’s many rats," reports Dina Fine Maron of National Geographic.

Flora and fauna: Bear under a deck, ants to smell cancer, a vaccine for bees, a mini-horse for joy, Huron microbes . . .

L: Appearing to sport a headdress, a Polish rooster stands tall for his portrait. R: Show chickens like this Polish hen, are bred for external attributes, such as color patterns and feather shapes. (Photos: Alex Ten Napel for National Geographic)

A "totally unfazed" black bear dozes underneath a
comfy deck. (Photo by Vinny Dashukewich)

Why did the chicken cross the road? To get to the catwalk. Eggsperts agree, chickens have it all; and the photographers say the models are much more agreeable to work with than their fussy human counterparts.

When you find a black bear hibernating under your deck, what do you do? A family in Plainville, Connecticut, decided to let the bear snooze on.

Thundersnow is mysterious and rare. It's also being studied as a reliable indicator that a windfall of snow is coming.

What's better than a horse? A mini horse! This 33-inch mini Appaloosa brings joy to children with life-threatening illnesses from rural York County, Pennsylvania, to "anywhere people need a lift."

Gas exploration, cruise ships, and military operations have all made the ocean a lot louder for dolphins. Researches look at how dolphins attempt "shout" to communicate, but it doesn't always work out.

Researcher Rosa Vásquez Espinoza deep dives into oligotrophic Lake Huron to understand how life on Earth evolved through studying microscopic life. She believes this data "is the missing key to better conservation of Earth."

Sea lion, seals and Washington's endangered salmon: What can be done to help salmon return to its once robust numbers?

One day ants may able to replace expensive testing to sniff out cancer tumors. This new study puts the keen-nosed ant to the test with some surprising results.

American honey bee pollination supports more than $18 billion in U.S. crops each year, but bee hives have been struggling. In a bit of good news, a vaccine aimed at protecting honeybees from American foulbrood is being developed.