A Window into the Past with Tree Rings

It's a new year.  In this year, we will age another year.  In the life of trees, they will form new rings.

Each growing season, a tree will form concentric rings called annual rings, or annual growth rings.  These rings grow outward, so newer rings are just beneath the bark, and older rings are near the center of the tree.  These rings consist of a light ring, which represents wood that grew in the spring and early summer, and a dark ring, which represents wood that grew in the late summer and fall.  These two rings combined represent one year of the tree's life.

You may have heard about counting tree rings to calculate the age of trees.

However, you can also analyze past climatic conditions by looking at how the tree rings grew.  In wet and warmer years, tree rings grow wider.  In cold and dryer years, the rings are thinner.  If the area experienced a forest fire, the tree may have a scar.

Climate change is a forefront issue in today's world.  Since trees can live up to hundreds, and thousands of years old, tree rings can provide scientists with historical climatic information.  Understanding climate in the past can help us understand climate change we are experiencing in our world today. 

For more information on tree rings, paleoclimatology (the study of past climates), dendrochronology (the study of dating tree rings), dendroclimatology (the study of tree rings to study past climate history), see:

Tree rings provide snapshots of Earth's past climate
https://climate.nasa.gov/news/2540/tree-rings-provide-snapshots-of-earths-past-climate/

The history of the world is written in tree rings
https://www.pri.org/stories/2020-12-30/history-world-written-tree-rings

Tree Rings (Dendrochronology)
https://scied.ucar.edu/learning-zone/how-climate-works/tree-rings

5 things you can learn from tree rings
https://cfs.nrcan.gc.ca/pubwarehouse/pdfs/38898.pdf

The International Tree-Ring Data Bank (ITRDB)
https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/data-access/paleoclimatology-data/datasets/tree-ring

Hope is on the Horizon

The horizon is the line you see in the distance where the earth meets the sky.

Horizon, or more specifically "on the horizon", can also be referred to as something that is imminent, or happening soon.

This year was full of loss, uncertainty, challenges, anxiety, sadness as COVID-19 upended our lives.  The world locked down.  It didn't feel like there was an end in sight as this disease ravaged the world.

As 2020 comes to an end, and we head into 2021, there is hope on the horizon.  While the pandemic is far from over, relief is in sight; there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Let's ring in the new year with hope.  Until then, stay safe, and be well.

Shaping the Future of Parks Canada with Your Voice

Canadians are invited this year to participate and share their views on Parks Canada.  From October 19 to 30, 2020, you can visit www.letstalkparkscanada.ca and provide your input and perspectives.  Discussions are centered on the following themes:

• Urban Parks
• Diversity, Inclusion, and Accessibility
• Ecological Corridors
• Indigenous Leadership in Conservation
• Protecting our Cultural Heritage

Discussions are held every two years under the Parks Canada Agency Act.  The Minister responsible for Parks Canada is required to convene a round table to seek input from Canadians about Parks Canada.  This year, the Minister's Round Table is held from October 8 to 30 with small discussion forums, and with public consultations from October 19 to 30 through the www.letstalkparkscanada.ca website.

Previous Minister's Round Table on Parks Canada are available here:  https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/agence-agency/dp-pd/trm-mrt

Tree Field Guides: From Books to Apps

The first tree field guide I purchased for myself (during my undergraduate field work days) was Trees In Canada (1995) by John Laird Farrar.  This book was the field guide for trees.

 

I have since added to my tree guide collection, Trees of Ontario: Including Tall Shrubs (2001) by Linda Kershaw, and Fall Foliage: The Mystery, Science, and Folklore of Autumn Leaves (2005) by Charles W. G. Smith.

 

I appreciate guidebooks for their keys to identifying trees - by leaves, flowers, twigs (yes, even twigs for tree identification in winter!), illustrations, photos, and maps of ranges.

 

Tree identification guides have come a long way and evolved since then.  The first tree identification app created was Leafsnap, and has grown to become perhaps the most popular.  It is a tool to make identification easy for anyone.  You snap a photo of your leaf, identify it from the library of images, and share your findings with the database to help map trees in the area.  It's a tool that can engage students as well as a tool to help contribute to citizen science.

Historical Tree Carvings

Trees have been used as a medium for communication and art through tree etchings called arborglyphs.  Arborglyphs are carvings of symbols and shapes into the barks of living trees.  As archaeologists are learning, these arborglyphs are windows into past civilizations.

In the United States, arborglyphs have documented Basque immigrants who worked as shepherds in remote forests from the mid-19th century.  They left their mark on trees throughout the western United States.  As there isn't a lot of Basque ancestral documentation in the United States, the tree carvings are the closest thing to records.

In the United Kingdom, the New Forest National Park Authority urges visitors to help document sightings of arborglyphs.  These arborglyphs have been left by many different people, including foresters, soldiers from WWII, Kingsmen, and from people who wanted protection from witches.

Uncovering and documenting these arborglyphs is challenging, as it is a race against time.  The longevity of the arborglyph is limited by the lifespan of the tree, which can be around 150 years.  The lifespan is also affected by weather, climate change, and vandalism.

There is much to uncover and learn from arborglyphs.  We should not carve into trees, as it may make the trees more susceptible to diseases and pests.  However, we can appreciate and respect the historical carvings that have been left behind, and leave the trees untouched for others to enjoy.

All the Colours of Sand

A beach can tell you its history and makeup based on the sand. 

Sand is formed through the erosion of rocks and minerals by waves.  Beaches with coarse sand are young, while beaches with fine sand are older.  The colour of beach sand comes from its mineralogy and content of the surrounding area.  Here are some of the minerals that make up the vast colours of sand around the world:

• White sand beaches are the result of finely ground quartz crystals, as well as pulverized pieces of dead coral that are made of calcium carbonate
• Red sand beaches and orange sand beaches are the result of iron-rich minerals
• Pink sand beaches are the result of nearby corals.  Pink is formed when white sand is mixed with red shells or calcium carbonate from coral.
• Purple sand beaches are the result of manganese garnet, as well as fine grain pink sand with darker grains
• Black sand beaches are the result of basalt deposits from volcanic activity
• Green sand beaches are the result of olivine, which forms as lava cools

Inspiration Through a Talk

Want to learn something new?  Want to be inspired?  Want to open up your eyes to new perspectives, ideas, and possibilities?  TED Talks and TEDx Talks do just that.

TED is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to spread ideas.  TED started as a one-off conference in 1984 about Technology, Entertainment, and Design, has since expanded to include a diversity of topics.  Week-long TED conferences are held two or more times a year where attendees listen to inspiring talks by expert speakers.  The best of these talks are then posted online and are made freely available to everyone.  TEDx, which is created with TED's mission, but independently run, brings the talks to a local level, to communities around the world.

There are thousands of talks from which to view.  You can browse by topics.  For example, environmentally-related topics can be as general as "Ecology", "Environment", or "Nature".  It can also be as specific as "Bees", "Climate change", or "Plastic".

Start with a video, and be inspired.

Continuous Learning with Online Courses

We never really stop learning.  Indeed, even after finishing our schooling, we continue to take courses.  These may be professional development courses we take for career advancement, or these may be courses we take for our own interests.

Courses have become more open, accessible, and popular over the years, in the form of massive open online course (MOOC).  However, enrollment to these courses has skyrocketed during the pandemic, as people are now home.

With MOOCs, you can take a course, or a series of courses.  Many MOOCs are free, but you may need to pay a fee if you want to obtain a certificate.

Not sure what to take?  Take a browse at any of the MOOC platforms.  For example, here are some environmentally-related courses:

• Environmental Studies courses from edX
• Nature & Environment courses from FutureLearn 
• Environmental Science and Sustainability courses from Coursera

Or, you can have browse at the Class Central website, which is a search engine for MOOCs.

While there are many online lists of MOOCs, here are a few you can check out to get started:

• Beginners Guide to Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs)
• 10 Best Free and Affordable Platforms for Online Courses
• Here Are Some Of The Best Online Learning Platforms Right Now
• 6 Places to Take Free and Affordable Classes Online, on Everything from Programming to Photography

Action and Hope: Earth Day 2020

Today, April 22, marks the 50th anniversary of Earth Day.  Earth Day was born out of the environmental movement resulting from concerns about the well being of the planet and its affects on people.  Pollution, pesticides, and oil spills were issues at the time.

The COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic is the crisis that we are currently facing.  However, it is also important to reflect on our own lives and our relationship with the natural world.  What we do impacts the planet.  When the health of the planet is affected, our health is affected as well.  We are all interconnected.

Earth Day will go digital and live this year.  Check earthday.org for "24 Hours of Action"(able) items, videos, global conversations, calls to action, teach-ins, performances, and personal messages and inspirations from people around the world.  Let's act, and move forward to a better future.

Livestreaming Animals into Your Home

Seeing animals live is a great experience for anyone of all ages.  If you can't experience them live in front of you, you can still see them live, through webcams.  Many animal facilities livestream animals to bring the animal watching experience to your home.

Here are some animal webcams to help you get started:

• Ripley's Aquarium of Canada's Shark Cam in Toronto, Ontario, Canada
• Vancouver Aquarium in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
• Smithsonian’s National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute in Washington, DC, United States
• San Diego Zoo in California, United States
• Monterey Bay Aquarium in California, United States
• WildEarth from Africa
• Arignar Anna Zoological Park in Tamil Nadu, India
• Zoos Victoria, a zoo-based conservation organization in Australia
• Or explore webcams from around the world through Explore.org

Leap for Leaping Animals

Today is February 29, Leap Day.  In recognition of this day, a day that comes around only once every 4 years, I wanted to highlight animals that leap, jump, hop, and all things related.

So, why do animals leap, jump, or hop?

Some do so to get from one place to another.  An animal that does this is the kangaroo.

Animals can hop, or stot, to flee predators.  An animal that does this is the gazelle.

For those that do the attacking, animals can pounce to catch their prey.  An animal that does this is the lynx.

Animals can jump because of migration.  Salmons do this during their salmon run upstream to spawn.

Animals can jump to communicate.  Whales jump, or breach, and it's always quite the sight to see.

Happy Leap Day!

Following Animal Tracks

When winter arrives, the world gets covered in snow.  Everything that was once exposed, now gets hidden away.

But not so.  Not everything gets hidden.  Animals review themselves through the tracks they leave behind.

You can discover what animals have traversed these paths.  Not only can these tracks tell you what animals are around, but they can tell you the animals' routes and what they were doing, whether they were walking or running.  Did these tracks lead somewhere - did they lead to a tree where the animal then scurried on up, did they lead to a tunnel where the animal then hid underground - or did they end abruptly, as in, did the animal succumb to another animal's meal.

The most useful way to identify animal tracks is by gait (the track pattern of the animal), and by straddle (the width between the track patterns).  Both of these strategies combined will help narrow and identify the animal.  The actual print itself is not a sure way of identification, as clear, well-formed prints are hard to come by.

Here are a few resources from the Canadian Wildlife Federation to help you get started:

• Discovering the World of Animal Tracks 
• Tracking Down Winter Wildlife

The Silent Sound of Snowfall

A fresh blanket of snow brings about an air of tranquility to the scene.  All is calm.  All is bright.  All is silent.

This is because snow absorbs sound.

Sound travels in waves.  When there is fresh, fluffy snow on the ground, the sound waves are absorbed, and sound is buffered.  When snow melts or freezes, it becomes smooth and hard.  Sound waves are then reflected off the hard surface and becomes audible.

The next time you find yourself under a fresh snowfall, take a moment, to enjoy the the silent moment.

Following the Sun(flowers)

For those of us in the northern hemisphere right now, the days are short, and the nights are long.  We're yearning for more sunlight.  Sunlight is right around the corner.  Until then, think of sunflowers!

Have you ever noticed that sunflowers follow the sun?  This motion of following the sun throughout the day is heliotropism.  Heliotropism is a form of phototropism, where an organism responds to light (either towards the light, or away from the light).

In the mornings, sunflower heads face towards the sun in the east, and follow it throughout the day, where they finally end in the west. They then reposition themselves to face the sun again by morning.  Once the young flowers reach maturity, they remain east-facing towards the sun.

The mechanisms of how they do it, are due to circadian rhythms, or their internal clocks, which tells the plant what to do during a 24-hour cycle.  In this case, it signals the growth rate of the plant's stem:  during the day, the side facing east grows (and moves the sunflower head towards the west), while at night the side facing west grows (and moves the sunflower head towards the east).  At maturity, the sunflower head remain facing the sun in the east, which warms up the flower, thereby helping them attract pollinators.

Have a look at this research article published in Science, or watch this video produced by Science that explains it.

Keeping Our Great Lakes Great

On October 10, I attended a presentation at the Toronto Public Library, "Protecting the Greatness of Our Great Lakes" by Mary Kate Whibbs, biologist, educator and Aqua-Links Coordinator at the Toronto Zoo.

There are five Great Lakes.  From West to East, they are: Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario.  They are situated between Canada and the United States, except for Lake Michigan, which is entirely in the United States.

The Great Lakes provide us with fresh drinking water, food, recreational opportunities, electricity, and other economic advantages.  The Great Lakes Basin supports a diversity of plants, fish, and wildlife.

However, there are many things that threaten the health of the Great Lakes.  These include: invasive species (such as sea lampreys and zebra mussels), toxic algae blooms, microplastics, pollution runoffs, as well as a lack of connection and appreciation of the Great Lakes.

On a government level, there are laws and government strategies that are in place to protect the Great Lakes, which include:

• Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement 
• Canada-Ontario Agreement 
• Fisheries Act and the Aquatic Invasive Species Regulations under this Act
• Ontario’s Provincial Fish Strategy 

On an individual level, there are things we can do to help to protect the Great Lakes.  These include:

• volunteering plant shrubs and trees to support habitat near the shoreline
• collecting water samples to send to the lab for analysis through Lake Ontario Waterkeeper 
• donating
• conserving water/reducing water usage 

For more information on the Great Lakes, check out these resources:

• Great Lakes Protection website from the Government of Canada
• Great Lakes Strategy website from the Government of Ontario

Environmentalism Through Film: Planet in Focus

Films that bring about public awareness to environmental issues, and explore the world in which we live, are spotlighted at the annual Planet in Focus film festival.

Planet in Focus is an international environmental film festival that takes place this year from October 15 to 20 in Toronto.  It was established in 1999 and heads into its 20th year this year.

The festival showcases films that not only focus on the environment, but on how we - humanity, and how we live - impact it.  The goal of this festival is to enlighten, engage, and entertain audiences, through thought-provoking films.

For more information, or to purchase tickets, visit their website.

Hurricanes and Their Names

We are in the middle of hurricane season, which runs from May 15 to November 30.  Hurricanes occur in various tropical cyclone basins around the world, and there can be more than one occurring at the same time.  To help identify storms and provide warnings for emergency preparations, information must be disseminated as quickly and accurately as possible.

In the past, people have assigned names to storms in various ways.  Later, when storms were given latitude and longitude coordinates, though while accurate, it proved to be confusing as numbers and technical terms were not easy to remember.

In the early 1950s, a system of naming Atlantic tropical storms by a phonetic alphabet (Able, Baker, Charlie) was developed by the US National Hurricane Center.  In 1953, the system changed to using female names, and by 1978-1979, both female and male names were used.  Today, the system of assigning names is maintained by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

Tropical storms are given names when they have a wind speed of 39 miles per hour.  If the storm increases to a wind speed of 74 miles per hour, it is then called a hurricane.

There are lists of tropical storm names developed for the various basins around the world. 

For storms that occur in the Atlantic, there are 6 lists of names, each with 21 names, in alphabetical order, and alternating between female and male names.  The lists are used in rotation, and repeated every 6 years.  However, when a storm is so deadly or damaging, the name is retired from the list as using it again would be insensitive and inappropriate for those who were greatly impacted.  A new name is then added in its place.  If there are more than 21 storms, they will then take on names from the Greek alphabet.

To learn more about hurricane names, including history, lists of current and retired names, and procedures for naming them, check:

• the National Hurricane Center
• the World Meteorological Organization

Happywhale, Happy Whale Watching

Whale watching is one of the greatest experiences you can have.  If you ever had the opportunity to see them in the ocean, these grand creatures leave you in awestruck.  It's a wondrous feeling to see them in their majestic form.

If you were also able to take a photograph of the whale, specifically the whale's flukes (tail) or dorsal fin, you can submit your photo(s) to Happywhale, a website that identifies and tracks whales around the globe.  This tool is a way to engage citizen scientists - including whale watching guides, whale watching enthusiasts, passengers - to help collect data about marine mammals.  The data will be used by scientists, and help expand our scientific knowledge about them.  By tracking and learning about whales, we can have a better understanding of marine life and ocean conservation.

Beyond the Beauty and Scent of Flowers: the Meanings of Flowers

If you loved someone and you wanted to show the person your affection, what flower would you give - a red rose or a red tulip?  I think most people would choose the red rose.  But did you know the red tulip is just as romantic, or even more, as it symbolizes your declaration of love.

Flowers are used to express feelings and emotions to one another.  Flowers are also used to mark occasions.  Our lives are touched with flowers.

Different flowers have different meanings, and the meanings behind them can be just as touching.  Beyond love, they symbolize many other things, such as reconciliation (hazel), overcoming obstacles (mistletoe), hope (iris).  The meanings also differ from culture to culture, which is why a flower can have more than one meaning.

The symbolism of flowers is seen in stories, in artwork, in poems, going back through time.  Shakespeare himself included symbolism in Hamlet, in the scene where Ophelia gives out flowers during her madness.

Here are a few books that I've checked out:

•  Flowerpaedia: 1000 Flowers and Their Meanings, by Cheralyn Darcey
• The Meaning of Flowers: Myth, Language & Lore, by Gretchen Scoble and Ann Field
• The Naming of Flowers, by Anne Halpin
• A Victorian Flower Dictionary: the Language of Flowers Companion, by Mandy Kirkby

Flowers are a significant part of our lives.  They lift our spirits, provide comfort, beautify our lives, and make the world a more beautiful place.