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This beautiful, but invasive little emergent will become neither moth nor fly. It is actually a member of the family, Fulgoridae... a large group of hemipteran insects, especially abundant and diverse in the tropics.
According to Wikipedia:
"The spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula) is a planthopper that is indigenous to parts of China, India, Vietnam, and eastern Asia. Although it has two pairs of wings, it jumps more than it flies. Its host plants include grapes, stone fruits, and Malus species, though its preferred host is Ailanthus altissima (Chinese sumac or tree of heaven). In its native habitat it is kept in check by natural predators or pathogens. It was accidentally introduced in Korea in 2006 and has since been considered a pest. In September 2014, it was first recorded in the United States, and as of 2018 it is an invasive species in eastern Pennsylvania, southwestern New Jersey, northern Delaware, northern Virginia, and eastern Maryland."
These photos were taken in PA...a few miles over the Cecil County portion of Maryland. There is a hotline to report Pennsylvania sightings to help track and control the spread of this unwelcome visitor from the Far-East.
Nottingham Park
Chester County, Pennsylvania
August 1, 2020
6125
Cities are living, breathing organisms providing a tremendous conduit for distributing everything from life pathways to dangerous pathogens. The interconnectedness of it all, and through it each other, exposes and enriches us like no other system.
Oh lighten up everyone :) See it in large if you prefer!
Varanus komodoensis.
At least they do on the island of Komodo ,Indonesia. These fearsome creatures grow to 10 feet long ,weighing up to 150 kg.
They are armed with powerful claws & sharp serrated teeth ; but their most scary property is that their saliva contains septic pathogens. So a bite from one will result in the poor victim dying with blood poisoning ,over about 24 hours. This is their normal method of hunting ,but the also eat carrion which they can detect up to 5 miles away !!
However they are considered to be a vulnerable species & are on the IUCN red list
Alter Ego: Pathogen
Name: Unknown
Allegiance: Neutral
Powers:
* Immunity to disease
Weapons:
* Many throwable jars that contain custom pathogens, these jars contain a non visible gas that nullifies a Meta's ability temporarily.
* Bulletproof Umbrella - in folded form it can launch a rocket
* Two customised watches that release a non-lethal nerve agent
* Gas mask to prevent nerve agents being used against him
* His coat generates a thin layered forcefield to deflect bullet fire and reduce damage
Key Weakness: He's only human but quite hard to kill due to him being highly evasive.
Origin:
Pathogen is a human who gains Intel on the current hero and villains in Avalon Avalon city. He studies their fighting styles, background and powers as well as their identities. Pathogen builds unique weaponry to defeat Meta's for humans who are defenceless, it's unclear if this is for profit or just a gesture of goodwill. Considering he seems to work for various employers about gaining information on the personal lives of heroes but never being employed by those he hasn't got dirt on.
The peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus), also known as the peregrine, and historically as the duck hawk in North America, is a cosmopolitan bird of prey (raptor) in the family Falconidae. A large, crow-sized falcon, it has a blue-grey back, barred white underparts, and a black head. The peregrine is renowned for its speed, reaching over 320 km/h (200 mph) during its characteristic hunting stoop (high-speed dive), making it the fastest bird in the world, as well as the fastest member of the animal kingdom. According to a National Geographic TV program, the highest measured speed of a peregrine falcon is 389 km/h (242 mph). As is typical for bird-eating raptors, peregrine falcons are sexually dimorphic, with females being considerably larger than males.
The peregrine's breeding range includes land regions from the Arctic tundra to the tropics. It can be found nearly everywhere on Earth, except extreme polar regions, very high mountains, and most tropical rain forests; the only major ice-free landmass from which it is entirely absent is New Zealand. This makes it the world's most widespread raptor, and one of the most widely found bird species. In fact, the only land-based bird species found over a larger geographic area is not always naturally occurring, but one widely introduced by humans, the rock pigeon, which in turn now supports many peregrine populations as a prey species. The peregrine is a highly successful example of urban wildlife in much of its range, taking advantage of tall buildings as nest sites and an abundance of prey such as pigeons and ducks. Both the English and scientific names of this species mean "wandering falcon," referring to the migratory habits of many northern populations. Experts recognize 17 to 19 subspecies, which vary in appearance and range; disagreement exists over whether the distinctive Barbary falcon is represented by two subspecies of Falco peregrinus, or is a separate species, F. pelegrinoides. The two species' divergence is relatively recent, during the time of the last ice age, therefore the genetic differential between them (and also the difference in their appearance) is relatively tiny. They are only about 0.6–0.8% genetically differentiated.
Although its diet consists almost exclusively of medium-sized birds, the peregrine will sometimes hunt small mammals, small reptiles, or even insects. Reaching sexual maturity at one year, it mates for life and nests in a scrape, normally on cliff edges or, in recent times, on tall human-made structures. The peregrine falcon became an endangered species in many areas because of the widespread use of certain pesticides, especially DDT. Since the ban on DDT from the early 1970s, populations have recovered, supported by large-scale protection of nesting places and releases to the wild.
The peregrine falcon is a well-respected falconry bird due to its strong hunting ability, high trainability, versatility, and availability via captive breeding. It is effective on most game bird species, from small to large.
The peregrine falcon has a body length of 34 to 58 cm (13–23 in) and a wingspan from 74 to 120 cm (29–47 in). The male and female have similar markings and plumage, but as in many birds of prey the peregrine falcon displays marked sexual dimorphism in size, with the female measuring up to 30% larger than the male. Males weigh 330 to 1,000 g (0.73–2.20 lb) and the noticeably larger females weigh 700 to 1,500 g (1.5–3.3 lb). In most subspecies, males weigh less than 700 g (1.5 lb) and females weigh more than 800 g (1.8 lb), with cases of females weighing about 50% more than their male breeding mates not uncommon. The standard linear measurements of peregrines are: the wing chord measures 26.5 to 39 cm (10.4–15.4 in), the tail measures 13 to 19 cm (5.1–7.5 in) and the tarsus measures 4.5 to 5.6 cm (1.8–2.2 in).
The back and the long pointed wings of the adult are usually bluish black to slate grey with indistinct darker barring (see "Subspecies" below); the wingtips are black. The white to rusty underparts are barred with thin clean bands of dark brown or black. The tail, coloured like the back but with thin clean bars, is long, narrow, and rounded at the end with a black tip and a white band at the very end. The top of the head and a "moustache" along the cheeks are black, contrasting sharply with the pale sides of the neck and white throat. The cere is yellow, as are the feet, and the beak and claws are black. The upper beak is notched near the tip, an adaptation which enables falcons to kill prey by severing the spinal column at the neck. The immature bird is much browner with streaked, rather than barred, underparts, and has a pale bluish cere and orbital ring.
The peregrine falcon lives mostly along mountain ranges, river valleys, coastlines, and increasingly in cities. In mild-winter regions, it is usually a permanent resident, and some individuals, especially adult males, will remain on the breeding territory. Only populations that breed in Arctic climates typically migrate great distances during the northern winter.
The peregrine falcon reaches faster speeds than any other animal on the planet when performing the stoop, which involves soaring to a great height and then diving steeply at speeds of over 320 km/h (200 mph), hitting one wing of its prey so as not to harm itself on impact. The air pressure from such a dive could possibly damage a bird's lungs, but small bony tubercles on a falcon's nostrils are theorized to guide the powerful airflow away from the nostrils, enabling the bird to breathe more easily while diving by reducing the change in air pressure. To protect their eyes, the falcons use their nictitating membranes (third eyelids) to spread tears and clear debris from their eyes while maintaining vision. The distinctive malar stripe or 'moustache', a dark area of feathers below the eyes, is thought to reduce solar glare and improve contrast sensitivity when targeting fast moving prey in bright light condition; the malar stripe has been found to be wider and more pronounced in regions of the world with greater solar radiation supporting this solar glare hypothesis. Peregrine falcons have a flicker fusion frequency of 129 Hz (cycles per second), very fast for a bird of its size, and much faster than mammals. A study testing the flight physics of an "ideal falcon" found a theoretical speed limit at 400 km/h (250 mph) for low-altitude flight and 625 km/h (388 mph) for high-altitude flight. In 2005, Ken Franklin recorded a falcon stooping at a top speed of 389 km/h (242 mph).
The life span of peregrine falcons in the wild is up to 19 years 9 months. Mortality in the first year is 59–70%, declining to 25–32% annually in adults. Apart from such anthropogenic threats as collision with human-made objects, the peregrine may be killed by larger hawks and owls.
The peregrine falcon is host to a range of parasites and pathogens. It is a vector for Avipoxvirus, Newcastle disease virus, Falconid herpesvirus 1 (and possibly other Herpesviridae), and some mycoses and bacterial infections. Endoparasites include Plasmodium relictum (usually not causing malaria in the peregrine falcon), Strigeidae trematodes, Serratospiculum amaculata (nematode), and tapeworms. Known peregrine falcon ectoparasites are chewing lice, Ceratophyllus garei (a flea), and Hippoboscidae flies (Icosta nigra, Ornithoctona erythrocephala).
In the Arctic Peregrine falcons chasing away small rodent predators from their nesting territory and Rough-legged Hawks (Buteo lagopus) could use these hot spots as a nesting territory.
For more information, please visit en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peregrine_falcon
Bacteria may mutate more rapidly in space and scientists theorize patterns of those mutations could help predict how pathogens become resistant to antibiotics. Such predictions could, in turn, be used to develop new drugs to use against those pathogens. Antibiotic resistant pathogens or bacteria is a growing world-wide health concern. The long-term use of many common antibiotics has led to some diseases becoming resistant to drug therapy, which can lead to longer and more complicated illnesses.
A proof-of-concept investigation, Nanobiosym Genes, is sending two strains of Staphylococcus aureus bacteria to the International Space Station. Investigators will compare patterns of their mutations to the same organisms grown on Earth in order to refine computational algorithms that predict mutations leading to antibiotic resistance.
BioServe Space Technologies at the University of Colorado, Boulder integrated this investigation, which is hosted in four BioCells Habitats and BioServe’s Space Automated Bioproduct Lab (SABL).
“More than 25 years ago, I had the hypothesis that environment has an effect on how genes mutate and evolve, or express themselves,” principal investigator Anita Goel, chairman and scientific director at Nanobiosym Inc in Cambridge, Massachusetts, said. Goel holds a doctorate of philosophy in physics and a doctor of medicine degree. “This investigation allows me to study whether we can make mutations happen by changing the environment. The first step is to understand, everything else being the same, how does microgravity affect the rate and the pattern of mutations? Some data suggest that microgravity speeds up mutations, but we don’t know the mechanism of how the environment might play a role.”
Data from the investigation can define the mutational spectrum. Combining that with algorithms can improve the ability to predict mutations, including those that lead to drug resistance.
“We can model which way drug resistance will go and use that to develop better, smarter drugs,” Goel said. “A bug can mutate in the presence of a drug and become resistant. We’re trying to get ahead of that, predict those mutations, and be ready with a drug when they show up.”
While this work is starting with infectious diseases, it can potentially be used with anything that has a DNA marker, including cancer.
There are two key steps: first, a tool that analyzes DNA or RNA, and second, algorithms to determine the right therapy for the particular disease. Goel’s company, Nanobiosym, has developed a device called Gene-RADAR that conducts the first step.
“In principle, we can provide real-time diagnosis of any disease with an RNA or DNA signature or genetic fingerprint,” she said. “Ultimately, we can build tools to decentralize health care delivery on Earth, to diagnose diseases in real time in a village in Africa or your own home, just with a drop of blood or saliva. Right now those tests can take weeks to months. The device fits in your hand, so we also can put it on the space station to do analysis and research.”
That real-time analysis has important applications in space. Currently, experiments aboard the space station are brought back to Earth for gene analysis. The device could conduct some analyses in space and send only the data back to Earth. Astronauts could immediately test for DNA life forms in samples collected on Mars, for example, or diagnosis their own infections.
Mutant pathogens in space hardly stand a chance.
For more information, click here.
Cedar-apple rust after the rain
During rainy weather, you may have noticed bright orange orbs with gelatinous tendrils on our native eastern red cedar and ornamental cedars (Juniperus spp.). These are the galls of the cedar apple rust disease pathogen, Gymnosporangium juniperi-virginianae Schwein.
Happy Halloween!
Action Figures Scale 1/6.
Special medley of action figures temporarily in display cabinet during the halloween season, a few quick shots before storage.
Taken at Great dixter gardens in Sussex
One of the most familiar insects in the world is the Honeybee. This member of the insect order Hymenoptera plays a key role in the human and natural world. More has been written about honeybees than any other species of insect. The human fascination with this insect began thousands of years ago when people discovered what wonderfully tasty stuff honey is!
Honey is a thick liquid produced by certain types of bees from the nectar of flowers. While many species of insects consume nectar, honeybees refine and concentrate nectar to make honey. Indeed, they make lots of honey so they will have plenty of food for times when flower nectar is unavailable, such as winter. Unlike most insects, honeybees remain active through the winter, consuming and metabolizing honey in order to keep from freezing to death. Early humans probably watched bears and other mammals raid bee hives for honey and then tried it themselves. Once people found out what honey was, next they had to learn how to get it from the bees safely!
Honeybees have a bright color pattern to warn potential predators (or honey thieves!) that they have a weapon to defend themselves. Their weapon is a modified ovipositor (egg-laying tube). This is combined with a venom gland to create a stinger (formally known as an aculeus) located at the end of the abdomen. Because the stinger is modified from a structure found only in females, male bees cannot sting. When the hive is threatened, honeybees will swarm out and attack with their stingers to drive the enemy away.
Honeybees, like most insects, look at the world through compound eyes. These are made of hundreds of small simple eyes called ommatidia. The images received by all the ommatidia are put together in the insect's brain to give it a very different way of seeing the world. To see the world the way a bee does, check out Andrew Giger's B-Eye web site in the links section.
Honeybees are social insects. In the wild, they create elaborate nests called hives containing up to 20,000 individuals during the summer months. (Domestic hives may have over 80,000 bees.) They work together in a highly structured social order. Each bee belongs to one of three specialized groups called castes. The different castes are: queens, drones and workers.
There is only one queen in a hive and her main purpose in life is to make more bees. She can lay over 1,500 eggs per day and will usually live less than two years, although there are a few records of queens living longer than that. She is larger (up to 20mm) and has a longer abdomen than the workers or drones. She has chewing mouthparts. Her stinger is curved with no barbs on it and she can use it many times.
Drones, since they are males, have no stinger. They live about eight weeks. Only a few hundred - at most - are ever present in the hive. Their sole function is to mate with a new queen, if one is produced in a given year. A drone's eyes are noticeably bigger than those of the other castes. This helps them to spot the queens when they are on their nuptial flight. Any drones left at the end of the season are considered non-essential and will be driven out of the hive to die.
Worker bees do all the different tasks needed to maintain and operate the hive. They make up the vast majority of the hive's occupants and they are all sterile females. When young, they are called house bees and work in the hive doing comb construction, brood rearing, tending the queen and drones, cleaning, temperature regulation and defending the hive. Older workers are called field bees. They forage outside the hive to gather nectar, pollen, water and certain sticky plant resins used in hive construction. Workers born early in the season will live about 6 weeks while those born in the fall will live until the following spring. Workers are about 12 mm long and highly specialized for what they do, with a structure called a pollen basket (or corbiculum) on each hind leg, an extra stomach for storing and transporting nectar or honey and four pairs of special glands that secrete beeswax on the underside of their abdomen. They have a straight, barbed stinger which can only be used once. It rips out of their abdomen after use, which kills the bee.
If you want to see a 3-D model of a worker bee click on the picture. - NOTE: This is a 1.3 meg file! - (Save the animation to your hard drive [right click, save target as, etc.] to watch later. That way you can do other stuff while it is downloading.) Note the flattened area on the hind leg - this is where the pollen basket is located.
If you want to see more 3D insects, visit the
web site of Alexei Sharov.
The 3-D bee is best viewed with Quicktime Player.
Click here QT logo.jpg (2689 bytes) if you don't already have it.
3DB!
Close-up view of the honeycomb
Photo by P.O. Gustafson
(see links below)
The central feature of the bee hive is the honeycomb. This marvel of insect engineering consists of flat vertical panels of six-sided cells made of beeswax. Beeswax is produced from glands on the underside of the abdomens of worker bees when they are between 12 and 15 days old. House bees take the beeswax and form it with their mouths into the honeycomb. The cells within the comb are used to raise young and to store honey and pollen.
The comb is two-sided, with cells on both sides. As you can see, the cells are perfectly uniform in shape. Not only that, but the combs are built a precise distance apart depending on whether they are meant to contain food or young bees. The nursery area of the hive is called the brood comb, and that is where the queen lays her eggs.
Flower nectar is one of two food sources used by honeybees. The other is pollen. Both are gathered by the field bees as they fly about on their daily foraging flights.
Honeybees are important pollinators
As the field bees forage for nectar, pollen sticks to the fuzzy hairs which cover their bodies. Some of this pollen rubs off on the next flower they visit, fertilizing the flower and resulting in better fruit production. Some plants will not produce fruit at all without the help of honeybees. In the United States alone, it is estimated that honeybees accomplish 1/4 of the pollination needed for all fruit produced for human consumption - an estimated $10 billion worth of work each year!
The field bees stop periodically to groom themselves and collect the pollen onto their pollen baskets. They remove this load from their legs when they return to the hive and the house bees store it in a special part of the comb. The pollen provides protein and other essential nutrients for the bees.
Honeybee loaded with pollen
Photo by P.O Gustafson
(see links below)
There are four different species of honeybee in the world:
The Little Honeybee (Apis florea) - native to southeast Asia
The Eastern Honeybee (Apis cerana) - native to eastern Asia as far north as Korea & Japan
The Giant Honeybee (Apis dorsata) - native to southeast Asia
The Western Honeybee (Apis mellifera) - native to Europe, Africa and western Asia
Cave paintings in Europe indicate that early peoples were harvesting honey 8,000 years ago. The next step in human/honeybee relations came when people started keeping bees in man-made structures rather than just going out and searching for wild hives. The ancient Egyptians were beekeepers and their methods were copied throughout the Mediterranean and Middle East. They used the Western Honeybee, and that is the most widely used species today. The Eastern Honeybee was also domesticated long ago in China. The other two species of honeybee do not nest in cavities and so were not suited to being put into hives. The subject of beekeeping is beyond the scope of this web page. For more information, see the links below.
Top of page
What are "Killer" Bees?
More properly called Africanized Honeybees, these come from a subspecies of honeybee (Apis mellifera scutellata) released accidentally in Brazil in 1957. They were imported from South Africa by a researcher who was attempting to produce a variety of honeybee better adapted to the tropics than the European Honeybee.
Unfortunately, Africanized Honeybees not only produce honey better in hot climates, but they are also much more aggressive at defending the nest. Many people have been killed by mass stinging resulting from getting too close to a nest of Africanized honeybees. The escaped bees did well in the wild and began reproducing and expanding their range across South America into Central America and Mexico. They were recorded in Texas in October 1990, California in November 1994 and Oklahoma in 2004. Since they are adapted for tropical conditions, they may not expand their range beyond the southern part of the U.S., but that remains to be seen. They can tolerate up to 3 1/2 months of freezing weather.
Distribution of Africanized Honeybees in the U.S.
1990-2011.
Distribution of Africanized honeybees in the U.S.
Graphic from the Carl Hayden Bee Research Center.
Visit their web site to learn more about Africanized Bees!
WHAT IS COLONY COLLAPSE DISORDER?
Colony collapse disorder (or CCD for short) refers to a mysterious malady affecting domestic honeybees that causes them to leave the hive and not return, leading ultimately to death of the colony.
First noticed in late 2006 in North America, CCD has been the focus of much research to try to determine what is causing it. Pathogens, parasites, environmental toxins and even cell phone transmissions have been the subject of investigation.
As of this writing (November 2007) the one factor that has been identified as being uniquely associated with CCD is a virus known as Israeli Acute Paralysis Virus (IAPV). It is not proven yet that IAPV is the sole cause of CCD, but it is found in nearly all hives affected by CCD. A possible scenario is that CCD is triggered by various stress factors in bees infected with IAPV. Research is currently underway to test this hypothesis.
For more information on CCD, see the Mid-Atlantic Apiculture Research and Extension Consortium website.
www.ento.psu.edu/MAAREC/ColonyCollapseDisorder.html
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON BEES:
An excellent source of more information on honeybees and other bees is the:
Carl Hayden Bee Research Center in Tucson, Arizona
Texas A&M University also has a lot of honeybee information.
Visit that web site
Albert Needham has a very comprehensive site on bees and beekeeping at:
Bees Online
P. O. Gustafson is a beekeeper in Sweden who took the honeybee photos used on this page.
Visit his web site
Dave Green has lots of information on beekeeping, bees and other pollinating insects at:
Pollinator.com
Visit the PBS web site for the NOVA television program on honeybees.
Tales From the Hive
The National Center for Appropriate Technology has a detailed reference on native North American bees available for purchase at the:
NCAT web site
Billy says this is a cool link! Take a Honeybee Trivia Quiz!
OTHER TYPES OF BEES
There are over 25,000 kinds of bees in the world.
About 3,500 different species are known from North America alone!
Some of the more noticeable types are listed below.
Bumble Bees!
Bumblebee on zinnia
Bumblebee visiting a Zinnia flower
There are about 50 different types of Bumblebees (Bombus sp.) in North America. Much larger than other bees, some species are over an inch long. They are densely covered with yellow and black
(and sometimes red) bands of hairs.
The long mouthparts of bumblebees allow them to gather nectar from flowers that have their nectaries buried deep within the petals, such as red clover.
They are social nesters, although their society is not as highly ordered as that of honeybees. In contrast to honeybees, nests are made anew each spring by solitary queens who hibernate through the winter.
The large bumblebees seen in the spring are queens looking for food and a place to start a new colony.
They will often take over an abandoned field mouse nest for their own. Laura Smith has posted a lot of information about bumblebees at her web site.
Another good site for bumblebee information is maintained by the Xerces Society.
Carpenter Bees!
Carpenter bees resemble Bumblebees, but they may be recognized by their dark, shiny (hairless) abdomen. The common North American species east of the Rocky Mountains is Xylocopa virginica.
They are solitary nesters and make their nest by chewing tunnels into wood. Often people will notice them burrowing into the rafters of barns or outbuildings.
On a quiet day you can hear the bee at work as she chews her way into the wood with her strong mandibles. The hole is 1/2 inch in diameter and goes straight in about 2 inches before branching at right angles into the brood chambers.
The males are sometimes encountered patrolling near a nest in a distinctive bobbing flight. This can lead to some anxious moments if you are suddenly confronted with a large hovering bee only a few feet in front of you!
The bee is looking for a mate, however, not a fight, and since it is a male it cannot sting you anyway! Male carpenter bees have a white face. Learn more about Carpenter Bees from University of Kentucky Entomology.
Sweat Bees!
This family of small, often metallic-colored bees has about 500 species in North America. They are primarily solitary nesters, but some show a degree of social behavior. Only a few species in the genus Lasioglossum are attracted to sweat.
They are just after water and do not want to sting, but they will if you purposely or accidentally squeeze them. Their food consists of the normal bee diet of pollen and nectar. They typically dig a vertical burrow in the ground with side chambers for the eggs.
Leaf-cutting Bees!
Leaf-cutter bees (Megachile sp.) are a type of bee which has the interesting trait of chewing little circles out of leaves or flower petals and using these to construct small, thimble-shaped nests in a dry, protected location.
They are typically dark in color with bands of whitish hairs running across the abdomen and range in size from 5 - 25 mm. There are 130 species in North America. Both leaf cutters and mason bees (see below) are superior pollinators compared to honeybees.
One leafcutter bee will do the same amount of pollination as 20 honey bees!
To learn more, read what the USDA Agricultural Research Service has to say about the Alfalfa Leafcutter Bee.
Mason Bees!
Mason bees (Osmia sp.) typically use the abandoned tunnels of wood-boring beetles for their nest. These small bees are not social. Mason bees mate immediately after hatching in the spring.
The female then searches for an appropriate hole or crevice to build her nest. After preparing a brood chamber, she gathers pollen and nectar until she has enough to feed a larva to adulthood.
Then she lays an egg and closes the chamber with mud. She repeats the process until the tunnel is completely filled and caps the tunnel with an extra-thick plug of mud. She will repeat this process until she dies in early summer.
The mature larvae pupate and overwinter in their nursery cells. Mason bees are closely related to the Leaf-cutting bees.
To gather pollen, they both use a brush of hairs on the underside of the abdomen (called a scopa) instead of pollen baskets on their legs.
There are 140 species in North America. You can find out more about Mason Bees from the North Carolina Extension service and the Wikipedia entry for the species..
Link-
….for lyin’ about your Vaccination Status!?
A rather, self-indulgent-Too-Big-For-His-Britches-NFL-Player has tested POSITIVE for Covid19.
The same individual used the "inoculated" code-word-for-NON-VAX-Believers-
who feel (think???)
that a "Natural" means of gaining antibodies from COVID19
is a more effective "fighter"
in the battle to
finally END this WorldWide-Pandemic- rather than a
effective vaccine.
STOP Listening to Podcasters & MMA Announcers
who don't know shit about Virus, Immunology
or the battle against
highly transmissible infectious diseases.
Listen to people who are SCIENTISTS
and Men/WOMAN
who have an MD after their name,
and have experience with Infectious Disease & Virology & Pathogens.
Published: Chem Trails Copyright © 2018 F.E. All rights reserved. Panorama Time-Lapse sky on 8/01/13.
Unpublished Copyright © 2013 F.E. All rights reserved.
0802130959-00_c_72dpi.jpg
Looking for her next meal - female Castor Bean Tick (Ixodes ricinus) - Schapenteek
Only 3mm in size.
Ixodes ricinus, the castor bean tick, is a chiefly European species of hard-bodied tick. In common with other species of Ixodes, I. ricinus has no eyes.
Ticks find their hosts by detecting animals' breath and body odors, or by sensing body heat, moisture and vibrations. They are incapable of flying or jumping, but many tick species wait in a position known as "questing".
While questing, ticks hold on to leaves and grass by their third and fourth pair of legs. They hold the first pair of legs outstretched, waiting to climb on to the host. When a host brushes the spot where a tick is waiting, it quickly climbs onto the host.
[WIKI]
It may reach a length of 11 mm (0.43 in) when engorged with a blood meal, and can transmit both bacterial and viral pathogens such as the causative agents of Lyme disease and tick-borne encephalitis.
NB The very small ticks you most often see in spring and summer when you check your exposed legs and arms are usually nymhps (larval stage). Only the mature females drink blood.
But fortunately not towards me !!.
Komodo Dragon ( Viranus komodoensis)
Almost 10 feet long & weighing nearly 150 Kg with powerful claws & sharp teeth....a creature to avoid close contact with. But there were a number of wardens around this group each armed with a long thick stick (the wardens NOT the Dragons) . Their saliva contains septic pathogens ( the Dragons NOT the wardens ) so a bite from one would give the victim blood poisoning & death in ca. 24 hours. This is their normal mode of hunting !!!
But considered vulnerable they are on the IUCN red list .
Ark 7 Command: "Roger Ark 9, all suppression methods on Pod One have failed or have been destroyed. Air sampling indicates ever higher concentrations of the pathogen. The automated systems are under attack. Estimate forty minutes max before a seal breach to the main spine - and then all the other pods are at risk."
Ark 9 Command: "Is there nothing else you can do? Can you synthesise more of the soporifics? Turn off the AG system to slow it down until we can deploy manned cell-to-cell clearance? We have to try everything we can to save the survivors. First Pod Five and now this..."
Ark 7 Command: "Fred, Pod Five's die-off was a simple scrubber malfunction. This is different. There's something horrible - evil - going down there on One. Someone or something woke them up 350 years ahead of schedule. I want it off the spine now. I cannot risk further spread. You cannot veto me on this - please - it's my ark that's gonna get even more chewed up here."
Ark 9 Command: "...the families. The innocents."
Ark 7 Command: "You heard the audio feeds Fred. They're gone. They are something else now."
Ark 9: "... ..."
Ark 7: "Please Fred. It's time to be decisive. We are sweating blood over this right now. The crew are starting to lose their... objectivity."
Ark 9: "OK Mariko. Just let me find the codes. Prepare for emergency pod jettison countdown."
Background image credit: NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage (STScI/AURA) - ESA/Hubble Collaboration; Acknowledgement: R. O'Connell (U. Virginia)
Chondrostereum purpureum is a fungal plant pathogen which causes Silver leaf disease of trees.
After starting as just a crust on the wood, the fruiting structure develops undulating intergrowing brackets up to about 3 cm broad, which have a tough rubbery texture. It is often found on old stumps and dead wood.
On display at FDIC 2019 in the Indiana Convention Center.
This E-One Custom Pumper includes Biohazard Mitigation:
External transverse compartment is designed with slide-out capability for rapid deployment of SCBA air packs once on-scene.
Wheel well cabinet safely stores firefighter bunker gear by providing only exterior access.
Non-SCBA seats help prevent contamination from air packs in the crew area.
Seats covered in antimicrobial upholstery promote a cleaner environment inside the cab.
HEPA air filtration unit for removing particulates is available.
Automated dispensing of disinfectant to reduce exposure to harmful pathogens is available.
Pump panel mounted, pressure regulated and temperature controlled water outlet for gross decontamination is available.
Photo By Derek J. Ewing
Copyright 2019 - All Rights Reserved
The mysterious case of the Appalachian Rusty-patched Bumble Bee (Bombus affinis) holdouts. There are no more RPBB's in most of North American, people have looked, its not really a question of overlooking them any longer, they are just all gone. Fingers point to a set of introduced European bumble bee pathogens. And, ignoring the more famous residual population in the WI/MN/IA/IL area they still persist in the highland area between WV and VA. As proof. Here is a lovely picture of a Bombus affinis inadvertently collected by Mark Hepner recently in West Virginia. So, why do they persist in these two spots and no where else? Photo by Elizabeth Panner. ~~~~~~~~~~{{{{{{0}}}}}}~~~~~~~~~~
All photographs are public domain, feel free to download and use as you wish.
Photography Information:
Canon Mark II 5D, Zerene Stacker, Stackshot Sled, 65mm Canon MP-E 1-5X macro lens, Twin Macro Flash in Styrofoam Cooler, F5.0, ISO 100, Shutter Speed 200
We Are Made One with What We Touch and See
We are resolved into the supreme air,
We are made one with what we touch and see,
With our heart's blood each crimson sun is fair,
With our young lives each spring impassioned tree
Flames into green, the wildest beasts that range
The moor our kinsmen are, all life is one, and all is change.
- Oscar Wilde
You can also follow us on Instagram - account = USGSBIML
Want some Useful Links to the Techniques We Use? Well now here you go Citizen:
Best over all technical resource for photo stacking:
Art Photo Book: Bees: An Up-Close Look at Pollinators Around the World:
www.amazon.com/Bees-Up-Close-Pollinators-Around-World/dp/...
Free Field Guide to Bee Genera of Maryland:
bio2.elmira.edu/fieldbio/beesofmarylandbookversion1.pdf
Basic USGSBIML set up:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-_yvIsucOY
USGSBIML Photoshopping Technique: Note that we now have added using the burn tool at 50% opacity set to shadows to clean up the halos that bleed into the black background from "hot" color sections of the picture.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bdmx_8zqvN4
Bees of Maryland Organized by Taxa with information on each Genus
www.flickr.com/photos/usgsbiml/collections
PDF of Basic USGSBIML Photography Set Up:
Google Hangout Demonstration of Techniques:
plus.google.com/events/c5569losvskrv2nu606ltof8odo
or
www.youtube.com/watch?v=4c15neFttoU
Excellent Technical Form on Stacking:
Contact information:
Sam Droege
sdroege@usgs.gov
301 497 5840
Once a skilled scientist and general, Nergal betrayed his own race, fleeing to the distant planet of Kur. Here, in his forbidden laboratories, he created the special pathogen, wishing to wipe out all the sentient life in the universe - with the exception of some species. With the use of ancient technologies, stolen from the Architects, he was able to breed the Sirrush - a fierce dragon-like giant predator, which was resistant to the pathogen.
Oh, and this photo is the 100th in my photostream. :D
Resembling a scene in the film, “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”, a bee grabs a hydrangea pistil with its front legs and harvests the materials for the hive. The fertile hydrangea benefits in the transfer of the pollen grains to the plant carpel by the bee's messy movement, resulting in fertilization, an important step in the plant's reproduction.
Honey bees travel from flower to flower, collecting nectar and pollen grains. The nectar is later converted to honey. The pollen from the anthers collects on the hind legs, in dense hairs referred to as a pollen basket. As the bee flies from flower to flower, some of the pollen grains are transferred onto the stigma of other flowers.
In the Californian almond orchards, the largest managed pollination event in the world, where almost half (about one million hives) of the US honey bees are trucked to the almond orchards each spring. The apple crop in New York requires about 30,000 hives; the blueberry crop of Maine uses about 50,000 hives each year.
In a recent New York Time article, more than one quarter of the country's bee colonies have been lost by the Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) according to the Apiary Inspectors of America. A few possible proposed reasons include a pathogen, toxins, insecticides, or navigation interference by cell phone frequencies.
EXPLORE, #5, on May 26, 2007
An abandoned tiny house that looks like it may have housed one of the many workers employed by the fishing industry in the tiny fishing village of Bivalve New Jersey. The oystering industry reached its peak here in 1955, declining by 1957 due to the oyster pathogen known as MSX which killed 90% of the oysters and effectively closing down the Oyster industry and the town that supported it. Today Bivalve and it's sister village, Shell Pile, are partial ghost towns, with a combined population of less than 50. Some of the village's processing plants still operate today but primarily exist to service processing work done on Oysters caught on ships off Long Island and transported to Bivalve. There are two existing marina businesses and a museum that highlights the fishing heritage of the area that also operate in the village.
Technical Details:
Nikon F4S 35mm film camera. Nikon 35-105mm F3.5-4.5 AIS lens.
Nikon Yellow-Green filter on the lens.
Ilford HP5+ 400 ISO B&W film shot at ISO 800.
F8 in aperture priority mode.
Developed in Diafine for 4 minutes (part A) and 4 minutes (part B) @ 20 degrees Celsius in Paterson 3 reel tank. 5 seconds initial agitation with swizzle stick followed by 5 seconds of additional agitation ever minute thereafter.
Negative scanned with Epson 4990 on holders with ANR glass.
A western bumble bee. Bombus californicus is a reasonably uncommon dark-winged Bumble bee that ranges from the Rockies to the West and whose populations may have been knocked back by the same pathogen suite as the gone or nearly gone species such as B. affinis and B. franklini. This bee was collected in the California Central Valley in Yolo County for research on small-scale restoration in agricultural areas. Claire Kremen's 10-year study of hedgerows shows the benefits of planting native shrubs and forbs in agricultural areas for native bees. To learn more about the Kremen Lab and hedgerows, see nature.berkeley.edu/kremenlab/.
Photo by Brooke Goggins.
~~~~~~~~~~{{{{{{0}}}}}}~~~~~~~~~~
All photographs are public domain, feel free to download and use as you wish.
Photography Information:
Canon Mark II 5D, Zerene Stacker, Stackshot Sled, 65mm Canon MP-E 1-5X macro lens, Twin Macro Flash in Styrofoam Cooler, F5.0, ISO 100, Shutter Speed 200
We Are Made One with What We Touch and See
We are resolved into the supreme air,
We are made one with what we touch and see,
With our heart's blood each crimson sun is fair,
With our young lives each spring impassioned tree
Flames into green, the wildest beasts that range
The moor our kinsmen are, all life is one, and all is change.
- Oscar Wilde
You can also follow us on Instagram - account = USGSBIML
Want some Useful Links to the Techniques We Use? Well now here you go Citizen:
Best over all technical resource for photo stacking:
Free Field Guide to Bee Genera of Maryland:
bio2.elmira.edu/fieldbio/beesofmarylandbookversion1.pdf
Basic USGSBIML set up:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-_yvIsucOY
USGSBIML Photoshopping Technique: Note that we now have added using the burn tool at 50% opacity set to shadows to clean up the halos that bleed into the black background from "hot" color sections of the picture.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bdmx_8zqvN4
Bees of Maryland Organized by Taxa with information on each Genus
www.flickr.com/photos/usgsbiml/collections
PDF of Basic USGSBIML Photography Set Up:
ftp://ftpext.usgs.gov/pub/er/md/laurel/Droege/How%20to%20Take%20MacroPhotographs%20of%20Insects%20BIML%20Lab2.pdf
Google Hangout Demonstration of Techniques:
plus.google.com/events/c5569losvskrv2nu606ltof8odo
or
www.youtube.com/watch?v=4c15neFttoU
Excellent Technical Form on Stacking:
Contact information:
Sam Droege
sdroege@usgs.gov
301 497 5840
A dark matter halo is a hypothetical component of a galaxy that envelops the galactic disc and extends well beyond the edge of the visible galaxy.
Food safety pathogen Listeria monocytogenes isolated on modified Frazer base agar from a food sample.
The Bean is unique in southern Michigan with several excellent coldwater tributaries. It also has history of water quality problems in several stream stretches, including erosion and sedimentation, pathogen contamination from failed septic systems, and bacterial contamination from intensive livestock operations. For administration of grant projects, the Coalition is affiliated with the non-profit Community Action Agency of Hillsdale, Lenawee, and Jackson Counties.
Bean Creek has its headwaters near Devil's Lake in lower Michigan. The stream flows south through Michigan to the Tiffin River in Ohio, which joins the Maumee River, entering Lake Erie at Toledo, Ohio. The Bean Creek Watershed in Michigan (sometimes called the Upper Tiffin) includes three small towns, Addison in the north, Hudson halfway downstream, and Morenci at the Ohio border.
The Bean's main tributaries are Branch Creek, St. Joseph Creek, an excellent-quality stream in its headwaters, with numerous mussel species (see short videos of the St. Joseph Creek on YouTube); Lime Creek, which has stretches listed as impaired -- Michigan 303(d) list; Toad Creek and Silver Creek.
The bright bananas dotting your fruit bowl are in some serious trouble. A popular type of banana is facing extinction from a fungal pathogen. The disease Fusarium wilt of banana (FWB) blocks the flow of nutrients to the fruit and makes it wilt. During the 1950s, the pathogen wiped out commercial banana crops and made one species–Gros Michel bananas–functionally extinct.
But not all is lost for this colorful fruit. New research from an international team of scientists has pinpointed the molecular mechanisms behind the microbe that destroys bananas and it opens the door to new treatments and strategies against the pathogen. The findings are detailed in a study published August 16 in the journal Nature Microbiology.
Canon EOS 6D - f/4.5 - 1/100sec - 105 mm - ISO 1000
Fomes fomentarius (commonly known as the Tinder Fungus, Hoof Fungus, Tinder Conk, Tinder Polypore or Ice Man Fungus) is a species of fungal plant pathogen found in Europe, Asia, Africa and North America. The species produces very large polypore fruit bodies which are shaped like a horse's hoof and vary in colour from a silvery grey to almost black, though they are normally brown. It grows on the side of various species of tree, which it infects through broken bark, causing rot. The species typically continues to live on trees long after they have died, changing from a parasite to a decomposer.
Though inedible, F. fomentarius has traditionally seen use as the main ingredient of amadou, a material used primarily as tinder, but also used to make clothing and other items. The 5,000-year-old Ötzi the Iceman carried four pieces of F. fomentarius, concluded to be for use as tinder. It also has medicinal and other uses. The species is both a pest and useful in timber production.
Fomes fomentarius has a fruit body of between 5 and 45 centimetres (2.0 and 18 in) across, 3 and 25 cm (1.2 and 9.8 in) wide and 2 and 25 cm (0.8 and 9.8 in) thick, which attaches broadly to the tree on which the fungus is growing. The species typically has broad, concentric ridges, with a blunt and rounded margin. The flesh is hard and fibrous, and a cinnamon brown colour. The upper surface is tough, bumpy, hard and woody, varying in colour, usually a light brown or grey. The margin is whitish during periods of growth. The hard crust is from 1 to 2 mm (0.04 to 0.08 in) thick, and covers the tough flesh. The underside has round pores of a cream colour when new, maturing to brown, though they darken when handled.
Fomes fomentarius is a stem decay plant pathogen. The species' mycelium penetrates the wood of trees through damaged bark or broken branches, causing rot in the host. It can grow on the bark wound, or even directly onto the bark of older or dead trees. Despite beginning as a parasite, the species is able to survive for a time (hastening decomposition) on fallen or felled trees as a saprotrophic feeder, and typically lives there for years, until the log is completely destroyed.
The fruit bodies are perennial, surviving for up to thirty years. The strongest growth period is between early summer and autumn. The yearly growth always occurs on the bottom of the fungus, meaning that the lowest layer is the youngest.
The species is well known for its uses in making fire. It can be used to make amadou, a tinder. Amadou is produced from the flesh of the fruit bodies. The young fruit bodies are soaked in water before being cut into strips, and are then beaten and stretched, separating the fibres. The resulting material is referred to as "red amadou". The addition of gunpowder or nitre produced an even more potent tinder. The flesh was further used to produce clothing, including caps, gloves and breeches. Amadou was used medicinally by dentists, who used it to dry teeth, and surgeons, who used it as a styptic. It is still used today in fly fishing for drying the flies. Other items of clothing and even picture frames and ornaments have been known to be made from the fungus in Europe, particularly Bohemia. The fungus is known to have been used as a firestarter in Hedeby, and it is known that the fungus was used as early as 3000 BCE. When found, the 5,000-year-old Ötzi the Iceman was carrying four pieces of F. fomentarius fruit body. Chemical tests led to the conclusion that he carried it for use as tinder.
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De echte tonderzwam is een paddenstoel die leeft op zwakke en dode loofbomen. Hij is vooral te vinden op beuken en berken en af en toe ook op linde of eik. Op gezonde bomen zul je de tonderzwam niet aantreffen, hij maakt alleen gebruik van verzwakte, zieke bomen. Als hij zich eenmaal op zo' n boom heeft gevestigd, gaat die boom onherroepelijk dood. Na het afsterven van hun gastheer kunnen zich nog jarenlang nieuwe vruchtlichamen ontwikkelen op het dode hout. De echte tonderzwam groeit op allerlei loofbomen. Tonderzwammen zijn meerjarige paddenstoelen, je kunt ze dus het hele jaar door zien.
De Tonderzwammen profiteren van een andere visie op bosbeheer. Lange tijd werden dode en zieke bomen grondig verwijderd. Echter tegenwoordig mogen deze bomen blijven staan omdat ze een belangrijke rol vervullen in het ecosysteem, de flinke toename van de Tonderzwam is daaraan te danken.
De hoed van de Tonderzwam is hoefvormig en kan een halve meter doorsnede bereiken en wel 25 cm dik. De bovenzijde is een dunne maar harde korst met gekleurde ringen. De onderrand is een zachte, wat fluwelig aanvoelende rand en wat meer bruin gekleurd.
Aan de onderzijde zitten ontelbare hele kleine buisjes, die je met het blote oog niet kan zien. Je hebt daar een vergrootglas voor nodig of je kan er zoals hierboven een foto van maken met een macrolens. Uit die kleine buisjes komen de witte sporen.
In de negentiende eeuw werd de Tonderzwam veel gebruikt in Tondeldozen. Een Tondeldoos is een kokertje of doosje waarin een licht ontvlambaar materiaal werd gedaan. Dat materiaal noemt men een tondel. Als tondel maakte men wel gebruik van een gedroogd en met paardenurine behandeld stukje Tonderzwam. Met een vuursteentje en een metalen ring (het vuurijzer) werd het brandbare materiaal met vonken aangestoken. Vervolgens werd het vuur weer uitgeblazen, maar het materiaal bleef smeulen. Er werd een deksel op het doosje gedaan en zo kon de smeulende tondel meegebracht worden en kon men eenvoudig onderweg een nieuw vuur ontsteken.
"Snijd het buitenste harde en taaije gedeelte van deeze swammen af, en deelt ze in dunne stukken; legt ze vervolgens enige dagen te weeken in een loog van asch, en kookt ze daar na helder in die loog; gekookt en wel gedroogt zijnde, klopt ze ter deegen met een houten hamer, zo zal ze heel zagt worden, en een stukje daarvan door een vonk van't vuurslag terstond vuur vatten; Anderen kooken ze in een loog van salpeter; en nog anderen in pisse, het welk goed is; het koomt 'er maar hoofdzakelijk op aan, dat de swam door kooking en klopping wel zagt gemaakt zij; Deze bereide swam heeft doorgaans een bruinagtige koleur, en is heel zagt."
Deze stevige zwam is, zeker in de 18de en 19de eeuw, een soort industrieel product avant la lettre geweest. Het bruine vlees werd niet alleen voor de bereiding van tondels gebruikt maar ook als bloedstelpend verbandmiddel. Het was dan ook opgenomen in de apothekersboeken als ‘Fungus Chirurgorum’ dus chirurgische zwam. Van schijfjes Fomes produceerde men ook een soort juchtleer, waar handschoenen en wondlappen van gemaakt werden. De bewerkte vezel diende ook om lichte, warme mutsjes te fabriceren. In Hongarije en omstreken worden nog steeds hoedjes gemaakt van de tonderzwam.
De bereidingen van het bloedstelpend materiaal en de bereiding van tondel werden beschreven in het "Huishoudelijk Woordenboek" van 1769. "Men scheid het buitenste harde gedeelte daar van af, snijd dezelve in min of meer dikke platte stukken, en klopt ze met een hamer, om ze zagt te maaken, en bewaart ze aldus: bij het gebruik legt men een stuk van deeze bereide swam op de wonde, van groote als het de wonde vereischt, om dezelve wel te dekken; over dit stuk legt men een ander dat grooter is, en hier over vervolgens een gevoeglijk verband." " Door zijne groote adstringerende kragt, heeft de swam ook die eigenschap het bloed kragtig te stempen in grote wonden, slagader-breuken en andere bloedstortingen."
(bron o.a: natuurkieker.blogspot.nl/2011/02/de-tonderzwam-leeft-van-... )
The mold house -
There are thousands of known species of molds, which have diverse life-styles including saprotrophs, mesophiles, psychrophiles and thermophiles and a very few opportunistic pathogens of humans. They all require moisture for growth and some live in aquatic environments. Like all fungi, molds derive energy not through photosynthesis but from the organic matter on which they live, utilising heterotrophy. Typically, molds secrete hydrolytic enzymes, mainly from the hyphal tips. These enzymes degrade complex biopolymers such as starch, cellulose and lignin into simpler substances which can be absorbed by the hyphae. In this way molds play a major role in causing decomposition of organic material, enabling the recycling of nutrients throughout ecosystems. Molds can also grow on stored food for animals and humans, making the food unpalatable or toxic and are thus a major source of food losses and illness. Many strategies for food preservation (salting, pickling, jams, bottling, freezing, drying) are to prevent or slow mold growth as well as growth of other microbes.
From Wikipedia:
Kretzschmaria deusta, Ustulina deusta, commonly known as brittle cinder, is a fungus and plant pathogen found in temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. It is common on a wide range of broadleaved trees.
Unscheinbar und doch immer wieder ein Bildchen wert sind die jungen Brandkrustenpilze.
Focus Bracketing with 49 single images.
The mysterious case of the Appalachian Rusty-patched Bumble Bee (Bombus affinis) holdouts. There are no more RPBB's in most of North American, people have looked, its not really a question of overlooking them any longer, they are just all gone. Fingers point to a set of introduced European bumble bee pathogens. And, ignoring the more famous residual population in the WI/MN/IA/IL area they still persist in the highland area between WV and VA. As proof. Here is a lovely picture of a Bombus affinis inadvertently collected by Mark Hepner recently in West Virginia. So, why do they persist in these two spots and no where else? Photo by Elizabeth Panner. ~~~~~~~~~~{{{{{{0}}}}}}~~~~~~~~~~
All photographs are public domain, feel free to download and use as you wish.
Photography Information:
Canon Mark II 5D, Zerene Stacker, Stackshot Sled, 65mm Canon MP-E 1-5X macro lens, Twin Macro Flash in Styrofoam Cooler, F5.0, ISO 100, Shutter Speed 200
We Are Made One with What We Touch and See
We are resolved into the supreme air,
We are made one with what we touch and see,
With our heart's blood each crimson sun is fair,
With our young lives each spring impassioned tree
Flames into green, the wildest beasts that range
The moor our kinsmen are, all life is one, and all is change.
- Oscar Wilde
You can also follow us on Instagram - account = USGSBIML
Want some Useful Links to the Techniques We Use? Well now here you go Citizen:
Best over all technical resource for photo stacking:
Art Photo Book: Bees: An Up-Close Look at Pollinators Around the World:
www.amazon.com/Bees-Up-Close-Pollinators-Around-World/dp/...
Free Field Guide to Bee Genera of Maryland:
bio2.elmira.edu/fieldbio/beesofmarylandbookversion1.pdf
Basic USGSBIML set up:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-_yvIsucOY
USGSBIML Photoshopping Technique: Note that we now have added using the burn tool at 50% opacity set to shadows to clean up the halos that bleed into the black background from "hot" color sections of the picture.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bdmx_8zqvN4
Bees of Maryland Organized by Taxa with information on each Genus
www.flickr.com/photos/usgsbiml/collections
PDF of Basic USGSBIML Photography Set Up:
Google Hangout Demonstration of Techniques:
plus.google.com/events/c5569losvskrv2nu606ltof8odo
or
www.youtube.com/watch?v=4c15neFttoU
Excellent Technical Form on Stacking:
Contact information:
Sam Droege
sdroege@usgs.gov
301 497 5840
The vibrant and beauteous Variable Harlequin Frog found in-situ on private land in southern Costa Rica. The genus Atelopus has been a victim of extreme population declines throughout their range over the past ~20 years. The many causes include, but are not limited to, substantial deforestation, pollution and have been victims of the pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd). This last reason is why it is of high importance to sterilize equipment, gear and footwear before entering their habitat.
A nurse log is a fallen tree which, as it decays, provides ecological facilitation to seedlings. Broader definitions include providing shade or support to other plants. Some of the advantages a nurse log offers to a seedling are: water, moss thickness, leaf litter, mycorrhizae, disease protection, nutrients, and sunlight. Recent research into soil pathogens suggests that in some forest communities, pathogens hostile to a particular tree species appear to gather in the vicinity of that species, and to a degree inhibit seedling growth.[1] Nurse logs may therefore provide some measure of protection from these pathogens, thus promoting greater seedling survivorship.
Source of info: Wikipedia
Gallito de las Rocas Conservation Area, Cusco Dept., Peru
Photographed during an expedition to the Manu Biosphere Reserve in Peru with the Alliance for a Sustainable Amazon. Learn more about our work in the Andes-Amazon region to conserve biodiversity in the world's greatest rainforest:
There are various natural predators that can kill mosquitoes and keep them under check.
As seen here, a water strider has come forward and caught hold of a mosquito, which was perhaps flying low with view to lay eggs on water surface.
The witnesses of the kill are the couple of insects that are there on the side of this water strider.
just watching, and waiting,
outside my sequestered door. As the oldest in the house... for whom the bell tolls... I prefer the plaintive coos of the nesting owls in the neighboring tree.
Once I accepted the inevitability of exposure, I focused on resistance: boosting my immune system and antivirals. I’ll share what I take daily, and if anyone is aware of any reason to *not* take these in the context of coronavirus, please let me know and I’ll update. I have not had a sick day for decades, and perhaps this helped, but remember that my personal journey is not prescriptive and that none of these have been properly studied to reach any conclusions on efficacy, yet:
1) Vitamin D (+ K2 for better absorption): “Studies have indicated that there is a high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency worldwide. Vitamin D deficiency may affect the immune system as vitamin D plays an immunomodulation role, enhancing innate immunity by up-regulating the expression and secretion of antimicrobial peptides, which boosts mucosal defenses. Furthermore, recent meta-analyses have reported a protective effect of vitamin D supplementation on respiratory tract infections” — WHO and an apparently biased site, but some links: Vitamin D Wiki
2) Magical mushroom powder of Shitake + Maitake: “We found significant stimulation of defense reaction. In all cases, the most active was the Maitake-Shiitake combination” — NIH
3) Coconut oil: “Several in vitro, animal, and human studies support the potential of coconut oil, lauric acid and its derivatives as effective and safe agents against a virus like nCoV-2019. Mechanistic studies on other viruses show that at least three mechanisms may be operating. Given the safety and broad availability of virgin coconut oil (VCO), we recommend that VCO be considered as a general prophylactic against viral and microbial infection.” — Ateneo University
4) Zinc, short term use: “In this study we demonstrate that the combination of Zn(2+) and PT at low concentrations (2 µM Zn(2+) and 2 µM PT) inhibits the replication of SARS-coronavirus (SARS-CoV)” — Researchgate And some warnings about prolonged use: Oregon State
5) Oregano oil capsules: “Mexican oregano oil and its main component, carvacrol, are able to inhibit different human and animal viruses in vitro.” — NIH
And then found to be helpful with other viruses, like norovirus and herpes: “This study provides novel findings on the antiviral properties of oregano oil” — sfamjournals
6) Vitamin C: “2019-nCoV infected pneumonia, namely severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) has caused global concern and emergency. We hypothesize that Vitamin C infusion can help improve the prognosis of patients with SARI. Therefore, it is necessary to study the clinical efficacy” — Clinicaltrials
These are all inexpensive on Amazon, but if you want an even stronger placebo effect, find the most expensive version, as that is proven to work better :) ScienceDaily
7) Update: I have added Quercetin. Its impact on Covid-19 has not yet been properly researched, but the basic mechanism could be similar to Chloroquine, and is an over-the-counter supplement even if you don’t have symptoms. Best with Zinc. From molecular simulation studies: "Liu et al. (2020) successfully crystallised the COVID-19 main protease (Mpro), which is a potential drug target. Quercetin... and curcumin [among others] appeared to have the best potential to act as COVID-19 Mpro inhibitors."
8) I also take NMN + TMG and have been discussing possible downstream NAD+ / sirtuin effects on COVID-19 with David Sinclair of Harvard Medical School. As with all of these, nothing is proven; it's just a fascinating hypothesis. The observed age effect on mortality is stark — the younger a person is, across the spectrum, the lower the death rate and hospitalization rate. Looking to NAD+ depletion as we age, and exacerbated by inflammation, perhaps it's ultimately an energy crisis and a loss of NAD + ATP that does us in.
Snips from his recent book Lifespan:
“NAD boosts the activity of all seven sirtuins. And because NAD is used by over 500 different enzymes, without any NAD, we’d be dead in 30 seconds. NAD acts as a fuel for sirtuins. NAD levels decrease with age throughout the body. Human studies with NAD boosters (NMN and NR) are ongoing. So far, there has been no toxicity, not even a hint of it.” (p.134)
Also: "Most antiviral drugs target specific viral proteins. Consequently, they often work for only one virus, and their efficacy can be compromised by the rapid evolution of resistant variants. There is a need for the identification of host proteins with broad-spectrum antiviral functions, which provide effective targets for therapeutic treatments that limit the evolution of viral resistance. Here, we report that sirtuins present such an opportunity for the development of broad-spectrum antiviral treatments, since our findings highlight these enzymes as ancient defense factors that protect against a variety of viral pathogens." — Researchgate
Sinclair added trimethylglycine (TMG) in a recent podcast. He also mentions not to take NMN or NR at night as they interfere with sleep.
H/T Nova Spivack for the corona-relevant links. He is maintaining a more complete list here.
“Ah, distinctly I remember
it was in the bleak December
And each separate dying ember
wrought its ghost upon the floor.
Much I marvelled this ungainly fowl
to hear discourse so plainly,
Though its answer little meaning—
little relevancy bore
For we cannot help agreeing
that no living human being
Ever yet was blessed with seeing
bird above his chamber door
What this grim, ungainly, ghastly, gaunt,
and ominous bird of yore
Meant in croaking ‘Nevermore.’”
— Edgar Allan Poe
San Francisco Chronicle, Dec. 9, 2013: A mysterious pathogen is wiping out starfish along the Pacific coast, a potential catastrophe that has flummoxed marine biologists [...] [They're] disappearing from large areas along the coast [...] Nobody knows what is causing the die-off, but the killer – most likely some kind of virus, bacteria or pollutant – is widespread and extremely virulent. It has ravaged a variety of starfish species in tide pools and in deeper water along the coast from Mexico to Alaska. [...] The disease has spread from the shoreline into deeper water [...] The disease has even found its way through the filtration system of the Monterey Bay Aquarium, which uses sea water in its tanks [and] cannot keep out natural impurities. “There is something going on in the water,” [Michael Murray, the director of veterinary services] said.
Morning Toxic Chemtrails
Make the sky more interesting for photographers but highly toxic aerial dump of toxins and pathogens like Covid.
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A look at one of the windows in the rear of what used to be the only church in the tiny fishing village of Bivalve New Jersey. The oystering industry reached its peak here in 1955, declining by 1957 due to the oyster pathogen known as MSX which killed 90% of the oysters and effectively closing down the Oyster industry and the town that supported it. Today Bivalve and it's sister village, Shell Pile, are partial ghost towns, with a combined population of less than 50. Some of the village's processing plants still operate today but primarily exist to service processing work done on Oysters caught on ships off Long Island and transported to Bivalve. There are two existing marina businesses and a museum that highlights the fishing heritage of the area that also operate in the village.
Technical Details:
Nikon F4S 35mm film camera. Nikon 35-105mm F3.5-4.5 AIS lens.
Ilford HP5+ 400 ISO B&W film shot at ISO 800.
F5.6 in aperture priority mode.
Developed in Diafine for 4 minutes (part A) and 4 minutes (part B) @ 20 degrees Celsius in Paterson 3 reel tank. 5 seconds initial agitation with swizzle stick followed by 5 seconds of additional agitation ever minute thereafter.
Negative scanned with Epson 4990 on holders with ANR glass.
Alder Tongue Gall / taphrina alni. Straws Bridge, Derbyshire. 14/08/18.
'NEW BEGINNINGS.'
A small Alder Tongue Gall that had only emerged a day or two before I made this image. Last August I was thrilled to find lots of these weird protuberances growing locally on female Alder catkins.
They are exclusive to Alder trees and induced by a fungal plant pathogen, taphrina alni. The ovarian tissues inside an infected female Alder catkin get distorted and start to emerge from the outer scales. They start off as simple forms, green in colour, but over time develop an array of yellow, orange, pink and red tones.
BEST VIEWED LARGE.
Das Immunsystem ist das körpereigene, individuelle Abwehrsystem gegen schädlichen Krankheitserregner - zum Beispiel Bakterien, Parasiten, Pilze, Protozoen (Einzeller) und Viren.
The immune system is the body's own, individual defense system against harmful pathogens - for example, bacteria, parasites, fungi, protozoa (unicellular organisms) and viruses.
This was once the only church in the tiny fishing village of Bivalve New Jersey. The oystering industry reached its peak here in 1955, declining by 1957 due to the oyster pathogen known as MSX which killed 90% of the oysters and effectively closing down the Oyster industry and the town that supported it. Today Bivalve and it's sister village, Shell Pile, are now mostly ghost towns, with a combined population of less than 50. Some of the village's processing plants still operate today but primarily exist to service processing work done on Oysters caught on ships off Long Island and transported to Bivalve. There are two existing marina businesses and a museum that highlights the fishing heritage of the area that also operate in the village.
Camera: Bronica SQ-A medium format film camera with a Bronica Zenzanon 50mm lens. Metered with Sekonic L358.
Film: Arista EDU 400 Ultra 120 roll film shot at box speed.
Development: Self Developed in Kodak Xtol 1+2 dilution in Paterson Universal Tank. 12 1/2 minutes @ 20 degrees Celsius. Kodak indicator stop bath. Ilford Rapid Fixer. Photo-Flo rinse.
Scanning: Negative scanned with Epson V600.
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