The tutor shares another neighborhood find. I’ve noticed, over the years, maple trees that have dark red, or purple, leaves. For some reason, I imagined I knew what kind they were, but had just forgotten. Today I noticed another one, …
Lifestyle: plant identification from field guide: Norway maple Read more »
The tutor shares another yard find. I’ve noticed wall lettuce in the yard for at least ten years, but only recently identified it. In the right places, it grows fast. It’s a tall thin plant with leaves that hold the …
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The tutor discusses the use of sphincters in the digestive system. A sphincter is a ring of muscle that, when tightened, can restrict passage between two areas. The digestive system uses them at either end of the stomach. At the …
Approaching another biology workshop, the tutor looks at the human body’s two main digestive enzymes aimed at proteins. For each type of food molecule the body has its own specific digestive enzyme(s). For protein, there are two: pepsin and trypsin. …
The tutor illuminates the fascinating relationship between the size of a species’ range and its density within it. Ten to fifteen years ago I subscribed to The Economist. If it’s still the same, I highly recommend it. I stopped subscribing …
Biology: population of a species: the link between size of range and population density Read more »
The tutor shares another field find. Sunday, I took my sons (11 and 13) for a walk in the nearby woods. I had a couple of plants in mind to find, but found neither. However, I did identify a couple …
Lifestyle: plant identification from field guide: black twinberry Read more »
The tutor shares another yard find. A couple years back I was weeding the front chip patch. Sometimes I have to do so; it’s not my idea. However, it clears the ground for fresh plants to emerge. Anyway, I noticed …
Lifestyle: plant identification from field guide: American vetch Read more »
The tutor checks the front yard for a plant identification. I first noticed sheep sorrel about a year ago on a page of the field guide. While I didn’t recognize it, the guide reported that it definitely grows here and …
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The tutor describes another plant identification. Crossing a sunny field, I passed a five-petaled blue flower this morning that I can’t find in my guide. Searching images of “blue wild flowers” on the ‘net, however, I found the identical plant: …
Lifestyle: plant identification from field guide: flax Read more »
The tutor shares another tricky field identification. Weatherwise, it’s summer here. Plants are springing up everywhere. The plants growing outside of human influence particularly interest me. A plant I’ve noticed on the edge of a field is, I’ve concluded, hedge …
Lifestyle: plant identification from field guide: hedge mustard Read more »