<div class="ck-content"><p>I came across some good news about non-humans in the Guardian. Hope you enjoy these as much as I did!</p><h3>Maybe frogs will survive, after all.</h3><p>One of the most depressing stories of recent years has been the spread of a fungus that smothers frogs. Depressing as in scientists coming to believe that the only way to save many species from extinction was to breed them artificially (out of their natural environments). So I was delighted to read:</p><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/jul/11/frog-saunas-australia-research-treatment-deadly-fungal-disease-aoe">Frog saunas’ could save species from deadly fungal disease, study finds</a></p><blockquote><p style="margin-left:0px;">A “sauna” treatment for frogs has been used by researchers in Australia to successfully fight a deadly fungal disease that has devastated amphibians around the world, according to a new study.</p><p style="margin-left:0px;">Scientists created refuges for the animals using painted masonry bricks inside greenhouses that they called “frog saunas”. They found that endangered Australian green and golden bell frogs were able to clear infections from the deadly <i>Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis</i> fungus, in the warmer conditions of the greenhouses, when they would otherwise have died. Many of the frogs that recovered in the refuges were then resistant to infection.</p></blockquote><h3 style="margin-left:0px;">Maybe elephants will survive, after all.</h3><p style="margin-left:0px;">The prospect of a species like elephants disappearing from planet Earth and the future of the universe is also kind of a major bummer. So this story gave me some hope.</p><p style="margin-left:0px;"><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/jul/15/asian-elephant-mrna-vaccine-houstonendotheliotropic-herpesvirus-eehv-aoe">First Asian elephant vaccinated in fight against deadly herpes virus</a></p><blockquote><p style="margin-left:0px;">An Asian elephant at Houston zoo in the US has received the first mRNA vaccine against herpes, which is the <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8532781/">leading killer</a> of Asian elephants calves in captivity.</p><p style="margin-left:0px;">Tess, a 40-year-old Asian elephant, was injected with the trial vaccine at the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/texas">Texas</a> zoo in June, after a spate of deaths in juveniles in zoos around the world from the elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus (EEHV).</p></blockquote><h3 style="margin-left:0px;">Yes, rattlesnakes are amazing, too.</h3><p style="margin-left:0px;">All species are amazing, aren't they? Each in their own way….so I bring you:</p><p style="margin-left:0px;"><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/jul/17/colarado-rattlesnake-den-webcam-stream">Rattlesnake 'mega den' with as many as 2,000 snakes livestreaming from Colorado</a></p><p style="margin-left:0px;">My favorite quotes from the article:</p><blockquote><p style="margin-left:0px;"><span style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255);color:rgb(18,18,18);">Unlike other snakes, rattlesnake mothers care for their young, protecting them against predators and shielding them with their bodies. Sometimes rattlesnakes even care for the young of others….When it rains, the rattlesnakes coil up and catch water to drink from the cups formed by their bodies.</span></p></blockquote><h3>Down, English ivy, down!</h3><p>English ivy is a very common invasive in these parts, common in that you see it all over the place, and very often on private properties, and in ways that make it clear: the owners like it and want it there. Maybe it's because of the association with Brits. We love their accent, think it's very posh and sophisticated (thanks, James Bond!). Ivy growing up your house, covering bricks? Makes your house look old, aristocratic even.</p><p>Whatever the case, English ivy is a <a href="https://wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Plants/Dont-Plant-Me/English-Ivy">real problem</a>.</p><blockquote><p><span style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255);color:rgb(17,17,17);">English ivy quickly takes advantage of disturbed areas to shade-out and outcompete understory vegetation, and can also kill overstory trees after climbing to and dominating the canopy. Deciduous trees are particularly vulnerable to English ivy because the vine can take advantage of the extra light in winter after the tree leaves have fallen, and further shade the understory, preventing new saplings. The excess weight of English ivy may cause additional damage to trees during winter storms. English ivy can also affect local wildlife by displacing the plants they depend on.</span></p></blockquote><p><span style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255);color:rgb(17,17,17);">It's bad enough when English ivy spreads along the ground (great resting/hiding place for copperheads!). Unfortunately, that's nothing compared to the damage it will do when it climbs trees. As the quote above indicates, it can actually kill/damage mature trees. But the other big problem with English ivy up the trees is that it will then flower. After pollination, they will produce berries. There are up to 5 seeds in each berry. Birds eat the berries….and suddenly you have English ivy being spread far and wide via bird poop. Here's a picture of flowers before budding.</span></p><div class="raw-html-embed"><img src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=15koTf-wA2VBbblY8Py_NHozQX25dFaWT&sz=w600-h400" alt="English ivy buds"></div><p>This ivy is on the ground. I cut the paper mulberry it was growing on. These flowers will not produce berries and seeds. Hurray!</p><p>So my message to you is: if you see a tree thick with English ivy all up its trunk, use a lopper or saw to cut away all that you can. If you have herbicide, paint the stump just as you would a privet or olive. But even if you can't kill the ivy at the root, just a few minutes of cutting will ensure that everything up the trunk will die. Slowly.</p><p>It takes a loooong time for ivy to dry up, brown out, and clearly be dead. But don't worry - you cut it, it's on the way out.</p><p>And if you have a bit more time, clear all the ivy away from the base of the tree. The smaller strands are easy to pull off and away from the trunk.</p><h3>My kind of movers</h3><p>I live in an apartment complex near UNC, so we have lots of turnover (students graduating, students enrolling, etc.) and, consequently, lots of moving trucks. The one in my parking lot today caught my eye:</p><div class="raw-html-embed"><img src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1iLmkf_YSgOAp_1NjsdytKlzLsahSyMhd&sz=w600-h400" alt="box turtle movers"></div><p>Now, <i>that's</i> the kind of advertising I like to see. From their <a href="https://www.boxturtlemoving.com/about">website</a>:</p><blockquote><p><span style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255);color:hsl(0,0%,0%);">But we're not just about moving. We're about moving forward together. That's why we're proud supporters of the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center, a local organization dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation, and release of sea turtles. When you choose Box Turtle Moving Co., you're not only choosing a stress-free move, but you're also contributing to the vital work of the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center.</span></p></blockquote><p>If and when I have to move again, they'll be my first choice.</p></div><div class="ck-content"><h4>Receive all my reports on tree rescues!</h4><p>If you'd like to get some good news about restoring native habitats delivered straight to your brain upwards of a few times a week, sign in to <a href="https://rewildearth.net">Rewild Earth</a>, click on your name in top right, then My profile. Under Communication Preferences, switch “Send reports of all events” to ON. </p><div class="raw-html-embed"><img src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1BeynVqu8taOGrsvi56u0mmDKuNJko22h&sz=w600-h400" alt="REPLACE" width="358" height="138"></div><p>Resources you might find useful:</p><ul><li><a href="https://shop.naisma.org/collections/buckthorn-blaster">Buckthorn Blasters</a>: safe, easy herbicide delivery system from the North American Invasive Species Management Association. Don't start cutting without them!</li><li><a href="https://nc-ipc.weebly.com/nc-invasive-plants.html">NC Invasive Plants list</a>: recently updated by NC-IPC, the NC Invasives Plants Council.</li><li><a href="https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/AG259">Overview of different herbicides</a>: glyposphate, triclopyr and others - which should you use?</li><li>Volunteer for <a href="https://triangleland.org">Triangle Land Conservancy</a>: the biggest land conservancy group in our area. </li><li>Volunteer for <a href="https://ellerbecreek.org">Ellerbe Creek Watershed Association</a> (Durham): a wonderful group working hard to maintain contiguous natural areas along Ellerbe Creek.</li></ul></div> |