* 4/12/15 Playing Possum

Opossums are commonly known for 2 things, 1, "playing 'possum' a.k.a. playing dead, and 2, hanging by their tails.

But is the common knowledge that opossums hang by their prehensile tails true, or not? You might be surprised to find that the answer is no, they can't. Baby opossums can, which might be where the myth got started. But even juvenile (young) opossums lack the legendary ability, and adults cannot hang by their tails for more then a second.

What about their second ability, equally famous if not more so? Yes, 'possums do indeed play dead, or "play possum". In fact, after they go into a coma-like state, they excrete a scent that makes them smell like death! Cool act. Till the next post.

- 4/10/15 Update

For the next few weeks I wont be able to post frequently (or at all) but I will whenever I can! I'll be home the 26th and I'll be planting my garden in the following days! That's when the real excitement of the year will begin. I've been waiting for it all year! And hopefully I'll do a better job of managing weeds then last year... I hope my whole garden does better, and I'll have a successful and healthy crop. I don't care as much for the harvest though, more so the well-being of the plants. Till the next post!

* 4/08/15 Earthships

I apologize for the late update--sorry :(  This is about Earthships.

          Earthships are environmentally friendly houses, built out of recycled materials. Each house is made of tires packed solid with dirt, and staggered like bricks to form walls. The walls are load bearing and provide thermal mass, which stores heat and releases it slowly, so that the indoor temperature stays the same.
          Earthships are designed to use available natural resoucres. Rainwater is stored, and gray water (relatively clean waste water from baths, washing machines, e.t.c.) is recycled. Solar energy is also taken advantage of, and is stored for later use.

          Sorry again, this time for the hasty post!

* 4/6/15 Matter in Ecosystems

      So... For today's post, which I am typing up a lot later then I would have liked too, is about... Well, read this:

Energy is not the only thing transferred in ecosystems. Matter is also transferred. Earth is a closed system for matter. All the elements needed for life come from the elements that were present on Earth's crust when it was formed 2.5 billion years ago. The law of conservation of matter states that matter cannot be created or destroyed, it can only be transferred and recycled.

Carbon, Oxygen, and Nitrogen are essential to life. Nitrogen makes of 78% of the atmosphere, and is an odorless, unusable gas. The nitrogen cycle converts unusable nitrogen into a usable form. The nitrogen cycle is the continuous process in which nitrogen is exchanged in organisms an the environment. Some of the free nitrogen in the air combine with other elements in the soil to form compounds that are deposited in the soil. These compounds are then converted into organic compounds by certain forms of bacteria. Then, these compounds are converted into nutrients that can be absorbed by the roots of green plants. The nutrients are forms of nitrogen that living things can use. Producers absorb the nutrients by their s roots, then primary consumers eat the nitrogen containing plants. Decomposers return nitrogen to the soil when they break the waste materials of the consumers or the remains of dead producers or consumers, all of which contain nutrient. Finally,k a kind of bacteria converts it back into atmospheric nitrogen.

Primary consumers eat green plants. Decomposers break down the consumers waste materials as well of the remains of dead consumers and producers. By doing this, Decomposers cycle some carbon into the soil and release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is absorbed from the atmosphere by green plants, algae, and certain bacteria. These producers then use light energy from the sun to convert the carbon dioxide along with water into oxygen and glucose through photosynthesis. Carbon dioxide is also returned to the atmosphere when plants and animals convert oxygen and glucose into carbon dioxide and water through cellular respiration,.

- 4/04/15 Fox!

         Take happiness. And multiply it by infinity. Then add π. You get how happy I am: ∞. Why? I will proceed to explain.... I might have a fox in my backyard again!!!! My evidence:

Evidence:

 

         *Foxes are active in spring. It is spring.

         *Foxes produce a musky, skunk-like smell to mark their territory. My dad smelled skunk.

         *Foxes dig holes in search of beetle larvae and worms. There were shallow holes in the sand in my backyard.

         *Foxes have dog-like paw prints. I saw such prints in the sand where the holes were.

         *Foxes often make dens under sheds, decks, or houses. My dad thought he saw movement by our deck.

 

          Conclusion: We have a fox!!!

+ 4/02/15 Garden

        The second post of today--way off schedule. It was supposed to be at 4:00 p.m..... but it's 8:00 p.m. Whoops. Got a little side-tracked. Anyway, I at least prepared my garden, hoed it, added potting soil for soil amendments (oh, dear), and raked the bed smooth. So you can get a better idea of how this all went, take a look:


I used these tools; A pair of clippers, a shovel, and two rakes (one pitchfork style)

And so my garden went from looking like this; a complete and total mess....

 

To this neat, healthy-looking plot of land!



      Thus concludes my report of the transformation of a weed-house untouched for a year, to a piece of land that can be properly cultivated with a likely chance for success--like last year. Unlike last post, I can properly say (no, type) these words, Till the next post.






 



- 4/02/15 1st Even Day of April Celebration

         Well, today actually came! I kind of thought it never would,  or that something would go wrong and despite the fact that I said today would be a celebration day--I wouldn't actually post. Silly me. I did! And with this post--the first one in Earth Month--I have lots of news.
         I'll start this post with something totally awesome that I saw yesterday (April fools day, yes, I know. This is not a joke!). I saw--in my backyard--2 snakes. Mating! So... I have a thriving population of Garter snakes in my backyard! And lots of mice too, so they and their future snakelets (I don't know what you call a baby snake) will not go hungry. I even got a picture! I'll figure out a way to post it here....
        News #2: I did the first Park Day clean up of the year--guess where? As luck will have it, it was at the exact same place as my first park day clean up last year. Now, my friend that did the park day clean up last year wasn't there (noooo), but the clean up was still successful. I even forget the name of the park, but I'll post a picture I took of the sign when I can. I'm really excited--the first day of Earth Month and I've already found an awesome way to contribute! And today, I will be allowing microorganisms and worms a chance for an extremely healthy life when I prepare my garden tiller-free. As in, not chopping worms to death with the deadly blades of a rotor-tiller. I'll get the job done by hand!
        My last and final "news" for today is the already-known fact that I will be preparing my garden. I'll get it done by the end of the day, no doubt! I'm just a little tied up with my brother's appointment and my own schoolwork at the moment (11:30 a.m.) But, no worries, by around 4:00, the second post today will be up on my website, so just keep an eye out her at that time! Till the next post--wait, that's today! Till the next 4 1/2 hours, then.