Friday, November 1, 2013
Thursday, October 31, 2013
Tree Thursday - Redberry Stopper
A great article from the Miami Herald!
By Kenneth Setzer
Fairchild Botanic Tropical Garden
If you are even slightly interested in native plants, you have heard of (and smelled) white stopper. It gives off a wonderfully musky scent, slightly reminiscent of skunk, but not offensive.
There are quite a few types of shrubs and small trees commonly called stoppers, and it can get a little confusing. There’s the fairly well-known white stopper ( Eugenia axillaris). Then there’s Spanish stopper ( E. foetida), Simpson’s stopper ( Myrcianthes fragrans—one of the most common in cultivation) and red stopper ( Eugenia rhombea). If you compare the botanical names, you’ll note Simpson’s stopper is not even in the same genus as the other stoppers, though if you go up one level to family, they are all members of the myrtle family ( Myrtaceae).
Rare among the stoppers is the intriguing redberry stopper ( Eugenia confusa), not to be confused with red stopper. Now the scientific nomenclature shines in its clarity; you’d never confuse confusa with rhombea.
Redberry stopper is surprisingly uncommon in cultivation. It is a small evergreen tree that grows to a compact 20 feet or so. Or it can be pruned and kept to shrub proportions. It flowers most heavily in spring and summer, producing clusters of small white or cream-colored flowers with yellow stamens. It’s distinguished a bit from the other stoppers by its extremely graceful and arching leaf drip tips, and its beige bark, much rougher than the gray bark of Simpson’s or Spanish stopper.
New leaves emerge reddish, turning green as they mature. True to its name, it produces small round berries, green at first, ripening to red. They naturally attract birds. If you prune the lower branches and encourage the redberry to grow as a tree, it takes up an amazingly small amount of space as its vertical growth is almost columnar. It would also make a perfect screening plant, border shrub or divider for privacy between yards if maintained as a shrub. Its slow-growing nature means you could even grow it in a large pot.
Its adaptability to different light conditions makes this stopper versatile for any yard. While it will grow denser in South Florida’s sunlight, it does perfectly well in shade. In fact, one gorgeous specimen at Fairchild is growing in fairly deep shade, surrounded and shaded by larger trees. Its leaves may grow larger in shady conditions, but it isn’t leggy or struggling for sun. My yard is full of shaded areas with limited horizontal space—redberry stopper is a perfect candidate for such difficult areas.
This native and endangered plant lives naturally in coastal hammocks of South Florida and the West Indies, where it is sometimes called ironwood. But what’s in a name, and why “stopper”?
The usual tale is that the fruit was eaten by Native Americans and early settlers (who also used its dense wood for implements) to “stop” intestinal distress, but I haven’t seen research to support this. One source gave the etymology of its use as a physical barrier, and therefore a “stopper.” We may never know.
Once established, drought-resistant redberry will do well in a variety of well-drained soil types, especially our alkaline soil. Redberry will be available at Fairchild’s Ramble, Nov. 8-10. See it for yourself in the garden in Plot 46, right outside the visitors’ center.
Kenneth Setzer is writer and editor at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden
Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/10/27/3714652/redberry-stopper-is-a-trouble.html#storylink=cpy
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
Sharp’s See-Through Solar Panels Used as Architectural Glass
According to a press release from Sharp, the new panels can be used in a conventional manner mounted on the roof but were primarily designed to be used as protective porch railings or as window glass. The semi-transparent black panels are lacking the metal frame found on typical panels and instead are constructed mainly of laminated glass filled with photovoltaic cells. They are each 4.5 feet wide by 3.2 feet tall and only 0.37 inches thick, which is much thinner than standard panels.
One downside? They have a maximum power output of only 95 watts with around 6.8 percent efficiency, which is far below the 20 percent efficiency being produced on today's modern solar panels. However, while they may not be as efficient (and I'm sure over time the efficiency will improve) they are semi-transparent, and thus can be integrated anywhere glass is used in construction. Sharp hopes to eventually integrate the panels directly with building materials so that any available glass surface can be converted into a power-generating solar panel.
If we could retrofit every high-rise building's standard windows with this solar panel glass, our buildings would each become its own power plant capable of generating at least a percentage of its energy needs. The new panels will be launched in Japan but no word yet on price nor availability dates in the U.S. Let's hope it sooner rather than later.
[Image from CNET]
Thursday, October 24, 2013
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
10 Ways to Attract and Enjoy Birds this Fall
Follow these simple steps to maximize the number and variety of birds living in your yard this autumn
09-07-2010 // NWF Staff
Autumn brings dramatic changes in the bird life of any North American backyard. As many of the feathered residents that visit your yard during summer go south, migrants from regions to the north will pass through. Some will make brief stopovers while others will spend the winter.
You can make the most of this seasonal avian passage by making some adjustments to your property that will attract greater numbers of different birds in the fall—and help them thrive. Consider the following ideas:
1. Provide running water:
The sound of running water in a birdbath or pond will be heard by migrating birds from some distance, and will draw them to the bath for a drink, and possibly a quick dip. Most migrants that visit birdbaths with running water eat insects. These include warblers, vireos, flycatchers, thrushes and thrashers. In addition, the juveniles of summer resident birds are likely to spend more time at the pool before moving to more southern climes.
Tip: Running water can be created in a single pool birdbath by installing an electric mister or bubbler, available from bird supply stores. A small pump will move water in a multiple-tiered birdbath, causing the water to make a splashing noise as it recirculates from top to bottom.
2. Leave sugar water feeders out:
Don’t take down sugar water feeders as soon as local hummingbirds and orioles start leaving in the fall. There are huge numbers of hummingbirds and orioles that have spent the summer farther north; as they migrate through your area, they will recharge themselves at the feeders. And juvenile hummingbirds, the last to abandon nesting grounds, feed on sugar water long after their parents have gone south.
3. Clean out birdhouses:
Early fall is a good time to clean out and make necessary repairs to birdhouses in preparation for hosting species that roost during fall and winter. The old nests usually attract insects and parasites and should be removed before winter residents move in. In many areas, bluebirds, chickadees, nuthatches and winter wrens may take up nightly residence in birdhouses to keep warm and safe.
4. Create brush piles:
Save your fall clippings of branches and twigs and pile them in a corner of the yard (where they will be less intrusive) to create cover for birds. Most birds that prefer habitat on the ground—such as dark-eyed juncos, tree sparrows and white-throated sparrows—will use brush piles for roosting at night and for protection from predators.
Tip: Fallen evergreen trees, placed along the border of the yard, create more cover that will last throughout the winter.
Tip: Fallen evergreen trees, placed along the border of the yard, create more cover that will last throughout the winter.
5. Plant evergreens:
There is no better natural cover for birds in fall and winter than evergreens. Planted near feeders and birdbaths, they will attract migrants and provide cover (and thus increase the safety factor) for many birds after deciduous trees lose their leaves.
6. Increase the number of feeders:
Autumn is a good time to double the number and kinds of feeders you put out for the birds. Starting with the first cool fall days, the consumption of bird food will increase and continue to increase as the average daily temperatures drop.
Tip: To attract the greatest number and variety of birds, provide a variety of seed and suet feeders. Northern cardinals, for example, prefer tray feeders, where they can perch on a ledge, while chickadees are more adept at landing on small perches or clinging to wire netting that surrounds feeders. Other birds, including several species of sparrow, feed on or near the ground, while woodpeckers are drawn to suet hanging from tree trunks.
7. Move the action closer:
One of the main reasons for feeding birds is so that you can enjoy watching their behavior in a natural environment. If you move your bird feeders and birdbaths closer to the house, you can get close to the creatures without disturbing them.
Tip: If there is not enough natural cover just outside the windows, plant some or place potted evergreens around the feeders and baths. The birds will adapt to being close to the house quickly.
8. Provide foods for insect eaters:
Many birds that frequent backyards will not eat seeds, but they will eat insects and fruits. Cedar waxwings, American robins, northern mockingbirds, some woodpeckers, and migrating thrushes, thrashers and tanagers will feed readily on chunks of apples, berries and jellies from containers. Bluebirds, robins, mockingbirds and some woodpeckers will eat live mealworms (available at pet supply stores) served in a tray feeder.
9. Bring bird sounds indoors:
With the arrival of cooler weather, people tend to close their doors and windows, blocking out the pleasant sounds of birds singing, scolding and chattering. If you like those sounds, consider installing a wireless baby monitoring device outside, and send the sounds of nature inside to a well-placed receiver.
10. Protect birds against collisions:
More birds collide with windows during fall than any other season of the year. Often migrating birds that are not familiar with the terrain will see the reflections of a woodland in a windowpane and fly right into it. If the reflection can be removed or muted with soap, netting, screening or by hanging streamers on the outside, the birds will veer away from it.
Tip: Whatever technique you use, do it on the outside of the pane. Pulling drapes inside will enhance the reflection on the outside. Pasting silhouettes of birds of prey, such as hawks and owls, may also help deter flying birds.
Adapted from "Avian-Attractions " by George Harrison, National Wildlife , October/November 2003.
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
16 Surprising Uses for Pencils & Erasers
- Katie Waldeck
- September 14, 2013
Around the House.
1. Ease a New Key into a Lock. Is your new key being stubborn. Rub a pencil eraser along the key’s teeth and the graphite should help ease it in.
2. Repel Moths. Pencil shavings are a great moth deterrent. Keep your sweaters hole-free by placing a small cloth bag filled with pencil shavings in your closet.
3. Boost Phone Quality. Here’s an amazing tip: improve your cordless landline’s call clarity by removing the dust in the phone charger cradle. Use a pencil eraser on the metal squares.
4. Fix a Door. Here’s one the few tips that actually involves writing! To determine where your (wooden) door is stuck, scribble up and down the latch edge. Close and open the door, and check for the areas where the pencil has smudged.
Fashion, Beauty & Health.
5. Use an Eraser as a Makeshift Earring Back. Lost your earring back? Make a replacement with an eraser. As an added bonus, an eraser is easier on your skin than earring backs that contain nickel.
6. Roll Up a Toothpaste Tube. Don’t give up on that nearly-empty tube of toothpaste — roll the tube with a pencil to get every last bit of it.
7. Make a Splint in a Bind. If you’ve fractured a finger far away from a doctor, a pencil and a plastic milk jug can be used in a bind. Just get medical care as soon as you can!
8. Clean a Muddy Shoe. Boots can get muddy, and the million little treads can be a pain to clean. Ease the pain with the help of a pencil, both the eraser end and the sharp end, to get that gunk out.
Cleaning.
9. Remove Sticker Gunk. You don’t need any special cleaners to remove sticker gunk — just rub a pencil eraser along the affected area to remove it.
10. Remove Crayon from Walls. So simple! Use a regular pencil eraser to remove crayon markings from a wall.
11. Get Rid of Scuff Marks on Vinyl Floors. Similarly, erasers work wonders on vinyl floor scuff marks.
12. Clean Keyboards & Cell Phones. Clean your electronics without damaging them with a pencil eraser.
More Great Uses.
13. Mend a Stubborn Zipper. Is there anything more frustrating than a stuck zipper?! Don’t worry, though, it won’t be a problem for long! Use your trusty pencil to solve it — just rub the eraser along the teeth of the zipper and it should lubricate it enough to work again.
14. Check if a Houseplant Needs Watering. Unsure if your houseplant is thirsty? Check how the soil is doing with a pencil.
15. Stop Tilted Picture Frames. Never have a tilted frame again with this clever trick: glue a few small pieces of an eraser to the bottom corners of the back of the frame.
16. Organize Sewing Kit. Safely store pins and needles in your sewing box with an eraser.
Read more: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/16-surprising-uses-for-pencils-erasers.html#ixzz2g6ehLJVL
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