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--Boundary_(ID_Yv+uCtfH8zsi1dEOl6OXlw) Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; delsp=yes; format=flowed Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT SEPT. 29, 2009 - This morning at or near my feeders were the chipmunk again (and no Norway rat, thank g..., plus 3 different cardinals (at least 2 juveniles), 3 flickers together, a single starling, at least 6 blue jays again, 3+ mourning doves, a cock pheasant, a few song sparrows, no white-throated sparrows. The Autumn colour-changes are progressing nicely right now, and today on Maritime Noon's call-in on "Science in everyday life", Mary Anne White and Richard Wassersug gave a very interesting discussion of the chemistry and pigments involved and the functional reasons and mysteries about the various colours and changes. Particularly the red pigments, which are manufactured by the plants in the Autumn (unlike the greens, yellows, oranges, which are present through the growing season), are somewhat biologically mysterious as to their functions. Apparently the red is somewhat protective for some plants (protective from what?). And possibly part of the protective function is by being a warning colour, aimed particularly at aphids, as a signal that the plant will taste bad? in the Spring when the growing season begins and aphids then will try to drink their sap. Now I'll have to ask Richard Wassersug if I got this right today from the radio?! Richard and Mary Anne also said chlorophyll is an expensive pigment to manufacture, and therefore at the end of the growing season they break it down and send the breakdown constituent chemicals into the roots for the winter, leaving behind the yellows and oranges that were there all along. I guess the latter two pigments are easier to make anew in Spring? But then the red pigments, anthocenes? (e.g. anthocyanin?), are made just in the Autumn. I invite comments/corrections on the ongoing colour-changes. Another very interesting nat. hist. tidbit made it onto the call-in show when someone reported a 20-cm. red-bellied snake in his basement. Richard, who is an expert on herptiles (especially tadpoles), told us all that this snake was probably seeking out some place that was damp and below the frost line where it could overwinter. He went on to say that red-bellied snakes prey extensively on red-backed salamanders (both of them can be found under logs and in other hidden places). And the red-backed salamander can defensively lose its tail like many lizards do, so that apparently the stomach contents of studied red-bellied snakes are biased toward just the tails of the salamanders, which can then escape and possibly survive to grow new-but-smaller tails and then perhaps get found again by a snake? Cheers from Jim in Wolfville Jim (James W.) Wolford 91 Wickwire Ave. Wolfville, Nova Scotia, Canada B4P 1W3 phone 902-542-9204 e-mail <jimwolford@eastlink.ca> "In wildness is the preservation of the world" -- Henry David Thoreau --Boundary_(ID_Yv+uCtfH8zsi1dEOl6OXlw) Content-type: text/html; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: quoted-printable <html><body style=3D"word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; = -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; = margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font = face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"3" style=3D"font: 12.0px Helvetica"><b>SEPT. = 29, 2009</b> - This morning at or near my feeders were the = <b>chipmunk</b> again (and no Norway rat, thank g..., plus 3 different = <b>cardinals </b>(at least 2 juveniles), 3 <b>flickers</b> together, a = single starling, at least 6 blue jays again, 3+ mourning doves, a cock = pheasant, a few song sparrows, no white-throated = sparrows.</font></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; = margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal = 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; "><br></div><div = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; "><font face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"3" style=3D"font: = 12.0px Helvetica">The <b>Autumn colour-changes</b> are progressing = nicely right now, and today on <b>Maritime Noon's call-in</b> on = "Science in everyday life", Mary Anne White and Richard Wassersug gave a = very interesting discussion of the chemistry and pigments involved and = the functional reasons and mysteries about the various colours and = changes. Particularly the red pigments, which are manufactured by = the plants in the Autumn (unlike the greens, yellows, oranges, which are = present through the growing season), are somewhat biologically = mysterious as to their functions. Apparently the red is somewhat = protective for some plants (protective from what?). And possibly = part of the protective function is by being a warning colour, aimed = particularly at aphids, as a signal that the plant will taste bad? in = the Spring when the growing season begins and aphids then will try to = drink their sap. Now I'll have to ask Richard Wassersug if I got = this right today from the radio?! Richard and Mary Anne also said = chlorophyll is an expensive pigment to manufacture, and therefore at the = end of the growing season they break it down and send the breakdown = constituent chemicals into the roots for the winter, leaving behind the = yellows and oranges that were there all along. I guess the latter = two pigments are easier to make anew in Spring? But then the red = pigments, anthocenes? (e.g. anthocyanin?), are made just in the = Autumn.</font></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; = margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><br></div><div = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; ">I invite comments/corrections on the ongoing = colour-changes.</div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; = margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><br></div><div = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; "><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; = margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face=3D"Helvetica" = size=3D"3" style=3D"font: 12.0px Helvetica">Another very interesting = nat. hist. tidbit made it onto the call-in show when someone reported a = 20-cm. <b>red-bellied snake</b> in his basement. Richard, who is = an expert on herptiles (especially tadpoles), told us all that this = snake was probably seeking out some place that was damp and below the = frost line where it could overwinter. He went on to say that = <b>red-bellied snakes prey extensively on red-backed salamanders = </b>(both of them can be found under logs and in other hidden places). = And the red-backed <b>salamander can defensively lose its tail</b> = like many lizards do, so that apparently the stomach contents of studied = red-bellied snakes are biased toward just the tails of the salamanders, = which can then escape and possibly survive to grow new-but-smaller tails = and then perhaps get found again by a snake?</font></div></div><div = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; "><br></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; = margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><div = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; "><font face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"3" style=3D"font: = 12.0px Helvetica">Cheers from Jim in Wolfville</font></div><div = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; = min-height: 14px; "><br></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; = margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font = face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"3" style=3D"font: 12.0px Helvetica">Jim = (James W.) Wolford</font></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; = margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font = face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"3" style=3D"font: 12.0px Helvetica">91 = Wickwire Ave.</font></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: = 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face=3D"Helvetica" = size=3D"3" style=3D"font: 12.0px Helvetica">Wolfville, Nova Scotia, = Canada</font></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; = margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face=3D"Helvetica" = size=3D"3" style=3D"font: 12.0px Helvetica">B4P 1W3</font></div><div = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; = min-height: 14px; "><br></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; = margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font = face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"3" style=3D"font: 12.0px Helvetica">phone = 902-542-9204</font></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: = 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face=3D"Helvetica" = size=3D"3" style=3D"font: 12.0px Helvetica">e-mail <<a = href=3D"mailto:jimwolford@eastlink.ca">jimwolford@eastlink.ca</a>></fon= t></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: = 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; = min-height: 14px; "><br></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; = margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font = face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"3" style=3D"font: 12.0px Helvetica">"In = wildness is the preservation of the world" -- Henry David = Thoreau</font></div><div><br></div></div><div><br></div> </body></html>= --Boundary_(ID_Yv+uCtfH8zsi1dEOl6OXlw)--
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