The Great Lakes of North America are a group of 5 large lakes which include Lake Ontario, Lake Erie, Lake Huron, Lake Michigan and Lake Superior. It is collectively the largest freshwater system on earth. The region includes portions of Northwestern Pennsylvania and Western New York as well as the Canadian Province of Ontario and [...]
Lac insects and their products are in use since ancient times. Lac insects are beneficial for their three valuable products: lac dye, lac wax and lac (resin). All these items are both of trade and commercial value. The first scientific description regarding the lac insect and its economic value was presented by Kerr and Glover [...]
If you are a grandparent who is trying to come up with a child’s gift that is both educational and fun at the same time, what could be better than helping them to connect with the living, breathing, natural world? There are several ecologically-friendly products available on the market that will lure kids away from [...]
Yogi Berra (of New York Yankee fame) is quite the quipster. One of his most profound “Yogisms” is, “You can observe a lot by just watching.” Unfortunately most people don’t do a lot of observing. Yet, the world around us is filled with awe-inspiring sights and natural patterns that beg for us to observe them. [...]
With the great need to protect the environment, and our natural resources the forces are in place for rapid development of products and services to meet these challenges. Together we should explore new opportunities and how we can help save our planet by the education and distribution of cleaner and greener products and solutions. Each [...]
There are many benefits to attracting birds to your yard and garden and when you set up a bird house or two and a couple bird feeders, you will attract some very welcome, feathered visitors. What are these benefits? Well for one, there are some very beautiful bird songs that can delight your ear, not [...]
We are often puzzled and confused while observing winged insects found around our homes and we think whether it’s a termite or not. One common thing is that both the termites and ants may have a swarming stage. But If we look closer there is obviously difference between an ant and a termite. Following are [...]
The symbiotic nitrogen fixing bacterium from legume nodules. Nitrogen fixation is mediated by two microbial systems: free living microbe like the other symbiotic forms like in the former type. The organisms produce thick walls, there by producing a dormant cyst that is resistant to drying and ultraviolet radiations. The latter type establishes a mutually beneficial [...]
The Mpingo tree, also called the African Blackwood, is a member of the Rosewood family that grows in the Miombo woodlands of Africa. It has a high density, great durability, and natural oils that seal the surface of the wood, making it great for musical instruments like the bagpipes. These trees often grow naturally knotted [...]
I live on the eastern slope of the Rocky Mountains: that part of the forested land and all of the old growth pine trees that are being attacked by the pine beetle. Known as Dendroctonus ponderosae, it is a species of bark beetle native to the forests of western North America from Mexico to central [...]