Bolts of lightning melt sand and forms glass ⇨ Fulgurites

Glass from a lightning bolt in the sky: FULGURITES

Fulgurites @ home
When lightning strikes sandy ground, the sand is molten to form a hollow tube called a fulgurite. I always wanted to find one, but as you can imagine, chances are very low.

But wait a minute - I can make my own lightning! Well, I don't have a surge generator able to produce voltage and energy suitable for melting sand, but using my 4 MOT power supply I can draw a hot arc...

Image by ficusdesk via Flickr

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How to start backyard beekeeping - Houston Chronicle

Backyard beekeeping is easy - Houston Chronicle:

Backyard beekeeping is fun and not difficult, but planning is important. It takes about four weeks to get a hive up and running, Burger says.

Order the queen and workers in fall for delivery in spring, the beginning of the bee season. "You want gentle bees," he says. He recommends buckfast, a race developed in England. "I have lots of garden tours, and I've yet to have anyone stung," he says. "It's a one-shot deal. Since bees die after stinging, they don't want to sting. I let bees walk on my finger."

Order beekeeping equipment. You'll need a box or hive plus a veiled hat and gloves. Burger also recommends a smoker, a stainless steel device that emits smoke to calm bees.

He estimates startup costs at $250-$300, plus $80-$120 for the bees, depending on the time of year ordered.

Queen Bee Honey Jar

 

Wildflower 7 Honey Jar Labels

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world record horse conch: Sanibel man's book chronicles lifetime of collecting gifts from the sea | The News-Press | news-press.com

Island treasure: Sanibel man's book chronicles lifetime of collecting gifts from the sea | The News-Press | news-press.com:

"Not all of his treasures came from far-flung places; Hanley found the world record horse conch while diving right here in Florida. But instead of selling it to an eager collector, Hanley placed the shell, Florida's state mollusk, on permanent display at the Bailey-Matthews museum."

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Butterfly Patterns: International photographs | RedGage

Colorful Lepidoptera on RedGage: Butterflies and Moths

Interesting colors Interesting colors

The monarch butterfly is common in the northeastern United States. Looking through the images at RedGage reveals hundreds of unique, rare and beautiful species. See a sample of butterfly and moth pictures from an international group of photographers.

"A collection of butterflies and moths from many authors on RedGage, representing butterfly species from all over the world."

Spotted lepidoptera Spotted lepidoptera

More great photographs

See more at www.redgage.com

Pink wildflowers at the botanic garden (Winged Loosestrife)

Photo:  pink winged loosestrife wildflower (lythrum alatum)

A sample of several images of flowers and butterflies in a photographic tour of the Botanical Garden which opened in 2008 at the Snug Harbor Cultural Center.  Five or six different types of gardens, with hot house flowers and demonstration gardens and a children's museum.


Diagram of the buildings at the Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Garden

See this Amp at http://j.mp/oeuyip

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Collecting: 200,000 bugs for ever person on the planet | The Columbian

Bugs in our backyard | The Columbian:

Photo by Troy Wayrynen / The Columbian

Tiger moths have vibrant colors and are common in Clark County.
They like to feed on weedy plants like dandelions.

"Sondergaard’s fascination with bugs ranges far beyond the standard bees and mosquitoes flying through Clark County’s neighborhoods.

His interest helped him get jobs as a technician for the Ridgefield Wildlife Refuge, the Bureau of Land Management and the Department of Fish and Wildlife. He’s currently unemployed, and is still considered an amateur collector and not an entomologist because he doesn’t work in academia.

“He’s one of the most impressive collectors and amateur naturalists I’ve seen,” Campbell said of Sondergaard. What fascinates Sondergaard most about the tiny — and not so tiny — creatures is that there are just so many of them to learn about and categorize.

“It’s easy to find something new,” he said. “You just grab a net, sweep through the grass and you find all sorts of species that you’ve never seen before.”"

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Attracting butterflies to the garden | RedGage

Attracting butterflies to the garden | RedGage


What a pleasant surprise to find the extensive flower display at the Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Garden simply crowded with butterflies in the early weeks of July. What started as a quick bike ride through the 83-acres of this Landmark District turned into a four hour exploration of several different types of very well-maintained botanic gardens."

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PooPooPaper.com makes "super clean" elephant dung into Environmentally Friendly Gifts & Recycled Paper

Environmentally Friendly Gifts | Environmental Gifts | Recycled Paper

We collect naturally dried elephant dung from elephant conservation parks and bring it back to our paper-making factory. We then pre-rinse the elephant dung with water, leaving only the fibrous materials from the grasses, bamboo & fruits they've eaten. Afterwards, we place the fibers into a giant pot of boiling water to ensure the fibers are super clean. After this thorough cleaning, any color that we may want to add can be added. Natural fibers from banana trees & pineapples are added to the dung mixture so the paper will be thicker & stronger.

"We're Number One At Number Two! ™"

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Fossil collector donates life’s work to Florida Museum of Natural History | University of Florida News #Paleontology

University of Florida News – Fossil collector donates life’s work to Florida Museum of Natural History:

"world’s second-largest collection of Florida vertebrate fossils. The museum will honor Lake Wales resident John Waldrop for the donation of his collection during the fourth annual meeting of the Southeastern Association of Vertebrate Paleontology at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Paramount Plaza Hotel in Gainesville."

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Living Jewelry: coral, pearls, horn, and ivory 2011 @springshownyc Lecture Series #Squidoo

2011 Spring Show Lecture Series:

"From Georgian and Victorian jewelry through contemporary design and from every great jeweler, some of the most dazzling and imaginative jewelry has been created using such living materials as coral, pearls, horn, and ivory."

Friday, April 29 - 11:30 am

Ruth Peltason, author of Living Jewels, among other titles, is the founder of Bespoke Books, a boutique editorial and design firm in New York.

---

3:00 pm
Decorating with Antiques for Today

Mario Buatta, the ebullient internationally acclaimed interior designer, will discuss how to successfully blend antiques with contemporary furnishings.

6 - 7 pm
Buddhist Art as Evolutionary Technique

Dr. Robert Thurman is one of the world’s leading experts on Tibetan Buddhism, the founder of Tibet House... He was the first American ordained as a Tibetan monk and Time magazine named him one of the 25 Most Influential People in America.


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California’s Scenic Pacific Coast Highway 1 to Reopen Today: April 21, 2011 Carmel to San Luis Obispo

California’s Scenic Highway 1 to Reopen April 21, 2011 – American Banking News:

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For adventurers, Big Sur packs in hundreds of miles of hiking terrain, resident wild animals and all things oceanic. Its seamless blend of rustic yet revered lands have made “El Sur Grande” home to a long list of artists, poets and craftspeople since the area was first settled in the 1870s. For nature and auto enthusiasts, the trek through Big Sur is a rite of passage. Strike out southbound from Carmel and let the seduction begin.

Attractions: Point Lobos State Reserve, Bixby Creek Bridge, Point Sur Lighthouse Station, Pfeiffer Beach, Nepenthe Restaurant, Henry Miller Memorial Library, McWay Falls, Esalen Institute, Limekiln State Park, Jade Cove, and Whale Watching.

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Image via Wikipedia

Image via Wikipedia

Taxidermy: Collect mounted animals from South African Safari | jacksonville.com

A Collect Calling: John Shadd's life is a zoo - sort of | jacksonville.com:

Back   Photo: 1 of 8  Next

Jon M. Fletcher/The Times-Union

John L. Shadd began collecting mounted animals after going on a South African safari in 1994. His menagerie now includes a giraffe (left) and full-size ostrich (right).

"Shadd, a lifelong resident of Union County, has collected mounted animals since taking a South African safari in 1994. Amassing the collection, easily more than 100 mounted specimens, has led to hunts throughout the United States and Canada, including a trip by single-engine plane above the Arctic Circle to bring home a moose.

Shadd has acquired other animals through taxidermy auctions around the country."

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New grasshopper species found + grasshopper news stories | The Clinton News

New grasshopper species found | clintonnews.com | The Clinton News:

 "a July 2009 expedition to catalog the insect life in the unique glades of the Cedars of Lebanon State Park in Tennessee.

'Literally, the first specimen I collected was a new species,' Hill said. 'When I saw it, I knew that it was something good. I've seen a lot of grasshoppers, and it didn't look like any I'd seen before.'

He gave the grasshopper the scientific name Melanoplus ingrami, honoring Wayne 'Buddy' Ingram, an interpretive officer and naturalist at the Cedars of Lebanon State Park."

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Plant hunter searches the world for new specimens + more plant hunter stories

Plant hunter searches the world for new specimens

"Even as a child, Avent, now 53, spent most of his time hiking through woods, studying local wildflowers and collecting odd forms of plants. At age 6, he started ordering plants by mail, never realizing he would someday ship plants to people with the same passion."

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