Journal archives for March 2019

01 March, 2019

February 2019 Photo-observation of the Month

Congratulations to Michael Blust for winning the February 2019 Vermont Atlas of Life iNaturalist photo-observation of the month. The images of Sharp-shinned Hawk preening in a mulberry tree and then staring into the camera lens garnered the most accolades.

Offering novel insights into mercury’s threat to wildlife, our scientists revealed how the toxin mercury deposited from the atmosphere moves and concentrates across the food chain in forest ecosystems. Near the summit of Stratton Mountain, VCE biologists tracked mercury from tree needles and leaves to insects and spiders to salamanders and songbirds, and in due course to top predators such as hawks and owls. VCE’s work documented generally rising mercury concentrations up the food web — from plants to plant-eaters to carnivores. As might be expected, Sharp-shinned Hawk, at the top of the montane forest food web, showed the highest mercury levels in their blood. From vernal pools to mountain tops, learn more about VCE's studies examining mercury and wildlife.

Visit the Vermont Atlas of Life on iNaturalist where you can vote for the winner this month by clicking ‘fav’ on your favorite photo-observation. Make sure you get outdoors and record the biodiversity around you, then submit your discoveries and you could be a winner!

Posted on 01 March, 2019 14:51 by kpmcfarland kpmcfarland | 0 comments | Leave a comment

Field Guide to March

On Wednesday, March 20th at 5:58 PM EST spring arrives in the north. The spring equinox marks the moment the sun crosses the celestial equator – an imaginary line in the sky above Earth’s equator – from south to north. It is also at spring equinox that people all over the world can see the sun rise exactly due east and set exactly due west. While the sun may be predictable, March weather is not. In fact, March is appropriately named for the Roman god of war, Mars. March is a month of battles between warm and cold, between winter’s refusal to leave and spring’s insistence on coming. So, here are some signs of spring to look out for in this Field Guide to March. https://vtecostudies.org/blog/a-field-guide-to-march-2019/

Posted on 01 March, 2019 21:16 by kpmcfarland kpmcfarland | 0 comments | Leave a comment

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