Hordes

Grasshoppers are regular summer visitors and a perennial crop-eating pest for farmers, but this year's invasion in Tooele County west of Salt Lake City is worse than anyone can remember.

- AP/azcentral (link here)

But still not quite like the good old days when there were hordes of locusts.

Great Lakes Wolves

Pending court approval, gray wolves in Minnesota will return to their previous "threatened species" status, while the gray wolf populations in Wisconsin and Michigan will go back on the endangered species list.

- Star Tribune (link here)

Big Cat

Weeks after a reported lion sighting in north Georgia, a Jackson County woman says her horse was killed by a big cat.

- Atlanta Journal-Constitution (link here)

Maybe.

Ghosts of the Forest

(Thanks to my brother for calling my attention to this one.)

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/video/flv/generic.html?s=inwi10s22a3q81f

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/White-Deer/Jeff-Richter/e/9780974188317

Underwater locusts

Lionfish, likened by scientists to underwater locusts, have been found to the south off Key Largo, to the north off Fort Lauderdale and to the east from Bimini to Cat Cay.

- Miami Herald (link here)

Black Bears

Every state in the Southeast is seeing growing black bear populations, Hammond said. The population growth is due to decreased poaching as well as the increase in “non-natural” food sources such as garbage, bird food and pet food.

- Atlanta Journal-Constitution (link here)

Life finds a way.

Wolverine in Colorado

A solo wolverine, perhaps in search of a mate, has traveled more than 500 miles to northern Colorado, the first confirmed sighting of the species here since 1919.

- Denver Post (link here)

It would be such a thrill to see a wolverine in the wild.

Cephalopods can hear

(Thanks to Elizabeth for calling my attention to this story.)

The discovery resolves a century-long debate over whether cephalopods, the group of sea creatures that includes octopus, squid, cuttlefish and nautiluses, can hear sounds underwater.

- Earth News, BBC (link here)

Fossilized fingers

The hands of a newly discovered dinosaur species provide fresh support for the notion that birds are closely related to dinosaurs, researchers say.

- Science News (link here)

Flies are people too?

The group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals wants the flyswatter in chief to try taking a more humane attitude the next time he's bedeviled by a fly in the White House.

- AP/ajc (link here)

Pathetic.

Live rocks

Law enforcement officers in the Florida Keys are investigating a $1 million underwater heist -- of rocks.

- Miami Herald (link here)

They were "live rocks" covered with coral, sponges, etc.

Origins of life

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/16/science/16orig.html?_r=1&th&emc=th

Interesting article on prebiotic chemistry.

Blueberries, or lack thereof

Southeast Georgia’s blueberry crop has taken a double jolt from the weather, ruining most of the crop.

- AP/ajc (link here)

Makes it difficult for us blueberry lovers. We might have to eat Michigan berries instead.

Let this be a lesson to me

Let this be a lesson to me that, even though Blogger tells me my blog is locked, it is not actually locked.

This is only a test

Testing to see if I can post even though the dashboard says that I cannot post.

On the State of Fish

In 1994, I published my first book, “Fish: The Complete Guide to Buying and Cooking.” The premise was straightforward: if you buy fish fresh and cook it simply, you’ll eat well.

- Mark Bittman, NY Times (link here)

Very interesting article on how the fish marketplace has changed since he published his book.

Let them eat snake

Cinafa'y feclat not only packs more menu appeal than ''hot roasted python,'' it offers a culinary solution to the infestation of giant snakes threatening to overrun, or rather over-slither, South Florida.

- Fred Grimm, Miami Herald (link here)

We could use a similar solution for garlic mustard in Wisconsin.