Green Matter

03/08/2025

🗑️🏔️ 💩 🥜🧠 The alarm has been sounded! Be afwaid, be vewy vewy afwaid (in Elmer Fudd's voice)!!! But seriously...

"Microplastics are any piece of plastic smaller than 5 millimeters. In recent years, scientists have found them just about anywhere they’ve looked—from mountaintop clouds to our testicles to a baby’s p**p." ~ Gizmodo

And now our brains too? Wait...what?
👀😳😱🥴

Scientists have found that those god-awful plastic pieces floating around everywhere in the environment are making their way to our brains. Remember those old drug commercials — 🧠 This is your brain; this is your brain on drugs! 🍳 — well, there's a new one on the horizon for sure (🧠 ➡️ 🗑️). Not only that, but the amounts seem to be increasing and even potentially linked to dementia and other disorders throughout the body.

Read the article below for more deets... 😫

👍🏾But here's the key action you can take to protect yourself and your loved ones: 👇🏾

1. Switch from regularly drinking bottled water to filtered tap water. 💦

2. Eat fewer foods commonly made with plastic (like certain tea bags) or known to contain high levels of microplastics (seafood, alcohol, and highly processed foods in general). 🍤🍺

3. Store leftovers in glass or stainless steel containers rather than plastic ones. 🫙

**p

A new commentary highlights the potential health risks of microplastics in our bodies and brains.

01/05/2025

06/16/2024

Ladybird Thistledown is at it again... 😂🤣😂

Dearest gentle readers,

Whilst the enchantment of nature's magnificence is indisputable, one must not overlook the necessity of prudent planning and safety precautions to ensure a delightful and unblemished park vacation.

As you prepare your trunks and bonnets for a grand park tour, do not neglect the essentials: sunscreen to shield your delicate face from the sun's harsh rays, insect repellent to ward off any tiny winged creatures, and a sturdy pair of trusted footwear to traverse the terrain with robust determination.

Let us also remember proper hydration and sustenance. A hamper brimming with delightful provisions and a flask of refreshment (water) will undoubtedly enhance any outdoor pursuits. Oh, dear, behold, a cheeky squirrel, with eyes full of mischief and a belly full of ambition, doth declare itself the rightful heir to our pretzels that are making us thirsty!

No pretzel for you! Speaking of wildlife, let us refrain from challenging the creatures that inhabit these parks. If not our friend, why are they friend shaped? An oft pondered question, but we digress. Do not endeavor to befriend a bear or partake in frivolous games with bison. It will most assuredly result in the bruising of your dignity, along with your back, head, and in all likelihood, every other major limb.

Therefore, as you embark upon your park holiday, remember to tread lightly, adhere to the designated pathways, eschew the temptation of indulging in idle gossip and reviews (share them here instead), and above all….Why that rebellious squirrel hath returned and is deftly grasping at the quill-



We hath wrestled back thine pen and will close with a message of encouragement to savor every moment of your adventure. Blast and confound it all! It appears we are about to be besieged by a horde of furry squirrels! Think kindly of us and wish us swift deliverance from this most unexpected turn.

Yours forever,

Image: National park volunteers in early 19th century dress at Fort McHenry National Monument & Historic Shrine, MD.

06/12/2024

04/14/2024

This is a friendly reminder to always watch where you walk... 🐍

This picture was shared to me by this young lady’s family. I did a sloppy edit to help protect her anonymity. She seems happy, engaging, and she is smiling.

She is also blissfully unaware of the copperhead camouflaged in the leaves literally inches from her feet.

The snake was discovered AFTER the picture was taken.

Thankfully, the girl was not bitten, and we are the recipients of a rather chilling and harrowing picture, but it is one with a happy ending.

The most dangerous snake in the world is not the Inland taipan of Australia; it is not the terciopelo of Latin America; it is not the puff adder of Africa.

The most dangerous snake in the world, quite simply, is the one that bites you. Copperheads are nowhere near as toxic as many other venomous snakes we could mention. But trust me when I say that if you get tagged by one, it will have your full and undivided attention.

Be careful out there, and watch your step!

04/09/2024

Interesting...

The Columbus Zoo collaborated with the Ohio State University for a study to see how zoo animals would respond during the dusk-like conditions in the afternoon.

02/27/2024

Once extinct, now back... 🦋

Atalas are small butterflies with inky black wings that are speckled with iridescent blue spots, and a bright red body.