Category: nature

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Check Out the World’s Surprising Variety of Weird and Wonderful Apples

Most of us have eaten the typical apples, such as Granny Smith. If we’re lucky, we may have also had a few other types of apples as well –Honeycrisp has had a major moment the past few years – but most of us have probably not tried as many kinds as writer William Mullan.

That’s because Mullen is researching as many types of apples as he can get his hands on, and getting photographs of them.

He spoke with Atlas Obscura about his fascination with apples, which began when he was a teenager growing up in the UK and grew into a full-blow obsession when he was forced into a dietary change for health reasons. Now he satisfies his sweet-tooth on apples.

So what’s the big deal? We checked out Mullan’s Instagram, and he’s really onto something.

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Thornberry! Tiny cotton candy bubble gum sweetheart created by Northern California heartbreaker hottie fruit breeder Albert Etter. Etter was particularly taken with the rose-pink European apple called “Surprise”, creating more 30 seedlings on his orchard back in the 1920s, in what is now called Ettersberg in Humboldt County, California. “Surprise” was mostly dismissed by fruit growers; it tended to be sour and was considered a novelty. But Etter saw potential, eventually selling his Pink Pearl to the California Nursery Company in the 1940s. Etter passed away 10 years later, in 1950, leaving his experimental orchard largely abandoned. In the 1970s, the Fishman family began evaluating the surviving apple trees, both on the site itself and on nearby orchards, eventually locating fifteen of Etter’s “Surprise” seedlings, including Thornberry, which they discovered in another abandoned orchard about a mile outside of the town called Whitethorn (which is about 10 miles south of Ettersburg). – Thornberry exhibits traits typical of the Etter “Surprise” seedlings. Most pronounced among those is a distinct “berry” aromatic flavor, which can likely be linked to the anthocyanin compound that makes the flesh pink. It’s almost like a dwarf-sized Pink Pearl, sharing the same translucent skin, bubble-gum pink flesh, and a spry, lively tartness of that aforementioned favorite. That said, I found this Thornberry, kindly sent to me by Chad Frick of @vulture_hill, to be much sweeter than Pearl. It reminds me of all my childhood candy shop fantasies condensed into one little apple. Like those memories, my first and only sample of it has been canonized in my brain.

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In addition to taking beautiful photographs of apples from all over the world, Mullan delves deeply into the apples’ histories, discussing how they’re grown, bred, and what they taste like. His descriptions of apples are gorgeously detailed, and he’s sold books and prints of his images.

Mullan also went into detail about how and why only certain apples make it to consumers’ hands at grocery stores. Big agriculture and market demands are the main reasons.

Some apples truly have their own personalities.

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Rubaiyat! Pinot noir speckled juice rock with splashy strawberry watermelon flesh. Rubaiyat (also known as CV. Etter 8-11) is another ultra-rare Albert Etter (maker of Pink Pearl) red flesh breed that has been trademarked by Greenmantle Nursery, who took over his property. It’s one of many red flesh cultivars Etter made while he was alive, including the previously featured Grenadine and Pink Pearl. It’s aroma and flavor reminds of Ribena, for all you UK folk out there; for all those who haven’t experienced Ribena, think juice box berry (although Ribena comes in plastic). You’re not likely to come across Rubaiyat at a market (Greenmantle forbids growers from selling it), but if you’re lucky, you might meet a friendly orchardist who has it. It’s a shame, because Rubaiyat is delicious and has seemingly good keeping qualities. Side note: Young Albert Etter was hot. Google him. A beautiful man who made beautiful fruit. I got this Rubaiyat courtesy of the nice folks at @redbrydcider ?

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Other apples are works of art that stand on their own.

Farmers have avoided certain types of apples because they are more likely to pick up diseases, they come from trees that naturally produce fewer apples, or they have fragile skin.

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Hi! Can you see this trio of fantastic galactic Black Oxford apples? Are you excited for Pomme SZN? Word is that some posts aren’t showing up on the feed. If you would like to see more #PommeCon, plz comment below and the algorithm will love me. A lot of nice folks have DM’ed me for prints and I will be releasing those on IG in the late summer, so if you want to be notified, like, tap, comment, etc etc etc ??❤?. – On these Maleficent orbs… Black Oxford apples are little soft tannin bombs wrapped in a haunting chic purple-black plum coat. They yield sweet corn and vanilla with time. The Michelle Pfeiffer as Selina Kyle of Apples (post tragic-transformation scene). They’re also known as July Apples because word is they can be kept till July! A Maine native and a favorite of mine. I got very lucky with these very black ones from @scottfarmvt last szn; usually they’re more purple.

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Mullan’s interest has garnered him a steady following. Thanks to his research and photographic work, we get to be exposed to beautiful varieties of apples from all over the world. Click here to check out more of his photographs.

What do you think of Mullan’s work and efforts to introduce the world to more apples? Feel free to comment below so we can read your opinion!

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These Encouraging Photos Show How the Fire-Ravaged Australian Bush Is Already Coming Back

As fires continue to ravage Australia, two photographers on the New South Wales Central Coast have taken some hopeful images of rejuvenation.

Ventured out into the fire grounds today to capture some images of how the Aussie bush responds to fire, and the way it…

Posted by Murray Lowe on Monday, January 6, 2020

Mary Voorwinde and a friend saw how one ravaged area was already showing signs of new growth in Kulnura, New South Wales.

Fires came within miles of Voorwinde’s own Central Coast home, so the discovery inspired her to take her camera into the woods where she took some fantastic images of flowers growing around burnt tree trunks. Then she shared the images to show her fellow Australians and others that new life had arrived.

Another photographer, Murray Lowe, also saw young flowers and plants emerging through the char. He posted his shots on Facebook, to the amazement of tens of thousands of users. “Life bursts forth after the fires…,” he wrote.

Nature at it's best after a severe scorching …….. Image No 2

Posted by Murray Lowe on Tuesday, January 7, 2020

His photos have been liked more than 28,000 times with over 6,000 shares. Just when things seem so bleak, colors come back to brighten the scene.

“Nature at it’s best after a severe scorching…”

So many commented too, joyful at seeing such pretty flowers. “Amazing,” people wrote.

Posted by Murray Lowe on Friday, January 10, 2020

These areas were likely among the first to burn so regrowth at this point is entirely possible. Unfortunately, fires are still burning and destroying forestland, and though greenery may grow back, animals killed in the flames will never come back. And for species that are already vulnerable, this may be the final straw. We just don’t know.

But we can see a little bit of the future – and it certainly looking green.

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Helicopters Are Dropping Vegetables for Animals That Have Survived the Tragic Australian Fires

The bushfires in Australia continue to burn large swaths of the country and kill millions of animals, but the Australian people haven’t given up hope yet. They’re still doing absolutely everything they can to help – not just for their fellow humans, but for the animals that have survived the devastating fires, as well.

Our hearts are aching. Aching for this beautiful country we are watching turn to ash before our eyes. For the people…

Posted by Animals Australia on Thursday, January 2, 2020

One effect of the fires is that, even if animals do survive, they often don’t have any access to food because their normal forage is all burnt up. The government of New South Wales has decided to take an innovative measure to assist their starving wildlife. ‘Operation Rock Wallaby’, which is led by the New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service, is dropping literal tons of carrots and sweet potatoes from helicopters to help feed herbivorous animals struggling to survive in areas affected by the fires.

Energy and Environment Minister Matt Kean said, “The wallabies typically survive the fire itself, but are then left stranded with limited natural food as the fire takes out the vegetation around their rocky habitat. The wallabies were already under stress from the ongoing drought, making survival challenging for the wallabies without assistance.”

The food drops are scheduled to continue until the natural habitats of these animals once again regain the moisture and nutrients to sustain life. So far, they have dropped nearly 5,000 pounds of food to the animals.

Please click on THIS LINK to learn about how you can help out during this terrible tragedy. It will only take you a minute, please get involved!

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Watch Out! Tree Snakes in Australia Can Actually Jump.

Australia is full of terrifying creatures that you would never want to run into on a pleasant walk through the woods. Spiders and crocodiles and dingos, oh my.

Well, now you can add jumping snakes to the list.

Yes, you read that correctly. Australian tree snakes belonging to the Dendrelaphis genus can JUMP from tree to tree, flying through the air like winged serpents from mythology…or something like that.

A Ph.D. candidate named Michelle Graham from Virginia Tech University saw some footage of jumping tree snakes in Australia and set out for Down Under to do some research. Graham set up a kind of obstacle course for the snakes up in the trees using PVC pipe and tree branches. She then observed the snakes slithering and jumping through the trees from branch to branch.

Next, Graham plans to study why the Australian snakes feel the need to propel themselves through the air. Two scientific papers that are set to come out in 2020 will hopefully shed some light on that subject.

One good thing about this species: they’re not venomous. Whew! Still, I would not, under any circumstances, want one of these snakes leaping from a tree and onto my head or my back…or even into my path, to be honest. Ugh!

Let’s go to the video, shall we? This video shows a Dendrelaphis pictus, in case you were wondering.

Yikes! No, thank you!

Do you have a fear of snakes? Or of any other animals?

Tell us about it in the comments!

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Research Shows That Underwater Speakers Can Help Revive Dying Coral Reefs

Dying coral reefs have been a problem for years now, and scientists have struggled to figure out ways to revive struggling reef ecosystems. But a recent study published in the journal Nature Communications has given scientists (and everyone, really) newfound hope about this critically important issue.

The study found that playing sounds on underwater speakers could entice fish to come to dying reefs. The sounds being played on these speakers aren’t pop music, to be clear. Rather, they mimic the sounds of a healthy reef. Researchers found that when a loudspeaker played the sounds of a healthy reef, double the number of fish came by, and 50% more fish species visited compared to dead coral reef areas without any artificial sounds.

The experiment lasted 40 days, and the species of fish that flocked to the coral with the loudspeakers were very diverse. This is valuable because fish clean reefs of choking algae and help make space for new coral to grow. While this certainly isn’t the only ingredient in reviving dying coral reefs, it definitely can help reefs begin to recover. And diverse fish species bring different functions to coral reefs, which further helps recovery.

Andy Radford, a co-author of the study, said, “If combined with habitat restoration and other conservation measures, rebuilding fish communities in this manner might accelerate ecosystem recovery.”

Coral Reef, Florida

There are many factors that cause a cause reef to suffer or die. In the Florida Keys, sewage and fertilizer runoff has led to nitrogen enrichment in areas with coral reefs, killing corals. Rising ocean temperatures kill coral as well – around 50% of Australia’s famous Great Barrier Reef has been bleached to death because of high oceanic temperature caused by climate change. Though, on a positive note, it looks like some corals are becoming more resistant to increasing temperatures in the water.

Let’s hope that research and ACTION continues to develop for this very important cause. We only have one Earth, let’s take care of it!

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This Fun Illustrated Periodic Table Shows How We Interact with the Elements

Most of us had to memorize the periodic table in school (or at least I did). But did our ability to recite the elements really help us understand how each functions in our day-to-day lives?

No, not really. I mean, who knows what boron is used for?

Well, now there’s a chart for that.

This very cool and colorful graphic gives you a picture reference for each element that demonstrates how you might see it in your day-to-day surroundings. The atomic numbers of the elements and their material states are also noted.

Boeing software engineer Keith Enevoldsen is the genius behind The Periodic Table of Elements, in Pictures and Words. It’s meant to help students visualize the elements, which can assist with the tedious task of memorizing the chart.

But adults are sure to find this information fascinating too.

So boron is in sports equipment. Who knew?

Imagine being able to tell people at the bar that they’re being exposed to tantalum as they are checking their Snapchats on their cell phones. Most of us know what arsenic is, represented by a jar of poison. But what about finding gallium in LEDs? Or, krypton in flashlights?

Who knows that besides science people?

If you like it, the chart is available to buy as a poster, so you can grab one for yourself. And if you know a student or have an element-loving person in your life, a poster or the corresponding flashcards would make a great gift.

Or, at least a helpful gift.

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This Dog Is in Charge of Finding Koalas That Have Survived Australia’s Bushfires

It’s devastating to watch scenes of scorched, singed, and confused koala bears as the bushfires continue to rage throughout Australia. The fires have destroyed land and homes in New South Wales and Queensland but have also tragically taken a huge toll on the koala population in the country.

Because koala habitat is being destroyed in such huge acreage in the blazes, teams are venturing into the burned areas to try to find and rescue koala bears.

One of the most important team members in these searches is a dog – who we can genuinely call a hero – named Bear.

Posted by Queensland Koala Crusaders on Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Bear is a koala detection dog who has been dispatched to Queensland to help find unfortunate little creatures that have been affected by the fires.

The International Fund for Animal Welfare said on its Facebook page,

“Our koala detection dog Bear is bringing a glimmer of hope for koalas suffering from Australia’s deadly bushfires—but these animals need more heroes to save them from this ongoing disaster. Our koala detection dog Bear is an integral part of these rescue efforts. He was recently deployed to southeast Queensland and one of the hardest-hit areas of New South Wales where the bushfires decimated local koala populations. Bear is one of the few detection dogs who can locate live koalas through the scent of their fur.”

Bear is now 6 years old, and he’s obviously found his calling in life.

You can help out by donating to this nonprofit fundraiser HERE.

Sadly, it seems that, in New South Wales at least, some koala populations are being pushed to the brink of extinction due to the fires.

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Do You Have Cockroaches in Your House? Keep Them Away Using Peppermint Oil.

This sounds gross, but there are cockroaches all of the place where I live. Huge, nasty bugs that move a million miles an hour and (obviously) have no regard for my personal space. I live in North Carolina, and when I first relocated here, I was shocked at how many there were (people here misleadingly call them “Palmetto bugs”), but now I guess I’ve gotten used to it.

If you’re in the same boat as me (and you probably are if you live in certain parts of the country), here’s a home remedy you should consider to keep those pesky bugs out of your house and out of your life, especially if you prefer to use non-toxic products.

Researchers from Auburn University released a study that shows that a mix of peppermint oil and white vinegar will keep roaches (and spiders) away.

Here’s what you should do: put 10 drops of peppermint oil into a spray bottle along with two parts water and one part white vinegar. Spray the mixture around your cupboards, along your baseboards, under your sink, near door entrances, and anywhere else you think roaches might be lurking. This will not kill the roaches, but it will keep them away from the sprayed areas—and hopefully out of your hair (sometimes literally).

Another tip: you can also use peppermint oil by itself to wipe down countertops.

Give this a shot and see how it works for you—I know I’m going to. If you’re not seeing any improvement, it might be time to call in an exterminator.

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Ireland Plans on Planting 440 Million Trees to Help Fight Climate Change

Climate change is altering the world. Some of these changes we can anticipate, but others we are learning about in real time. And even though everyone who’s examined the evidence knows that climate change is occurring and that it is bad, some nations are sitting idly by and acting like their hands are tied.

Others are fighting for the future.

That is exactly what the country of Ireland is trying to do. Over the next 22 years, Ireland has committed to planting 22 million trees each year, totaling to 440 million trees by the year 2040.

Many believe that “revegetating” the natural environment can help to reduce carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere. The tree-planting initiative is part of the Irish government’s overall plan to combat climate change, which involves getting to carbon neutral by 2050.

The plan calls for farmers to plant trees, and they will be incentivized for doing so. It’s a bit tricky: some argue that farmers should not be required to plant trees on their own land because it will take away property from their economic crops and cattle. Others have suggested that farmers let land revegetate on its own, so forests can develop naturally.

While there would be greater species diversity if a forest naturally revegetated, it would also take longer for trees to mature that way.

It’s estimated that there are about 3 trillion trees on Earth and that roughly 15 billion are cut down every year by humans.

The action plan from the Irish government says:

“Taking decisive action to confront climate disruption will be a major challenge to every dimension of our society, but the benefits are huge – warmer homes, cleaner air, a sustainable use of the world’s scarce resources, more connected communities, authentic values, and quality jobs in enterprises which can compete in a decarbonised world. This is everyone’s journey. From Government to businesses, communities to householders, climate action is collective action. The Climate Action Plan sets out the Government agenda; see what you can do to play your part.”

If Ireland can do it, it seems like the United States could manage the same, don’t you think?

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A Fisherman Caught a Strange, Alien-Like Fish off the Coast of Norway

A young man named Oscar Lundahl was working on a fishing boat recently when he got the catch—and the surprise—of a lifetime. He was reeling in his catch when he noticed something very unusual on the end of his line: an alien-like fish with bulbous eyes that looked like something from a science-fiction movie.

The weird creature is actually called a ratfish. It is a 300-million-year-old relative of the shark that lives in very deep water and is rarely ever caught. Their eyes are so enormous to help them see in the dark, deep depths where they roam.

Lundahl, who is 19 years old and works for Nordic Sea Angling in Sweden, was fishing for halibut off the island of Andoya in northern Norway when he reeled in the ratfish in 2,600-feet deep waters.

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A day at work!

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The young fisherman described his experience:

“We were looking for blue halibut which is a rare species about five miles (8km) off shore. I had four hooks on one line and felt something quite big on the end of it. It took me about 30 minutes to reel it in because it was 800 metres deep. There were two halibut on two of the hooks and I was really happy about that and then I saw there was something else. It was pretty amazing. I have never seen anything like it before. It just looked weird, a bit dinosaur-like. I didn’t know what it was but my colleague did.”

Lundahl ended up eating the ratfish because the creature did not survive the pressure change when it was reeled in. He said, “It is a bit like cod but tastier.”

I’ll take his word for it.

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