Chanukah Symbol Chanukah is the story of religious freedom. It is demonstrated through the miracle of oil which burned for eight days despite the fact that the quantity of oil available should have been enough for a single day only. Perhaps it is time that we give some thought to the oil itself that was …
Fall Foliage Entices Tourists Living in the NYC area, we usually enjoy a dramatic fall. The trees are bursting with colors and everywhere you turn there is a feast for the eyes. This year (2021) with unusually warm temperatures and poor rainfall, we were forced to take our own trip up to New Hampshire, in …
Nature is never simple. We have discussed chlorophyll, the chlorophyll containing structures known as chloroplasts, and even animals that have incorporated chloroplasts into their cells. Today, we will move along to other pigments found in plants. Accessory Pigments – Carotenoids & Anthocyanins Carotenoids The carotenoids are divided into two classes based on their chemistry – …
So, just to be clear, chlorophyll powers photosynthesis. Chlorophyll is found in chloroplasts and chloroplasts are found only in plants. Well, not so fast. Nature is always surprising us. A Fascinating sea slug May I present the sea-slug ,Elysia viridis. Elysia viridis – Courtesy of Genet Their green color is really due to chlorophyll located …
Desert environments can be majestic with the bones of the earth on full display. However, after a few days my eyes hunger for the green of grasses and trees. You can read Part I here. The many varieties of chlorophyll The name is derived from the Greek where khloros means “pale green” and phyllon means …
Finally, finally winter seems to have arrived! While I am not yet a snowbird, I try to ride out the cold snug inside my home. A beautiful snowfall can pull me outdoors for a few minutes, but I long for spring and the reawakening of the plant world. Loving that Special green of Spring I …
Fall Foliage can be Subtle By mid-October, we finally drove to New England in search of the fall foliage that just was not arriving in Riverdale. All that changed by mid-November and the neighborhood is dazzling. We have been gifted with beautiful weather, chill but filled with bright and penetrating sunlight. Although we usually talk …
Is This a Modern Day Miracle!? If you want to see Methuselah, he is living on a kibbutz in southern Israel! Isn’t Methuselah the longest lived person named in the Bible at 969 years? And wouldn’t he have died a long time ago? Well, yes. All that is true but on our last trip to …
Verifying the First Experiment It was so exciting to have an ancient seed germinate and grow that Sarah Sallon of the Hadassah Medical Center decided to repeat the experiment. This was done to rule out any flukes with the first experiment that yielded Methuselah. Once again, she asked local archeologists for seeds from their collections …
You Do Not Just Buy a House We moved into our present home almost forty years ago. While the property had lawns front and back, there was little evidence that the previous owners were interested in gardening or landscaping. There were, however, lovely trees, some of which were quite large. In the front, close to …