Jack’s Walk

Jack and I found a few rare white and green trilliums today. The green tint on the blooms is caused by a mycoplasma infection that will eventually stop the plant from reproducing. They occur in a few areas around Ontario, including our favourite forest trail where they’re a common sight.

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U Is For Uranium and Urgeiriça.

Urgeiriça is a Portuguese village known for having been the center of the country’s biggest uranium mining complex. The first mine opened in 1913, the last closed in 2001, radioactive management throughout was always very poor to nonexistent. The environmental and human health impacts were huge and are still being dealt with, there are still people living in contaminated homes, former workers and their families waiting for compensations for occupational diseases (needless to say, that’s mostly cancer). Environmental rehabilitation is being done, slowly. Here is shown a phytoremediation plant at the mine of Cunha Baixa, in which buoyant plant mats are being used to clear contaminated waters. In the second photo you can see a close up of those heavy-metal-loving plants, they take up the heavy metals (including uranium) from the water and accumulate them in the leaves, clearing the water.

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Jack’s Walk

It’s a sunny, warm day here and Jack felt like stopping to take a rest. He really isn’t fond of warm weather and right now he’s still wearing most of his winter coat so he heats up quickly. I think with weather like this, though, the annual shed is about to begin. It’s a laborious undertaking for both of us with hair that comes out in handfuls and more handfuls. You can brush him until your arms ache and still more hair comes.  It’s a tsunami of hair and there is just no way to stay on top of it. Let the vacuuming begin…

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