First frost! Early morning clover. Things I wonder 🤔: Why don’t the veins have frost as well? What does frost do to a plant? Is it heavy? cold? Does it block the light? I’ve moved! Find new posts at @flanaganbio.bsky.social

Pond no-more, at least for now. What do you notice?🤔 Algae shows evidence of recent rain; and hexagonal pattern due to mud shrinking as it dries—same pattern as drying basaltic lava (sometimes seen as basaltic columns!) Where did the animals go?? #NatureBreak

How many layers of bark do you see? 🤔 Clear damage, but the deepest layer is still bark, and still protecting the tree (which is very much alive!) Amazing resilience #NatureBreak

Che libro meraviglioso! I relearned Italian (lived there 2 yrs) to read Il Bar Sotto il Mare—all short stories; each told by a different person who found themselves in “The Bar Under the Sea” July Modern Language focus of #TJReads2023 was the impetus for the challenge!

Weird tree cross-section! The 5 evenly spaced ovals are from branches all at more or less the same height; with their own rings! One image allows determining the age of the tree, the age of the branches, and the position of the branches! #NatureBreak

Keep Frederick cycling safe! Worth 5 min of your time, for both cyclists and drivers, to learn the rules of the road🚴‍♀️

Water’s two sides: its erosive power has been cutting this gorge for thousands of years; and its spray is enabling plant life to grow on the rocks above. It’s strong enough to take away, and gentle enough to provide. #NatureBreak

Pool full of amazing swimmers here in Pgh for the National Senior Games—rooting on Mom, who finished with a bronze and a 4th in her age group! Inspiring to see older athletes (oldest is 97) competing and loving it—lots of energy and enthusiasm! Keep moving/rest is rust😊

Behold the beauty of a daylily! Imagine you are a bee—see the yellow guiding you down to where the yummy nectar is? And, notice the pollen that will soon be all over you? Yeah—the flower knows what it’s doing🤣 #NatureBreak

Whoa—If my ID is correct, this is a dawn redwood! Native to China, related to redwoods out west, it’s a very old species— from Paleocene. Thought extinct, rediscovered in the 40s, now planted as ornamentals. This one is next to the lake—who planted it, and when? 🤔#NatureBreak

TJ Rain garden showing its beauty! Lots of variety, and changes over time, as the season progresses. Fascinating to watch plants transform themselves—how do they do that?🤔#NatureBreak

A sycamore tree trunk with weird bulges! What caused them? And what affect do they have now?🤔 Usually sycamore trunks are quite smoothly shaped; the peeling bark is very typical (with whitish bark underneath). Were the bulges due to former limbs? Damage? Insects?🤷🏻‍♀️ #NatureBreak

Inspiring read—from family planning, maternal and newborn health, child brides, sex workers, inequality in marriage and work—Gates deftly weaves women’s stories to build the case that empowering women lifts everyone; and that empathy is key #TJReads2023

Something has been eating in the TJ rain garden! Plant is probably a weed, but I let it grow as ground cover. And, evidently, as lunch!🤣 I wonder who??🤔Rabbit? deer? 🤷🏻‍♀️ #NatureBreak

Whoa—Pretty big healthy tree, but something happened in its youth to cause this wicked bend! 🤔 Another tree? A rock? A big storm?Some man-made structure? Whatever it was, the only remaining evidence is the tree’s shape now! #NatureBreak

A blaze of color—some petals are darker and some are lighter, on the same plant! Why?🤔 Perhaps age (younger blossoms seem darker), perhaps in response to amount of sunlight…🤷🏻‍♀️ What effect does it have for the plant, or its pollinators?🤔#NatureBreak

Totally agree! I read it a few years ago—excellent perspective on the need for, and value of, introverts.

Amazing trees! A huge, beautiful ginkgo is next to TJ (Rose Hill, along the stone wall). Ginkgos age back to dinosaurs; in fall, they turn a gorgeous yellow. Check it out! Ginkgo Biloba | Environment | fredericknewspost.com fredericknewspost.com/news/e…

TJ custodian “fish whisperer” Melvin gets the honor of releasing classroom bluegills into Culler Lake (Baker Park). Former babies came to see him! Thanks Melvin for fish care on breaks/weekends, from teachers and fish. To the fish, good luck in your new forever home!

Mushrooms! Why are they all in one area and no where else around here??🤔 Until a few years ago there was a beautiful Tulip Poplar tree here; its otherwise unseen remains are still being decomposed! #NatureBreak