Category Archives: Nature

Dragon Run in a Kayak

Posted on May 19, 2016 by Roger Gosden

Ever dreamt of returning to another era for casting your eyes on celebrities and moments when history was made, but not staying long enough to be risky? Everyone has their favorites, and one of mine is to join Captain John … Continue reading →

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Ghost of the Moa on Sanctuary Mountain (Maungatautari)

Posted on May 5, 2016 by Roger Gosden

We have been tramping up a gently sloping meadow and stopped to gaze through the gloaming at the fuzzy forest border fifty yards ahead. Looking back to the west, afternoon thunder-heads are dispersing into ribbon clouds braided with gold from … Continue reading →

Posted in Animalia, Environment, Nature | Tagged , , , , , | 7 Comments

No Sex Please, We’re Bananas

Posted on February 14, 2016 by Roger Gosden

That’s a problem for our banana-munching republic. Sex was suspended for banana cultivation long ago, and the price we will pay is a Bananageddon. Here’s why. The plant is propagated vegetatively and cannot produce seeds because it is genetically triploid. … Continue reading →

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If Snow be Black

Posted on January 29, 2016 by Roger Gosden

After last week’s monster storm that left Eastern USA snow white, the snowbanks slowly melted into pools and streams. But what if snow were black? The Bard liked nature the way he saw it, but he loved to mock our … Continue reading →

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Mastodon in Our Town

Posted on January 16, 2016 by Roger Gosden

Not Mastodon the heavy metal band from Atlanta, but a heavy, leathery mastodon from Virginia. It is the first found east of the Blue Ridge. A local bricklayer was hunting on private land one day in 1983 when he found … Continue reading →

Posted in Animalia, Nature | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments