Category Archives: nature

Playing Possum

Posted on June 25, 2016 by Roger Gosden

Playing possum is something that Virginia opossums do, but so do some other animals—including humans. But because it can help animals to outsmart a threatening predator, can it save us from a terrorist shooter or a rapist or a grizzly … Continue reading →

Posted in Animalia, nature | Tagged acting dead, David Livingstone, playing dead, spadefoot toad, thanatopsis, thanatosis | Comments Off

Down on the Clover Patch

Posted on May 28, 2016 by Roger Gosden

Woe betide the feet that trespass on the hallowed lawns of Oxbridge colleges! But you already know if you have seen Jeremy Irons as a Trinity Fellow nonchalantly striding across the Great Court in The Man Who Knew Infinity (2016). … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, nature | Tagged Crimson clover, Dutch white clover, Emily Dickinson, Jackson Pollock, lawn care | 3 Comments

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 →

Posted in Environment, nature, Seasons in Virginia | Tagged bald cypress trees, Beaver, Captain John Smith, Dragon Run, kayak, Middle Peninsula, resurrection fern, Virginia | Comments Off

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 brown kiwi, Maungatautari, moa, New Zealand, Sanctuary Mountain, Waikato | 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 →