Are Oak Trees Good for Firewood? - Nature 41

When electric blackout due to winter storms, I know some of my neighbors use woods for heating.

Image 1- Cut woods for free

However, I don’t know how many people use firewood in my neighborhood, city or state.

No state law to regulate cutting tree and using it for firewood as long as the trees belong to individual.

It is prohibited or at least need permission to cut down a tree in the state or federal conservation areas.

Sure, there are local ordinances to protect specific trees.

Image 2- A little tree in public area

Image 3- The commercial firewood

The specific trees to be protected may include:

- historic trees
- heritage trees

An Oak is not included as a protected tree in our state, hence, commonly used as firewood.

Some of our neighbors familiar with woods of red oak, it is because the woods are considered strong, hence, it is believed to produce the best heat.

Do you ever use firewood?

# Previous postings:

- When do Pine Trees of our Neighborhood Produce Nuts? - Nature 9
- Could Positive Thinking Lead to Live Longer? - Healthy Life 6
- Family Saga and Meaning to be a Good Person – Part 2 - Reading 1
- Summer, be aware with Traveler's Diarrhea – Healthy Life 7

Watching the Bluebird Broods Playing Around – Nature 40

As you might know that bluebirds are common bird, we may spot easily in our backyard.

Image 1- Little broods playing at yard.

I have at least two posted about bluebird in respect to birdhouse and incubation periods:

- Size of Bluebirds Birdhouse at the Backyard – Nature 31
- 8 Eggs of Bluebird for Incubation – Nature 33

After hatching, about 3 weeks (17 to 20 days), little chicks may be able to fly out from their nesting box.

Ability to fly, off course depends on many factors.

Image 2- Eggs of bluebird in the nest

Image 3- Baby bluebirds getting start to flight

One important factor is foods. The quality and availability of food for broods will make their stronger and then quick to fly.

Based on own observation, the developments of bluebird chicks from just hatching to 5 weeks old are following:

- about 10 days old, one or two chicks able to sway out
- about 12 to 14 days, chicks are able to do unstable flight
- after 20 days, they are able to fly to nearby branches
- after 5 weeks, they are to be independent young bluebirds

I love to watch when the chicks learn the first fly. Amazing!

# Previous postings:

- Snowy Owl Re-Appearing after Hiding for 130 years – Nature 3
- Paris in the Eyes of Vincent Van Gogh - Art 1
- How Many Animals Are Expected to Extinct by 2050? - Nature 4
- Rediscovering of Rare Blue Bee in Florida in 2020 – Science 3

A Canadian Goose with a Broken Left Leg – Nature 39

When we were driving around our neighborhood about several days ago, we saw a flock of Canadian geese.

Image 1- A broken left leg.

Unfortunately, we noticed one goose with a broken left leg. We didn’t know the real caused of broken left leg.

Some neighbors told me that highly possibly, an irresponsible driver hit the goose, then run away.

We called our city Animal Control. No more than 30 minutes, the guy from animal control catch the bird.

He promised to take the bird to the Vet School in our city.

Image 2- Vegetable and fruit, illustration only

Image 3- A flock of Canadian geese

After one day, we contacted Vet School, happily, the woman answer the phone said that the goose with broken left leg still under their care.

We will be checking on its progress regularly.

We hope this beautiful bird recovers and is able to rejoin its mate as soon as possible.

We also hope the person who hit it experiences the kind of Karma they so richly deserve.

Finally, just to let you know that our state rules could charge up to US$ 10 thousands to whoever hit or killed the bird (wild birds).

# Previous postings:

- Is It Safe to Consume Foods after Expiration Date? - Part 1 – Food 16
- Little Libraries in our Neighborhood
- Homemade of Illegal Burrito – Food 17
- Do You Know the words of Crwth and Cwtch?

Purple Gallinule Visited Our Neighborhood – Nature 38

We are lucky, our neighborhood and even yard have been visited regularly by many wild critters such as foxes, turtles, squirrels, raccoon and birds.

Image 1- A Purple Gallinule bird visited our neighborhood

We have posted some of those critters:

- Declining of Golden Swamp Warblers Population – Nature 35
- The Four Weeks Old Baby Squirrel – Science 17
- Rose breasted grosbeak Comes to Our Neighborhood – Nature 23
- Crowned Heron Crawfishing Near Our Neighborhood – Part 1 – Nature 20
- Wild Animals and Birds in my Backyard – Nature 8a
- Alligator in the Nearby Neighborhood - Nature 7

Image 2- Hiding Purple Gallinule

Our neighborhood just saw Purple Gallinule, a kind of beautiful bird, many of us include me never seen before.

Image 3- Clear picture of Purple Gallinule from Google

A rare species seen in rural areas said some of my neighbors when they were childhood.

However, Purple Gallinule is not list as endangered species yet, but its population is decreasing from time to time.

The birds can be seen in the states or region or foreign country such as:

- South Carolina
- Texas
- Southeastern of USA and Argentina

Have you seen Purple Gallinule in nature?

# Previous postings:

- Do You Know American Native Ginseng?
- Countries which Export Coconut to America
- Blue Mirror Flowers Blooming Twice in a Season – Nature 24
- Why are We Getting Obese Nowadays? - Part 1 – Healthy Life 20

Flooding after Raining in Our Neighborhood – Nature 37

Our neighborhood, always get flood in the last few years. Unbelievable, even the rains in just few hours.

Image 1- Flood in our neighborhood

What make neighborhood frustrated and even angry that flooding is then followed by these terrible things:

- blackout of electricity
- no internet connections
- stuck of cars in the middle of flood.

We wonder what does cause the flood in our neighborhood and city (Baton Rouge, LA?)

Image 2- A car in the middle of flooding

Image 3- Flood in front of houses

Image 4- A car crashes water

Image 5- Water in the yard

Image 6- Flooding in almost part of housing

Image 7- Disturbing in the middle of street

Image 8- Wandering pet after flooding

Based on flood risk assessment by “riskfactorcom” (2022) that our city, Baton Rouge has lower risk (26%) of flood until next 30 years.

So, why we get flood easily with little rain?

Some of our neighbors have interesting arguments that our neighborhood has faced with in-natural floods.

Flooding might relate to human activities such as:

- growing housing rapidly (uncontrollable) and lack of drainage system
- and less trees

What do you think?

# Previous postings:

- What kinds of foods are Consumed by Crowned Night Heron? - Nature 22
- What are Health Benefit of Eating Mango? - Part 2 – Health Life 19
- In what chromosomes are the gene mutation related to Alzheimer's Disease? - Part 2 - Alzheimer's 5
- Differences of Shale Oil, Crude Oil and Fracking – Science 12

The White Spider Lily at our City Garden – Nature 36

When we visit our city garden about few weeks ago, surprisingly we saw white spider lily at the corner of garden for the first time.

Image 1- White spider lily

One of gardeners told us that white spider lily with scientific name Hymenocallis caroliniana is a rare plant, especially in our area.

Actually, this plant is native plant of these countries (regions):

- USA
- Mexico
- and Central America

I don’t know whether true or not as said by gardener that this white spider lily is easy to grow and take care.

Image 2- Crab spider with its web at the yard

Image 3- White spider lily at city garden

Be careful that lily plants are generally toxic, all parts of the plant are considered toxic:

- leaves
- flowers
- stem
- and pollen.

If we grow in the vase, the water in past harmful too, especially for cats, dogs and other pets.

Do you know white spider lily? Have you seen the plant?

# Previous postings:

- A Bird on the Exit Sign in the Library – Part 1
- Attractive Yellow Flowers at the Corner – Part 2 – Nature 19
- When the Georgian Chicken Came to My Kitchen – Part 2 – Food 12
- Can Alzheimer's Disease be Passing Down from Parent to Child? - Part 1 - Alzheimer's 4

Declining of Golden Swamp Warblers Population – Nature 35

We have seen less and less Warblers in our neighborhood during bird migration seasons at least for the last 5 years. 

Image 1- A golden Warbler on the birdhouse

Based on reported by Audubon Louisiana (2022) that population of Golden Swamp Warblers has been decreased since 1960.

Declining of bird population may be at the rate of 40% or even higher. It is quite great number

Golden Warblers should visit our neighborhood by about from Spring (March) to Fall (October).

Unfortunately, they are seen less and less year by year. The question then: what are causing of population declining?

Image 2- Morning in the city

Image 3- Golden warbler at the birdhouse

Several factors are believed to contribute for declining of Golden warbler in our state, Louisiana:

- losing of nesting habitats
- less of suitable places for living
- decreasing of forest, especially wet forest

Based on our observation at neighborhood that Golden warbler just breed once a year or once per season with 1 to 5 eggs.

After incubation period of 10 to 13 days, these eggs will hatch at rate of 60% or less. It is another reason that may contribute to declining of population.

# Previous postings:

- Annual Christmas Parade in Our Neighborhood
- A Memoir of Chasten Buttigieg – Part 1 – Reading 5
- Could Botulinum Toxin be Turned to Beneficial Substance? - Part 1 – Science 10
- A Memoir of Chasten Buttigieg – Part 2 – Reading 5

Lantana for Summer Project in My Backyard – Nature 34

I just visited one of nurseries in my city, Baton Rouge. One flower called Lantana has been attracted me.

Lantana is a scientific genus with 150 species spread to many part in the world include here in the USA.

Image 1- Bright color of Lantana

This flower grows well in the southern states of USA, because warmer temperature, and Lantana produce flowers during hot summers.

In Louisiana, we have several types of Lantana, some of them are:

- Lantana camara
- Lantana montevidensis,
- Lantana urticoides
- Lantana Involucrata
- Lantana horrida

Image 2- Another type of Lantana.

Image 3- Pink color of Lantana

Image 4- Butterfly at a garden

It is said that Lantana may reach to 6 feet (2 meter) tall. Interestingly, the flowers are diseases and insect free.

Butterflies and hummingbirds love to visit Lantana, because flowers have attractive colors and sources of foods.

Many pollinators found nectar and pollen in the Lantana flowers, hence our backyard to be friendly garden for pollinators.

I am planning to grow Lantana in my backyard as my summer project.

Do you have specific project in this summer season?

# Previous postings:

- Old Car – Chevrolet Monte Carlo 1970s
- Organic Vs Natural Foods – Part 5 – Food 9
- Overdosing Epidemic Caused 100,000 Died in the USA – Science 9
- Can Texting Make You Shopping More and Fat? - Part 2 - Healthy Life 17

8 Eggs of Bluebird for Incubation – Nature 33

We talked about birdhouse for Bluebird at the backyard that you may read the previous post:

Size of Bluebirds Birdhouse at the Backyard – Nature 31

Image 1- Eggs of Bluebird

I don’t know exactly how many eggs could be laid by Bluebird in one season. Some of my neighbors said between two and eight eggs.

In our cases, during several years period, our birdhouse was used twice for Bluebird nesting:

- first time with 8 eggs
- second time with 5 eggs

Image 2- Red Cypress, illustration

Image 3- Newborn Bluebird babies

Bluebirds start to lay eggs in the early Spring (about February to March) in our state, Louisiana, but could be later months in our neighborhood.

You may see color of Bluebird’s egg at Image 1 (top image above), sometimes the color is blue tends to white.

Eggs size is around 0.8 inch (2.03 cm) length, quite little compared to chicken’s eggs off course.

Incubation period could take between 11 to 19 days. Just to compare that chicken’s eggs incubation period was about 20 to 21 days.

Have you ever seen Bluebird eggs?

# Previous postings:

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