UP Nature Notes (Blog)
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Conservation Priorities and Puffballs - UP Nature Notes, No. 25
October 27, 2024
At the UN’s biodiversity conference in October 2024, a “Fungal Conservation Pledge” was proposed stating that fungi should receive protection status equal to that of animals and plants. Fungi are responsible for generating and maintaining much of the life we see above ground. Fungi form symbiotic relationships with bushes and…
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Ugly and Beautiful Simultaneously - UP Nature Notes, No. 24
September 12, 2024
Is there a word that describes things that are both ugly and beautiful at the same time? One might feel ambivalent when seeing such things, but that describes your response rather than the thing itself. Apparently the English language does not have a term for things that are simultaneously ugly…
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Dragons and Damsels (Insect Order Odonata) - UP Nature Notes, No. 23 Notes,
September 10, 2024
Growing up as country boys, we called them darning needles and warned each other they would sew up your lips if you told a lie. These days, dragonflies are popular designs for jewelry and other decorative items. Whereas dragonflies have huge eyes and hold their wings stylishly out to the…