Since the beginning of this year, strange things have been happening in nature. From birds falling off the sky to dolphins found dead on Peruvian beaches.

Photo by Susan Scott, 2012 Hawaii News Now

In Hawaii this week, strange purple little creatures have been found washed ashore along sandy beaches. They’ve been getting reports of the pea-sized crabs from Kahala to Ala Moana.

Beach goers describe it like little purple berries that look good enough to eat. Of the thousands of little purple crabs washed up in the surf, many of them are dead. Some that are alive are being kept to study at Waikiki Aquarium.

Norton Chan, a biologist at Waikiki Aquarium think they are some type of crabs still in the larvae stage. Scientist still aren’t sure what type of crab since they’ve never seen anything like it. Waikiki Aquarium officials are saving some and hoping to keep them alive long enough to see how they grow. Maybe they will grow to be big purple crabs.

And exactly what caused them to wash ashore is a mystery. Dr. Andrew Rossiter, director of thinks it “Could be storms although we haven’t had any, it could be a flux of warm or cold water coming in but I don’t have any signs of that either. It could be some kind of pollution, but if it was pollution it would have affected other species as well. So we really don’t know,”

Another possible reason, a biologist with the Department of Land and Natural Resources speculates that when the seas get rough, air bubbles can get caught in the crab’s carapace (shell) and they cannot dive so they get caught in the tides and wash up on shore.

Poor little baby crabs, makes me wonder if this has anything to do with last year’s nuclear disaster in Japan. Whatever the reason, it goes to show we have to take good care of our ocean. There are many neat life forms and gems that we have yet to come across. So let’s hope we can keep it clean and pristine.

Everyone has probably seen these curly lights known as CFL (compact fluorescent light) bulbs that’s been labeled as the “green” replacement. By 2012, some traditional incandescent bulbs will be phased out of production.

Sure they last longer than regular bulbs, but are people aware of the dangers of CFL bulbs? Breaking a CFL can can be very dangerous to your health and the environment. The bulbs contain mercury, when exposed is a neurotoxin.

The EPA has the following recommendations should a bulb break:

Before cleanup

* Have people and pets leave the room.
* Air out the room for 5-10 minutes by opening a window or door to the outdoor environment.
* Shut off the central forced air heating/air-conditioning system, if you have one.
* Collect materials needed to clean up broken bulb:
- stiff paper or cardboard;
- sticky tape;
- damp paper towels or disposable wet wipes (for hard surfaces); and
- a glass jar with a metal lid or a sealable plastic bag.

During cleanup

* Be thorough in collecting broken glass and visible powder.
* Place cleanup materials in a sealable container.

After cleanup

* Promptly place all bulb debris and cleanup materials outdoors in a trash container or protected area until materials can be disposed of properly. Avoid leaving any bulb fragments or cleanup materials indoors.
* If practical, continue to air out the room where the bulb was broken and leave the heating/air conditioning system shut off for several hours.

And to think some people wouldn’t know better and start throwing these bulb into the trash. That could be very bad news! It will break into tiny pieces and contaminate everything. Then eventually the mercury will find it’s way into our air and waterways.

Therefore, please take the CFL bulbs to a qualified recycling center where the mercury can be properly handled. In California, we can bring the used bulbs to Home Depot and Ikea.

The Chicago Tribune article also pointed out that, “CFL bulbs are made in China and India where environmental controls are lax at best and workers are undoubtedly exposed to mercury in the production process.”

For those concern with their health, CFL bulbs contributes to dirty electricity. Which can cause , dizziness, nausea, confusion, fatigue, skin irritations, and eye strain.

Health Canada issued a warning after UK Health Protection recommends you should not be more than 30 cm from the light bulb for more than 1 hour per day as it emits UV rays. Test are currently being done in Canada.

So what other choices do we have? There’s LED light which is much safer and more Eco-friendly. It does cost more then CFL light bulbs and aren’t as bright. But they contain no mercury. Right now the most affordable LED light bulbs I’ve found are from Costco. I’m going to start replacing the CFL bulbs in our home soon.

The African Golden Cat is probably one of the most elusive wild cats that have rarely been seen in photos or even in videos.

The Golden Cat was recently captured on video in the wild. From CNN. This is the first known video of the cat. And it’s such a pretty cat too!

Scientists tracking this elusive wild golden cat finally caught one on video. It was recorded by a motion-activated camera placed in a forest.

The feline is shy, medium in size that avoids human contact and lives in hard to access parts of the central African forests. They live deep in the forest and people rarely get a glimpse of them in their natural habitat. Because of that reason it’s hardly been studied.

With this discovery, scientist could contribute to a greater understanding of the species. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has listed the animal as near-threatened. It is also Africa’s least studied felid. There are no reliable density estimates, but the world’s population of mature golden cats probably exceeded 10,000 in 2007.

The golden cats were always known as nocturnal or crepuscular (meaning active at dawn or dusk). But scientist caught these on video roaming around during the day. There are still many other things scientist are eager to find out this elusive animal.

I am always amaze and how much diversity we have in this planet, especially in Africa. It’s too bad human beings can’t seem to live as peacefully as animals.

Another favorite gift I’ve received recently is from Nye Noona. It’s a tote bag made by her talented sister Bee.  The material used is recycled Brazilian truck tarp.

This is the first time I’ve heard about this material.  And it’s always great to see things being recycled and reused!

It feels like a really sturdy material that would hold up well with books or heavy groceries. But I’m trying to keep it clean for now and using it indoors. Plus it’s perfect for my knitting supplies.

I was told that the tarp fabric is washed and cleaned and then embroidered with beautiful floral designs.

There are also patches and frays in the fabric which work well as it gives it a unique touch. As the frays tell of prior history of having traveled all around Brazil.

I really like that the fabric holds up well without needing any interfacing. Special thanks to Bee for making such a pretty bag. It’s a truly one of a kind tote bag.

The only retailer that makes items from truck tarp is The Real Deal. They make rugged hats and bags.  This is their laptop bag and hat combo. For more info visit them here.

Photo from The Real Deal Brazil.

Do you ever wonder what happens to some of the discontinued fabric samples from designer showroom? Sadly most of it ends up in the landfill. But a good amount of it gets recycled and rePurposed through an effort organized by FabMo.

FabMo currently moved 25 to 30 tons of beautiful material each year. As noted by Hannah, one of the founder of FabMo, “That’s more than two tons of stuff each month that doesn’t go to the landfill. It also is raw material for an incredible variety of useful applications.”

Fabrics include sample sized woolens, cottons, silks, linens, synthetics and many other blends. FabMo also have upholstery weight and all in between. They also have leather, tiles, wallpapers amongst the fabrics.

What’s really neat is seeing how some of the fabrics get transformed into pretty crafts. From stuff animals, doll clothes, skirts, quilts and more.

Here is where some pretty fabrics that was almost trashed get turned into cute little Teddy bears.  I don’t think I’ve seen any bear quite like this anywhere! 

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I’ve always been amazed at the Pacific salmon’s cycle of life.  After being born in the rivers, they head out to sea only to be come back again in their adulthood to spawn.  And after the purpose of laying new eggs is over, they die.

This year’s salmon run hit a record high. This is good news for all that feed on the salmon. From people and bears to other wildlife. Plant life also benefit too. To keep the cycle going, we must have healthy and clean oceans.

Reuters News reported that the last twenty years saw a decline of sockeye salmon in the Fraser River.  The reason for the bumper harvest of salmon this year remain a mystery. But Carl Waters, a fisheries expert at U.B.C. zoology’s department mentions that it coincided with a “dominant-run” year.

Every fourth year is the dominant year when the biggest run comes in. The year after that is sub-dominant. Then you get two really low runs,” Walters told Reuters.

Out of the five migratory species of Pacific salmon, the sockeye travels the farthest.

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Mason bees do no produce honey or beeswax, but they are one type of bee that make great pollinators. They are peaceful insects and won’t sting or bother you (unless it’s being provoked).

To encourage Mason bees to pollinate your garden, why not build them a little house?

Here is a good example of a handmade Mason bee house. Looks like a birdhouse filled with bamboo reeds. Photo from Help Save Bees from UK.

If you have a block of wood and some drill bits, you can also make a Mason Bee house. Just drilled short holes in the block and hang them in a sheltered location. For more info and neat instructions on this method of bee house, check out Gardens for Wildlife.

And if you have access to lots of bamboo reeds, you are in luck.  Just take those and cut them about 5-6 inches. There is no need to put them in a house (like in the photo above).  Just gather the cut bamboo reed together, tie them with a string and place them between tree branches.  Especially in fruit trees, soon enough you’ll be rewarded with more fruits!

From a distance, the Mason bees look black, but is actually dark metallic greenish blue in color.

Photo from British Columbia (Canada) Ministry of Agriculture and Land.

Unlike Honey bees, Mason bees are solitary bees. Every female Mason bee is fertile and makes her own nest. They also have modified hind legs called corbicula to store and carry pollen. The pollen is packed underneath rows of stiff hair under the stomach area.

Also from British Columbia is the following info on Mason bees:

“Orchard Mason Bees are shy and fly away when disturbed. Even at their nests, female bees will not display defensive behavior even though, they are capable of stinging. Similarly to honeybees, Orchard Mason Bees gather nectar in their ‘honey sac’ while foraging. The nectar is used as energy source and to provision the tubular nest.”

Mason bees are becoming a popular way to improve pollination for orchard and small gardens. If making your own Mason bee house is too much, there are a few you can purchase.

The one pictured above is available at Gardener’s Supply Company, for $14.95. The outside is made with strips of bamboo weaved together. And the inside is filled with bamboo tubes. Perfect for the female bees to lay their eggs. I like the tear drop shape of it too.

Or you can still make your own, using a kit found at Kinsman Orchard Bee. Prices run between $14.95 to $25.

In the remote mountains of Indonesia’s Foja Mountains comes frogs, gecko, and even the world’s smallest wallaby. The other recent discovery was of the golden-mantled tree kangaroo out of New Guinea. It’s always good news to hear that scientist have discovered new species.

This cute little guy is the world’s smallest wallaby. Photo by Tim Laman of National Geographic/Reuters

The other new animals discovered by researchers include an oversize yet tame woolly rat, a new bat that feeds on rainforest blossom nectar and a small tree mouse. There is even a new flowering shrub.

This part of Indonesia’s rain forest is very undeveloped and undisturbed without any roads. The elevation and tropical environment also provides much isolation. There are also local forest-dwelling people that depend on this place for resources. And the locals don’t take more then they need from the rain forest.

Bruce Beehler, a senior research scientist at Conservation International said it best, “While animals and plants are being wiped out across the globe at a pace never seen in millions of years, the discovery of these absolutely incredible forms of life is much needed positive news. Places like these represent a healthy future for all of us and show that it is not too late to stop the current species extinction crisis.”

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Living in California has many benefits, one of them being the amount of fresh produce available all year. But behind all this bounty, comes another hit to the environment. Or more specifically, to our water supply.

Nitrates are the most common groundwater contaminant in California. Although other places, such as Chesapeake Bay, has already seen environmental damages. The NY Times reported in November 2008, “As the phosphorous and nitrogen levels in the bay have grown, so have the algae that deplete oxygen needed by other aquatic life.”

A neat row of young corn growing in California. This nice photo is from ex.libris of

Nitrates are commonly found in artificial fertilizer such as ammonia. Under high temperatures and very high pressures, hydrogen and nitrogen (from thin air) are combined to produce ammonia. This process was invented over 50 years ago by German chemist Fritz Haber and Carl Bosch. Their Haber-Bosch process has often been noted as the most important invention of the 20th century.

Once farmers began using artificial fertilizer, the crop yield improves significantly. The bad part is that farmers often use too much nitrogen than the plants can absorb. The excess nitrogen has now found it’s way to our water supply.

California state law requires public water systems to remove nitrates. But many rural communities, such as those living near large farms don’t have access to the type of treatment systems available in big cities.

Julia Scott of the San Francisco Gate reported, “Nitrates have been linked to “blue baby syndrome,” in which an infant’s oxygen supply is cut off. Statewide, the number of wells that exceeded the health limit for nitrates jumped from nine in 1980 to 648 by 2007. Scientists anticipate a growing wave of nitrate problems in some parts of the state if remedial steps aren’t taken.”

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Earth Day has been held every April 22 nd since 1970. The very first Earth Day led to the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency
and the passage of the Clean Air, Clean Water, and Endangered Species acts.

What better way to celebrate Earth Day then to plant more trees? And the Arbor Day Foundation can help. For a 6 month or 1 year membership, you’ll be able to chose 10 free trees. Membership for 6 months is $10 and the 1 year for $15. Last year members planted 8 million trees.

This pretty flowering tree is available for purchase. Photo from Arbor Day Foundation.

Here are some more nice flowering trees you can chose from: Dogwood, American Redbud, Crape Myrtle, and Goldenraintrees.

Along with the free trees, they also have a variety of other trees & shrubs for sale. The prices are very reasonable. Shipping is a flat fee of $4.95 for your entire nursery order. Unfortunately for me , the Department of Agriculture does not allow any of the retail trees to be sent to California. Other restricted states include Ak, Az, Hi or any U.S. territories. But the 10 free trees are still okay to send out.

In addition to your membership, you’ll also get:

- Receive a 33–56 percent discount on over 100 trees and shrubs. Our selection includes shade, flowering, ornamental, fruit trees, evergreens and more.

- Free subscription to our colorful bimonthly newsletter. Arbor Day is a gardener’s handbook and tree information guide in one.

- The Tree Book is a treasury of genuinely useful guidance about planting and caring for trees in a cheerfully colorful format.

Important Foundation programs are sustained by nearly a million members nationwide. You’ll become part of the Foundation. Together, we’re making a difference.” - Arbor Day.

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