Learn About a Fish That Has a Reptilian Appearance

This fish looks more like a reptile than a fish, which explains the name. In addition to the appearance, this fish generally stays still on the floor of the ocean, similar to the characteristics of a reptile.

Do not let it fool you though; the Lizardfish is alert and watching what is happening around it, while it is resting, not moving.

They are not easy to spot because the colors of this fish make it blend in well with the surrounding coral, sand and vegetation of the sea floor. For this reason, it can be in the open, in plain sight and yet concealed at the same time. At other times, the Lizardfish will bury itself in the ocean sand, with just the eyes and maybe the very end of the snout sticking out from the sand that is covering it. This makes it possible to hide out and wait for prey to come by close enough to grab for a meal.

The mouth of this fish is large. When the mouth is open, you can see that the numerous teeth have the appearance of thin, sharp needles.

Some Lizardfish are found in Hawaiian waters, especially within reefs, where they like to live among corals. Divers have not reported this type of fish as posing any danger to humans.

If caught by a fisherman, they may quite often be thrown back into the water as they are not commonly considered good for eating.

Generally, Hawaiian Lizardfish do not grow to more than 12 inches long. In other parts of the world, the largest lizardfish has been known to grow to around 24 inches in length.

The scientific name for this family of fish is: Synodontidae, with genus species Saurida and Synodus.

Within the genus species Synodus, found in the Indo-Pacific oceans are the Arrowtooth, Engleman's, Two-spot (also called Sand) Lizardfish, and others.

In the Pacific Ocean, the Capricorn Lizardfish may be found.

The Inshore Lizardfish inhabits waters on the East Coast of the United States from North Carolina and South to as far as Brazil. In these waters, the Lizardfish may be found resting on a mud ocean floor, instead of the sand ocean floor which would be found in some tropical waters.

Within the genus species Saurida are the Brazilian Lizardfish, living mainly in the Eastern Atlantic Ocean, the Shortjaw Saury living in the Pacific Ocean and the Clouded Lizardfish in the South Pacific, just to name a few.

There are around 60 species of Lizardfish. The few named in this article can be a start for you to know a direction for further research of the specific types, if desired. The site fish.explore-topics.com/articles is a great resource for information about many different types of fish and anything related to the fish topic.

Five Tips for Removing an Unwanted Tree

Having a yard and garden you can be proud of and enjoy with family, neighbors and friends is one of life's simple pleasures. Unfortunately, the process of creating a garden is not always so simple. Aside from the usual concerns about watering, lawn feeding and pest control, you may occasionally find that you have to remove a tree from the landscape. The process of removing a tree requires careful planning and preparation.

Controlling the Fall
Think before you cut a single branch. You want to know exactly where each limb will fall when you cut it. It is particularly crucial to know where the tree trunk is going to fall. To bring down the truck, make a wedge cut inward almost to the center from the direction you want the tree to fall. Then make a higher cut on the opposite side. You should be able to drop the tree within a few feet of where you want it. No one should stand anywhere near the spot the tree to fall.

Incremental Removal
For large or even medium sized trees, you should avoid simply cutting them whole thing down at once. It is much safer to slowly trim away smaller branches first, and then tree limbs. After that, you should cut sections from the top until you get close enough to the ground to safely drop the rest of the tree.

General Safety
Anyone involved in the process of cutting down trees should take all necessary precautions'. They should wear a protective helmet, goggles, and gloves. Steel-toed boots are also a smart idea to protect your feet from crushing injuries. Since you will almost certainly be using chainsaws, you should also wear ear protection.

Other Equipment
You will need a chainsaw for this process, since axes can be far more dangerous for those who do not know how to use them, as well as more exhausting. If it is a small tree, you may need only the saw, but for larger trees, you may have to rent a crane to lift you into position for the higher branches and the top of the tree. Using straps and boot spikes to climb a tree the cut the top branches is inadvisable unless you have a great deal of experience and are in decent shape.

Disposal
There are several ways to get rid of the remnants of your tree. One is to cut part of it as firewood for you or others if the wood is a type that will burn well. For the smaller pieces, a rented wood chipper will let you turn it into mountains of mulch for your garden.

The Spectrum of Sea Glass Colours

Sea glass, which is also known as beach glass, is glass which has been found washed up on beaches. Typically it is glass that was once discarded or somehow found its way into the sea. It could have originally come from any source of glass from windows to jam jars or beer bottles. The glass has been naturally pounded by the waves and rubbed against rocks and sand until it features smooth edges and a frosted appearance.

Sea glass can come in a wide variety of colours, mainly determined by the origin of the glass. However due to the natural processes involved to form it, the shades of the colour can vary greatly depending on the amount of time it has spent in the sea and the amount of sun light it has been exposed to while lying on the beach.

Again depending on the origin of the glass, different colours of sea glass are more common in different parts of the world. However amongst collectors, there are colours which are referred to as common and some very rare shades indeed which are classed as treasured pieces.

The most common colour of beach glass is green. Green glass is generally vibrant in colour and originates from beer bottles. Some green coloured glass is very old and from early green beer bottles while other pieces are more modern in origin from beer bottles that can still be found in shops today. Brown sea glass is also a common colour. Again this colour originates from beer bottles, some of which are very old in origin while others are much more modern.

The next most common colour is clear. Clear sea glass comes for a variety of sources including window panes, soda bottles, glass plates, drinking glasses and juice bottles. Although it is referred to as 'clear' you actually can't see through it due to the frosted appearance of the glass. This is caused by the effect exposure to salt water has on the chemicals used to produce the glass in the first place.

Amber sea glass is the next colour in the rarity spectrum and is a slightly lighter shade of brown than more commonly found brown glass. It originates from old whiskey and other alcohol bottles, along with medicine bottles. The most common way for these kinds of bottles to find themselves in the ocean was for sailors to throw them overboard.

Turquoise beach glass is reasonably rare and, depending on the shade, can also be referred to as aqua in colour. This glass originates from fruit preserve jars, soda bottles and old ink bottles. Rarer still is deep blue or cobalt blue sea glass which comes from old poison bottles. These are much darker in shade and are usually found in very small pieces due to their age and the amount of time they have spent in the ocean.

Then we come onto really rare shades which are prized by many collectors as they are extremely difficult to find. Purple and red glass can be found in very small pieces and the origin of them is completely unknown. Black beach glass is also rare but is believed to come from old alcohol bottles that pre-date 1800. Although this colour is rare to find due to its age, it's also difficult to find as it's hard to pick out from the surrounding dark pebbles on the beach, especially if the pebbles are wet.

Controlling Pond Weeds

While some aquatic plants are needed in a lake or pond for a healthy fishery, controlling them so they do not become lake or pond weeds can be a challenging task. Many times a lake or pond owner will start by using a chemical treatment. We are accustomed to running to the hardware store to get a herbicide to handle our dandelions in the yard, so this seems to be a logical place to start.

Additionally, the per application cost appears to be cheap. However, to maintain this level of water quality, one must repeat this application process throughout the growing season. Depending on the plant and the region, that can be every two to four weeks for five to seven months or more. So an application that costs $300 per treatment will ultimately cost you $1,500 to $4,200 for the entire season depending on frequency and duration the plants are growing. Not as cheap as it seemed.

Another problem with chemicals is that the plants that were killed with each application drop to the lake or pond bottom. While the initial decomposition pulls oxygen out of the water depriving the fish, the nutrients contained within the plant are released back into the local ecosystem. This in turn feeds the next generation of plants and possibly and algae bloom that takes advantage of the lack of competition. The next generation of plants is now a little resistant to that chemical as they were exposed but survived. The next time that chemical is used, more is going to have to be used to get the same effect. Much like a drug addict, your pond is now hooked and will need more over time and costs will go as product needed goes up.

Applications of herbicides, pesticides or other aquatic chemicals are a very useful tool for SHORT TERM CONTROL of aquatic plant growth. They do NOT, however, address the underlying problem that is causing the unwanted growth. They are best used to keep an ecosystem under control while targeting the root problem and improving the conditions that are causing the problem.

One very successful option is to harvest those lake and pond weeds mechanically. As the growing season begins the plant grows absorbing nutrients, producing oxygen and providing great habitat for the young fry just hatched. Once the growth level nears your desired level manual harvesting can begin. This can be done manually in small scale or with an aquatic plant harvester for large scale applications. Removing the nuisance and with it the absorbed nutrients from the bottom material without adding to the bottom muck. There isn't any oxygen deprivation as there is no material decomposing at the pond bottom. As with chemicals, this will have to be repeated throughout the growing season but usually not as often and it does not leave residues behind. Leaving some plant growth in areas keeps the fishery in good order and buffers the water column from wild swings and algae blooms.

There are many tools in the pond owners' bag to deal with lake and pond weeds. Consider your ultimate goals in determining which management technique you wish to use and remember that short term success does not always mean a long term triumph.

Climate Change Adaptation and Agriculture

Background:

Climate Change (CC) is the among the most important global environment concerns. CC is having significant impacts on the most vulnerable communities. Considering characteristics, agriculture can be considered as one of the most affected sector and thus most vulnerable to climate change. Susceptibility and sensitivity of agriculture to the variance of the climatic parameters is responsible for the fact. Agriculture having the significant contributor in national GDP, translates the susceptibility of national economy and growth to climate change. In context of India the GDPs 60% share is agriculture and approximately 60% population's livelihood is depends on farming co emphasizing the need of resilient systems and strategies for agriculture sector and farming community. In which semi-arid regions are considered particularly most vulnerable to climate change. Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation Supported Development Alternatives, a Civil Society Organization, active in Bundelkhand Region of Central India for taking up actions and influence policy to address the climate vulnerability of the region and its impact on livelihhods.

Challenges:

Semi arid regions being particularly less resilient to the non favourable climatic conditions, lead to more negative impacts. Bundelkhand has faced severe drought years in recent past (five drought years in last seven years). Last year was not the hydrological drought but delayed monsoon resulted into the failed Kharif season in most part of the Bundelkhand region. Increasing frequency of the drought in the region is causing the farmers to take extreme steps in frustration. There have been incidences of farmers letting their animals in fields as the crops would not yield anything, in cases of delayed monsoon.

Even though farmers are facing these challenges, haven't yet realized that these droughts are not incidental but reflecting the trend of reducing rainfall and erratic character and these are going to be more common incidents in future. Thus there is dire need not only of identifying strategies to fight climate change but also to make the vulnerable sections aware about the climate change and make them ready to adopt the strategies for adapting to climate change.

Mitigation and Adaptation:

There are several factors and sectors which are responsible for Green House Gas emissions and thus climate change. Agriculture sector remained most unmanaged till yet due to i) non point source emission of GHGs, ii) need and priority of higher productions to feed the ever growing population. As mentioned above, agriculture sector is also most susceptible to climate change contributing into the vicious cycle. Inefficient agricultural practices causes the GHG more emissions, which accelerating the CC, resulting into the lower production. To compensate this, farmers tend to put more resources whenever and wherever are available in terms of fertilizer, water etc. which are the main factor for inefficiencies in the farm sector.

Effects of Climate Change and Solutions:

In Bundelkhand region, calculations of the climate reflect that after 25 years, rainfall is expected to reduce by 20% and the productivity of the existing crops may reduce by 15%. Decreasing landholding per farmer is going to have enhanced negative impact of these projections.

Thus the expected facts after 20-25 years would be:

• Reduced rainfall, thus
o Less availability of surface water
o Deepened ground water level
o Low returns of rain fed agriculture

• Smaller landholdings
• High input costs in agriculture
• Lower profitability per unit of land
• Higher risks of crop failures

Above estimations on reduced productions are based on the existing crops and practices. Our adaptation strategies need to be focus on the methods which can nullify or reduce the effects of the unreliable climatic conditions. Such as:

• Adopting low water requiring/ drought resisting crops/crop verities
• By reducing the water losses in agriculture and by irrigating the crops/plants not the land
• Using improved practices to save the applied water like mulching etc
• Reducing the input costs by appropriate application of inputs
• Adopting and promoting the alternative models for duel/multiple use of land like different forms of agroforestry or multi cropping
• By having fall back options like alternate income sources/crop insurance etc.

Where is will there is a Way

Approach which has been adopted to take up and fight with climate change is two sided, i) Identifying the technical options and interventions required, ii) making community aware and helping them to take lead to fight climate change.

Identification of interventions

Drought resistant varieties are available at different stakeholders. However the adoption is not much as farmers are not aware about these varieties and characteristics of these crops/crop varieties. Such varieties have been promoted as they are the important option which can provide reliable production level even in extreme conditions.

There are various methods and ways available for reducing the water losses in irrigation. Sprinkler and drip methods can reduce the water application significantly. Similarly, mulching can reduce the water loss from the soil. For flood irrigation also contour cultivation, and making the check basins or borders depending on the land slope and soil type, can increase the water use efficiencies significantly. Information on these options is being made available to the farmers through different stakeholders including the research organizations.

It has also been observed that the quantity of seed we use per acre of land is quite higher than required for optimum production. This, not only increase the input costs but also reduce the productivity by creating unnecessary competition within the crop itself. Appropriate use of manure and fertilizers, minimal tillage is the practices which reduces the input costs and enhance the profitability of the particular crops.

Agro-horticulture and other forms of Agro-forestry can be one way of reducing the dependability of the output of our efforts on the erratic monsoon, thus, stabilizing the incomes of the household and also its distribution across the year. For the purpose of reducing the risks of crop failure, government is also promoting the efficient irrigation systems like drip and sprinkler for agro-horticulture use.

Government has also various other schemes to protect or at least protect partially ourselves from the risks of the crop failure from several reasons. National Agriculture Research Scheme (NAIS) is one of them. We can get our crop insured under this scheme and in case of crop damage due to any o the enlisted reasons, we can get the benefits of the schemes.

It is also worth knowing at this point of time that quite of the options available are more accessible for the groups. Let's join hand together to access the information and take the challenges posed by climate change.

Creating Institutional Systems for Adaptation

Adaptation is the community and social initiative, which needs community actions. For sustainable farming society initiative, three tier institutional systems has been formed, at village level farmers groups consists of active farmers. The objectives of the farmers clubs is to keep interactions and ensure access of farmers to knowledge and resources bases in terms of the meetings with scientists and extension workers, ensuring appropriate seed varieties and technologies etc. At second tier representatives of the farmers groups have formed the cluster of the farmers group. These clusters are responsible for managing and creating cluster (cluster of geographically nearby villages). Top level tier is the federation level institution which takes the responsibility to resource building for all three levels of the institutions and establishing backward and forward linkages with markets.

In fact these institutions are playing their role effectively and have shown the capacity. Several activities have been taken up by them. These three tier system is part of the Farmers adaptation cluster. During the first year of operations, the Farmers Adaptation Cluster, has established linkages with different institutions like Water Technology Centre, Indian Agriculture Research Institute, Krishi Vikas Kendra (KVK), National Research Centre on Agro Forestry (NRCAF), etc. and had arranged exposure visits for its member farmers, introduced high yielding varieties and appropriate practices affecting the yield enhancement by 35 to 40%. It has also recorded the reduction in required inputs due to information and appropriate technology propagation.

Humans Exist Because Of Pollination

Pollination is important to our very existence. Without pollination, we haven't any food. If you want to help mankind, you can plant flowers and plants to attract bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. The best plants to accomplish this goal are nectar producing plants. There are many good resources on the internet that can provide you the information you need to know what kinds of plants to grow in your area. Here are a few tips.

Your growing zone is key to determining what plants will grow well. BUT you also need to consider local soil type, growing conditions, etc. Visiting a local nursery will give you a good start on what grows well in your area. You can purchase plants there, or purchase seeds and grow your garden from scratch. Now, what kinds of plants attract pollinators? Bees especially like legume plant blossoms like clover but will collect any pollen they can find. To attract bees, other plants to consider are, fireweed, monkshood (caution: this plant is poisonous), red clover, asters, goldenrod, foxglove, germander, Joe pye weed, sedum Autumn joy, oregano, thyme, globe-thistle, hyssop, lavender, chives, penstemons, rosemary, and of course, sunflowers. Pollinators also included hummingbirds and butterflies, so don't forget those feeders! Yes, there is such a thing as a butterfly feeder! Go the extra step and hang houses for birds, bees, and butterflies too.

To attract butterflies, choose a variety of plants so that flowers are always blooming. If you only plant flowers that bloom at the same time, the butterflies will leave when those flowers die. Butterflies like color so remember that too. Flowers that attract butterflies include, day lily, iris, lavender, Asters, Butterfly bush, Heliotrope, Cosmos, Clover, Zinnia. As you can see, many of the flowers that attract butterflies also attract bees. Remember to use lots of color.

Ever considered creating a nesting site for bees? Farmers do it. Some of the non-stinging bees, like the Mason bee are inhabitants of gardens that provide nesting sites. They need these sites in order to reproduce. Alfalfa farmers, for example, set up nesting sites for leaf-cutter bees because they are the main pollinators in their fields. Large orchards usually set up bee hives to pollinate their crops during the blooming season. If you are interested in setting up a nesting site, you can find a Mason bee lodge online, or you can make one, they're easy. All you need is a block of wood and a drill. There are instructions online for the varying kinds of bee lodges and houses.

Now that you have your information on what kinds of flowers to plant and what kind of nesting area to create (if you choose to) you are ready to get out there and get the seeds you need before Spring arrives. If you aren't into seeding plants, visit your local nursery in the Spring to purchase budding plants.

The Effects of Garbage on Our Environment

Garbage is very harmful to our environment. It poses dangerous risks to our land water, and air. Landfills overfilling with garbage destroy profitable land, and take many years to regain the nutrients and the land destroyed. Sewage water poured into oceans poison fish and other marine wildlife. Emissions that come out of cars limit the amount of air and oxygen we have to breathe. As you can see, garbage is harmful to our environment.

Garbage is very harmful to our environment because of the ways it is currently being disposed. Some of the ways we currently dispose of it are recycling, composting, hazardous material disposal, landfills, and incineration. Recycling is a cost-effective way to dispose of specific things such as metal scraps, paper, and plastic because it wastes less energy to make a new item out of an old item than to make a new item from scratch. For example, it takes almost eight hours of electricity to make enough aluminum for thirty-four aluminum cans, but only takes an hour of electricity to make the same amount of cans from recycled aluminum. In addition, new aluminum has to go through the process of extraction the needed materials, refining the materials, smelting, and casting the aluminum while a recycled can only has to be shredded, melted, and casted before it can start the process again. It takes less energy and materials to make a new can from an old can. Composting is another way to get rid of garbage such as untreated paper, fruit scraps, vegetable scraps, and biodegradable plastic. It is also a cost-effective way of disposing of specific items because you can dig a put it in your backyard and until it rots. It also gives your plants much-needed nutrients when it decays. Therefore, it is a harmless way of disposing of specific garbage.

Properly disposing of hazardous materials is important, so another effective way that we currently use to get rid of garbage is hazardous material disposal. There are certain facilities designed to dispose of dangerous materials that would otherwise contaminate land if put into a landfill. Some of these materials are used paint cans, used oil, and chemical-based items such as bleach. One of the hardest hazardous materials to dispose of is syringes, because those contain disease, and disease is very easy to transmit.

Even though we recycle, compost, and dispose of hazardous materials, we still practice dangerous and unsafe ways of taking care of trash, such as landfills and incineration. Landfills have both a positive and a negative impact on the environment. After trash is packed into a hole about twenty feet deep (six and a half yards), dirt, clay, or asphalt is packed an inch or two above it so the smell does not appear and so that random trash does not fly away. Then a tube is inserted to suck out all the methane the garbage produces since the element is flammable. The methane can be used as a form of electricity. However, landfills also have a negative effect on the environment. If it leaks, it will contaminate surrounding water and surrounding groundwater. The water will travel to the nearest ocean or lake and poison the wildlife there.

One last way that we currently dispose of trash is by incinerating it. Combusting, or incinerating, burns garbage and turns water into steam as the same time. The steam is then used to turn turbine engines, which produces electricity. Incinerating trash then turns the volume to twenty percent of the original volume. You might think this is a good thing, because then landfills can fill more, right? However, incinerating trash has a bad effect on the environment. It creates exhaust and emissions, which contributes to air pollution, and air pollution contributes to global warming. As you can see, recycling, composting, and disposing of hazardous materials only take care of a small percentage of garbage. The rest goes to either a combustion facility or a landfill, which both contribute to pollution. Leaky landfills contribute to water pollution and incinerating contributes to air pollution.

Garbage also harms the environment because it results in pollution if you dispose of it in a certain way. As stated above, landfills might leak chemicals into surrounding bodies of water and any water under it, such as groundwater. Then the lake or groundwater may evaporate and cause acid rain or poison larger bodies of water. Acid rain is caused by depositing wet and dry acidic components, such as water, oxygen, and carbon dioxide. This happens when a large amount of carbon dioxide enters clouds. Then when it rains, the elements mixed together kill plants, pollute water, and erode stonework. Incineration also pollutes the environment as stated above. Incineration is guaranteed to lead to a lot of air pollution and acid rain, while landfills are not that bad because there is only a small chance that they will leak since they are usually sealed properly. As you can see, a few of the ways we dispose of garbage result in pollution.