FLOWERING CACTI

Each year, in April, two of my cactus plants bloom. This is the only time they have flowers and I love them because they are so vibrant and showy. I keep my cacti in a greenhouse window in my bathroom. A greenhouse window is not flat like a regular window. It is like a box that juts out. My window faces south so it gets great sunlight all day long.

Cacti do not need to be watered as often as regular plants. They can often go without water for two weeks! Did you now there are more than 2,000 varieties of cacti? And cactus spines are actually the cactus's leaves!
It is really difficult to get cacti to bloom indoors, mostly because they need intense, long periods of sunlight. Another reason is that some cacti grow slowly and won't mature for decades.

This is true of the very hairy old man cactus, which is native to Mexico. I have one of these too, but will probably never see its whitish-yellowish flower. It takes 20 years before they flower and they usually flower only when they are outdoors. But that's okay, it's messy, carefree hairstyle is flower enough for me!

I'm not sure of my cacti varieties, but I'm researching it and think that perhaps the one above is a pincushion cactus, while the one on the right is still a mystery to me. It's funny that they both have shocking pink blooms.

I really like the green fingers that protrude from the center of this flower.

HAPPY EARTH DAY FROM RANDALL'S ISLAND

A good time was had by all on Randall's Island today, where four students from the Urban Nature Club planted blueberry bushes in the island's freshwater wetlands. Students were chosen by lottery and I'm so sorry that I couldn't take the whole club. I wish I had a bus rather than a car that seats five. (We do have a trip coming up to a farm at the Brooklyn Navy Yard and I hope everyone will come....details to follow.)

Digging in the deep!

One hundred blueberry plants, the "Elizabeth" variety, were planted by various groups, including ours, which planted six blueberry plants in all.

Kaseng and Julian with one of their plants

Maddy and Sarah with their first planting

 Randall's Island is in the East River, between Manhattan and Queens. Together with Ward's Island, to which it is attached, it encompasses about 500 acres. During the nineteenth century, the island was an institutional island, with an insane asylum, infectious disease hospitals, and a potter's field (or cemetery for the poor or unclaimed bodies. Today, it is a hodgepodge with a fire training academy, sports fields and facilities, nature, parkland, a homeless shelter and water treatment plant.

We found lots of worms, pill bugs and snails

Julian and Kaseng watch the snail crawl
on some invasive phragmites

Sarah holds the fattest worm found

Click here to see the book on Amazon

If you want to learn more about Randall's Island, or any of the other islands in New York City, check out the aptly named "The Other Islands of New York City," by Ms. Seitz and her husband, Stuart Miller.

It's Springtime and Love Is In The Air!

Today during Urban Nature Club we cleaned up the garden a bit and then watched as a male pigeon followed a female pigeon in front of the school. The male puffed himself up, trying to look all big and handsome so the female would notice him. He continued this behavior as he tagged along behind her. She really didn't pay much attention to him, instead pecking on the ground perhaps looking for seeds. But the male was relentless. He kept bobbing behind her and then even began performing circles around her. She still didn't seem interested, but he kept at it. You gotta give the guy credit. He was not giving up!

Then a strange thing happened. The male and female all of a sudden touched beaks in what we all thought was a quick smoochie-smoochie. Then the male quickly got on top of the female and a second or two later jumped off her and they just continued walking around like nothing happened. But something did! We had just witnessed two pigeons mating!!!!!!

I did a little research and apparently, male and female pigeons mate for life. How romantic! And when the male and female were doing what we thought was a little smoochie-smoochie, the male was actually feeding the female by regurgitating (throwing up) food into her mouth. Yum, right? Well, she must have like that because she didn't mind when the male jumped on her flapping his wings to maintain his balance.

So, I guess these two are now a couple. And we were at the wedding. May they have healthy and happy chicks some time in the near future!

ENDANGERED SPECIES RUBRIC

Some individuals have asked for a rubric for the endangered species project. While the handout explains what I expect from each student, hopefully this rubric will make my expectations clearer. Have fun with the project. I can't wait to read them all!

	4	3	2	1
DIRECTIONS AND RESEARCH	Research Sheet completed in full and attached to project. Name, Class and Endangered species written on the project.	Research Sheet almost completed and attached to project. Name, Class and Endangered Species written on the project.	Research Project only partially completed and attached to project. Some aspect of the Name, Class and Endangered Species requirement is missing.	Did not attached Research Sheet to the project. Name, Class, and Endangered Species written on the project.
BIBLIOGRAPHY	Bibliography included on worksheet and contains three or more resources.	Bibliography included on worksheet and contains two resources.	Bibliography included on worksheet and contains one resource.	No bibliography included on worksheet.
DESCRIPTION	The student fully describes the characteristics of their chosen species, including scientific name, physical characteristics, country of origin, habitat, diet, lifespan, life cycle, and family dynamic.	The student mostly describes the characteristics of their chosen species, but leaves out two or fewer important details.	The student does not completely describe the characteristics of their chosen species and leaves out three or more details.	The student provides little information on their chosen animal, begging the reader to want to know more.
WRITING	The project is clearly written in the student’s own words. Shows that student can take research and restate it in an original and engaging way.	Most of the project is written in the student’s own words.	Some of the project is written in the student’s own words.	Most of the material is cut and pasted from the Internet and shows little original writing. In other words, lots of plagiarizing.
THREATS	Three or more threats to their species is clearly discussed and described.	Two threats to their species is clearly discussed and described.	One threat to their species is clearly discussed and described.	Unclear what the threats are to their species.
CONSERVATION	Three or more efforts to save their species and attributed to an organization, group, individual or government entity clearly discussed and described.	Two or more efforts to save their species and attributed to an organization, group, individual or government entity clearly discussed and described.	One effort to save their species and attributed to an organization, group, individual or government entity clearly discussed and described.	Unclear what is being done to protect their species from extinction.
CREATIVITY AND/OR ORIGINALITY	Student shows plenty of creativity either in writing or drawing and displays original thinking.	Student shows some creativity either in writing or drawing and displays original thinking.	Student minimal creativity either in writing or drawing and displays original thinking.	Student cuts and pastes images and/or writing and shows little enthusiasm for the creative process.

Another New Cam at Cornell!

The newest bird cam at Cornell is focused on a newborn Albatross in Hawaii.

Click here to view http://cams.allaboutbirds.org/channel/41/Laysan_Albatross/

The parents are Kaluahine and Kululakane and the baby is Koloakalua. The nest is on the island of Kauai.

NOW'S THE TIME!

As some of you know, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology up in Ithaca, New York has been featuring two bird cams on their website--one is in Ontario, Canada and the other is in Ithaca, NY. The cameras are focused on bird feeders in their area. I was just checking on them when I noticed another cam up and running. This cam is also in Ithaca and is focused on two red-tailed hawks that have just started building their nest on a pole on the Cornell University campus. Keep watching and you may see the female, Big Red, lay her eggs. She usually begins egg laying in early March.

Big Red

If you want to learn more about this pair of hawks (they mate for life!), Cornell has more than 60 questions and answers about the couple. Just click here: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/Page.aspx?pid=2607.

See watch the nest cam, click on: http://cams.allaboutbirds.org/channel/16/Red-tailed_Hawks/.

ANOTHER WINTER VISITOR TO MS. SEITZ'S YARD!

This little birdie, and several of its kind, visited my yard recently, desperately looking for food, so I provided some tasty birdseed.

CAN YOU GUESS WHAT BIRD THIS IS?