Bobcat mauls dog

Residents in a West Plano neighborhood have been alerted to the presence of a roaming bobcat that mauled a woman’s small dog.

- Dallas Morning News (link here)

Life in the food chain.

Sandwiches

“What’s better than a really great sandwich?” said Alexandra Raij, the chef at Tía Pol and El Quinto Pino, who is hosting a sandwich potluck for friends at her apartment next week. “Nothing that I’ve ever made.”

- New York Times (link here)

Interesting article on exotic sandwiches.

I would be willing to try every one of them.

Sharks

A shark expert says an autopsy has confirmed a great white killed a triathlete in the waters off San Diego County last week.

- AP/Miami Herald (link here)

I was hoping to see a great white shark in Australia, but the only shark I saw was a small (two foot long) shark swimming along Coconut Beach on Dunk Island.

Dangerous raccoons

A raccoon that sneaked into an electrical substation was blamed for an expensive power failure that struck several towns near Rochester, Minn., Monday night and into Tuesday morning.

- Star Tribune (link here)

Don't you just hate it when that happens?

Absinthe

An analysis of century-old bottles of absinthe - the kind once quaffed by the likes of van Gogh and Picasso to enhance their creativity - may end the controversy over what ingredient caused the green liqueur's supposed mind-altering effects .

The culprit seems plain and simple: The century-old absinthe contained about 70 percent alcohol, giving it a 140-proof kick. In comparison, most gins, vodkas and whiskeys are just 80- to 100-proof.

- LiveScience/Yahoo (link here)

The bottle I have is only 106 proof.

No hallucinations yet.

Colossal squid

Marine scientists in New Zealand on Tuesday were thawing the corpse of the largest squid ever caught to try to unlock the secrets of one of the ocean's most mysterious beasts.

- AP/Yahoo (link here)

Very interesting creature.

Odd noises and lights in Maryland

Deafening blasts accompanied by blinding split-second flashes of light have been rattling residents of one neighborhood of this Baltimore suburb for months.

- azcentral (link here)

None of these in the garden.

Yet.

Qingdao whiskey

The secret to Dallas' economic vibrancy may be mixed with shots of a clear liquid imbued with snake-venom potency and the burn of devil's blood.

Qingdao whiskey alone doesn't seal trade deals.

- Dallas Morning News (link here)

I would be willing to try a shot.

Returned

Returned from Australia to find a yard full of blossoms (there were almost none when I left).

Mostly daffodils, but also Bergenia, Scilla, hellebore, hyacinth, and grape hyacinth.

Fruit beer

"For a long time, beer drinkers thought [fruit beers] couldn't be taken seriously," he [Bryan Selders, Milton, Del.-based Dogfish Head lead brewer] said. "But brewers like myself have tried to prove otherwise by making beers that are a beer first and add a fruit element to complement the beer."

- Chicago Tribune (link here)

The article mentions two of my favorite breweries, Wisconsin-based New Glarus and Colorado-based New Belgium.

Student-Free Beaches

Interesting article on student-free beaches by Marisa Rindone, Forbes.com (link here)

For when you absolutely, positively have to get away from young people.

Earthquake!

The earthquake, which measured 5.2 on the Richter Scale, struck at 4:36 a.m. near the town of West Salem, Ill., about 60 miles northwest of Evansville, Ind., according to the U.S. Geological Survey. An initial estimate of the magnitude put it at 5.4, which would have matched the strongest earthquake recorded in the region.

- Chicago Tribune (link here)

I was so tired from working in the garden that I slept right through it.

Roaming cougars

And DNA testing on a blood sample collected by state conservation officials tracking the Wisconsin cougar indicated he is almost certainly a wild cougar from the Black Hills, meaning the animal would have traveled more than 1,000 miles.

- Washington Post (link here)

Maybe another one will roam over to my garden.

Ten Best Trees for Wisconsin

http://www.johnsonsnursery.com/

Interesting list.

Armoracia rusticana

http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/Plant.asp?code=N120

http://www.gardenguides.com/plants/info/herbs/horse.asp

Otherwise known as horseradish.

Garden Watchdog

http://davesgarden.com/products/gwd/

The Garden Watchdog is a free directory of 6,322 mail order gardening companies. Here gardeners share their opinions on which companies really deliver on quality, price and service.

Stark Brothers

http://www.starkbros.com/

They offer a self-pollinating butternut, several persimmons, and tons of grapes.

NAFEX

http://www.nafex.org/index.htm

The North American Fruit Explorers (NAFEX) is a network of individuals throughout the United States and Canada devoted to the discovery, cultivation and appreciation of superior varieties of fruits and nuts. Founded in 1967 by a small group of pomological hobbyists, NAFEX has grown to an organization of more than 3,000 members, and is chartered as a nonprofit organization in the state of Illinois. Although the ranks of our membership include professional pomologists, nurserymen, and commercial orchardists, NAFEX members are all AMATEURS in the truest sense of the word; they are motivated by their LOVE of fine fruit.

Hidden Springs Nursery

http://www.hiddenspringsnursery.com/

They offer "Arkansas Black" apple trees.

Wild Seed Farms

http://www.wildseedfarms.com/default.htm

They offer chicory seed, also little bluestem.

American Meadows

http://www.americanmeadows.com/

American Meadows Inc.
223 Avenue D, Ste. 30
Williston, VT 05495 USA

They offer treasures like trillium, jack-in-the-pulpit, trailing arbutus, and lots more.

Edible Landscaping

http://www.ediblelandscaping.com/

361 Spirit Ridge Ln.
Afton, VA 22920

They offer Horseradish (Armoracia rusticana), Medlar, female Ginkgo, and other rarities.

Forestfarm Plant Nursery

http://www.forestfarm.com/

990 Tetherow Rd.
Williams, OR 97544-9599

Encyclopedic listing.

Milaeger's

http://www.milaegers.com/

Two locations, Racine and Sturtevant.

Impressive selection of annuals, perennials, herbs, vines, groundcovers, etc.

Minor's Garden Center

http://www.minorsgardencenter.com/content/home/index.php

7777 N. 76th Street
Milwaukee, WI 53223

They offer some uncommon gems like Trout Lily.

Action Garden Center

http://www.actiongardenwi.com/index.htm

16914 W. Observatory Road
New Berlin, WI 53151

Good selection of trees.

Hypertufa trough

http://www.taunton.com/finegardening/how-to/articles/make-hypertufa-trough.aspx

Arbor Day Foundation

http://www.arborday.org/index.cfm

A good place to buy small, inexpensive trees.

Hackberry (Celtis occidentalis)

http://www.bellarmine.edu/faculty/drobinson/Hackberry.asp

http://www.cnr.vt.edu/dendro/dendrology/syllabus/factsheet.cfm?ID=26

The hackberry tree is native to our part of Wisconsin.

Chicago cougar

Chicago police say an officer has killed a 150-pound cougar in a residential area on the city's North Side.

- AP/azcentral (link here)

I keep hoping to see a cougar in the garden someday.

Hawks Nursery

http://www.hawksnursery.com/

12217 West Watertown Plank Road
Wauwatosa, Wisconsin 53226

Since 1875. Not 1975, yes, that is 1875.

They offer some very interesting Saturday gardening classes.

Autumn Brilliance

http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/Plant.asp?code=B240

http://www.parkslandscapes.com/

Lied's

http://www.lieds.com/index.jsp

N63 W22039 Highway 74
Sussex, WI 53089

Offer Ginkgo 'Princeton Sentry.'

Serviceberry (Apple Autumn Brilliance) looks like a very interesting selection.

KSU Pawpaw

http://www.pawpaw.kysu.edu/

Everything you ever wanted to know about pawpaws.

Oikos Tree Crops

http://oikostreecrops.com/store/home.asp

Oikos Tree Crops
PO Box 19425
Kalamazoo, Michigan 40019-0425

Offer a wide selection of trees, including oaks, beeches, chestnuts, filberts, pawpaws, hardy pecans.

Mountain Valley Growers

http://www.mountainvalleygrowers.com/

38325 PEPPERWEED ROAD
SQUAW VALLEY, CA 93675

Offer Agastache (Licorice Mint), Angelica, Chamomile, Costmary, Hyssop, Kentucky Colonel Spearmint, Tansy, Valerian, and other fine selections.

Several of these plants are on my wish list.

Raintree Nursery

http://www.raintreenursery.com/

Raintree Nursery
391 Butts Road
Morton, WA 98356

Offers two varieties of medlars.

Rush Creek Growers

http://www.rushcreekgrowers.com/

Oconomowoc Landscape & Garden Center

http://www.ocgardencenter.com/index.php

Hardy Kiwi Michigan State

Actinidia arguta Michigan State (Park Seed)

Big Dipper Farm

http://www.bigdipperfarm.com/index.htm

26130 SE Green Valley Rd
Black Diamond, WA 98010

American Bittersweet

Climbing Hydrangea

Hops

Porcelain Berry Vine

Perennial vines wish list

American Bittersweet (Celastrus scandens)

Dutchman's Pipe (Aristolochia durior)

Grapes (Vitis spp.)

Hardy Kiwi (Actinidia arguta)

Hops (Humulus lupulus)

Hydrangea (Hydrangea petiolaris)

Porcelain Berry (Ampelopsis brevipedunculata)

Silver Lace Vine (Polygonum aubertii)

Trumpet Vine (Campsis radicans)

Jung

http://www.jungseed.com/

They offer a lot of cool stuff, including a medlar tree! (link here)

Do not make a backhoe operator angry

http://www.coloradofisherman.com/forum/index.php?topic=29787.0

Blue star creeper (Laurentia fluviatilis)

http://classygroundcovers.com/

http://www.entomology.cornell.edu/

Looks like it might not quite be winter hardy in my area. Maybe worth a try as an experiment.

Dutchman's Pipe (Aristolochia durior)

http://www.naturehills.com/product/dutchmans_pipe.aspx

Johnson's Nursery

http://www.wisconsinlandscape.com/Home.aspx

W180 N6275 Marcy Rd.
Menomonee Falls, WI 53051

Organic nanoparticles

(Thanks to Elizabeth for calling my attention to this one.)

The small and flexible nanoparticles fit easily into even the tiniest crevices, thereby allowing ivy to generate enough force for climbing and giving it an incredible affixing power, which anyone who has ever tried to remove the resilient vine can attest to.

- http://pubs.acs.org/cen/email/html/cen_86_i13_8613notw7.html

I will be very happy when my ivy plants increase their production of organic nanoparticles.

Wild cucumber (Echinocystis lobata)

http://wisplants.uwsp.edu/scripts/detail.asp?SpCode=ECHLOB

http://www.ct-botanical-society.org/galleries/echinocystisloba.html

http://www.wiseacre-gardens.com/plants/wildflower/cucumber.html

I have not grown this plant for many years. The seeds are hard to find, but I really should make the effort.

http://www.yuko.ca/index.html (seeds for sale)

Guide to flowering vines

http://www.doityourself.com/stry/trumpetvine

Trumpet vine

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trumpet_vine

http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/644/

I hate this vine with a passion. It crawled up the house, around the house, in the house. I had it coming up in my bathroom out of every little crack in the floor. I tried killing it and it would not die. I tried cutting back to the root, and it came back. I tried poisons, salt, and never watered it except for rain. I didn't plant it, I bought it with the house. It introduced ants to my roof. If I ever see this plant in a garden in, I promise I will run as fast as I can.

- quote from Dave's Garden (link listed above)

Shady Acres Nursery

http://www.shadyacresnursery.com/

Silver lace vine

http://www.beginner-gardening.com/silverlacevine.html

http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/factsheets/vines/polygonum_aubertii.html

http://www.backyardgardener.com/plantname/pda_29e4.html

Big, black dog syndrome

When Aaron Jones walks Gozer, his Rottweiler-hound mix, people cross the street to avoid them. Mothers scoop up their children. A lost motorist once rolled up the windows and drove off after spotting the dog. One woman screamed.

According to animal shelter officials, big, black dogs like Gozer have more trouble finding a happy home than do other dogs. Some shelters even have a name for it: "Big black dog syndrome."

- AP/Las Vegas Review-Journal (link here)

I would prefer a beagle.

Coyotes in Georgia

A non-native species, coyotes crossed the Mississippi River into the Southeast more than 30 years ago and are now in every county in Georgia. Trappers have pulled them from a condo complex in Buckhead, sprawling church grounds in Lithonia and suburban neighborhoods in Cobb County.

- Atlanta Journal-Constitution (link here)

Here in Wisconsin, it is always a thrill when I see a coyote in the garden.

Life in the food chain.

Corpse flower

The pungent odor of rotting flesh attracts insects to pollinate the flower. On Wednesday, at the Marjorie McNeely Conservatory at Como Park, the stench drew admirers of a different ilk -- corpse flower groupies.

- Star Tribune (link here)

Rain gardens

Information on rain gardens from Rutgers (link here)

Anasazi

Some 700 years ago, as part of a vast migration, a people called the Anasazi, driven by God knows what, wandered from the north to form settlements like these, stamping the land with their own unique style.

- NY Times (link here)

Update on the mysteries surrounding the Anasazi.

Artificial reefs

One by one, a machine operator has been shoving hundreds of retired New York City subway cars off a barge, continuing the transformation of a barren stretch of ocean floor into a bountiful oasis, carpeted in sea grasses, walled thick with blue mussels and sponges, and teeming with black sea bass and tautog.

- NY Times (link here)

Interesting article on artificial reefs.

Birds on the dole

Thanks to Elizabeth for calling my attention to this one.

http://sciencenow.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/2008/404/1?rss=1&eaf

Interesting article on the consequences of feeding birds.

Australian snake

Thanks to Brian for forwarding this picture to me.

We do not get many snakes like this in Hales Corners.

Coprolites

Using radiocarbon dating and DNA analysis, an international team concluded that fossilized feces found five feet below the surface of an arid cave are significantly older than any previous human remains unearthed in the Americas.

- Washington Post (link here)

It would be a real thrill to find coprolites in my garden.

Holy Moses White Ale

http://www.greatlakesbrewing.com/beerProfile.php?beer_id=00000008

Holy Moses White Ale

A Handcrafted White Ale with Spices and Chamomile from Cleveland, Ohio

This is an interesting ale. Lots of flavor but in serious violation of the old German purity law.

Common mountain mint

http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/prairie/plantx/cmt_mintx.htm

This plant has been added to my wish list.

Mallards

There is a pair of mallard ducks on the garden pool today.

I always wonder if it is the same pair that visits us year after year.