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       #Post#: 338--------------------------------------------------
       The Fabulous Plant Kingdom
   DIR By: AGelbert
       Date: June 3, 2022, 3:15 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       [center]THE TALLEST TREES IN THE 🌎 WORLD[/center]
       [center]
  HTML https://youtu.be/wQ587i8Y8Uk[/center]
       Sep 20, 2018 Trend Max 1.9M subscribers
       Meet the tallest trees in the world. These trees managed to be
       the biggest with the passage of time because many of them are
       hundreds of years old.
       -Swamp gum
       This tree inhabits naturally in the Southeast of Australia, in
       zones around 3280 feet above sea level with frequent rains.
       -Coast Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens)
       It is a very large tree, which can easily exceed 350 feet in
       height. The highest recorded tree, the Hyperion is 389 feet.
       Located in Redwood National Park, in California. It was
       discovered in 2006 by hikers Chris Atkins and Michael Taylor.
       The exact location of the Hyperion is not known, however.
       🦉 Scientists are keeping the location of Hyperion secret
       in order to protect it. 👍
       [center]
  HTML http://www.backyardnature.net/n/09/090517rw.jpg[/center]
       [center]Hyperion
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       [/center]
       Coast redwoods grow mostly in California and California's
       forests and state parks are believed to be home to the largest
       trees in the world. Another redwood, Del Norte Titan, is located
       in Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park in California. This tree
       is so large that if the tree were to be cut into planks, it
       could build 120 houses.
       -Douglas Fir
       It is the third largest tree in the world. Its maximum height is
       327 feet tall, which is equivalent to a building of more than 33
       floors.
       -Sitka spruce
  HTML https://soberthinking.createaforum.com/gallery/soberthinking/1-110422180554-644315.gif<br
       />Sitka &#127794; spruce trees have have NO knots! They make
       violins and guitars from them for that reason.  It is the third
       largest conifer in the world. Its name comes from the town of
       Sitka, in Alaska.
       -Giant sequoia
       This tree can grow up to 314 feet in height. That is, twice the
       height of the Roman Coliseum.
       -Yellow Meranti
       It is the highest tropical tree in the world.
       -Manna gum
       The highest specimen of this tree lives in the Evercreech
       Reserve in Tasmania and measures 299 feet in height.
       -Tasmanian Blue gum
       Also known as Blue Eucalyptus or White Eucalyptus. This tree is
       native to Southeast Australia.
       -Australian Alpine Ash
       It has a straight and gray trunk tree whose highest measured
       specimen has a trunk diameter of 10 feet and 288 feet tall,
       which makes it as tall as the Capitol in Washington DC.
       -Tasmanian oak
       It is also known as Australian oak. The tallest specimen of this
       tree is called King Stringy, and it is, what a coincidence ...
       in Tasmania.
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       AGelbert NOTE: More about trees and plants:
       [center]
       [center]
  HTML http://www.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/3-180614133106.gif[/center][/center]
       • Plants absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen during the
       day, and absorb oxygen and release carbon dioxide at night. They
       release far more oxygen than they absorb.
       • The origin of the word "tree" is "tre" from Old English.
       "Forest" comes from the old French word "foresta" which meant
       "woodland."
       [color=green][size=18pt][b]• Two mature trees produce enough
       oxygen to fulfill the annual oxygen needs of four
       people.[/b][/size][/color]
  HTML https://soberthinking.createaforum.com/gallery/soberthinking/1-070422160139.gif
  HTML http://www.wisegeek.com/where-is-the-tallest-tree-in-the-world.htm
       #Post#: 340--------------------------------------------------
       The secret lives of plants &#129312;
   DIR By: AGelbert
       Date: June 4, 2022, 11:36 am
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       [center]The secret lives of plants
  HTML https://soberthinking.createaforum.com/gallery/soberthinking/1-040622124413.gif
       [/center]
       [center]
  HTML https://youtu.be/kTWcVnMPChM[/center]
       #Post#: 347--------------------------------------------------
       Now, over a century later, the plant is confirmed to be back on
       Vermont’s landscapes, thanks to a retired greenhouse man
   DIR By: AGelbert
       Date: June 9, 2022, 12:00 pm
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       [center]
  HTML https://dl10.glitter-graphics.net/pub/2491/2491210ovie015m90.gif[/center]
       Jun 8 2022 By Ella Ruehsen
       [center]Federally threatened orchid rediscovered in Vermont,
       thanks to a smartphone app[/center]
       [center]
  HTML https://vtdigger.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/SmallWhorledPogonia_2022_JohnGange-1152x1536.jpeg[/center]
       A small whorled pogonia blooms on Winooski Valley Park District
       conservation land. Vermont Fish & Wildlife photo courtesy of
       John Gange
       SNIPPET:
       This species is the only one of the three that’s historical,
       meaning it went missing in Vermont for more than 25 years — or
       in this case, for 120.
  HTML https://soberthinking.createaforum.com/gallery/soberthinking/1-120422122505-6702373.gif<br
       />
       Full article:
  HTML https://soberthinking.createaforum.com/gallery/soberthinking/1-040422164613-5332481.jpeg
  HTML https://vtdigger.org/2022/06/08/federally-threatened-orchid-rediscovered-in-vermont-thanks-to-a-mobile-phone-app/
       #Post#: 458--------------------------------------------------
       Biology Helps Us Understand the Blessing of Grasses
   DIR By: AGelbert
       Date: August 17, 2022, 3:51 pm
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       AGelbert NOTE:
  HTML https://soberthinking.createaforum.com/gallery/soberthinking/1-080422155559.png<br
       />Don't miss the short video. It is quite beautiful and
       relaxing.
       [center]Biology Helps Us Understand the Blessing of
       Grasses[/center]
       August 10, 2022, 12:46 PM By David Coppedge
       SNIPPETS:
       The journal Science offers a special section devoted to grasses.
       Bianca Lopez, Pamela J. Hines, and Caroline Ash introduce the
       cover story with some startling facts about these “often
       undervalued” plants. In “The unrecognized value of grass
  HTML https://www.science.org/doi/full/10.1126/science.add6362,”
       they
       say,
       --- Quote ---
       > Grasses are highly diverse, yet only six or seven grass
       species provide most of the calories that humans consume. … In
       addition to cultivated fields and pastures, grassy ecosystems
       (both Poaceae and Alismatales) cover large swaths of the planet,
       forming terrestrial grasslands and submarine meadows. Grasslands
       create and stabilize fertile soil; store carbon; generate
       oxygen; and provide animal habitat, building materials, and
       food. Even so, these species and systems are often undervalued.
       Land-use conversion and climate change pose threats, as do
       climate change mitigation efforts that prioritize carbon stored
       in trees over that stored in grasslands. Nevertheless, grasses
       could offer solutions to many of our societal challenges, if
       only we would fully recognize their diversity and value.
       [Emphasis added.]
       --- End Quote ---
       Appreciating Grasslands
       Here are a few points to increase our appreciation for the
       12,000 known species of grasses.
       Grasslands store about a third of the world’s terrestrial carbon
       stocks.1
       Most of us will have either eaten, stepped on, or burned a grass
       within the past 24 hours.2
       50 percent of the calories consumed by humans come from three
       species of grass: wheat, rice, and maize.2
       Meat, eggs, and dairy products come from animals that eat
       grasses.2
       Grasses are the predominant plants on all the continents except
       for Antarctica.2
       Not all grasses live on land. About 72 species in 4 families are
       “seagrasses” that live in &#128032; water.3
       [center]
  HTML https://youtu.be/KcyUgj30vL8[/center]
       Seagrasses have adapted to live &#128031; underwater, where
       light is limited, where salt and nutrients can be problematic,
       and where soils can become highly toxic.3
       Seagrass is the world’s only underwater flowering plant.4
       Seagrass “meadows” are important carbon dioxide sinks that can
       provide significant carbon sequestration yet are on the decline
       due to human activity. Conservationists are considering ways to
       help them recover.3
       Seagrass meadows promote biodiversity for fish, reptiles,
       crustaceans, echinoderms and other marine organisms like sea
       cucumbers, clams, manatees, sea turtles, and crocodiles who use
       them for food or shelter.3,4
       Along with mangroves and coral reefs, seagrass meadows help
       stabilize coastlines. They also reduce water acidity and purify
       water from viruses, bacteria, and heavy metals, helping coral
       reefs to flourish.3,4
       Seagrass can be used as construction material, fertilizer, and
       habitat for seafood farming. When cotton is scarce, it can be
       used as an alternative fiber for clothing.4
       The Smithsonian Ocean site adds additional praise for
       seagrasses:
       --- Quote ---
       > Seagrasses can form dense underwater meadows, some of which
       are large enough to be seen from space. Although they often
       receive little attention, they are one of the most productive
       ecosystems in the world. Seagrasses provide shelter and food to
       an incredibly diverse community of animals, from tiny
       invertebrates to large fish, crabs, turtles, marine mammals and
       birds.
       --- End Quote ---
       ... ...
       All grasses are angiosperms (flowering plants) in the monocot
       clade, meaning their leaves display parallel venation and spring
       from a single seed leaf (cotyledon). They comprise about 20
       percent of 60,000 known species of monocots, so while all
       grasses are monocots, the majority of monocots are not grasses,
       but other beautiful and useful plants like orchids, lilies,
       asparagus, and pineapples. The roots of grasses are fibrous,
       making them good for binding soil and preventing wind erosion
       while providing habitat for earthworms, moles, and gophers.
       We’re all familiar with the term “grass roots” as a metaphor for
       bottom-up popular movements. ... ...
       Beneath this broadly conserved genome architecture lurks
       extensive diversity, including variation in nucleotides
       (single-nucleotide polymorphisms), gene structure, and even the
       presence or absence of genes. The nucleotide differences between
       two lines of Zea mays (maize) are greater than those between
       humans and chimpanzees. Genes central for plant structure in
       maize are missing in wheat and rice, and vice versa. In other
       words, not all grasses have the same complement of genes, and
       their morphology is altered accordingly. ... ...
       Many refer cheerfully to “God’s green earth” when thinking of
       natural beauty, and grasses are a big part of that glorious
       world picture. Why should our planet be so blessed with these
       marvelous plants that do so much for the biosphere? Grasses are
       prime examples of the prior fitness of the universe for complex
       life that Michael Denton has elucidated with such clarity and
       passion in his Privileged Species series
  HTML https://privilegedspecies.com/.
       It is likely that humans and
       other complex animals could not exist but for these abundant and
       nutritious little plants that help bind the biosphere together.
       Let us stand in awe at the grass beneath our feet.
  HTML https://soberthinking.createaforum.com/gallery/soberthinking/1-090422150144.png
       Full article with references:
  HTML https://soberthinking.createaforum.com/gallery/soberthinking/1-040422164520-5301778.gifhttps://soberthinking.createaforum.com/gallery/soberthinking/1-040422164615-5351419.gif
  HTML https://evolutionnews.org/2022/08/biology-helps-us-understand-the-blessing-of-grasses/
       #Post#: 589--------------------------------------------------
       My &#127809;&#127810; Favorite Season &#129312;
   DIR By: AGelbert
       Date: October 12, 2022, 1:26 pm
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       [center]
  HTML https://soberthinking.createaforum.com/gallery/soberthinking/1-121022143334.gif[/center]
       [center]My &#127809;&#127810; Favorite Season &#129312;[/center]
       [center]
  HTML https://soberthinking.createaforum.com/gallery/soberthinking/1-121022140118-20441603.jpeg[/center]
       [center]
  HTML https://soberthinking.createaforum.com/gallery/soberthinking/1-121022142816.gif[/center]
       [center]Autumn Last Year was quite Pretty
  HTML http://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/1/3-120818180835-1624479.gif[/center]
       [center]
  HTML https://soberthinking.createaforum.com/gallery/soberthinking/1-121022140117-20241173.jpeg[/center]
       #Post#: 596--------------------------------------------------
       This might be the world’s oldest tree
   DIR By: AGelbert
       Date: October 14, 2022, 10:57 am
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       Otober 13, 2022
       In Between Times
       [center]This
  HTML https://soberthinking.createaforum.com/gallery/soberthinking/1-120422122214-653256.gif<br
       />might be the world’s oldest tree [/center]
       [center]
  HTML https://youtu.be/VU0G-1Piioo[/center]
       More news for caring humans (except you need to add about 4 to
       8% to the BLS low balled inflation numbers &#128073; SEE:
       Greenspan gamed CPI formula
  HTML https://soberthinking.createaforum.com/gallery/soberthinking/1-080422121435.png):<br
       />
  HTML https://soberthinking.createaforum.com/gallery/soberthinking/1-040422164555-532108.png
  HTML https://inbetweentimes.substack.com/p/in-between-times-10-13-2022
       #Post#: 643--------------------------------------------------
       The Beauty of a Small Moving Drop of Water
   DIR By: AGelbert
       Date: November 8, 2022, 11:05 am
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       [center]The beauty of a drop of water on a waxy leaf[/center]
       [center]
  HTML https://renewablerevolution.createaforum.com/gallery/renewablerevolution/3/3-291121122135.gif[/center]
       #Post#: 1058--------------------------------------------------
       These Fragrant Flowers Attract Hummingbirds, Monarch
       Butterflies, Bees, Bumblebees and other &#128030; Beneficial
       Insects
   DIR By: AGelbert
       Date: May 24, 2023, 4:27 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       [center]
  HTML https://soberthinking.createaforum.com/gallery/soberthinking/1-110422205132-649552.gifhttps://soberthinking.createaforum.com/gallery/soberthinking/1-240523195543.pnghttps://soberthinking.createaforum.com/gallery/soberthinking/1-100323192443-2313418.gif[/center]
       [center]
  HTML https://soberthinking.createaforum.com/gallery/soberthinking/1-120422122720-6841842.png<br
       />&#128030;
  HTML https://soberthinking.createaforum.com/gallery/soberthinking/1-120422122257-6561489.gif[/center]
       Swamp [glow=red,2,300]Red[/glow] Milkweed Asclepias incarnata
       [glow=green,2,300]Grows[/glow] to 2-4 Ft
       [glow=green,2,300]Spread[/glow] 2-3 Ft
       Blooms June-October
       Light Requirement: Sun, Part Shade
       Soil Moisture: Medium, Wet
       Soil Description: Clay, Mucky
       Attracts: Monarchs, Native Bees, Bumblebees, Caterpillars,
       Butterflies, Hummingbirds, Beneficial Insects
       Fragrant Flowers: Yes
       Deer Resistant: Yes
  HTML https://gardenforwildlife.com/collections/all-products
       #Post#: 1357--------------------------------------------------
       Plant Evolution: All Gaps and Miracles
   DIR By: AGelbert
       Date: October 11, 2023, 6:22 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       [center]
  HTML https://soberthinking.createaforum.com/gallery/soberthinking/1-140922195114.png[/center]
       October 5, 2023, 6:33 AM by [glow=teal,2,300]David
       Coppedge[/glow]
  HTML https://soberthinking.createaforum.com/gallery/soberthinking/1-110422180554-644315.gif
       [center]
  HTML https://evolutionnews.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/gingko-2-1.jpg[/center]
       [center]Gingko[/center]
       [center]Plant Evolution: [glow=blue,2,300]All Gaps and
       Miracles[/glow][/center]
       A major 2023 study by ten evolutionary biologists shows that the
       fossil record of plants poses considerable challenges
  HTML https://soberthinking.createaforum.com/gallery/soberthinking/1-050422145533-5682069.png<br
       />to Darwinian evolution. David Coppedge reviews the evidence
       and
       highlights attempted sleights of hand.
       Continue Reading:
  HTML https://soberthinking.createaforum.com/gallery/soberthinking/1-050422133801.gif
  HTML https://evolutionnews.org/2023/10/plant-evolution-all-gaps-and-miracles/
       #Post#: 1431--------------------------------------------------
       The Superior Programming that Makes Plants Look Smart
   DIR By: AGelbert
       Date: November 8, 2023, 5:41 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       [center]
  HTML https://soberthinking.createaforum.com/gallery/soberthinking/1-140922195114.png[/center]
       November 6, 2023, 6:29 AM by [glow=teal,2,300]David
       Coppedge[/glow]
  HTML https://soberthinking.createaforum.com/gallery/soberthinking/1-110422180554-644315.gif
       [center]The [glow=blue,2,300]Superior Programming[/glow] that
       Makes Plants Look [glow=blue,2,300]Smart[/glow]
       [/center]
       SNIPPET:
       Wesley Smith has warned more than once against
       anthropomorphizing plants and ascribing intelligence — even
       personhood — to flowers and trees. But like responsive robots,
       plants can have smarts programmed into them. “So sure,
       investigate how plants interact with their environment,” he
       advises. “But use proper, non-personal language.
       [color=green]They are [glow=teal,2,300]plants[/glow].” Let’s do
       that, and look at some of the superior programming that makes
       plants look smart because their design is smart.
       [center]
  HTML https://evolutionnews.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Oregongrapeleaves.jpg[/center]
       [center]Oregon grape leaves[/center]
       &#127811; Leaf &#127810; Recycling
       Science Magazine notes that “leaf recycling is a two-step
       process.” Leaves don’t just curl up and die on a cold day. That
       algorithm would be too simplistic, and potentially harmful to
       the tree if warm sunny days follow. Actually, two signaling
       molecules —[glow=teal,2,300] strigolactone[/glow] and
       [glow=green,2,300]ethylene[/glow] — can work independently to
       begin the process of leaf senescence (pictured above), but
       together, they work in [glow=green,2,300]synergy[/glow]. “This
       multistep process probably preserves leaves when possible, only
       carrying through to leaf senescence when the stress becomes too
       much.” (Emphasis added.)
       Nitrogen Fixing
       Separating molecular nitrogen’s triple bond requires a lot of
       energy and pressure when humans do it, but some plants do it
       with ease, utilizing the capabilities of
  HTML https://soberthinking.createaforum.com/gallery/soberthinking/1-080822141006-1726249.png<br
       />[glow=green,2,300]nitrogen-fixing bacteria[/glow]. These
       bacteria have an [glow=green,2,300]enzyme called
       nitrogenase[/glow] that so far has defied our attempts to
       understand it or duplicate [glow=green,2,300][b]it[/glow][/b].
       Even though legumes outsource the work, they regulate their
       symbiotic partners’ activity depending on nitrogen availability
       in the soil, according to researchers at Chapman University.
       This does not require plants to be sentient. We are all familiar
       with machines like thermostats, rheostats, and governors that
       can adjust their work depending on environmental conditions.
       Climbing
       Some plants and animals produce tentacles (in plants, tendrils)
       that can grab things. At Iowa State University, scientists are
       attempting to create (so far with only partial success)
       artificial tentacles that can wrap around delicate objects. The
       tendrils in ivy and other climbing plants are touch-sensitive.
       Contact changes the concentration of hormones in the tendril so
       that growth is accelerated on the far side, producing curvature.
       As a result, the tendril wraps around the object so that the
       plant can anchor itself to something firm. Time-lapse photos of
       ivy growing up a wall might look like the action of an
       intelligent agent. We see from Iowa State’s biomimetic
       experiments, though, that the intelligence is imposed by the
       agent. It’s a matter of programming with the right materials.
       Watching the Clock
       Every living thing keeps time, and plants are no exception. In
       fact, they have two clocks, says Duke University:
       Continue Reading:
  HTML https://soberthinking.createaforum.com/gallery/soberthinking/1-121022142816.gif
  HTML https://evolutionnews.org/2023/11/the-superior-programming-that-makes-plants-look-smart/
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