Worth It

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Wow! Sometimes traveling 4.67 billion miles (or getting up at 4 in the morning) is worth it…  RT

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Photo: Pluto Backlit by the Sun. NASA. NASA website. Public Domain.

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The Monarch Butterfly’s Spring Migration

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The time is approaching for eastern Monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) to return to the U.S. east coast from their wintering grounds in Mexico: a more beautiful visitor is hard to imagine. Though the population of the Monarch has declined significantly in recent years, a decline linked to several changes in the butterfly’s environment, the MB is not yet listed as endangered. Fortunately, several organizations are at work trying to protect the butterflies; RT offers links to a couple of them, Monarch Watch and Monarch Butterfly Fund. As is so often the case, the status of the most vulnerable members of a community is a good indicator of the community’s overall health.   RT

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Photograph: A Monarch Butterfly on a Purple Coneflower (2007). Author: Derek Ramsey (Ram-Man). WikiCmns; License: GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 only. This image was selected as picture of the day on English Wikipedia, August 27, 2008.

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A Leaf Hair

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RT has to say he doesn’t have the faintest idea what this is, but wow! Some worthwhile research is in the offing, he’s willing to wager!

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Photo: Scanning electron micrograph of trichome: a leaf hair of thale cress (Arabidopsis thaliana). Author: Heiti Paves. Uploaded as part of the Estonian Science Photo Competition. WikiCmns; CC 3.0 Unported.

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UV Earth

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Here’s an eye-catcher to start the year with: the Earth, taken in ultraviolet light from the surface of the Moon. Open your eyes, folks…   RT

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Photo: Earth in Ultraviolet Light from the Moon’s Surface. NASA. Public Domain.

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The Great Rhythms

RT is no stranger to the Winter Blues; he’s dealt with them off and on since he was a teenager. For whatever reason, this year the arrival of winter has struck him a little more deeply than most changes of the season. But not to worry: RT has been taking steps to deal with blah feelings and is doing better.

But this particular episode has reminded RT that our lives ride on profound currents of energy and mood. Women are traditionally supposed to be the moodier gender, but the tides of emotion that run through men are all the more powerful for being hidden under still waters.

And the currents that everyone deals with do not necessarily dissipate in a few months or even years. These are the great rhythms, which flow through us for decades and must be regarded with the utmost respect. Swimming down into their pull and struggling to change and understand them is a part of every health life. Feelings have to be processed, and in a busy life these can accumulate until they overwhelm us. We need time to assimilate, to explore, and to grow more skillful.    RT

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Photo: Picture of the moon dark. Arjun. WikiCmns. Public Domain.

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Darwin’s Fox

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The critically endangered Darwin’s Fox (Lycalopex fulvipes) is found only on the Chiloe Islands and the nearby Chilean mainland. Although Lycalopex is a canine, it is not a fox and only distantly related to wolves–and yes, it was first described by Charles Darwin in 1834, during his renowned voyage aboard the Beagle.

With a “vast” diet, DF nonetheless depends on Chiloe’s primary rainforest; the forest is being cut on the islands. More important, however, may be the introduction of wild dogs into the area. About 320 Darwin Foxes live in the wild, according to the World Conservation Union.

RT

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RT’s Related Posts: 1) Lake Titicaca Water Frog; 2) Mediterranean Vacation: Lost Landscapes

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Photo: A male Darwin’s fox in western coast of Chiloe, Chile; Author: Fernando Borques (uploaded by Lin linao). WikiCmns; Public Domain.

Guatemala City

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Guatemala City, capital of Guatemala, is home to more than a million people. It is also the seat of the Central American Parliament. What a dramatic setting!   RT

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RT’s Related Posts: 1) Sor Juana; 2) Mexico’s Lincoln

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Photo: View of Guatemala City and its Volcanoes; Author: Alphabet Citizen. WikiCmns; Public Domain.

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