1. Bald Eagles were dying of a mysterious disease. Now the cause is identified by a team led by a UGA scientist. Here are two versions, one from The Scientist, the other from The Atlantic (may be behind a paywall).
2. Whiteflies can disable a plant toxin because they have a gene that does the job. But it didn’t come from another whitefly. Called horizontal transfer, it is not uncommon between insects and microbes, but this is the first time it has been detected from a plant to an insect. (link)
3. A webinar from Doug Tallamy, talking about Oaks, based on his latest book: The Nature of Oaks: The Rich Ecology of Our Most Essential Native Trees. Well worth the hour spent watching! (link)
4. Ohio State Plants and Pollinators symposium. Five speakers, including Doug Tallamy. The others are less well known but real authorities. (link)
5. How a hidden world of fungi was discovered inside the world's biggest seed bank. (link)
6. Why do flowers smell? A curious kid's explanation for kids of all ages. (link)
7. I like to read book reviews to see if a book is of interest. Then I can look for it in a library or even purchase it (if I trust the reviewer's judgement). Here's a review of a book about the origin of wheat. What do you think? Would you read it? (link)
8. Bob Ambrose brought my attention to this essay by Margaret Renkl: What You May Not Know About Those April Flowers. Americans have cultivated nonnative plants and flowers for so long, it has skewed our experience of spring. (link)
9. Speaking of Bob Ambrose and poems, you should visit his website, Reflections in Poetry, (link)
