“Fragile & Paper Thin, Is The Compelling Nature Of Many Perfect Things. Like Butterfly Wings, Unfolding

Our resident Barred Owl did an impressive display today of how owls can turn their heads up to 270 degrees. This is due to a special adaptation on their vertebrae. 

Barred Owls are native to Florida, but this one cannot be released back into the wild due to a permanent injury. He would not be able to survive in the wild on his own. Instead, he now has a happy home with dedicated care takers and sometimes makes himself visible to the public as an educational ambassador. 

“Barred Owls are easiest to find when they are active at night—they’re a lot easier to hear than to see. Visit forests near water (big bottomland forest along a river is prime Barred Owl habitat) and listen carefully, paying attention for the species’ barking “Who cooks for you?” call.” - The Cornell Lab https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Barred_Owl/overview

Check out our resident Yellow-Footed Tortoise, Carlos! Yellow-Footed Tortoises are native to the rainforests of South America.

The Sawgrass Nature Center is home to an aviary of recovering and permanent winged residents. This blue jay is one of the many that are to be soon as you walk through the surrounding enclosure. 

Найти время, чтобы заметить красоту мира.

Найти силы, чтобы радоваться ей.

Жить. Просто жить и впускать в сердце радость...

Анна Чуланова

Take time to notice the beauty of the world.

Find the strength to enjoy her.

Live. Just live and let joy into your heart ...

Anna Chulanova

How to Read an Academic/Research Paper

The main sections are: 

Abstract: a general overview of the paper’s content. It’s good to start here first, to sort of “seed” the ideas and concepts of the paper into your head.

Introduction: the general overview and setting of the paper. Sometimes you’ll find brief descriptions of key concepts or phrases

Methods: Read at the end, the technical jargon might be too heavy to for your to read this first.

Results:

Conclusion/Interpretation/Discussion: the hypothesis is either accepted or rejected. Reading the conclusion can help you decide if you want to spend your time reading the paper or not if you are looking for a specific method of doing something.

References: Read to familiarize yourself with the common titles, sources, and theories. 

Tip: Read the  Intro, and conclusion before you read the rest of the paper, its the fastest way of knowing what’s in the paper. 

Look out for the keywords key contribution and significant. 

Step by Step instructions: 

 Read Intro and Conclusion

 Identify the big question - what is this paper about?

Summarize the background in five sentences - why is this research important?

Identify specific questions - What exactly are the authors trying to answer with their research. 

Read methods

Read results and write down a sentence to summarize the result of each experiment. 

How do the results answer the specific question?

Read the conclusion section - Do the authors think that the results answered the big question?

Now read the abstract - did it match what happened?

Sources: 

https://medium.com/ai-saturdays/how-to-read-academic-papers-without-freaking-out-3f7ef43a070f

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/jennifer-raff/how-to-read-and-understand-a-scientific-paper_b_5501628.html

Invasive Species and the Burmese Python

Have you ever heard the term, “invasive species”? Listen along to this month’s podcast from the Sawgrass Nature Center as our staff teams up with the Nature Conservancy of Southwest Florida to discuss invasive species and the Burmese Python problem in the Everglades!

https://anchor.fm/snc-wild/episodes/Invasive-Species-and-the-Burmese-Python-Part--I-e11n04k

Beautiful metal tree art….

Are you feeling increased stress and anxiety due to COVID-19 related issues? Lavender is one of the best ways to naturally reduce stress and anxiety. Burn a lavender candle, use a few drops of lavender essential oils in a bath, or even use some to mix with lemonade! 

Check out what other people are using lavender for here: https://www.ausnaturalcare.com.au/health/life-style/10-benefits-of-lavender-essential-oil-and-how-to-use-it/

Great Horned Owls are native to the Americas, with a preference for deciduous, coniferous, forest, and desert habitats. They are carnivores with a diet that includes small mammals, reptiles, and even other owls! 

Fun fact: When clenched, a Great Horned Owl’s strong talons require a force of 28 pounds to open. 

Our resident owl is with us due to a permanent wing injury that prohibits them from ever flying properly again. 

Ancient sea bottom exposed along a modern seaside rocky platform. This immense amount of fossilized shells is preserved in ~250 million year old sea sediments which would have been a feeding grounds for all these bivalves.

South coast, NSW, Australia.