NATURE IN MARCH : CHEEKY CHIVES and GREEN HEARTS

Getting Mixed Signals from Mother Nature

Its said that March comes in like an lion and departs like a lamb...but this March didn't get that message.  Today (March 30, 2020) is cold and blustery here on eastern Long Island’s north shore.  The sky is a slaty gray with low stratus clouds, and a cold damp east wind encouraged me to engage my winter hat and gloves as well as a heavy winter coat for my morning walk. 

The trunks and branches of our bare trees made dark twisted and tangled  silhouettes against the dull leaden sky.  My choice of winter clothes seemed appropriate to me.  But our wild birds had other ideas. That made me feel out of tune with the season.

Seeming to ignore the incidentals of cold and lowering clouds a cardinal called cheerily and musically nearby, and to insure me that it was not just a chance event —-another answered just as gaily from over the hill.  A flock of grackles foraged busily on my neighbor’s lawn.  A Robin twittered in annoyance and flew off from its  worm listening and gathering as I  approached to closely.   A song sparrow’s call seemed to underscore the fact that regardless of the chill and gloom our avian visitors knew it was Spring and were not going to give up their busy lives to a lion-like departure of March. 

Our feathered friends and forest trees pay no heed to incidental fluctuations in weather as we urbanized humans do.  It is the length of day, and intensity of light—and as well,  the absence of overnight frosts that govern their lives.  

So though garbed in winter, I did find undeniable evidences of Spring elsewhere too—like in that distinct circular reddish pattern on the roadway and drive underneath the Red Maple trees.  Above, though there were no leaves as yet one could see (if looking carefully) the small red flowers which would soon turn into the twinned red tinged whirligigs (samaras) that “helicopter” a long way off in a good breeze.  Today the little red flowers  some make it here’s female falling to earth to settle like a red carpet.

And I  can not ignore the lovely Buttercups (Ranunculus sp) sprouting with luxurious abandon everywhere in my garden—offering us their lovely bright green leaves and shiny-yellow  petals—but making one feel an ingrate wishing they would find a better quarter in some weedy row far away. 

Then too,  on almost every lawn edge and fence line one sees the bright, jaunty yellow sprays of Forsythia our most prominent  harbinger of warm weather to come and not far behind on tended lawns—the magnificent Magnolia with its bulging buds tinged with violent and white and promise of exhubersnt blooms.  Today to join these harbingers I found two flowering cherry trees in full and glorious bloom.  I checked them closely to look and listen for insect life—but there was none yet.  

On the ground the earliest green to sprout above the carpet of dead oak and beech leaves were the cheeky chives, almost first to appear even through the snow. I watched them  grow from their appearance in late February as a few sparse and tentative green sprigs  into  vibrant dark green clumps.  Nearby,  the heart shaped leaves of the wild Blue Violet seemed to be nearly as early to sprout as the chives.  These dark “green hearts” appear almost everywhere that is undisturbed by human intervention.  Today, I noticed another early green sprouter joining  showing  among the chives and violets—the deeply lobed and fragrant leaves of the  Artemisia. It will grow into tall rank and fragrant weeds, over-towering its tiny companions of early spring.  

And just today the sprouts of Heal all (Prunella vulgris) made their appearance among the chives and violet clumps.  

Perhaps tomorrow will bring is the lamb of March departure.  We’ll see. 

ΟN A VIRUS —WHAT IS IT?

 Recently we have all heard so much about the flu virus and the new and scary “Covid 19” virus. But what are these infectious “bugs” that  cause the common cold and other diseases and so much disruption?   So what is a virus? 

You all (almost all of you) will remember  that each animal and plant cell has a nucleus (like a nut) embedded in “cell jelly” (protoplasm). Each cell is surrounded by  a thin membrane to keep things together and protect it.  You also have heard of DNA— the long chain complex molecule— that encodes and defines each cell and is found in the nucleus of every animals and plant  ell.  DNA is packed tightly into the nucleus (the word means “nut’)  which is located in the interior of  the jelly filled cell.  

DNA stores the master “code” (hereditary material) that controls duplication of the the cell and determines what that cell will look like and what it will do. DNA acts like the maestro at the head of an orchestra.  Imagine the orchestra as a single big cell. DNA in the nucleus operates to conduct the “music” of the cell.  Like an orchestra leader, it indicates  to the various cell components —in our orchestra analogy: such as the brass or string sections—what to play and when to play it—and how loud or soft.     All living things are made up of cells and must have DNA to control them.  

Bacteria are very simple plants. These single celld  primitive organisms are composed of a rigid outer cell coating made up of sugars and amino acids and an inner cell membrane, but no nucleus.  Their DNA—the master cell control center  (or “orchestra leader”) is dispersed throughout  the cell jelly and not confined into a little “nut”.  

Viruses are an even simpler and unique to class of “organism”.   They have no “cell”, no cell “jelly”, or cell membrane.   They are composed of only a strand or two of the “orchestra leader”  the encoding molecule which is surrounded by a protein or lipid (fatty)  sheath.  Some have DNA (it has two strands)  others have RNA ( only a single strand).  Thus a virus is an  “orchestra leader” with no orchestra to lead.  The virus survives by entering a cell and taking it over.     Viruses have evolved to attack many different animals and plants.  There are some viruses that attack only bacteria.  “New” viruses are often those which have simply switched from one host animal to another...like the coronavirus—which some believe was originally adapted to attack the Pangolin—or others claim it was a bat virus. 

 If these virus “bugs” are indeed “living” they are reduced to the simplest possible form—only a strand of DNA or RNA which can control a cell-if it had one.  A virus  might be analogous to a conductor without an orchestra. just waiting for the opportunity to take over a group of musicians to conduct. 

No one knows for sure how these virus entities evolved.  Did they just “slim down” as a result of  evolutionary adaptation from a former tiny cellular organism? Or are they the holdovers  from the earliest stages of life—the  primordial organism from which all other life evolved?  I suspect it must have been the former—since they seem to have adapted to attack more complex cells.  Thus  they must have come on the scene later on—after more complex cells had evolved.  

Since viruses are composed of only a few strands of nuclear material,  they must be, indeed very very small. They are much smaller than a cell or the nucleus of most cells.  (Imagine an average hen’s egg as a typical human cell.  The size of a virus relative to that human “cell” would be smaller than a poppy seed (in fact, about 1/4 the size of an average poppy seed)

The virus’  survival plan is correspondingly simple as well .  They must enter a host cell and take over that cell to survive and reproduce (replicate) new copies of themselves inside the cell.   They have evolved various strategies to get close to living cells in  a l organism like a plant or animal) and then somehow squeeze their way through the host cell’s protective cell membrane and enter into the cell “jelly”.   Once Inside,  they take control over that cell.  In fact they destroy that cell’s own DNA and substitute their nuclear material.   Inside the cell they use the substance of cell jelly and other parts to reproduce their own nuclear material, finally destroying the host’s cells and converting its substance into copies of itself. These  break out and spread far and wide to infect other cells.  It is assumed that these “beak out” cells are the one that are found in the mucus and other body fluids of the host.. By destroying so many host cells to covert them into virus entities is not good for the host. The host begins to feel sick when it’s lung,liver, or kidney cells are being destroyed to become a bunch of virus units.  

Imagine the band leader of a Hard Rock Band—like “Metallica”— as if he (or she) was a virus. The Metallica band leader  wanders around the music world  alone with no band to lead.  At some point it encounters an orchestra playing within a philharmonic theater—and  sneaks its way inside  where a full symphony orchestra is performing Beethoven’s 5th Symphony.  Pushing aside the tuxedo-clad maestro at the rostrum, the Metallica (virus) band leader rips the baton from the maestro’s hand and  pushes him off the rostrum. Then he begins directing the now confused members of the  orchestra’s strings, woodwinds, brass and percussion sections into playing a cacophony  of awful  dissonance.  Finally, in full control and with the players  responding to commands—the orchestra begin to play “Rock a Billy” in a “Metallica style.  

As that “music” takes hold each of the orchestra members begins to turn magically into a physical a copy of the Metallica band leader.  As this change progresses the sounds from the instruments  fades and stops—when all the instruments and musicians have turned into clones of the Metallica band leader.  These  newly formed band leaders —now race out of the theater to spread out in a frantic  search to find a new symphony orchestra to take over.  Ugh! 

In the human body a virus may enter your nasal cavity and enter the membrane of an epithelial cell.  It makes these cells work extra hard producing secretions that make your nose drip.  You get the sniffles and sneezes.   These outpourings of fluid are populated with the new viruses.  They can give you a runny nose and make you sneeze or cough.  Sneezing and coughing are the means viruses use to help disperse the virus copies it has  made in the cells it has taken over.  When a person sneezes the fluid droplets enter the air and are light enough to remain suspended for some time.  If you are close enough—within 6-10 feet— you may breathe in these droplets.  That is what the virus’ life plan mostly depends on.  Getting one host to sneeze and another host near-by to inhale its newly created virus copies.  The fact that humans like to be close together is part of the virus’ evolutionary plan.  It depends on this for survival.  

In very dry air —like cold winter air that has been drawn in from the outside and then been heated, like in a warm house air,  a. movie theater or school room—these liquid droplets begin to evaporate fluid our of the drop and into the air.  Under these circumstances the drop loses moisture to the air and  decreases in size as evaporation continues.  But as a smaller droplet, it has less and less attraction to the earth due to the laws of gravity.  Also as a very tiny particle it can stay lofted for very long periods of time.  Even tiny air currents like someone’s hand moving through the air can loft it up higher.  So in dry interior air especially in winter the droplets can become very very small and thus remain lofted for very long periods.  This makes them even more dangerous in winter and in enclosed places.  These very small drops (aerosols) can be breathed in an may then be drawn far down into human lungs where they may cause more severe forms of the flu like disease. 

But even if no new host inhales the infected droplets —the virus has a back up plan too.  Eventually, some of these floating droplets will settle out of the air like dust or pollen to form an invisible  film.  They will adhere to  surfaces like tables, chairs, desks, clothes and even the floor  They can remain infective on surfaces for log periods of time...hours on some surfaces days on others.  If you touch these places,  then put your hand to your eyes, your nose, or you mouth you can self-infect.   The virus seems to have evolved in such a way as to take advantage of the fact that humans have a natural habit of touching their face—nose, eyes and mouth—sometimes several times a minute.  The virus depends on that habit to move itself  right into the very places it prefers—the mucus membranes of the eyes, mouth and nose. 

One thing more.  The fatty coating on the exterior of the virus which protects the nuclear material inside is subject to the action of soap—just like grease stains on your hands.  That is why thorough hand washing with foamy soap and warm water is so effective.  The soap molecule has the ability to attach itself to both water and oil or fats. One end of its molecule attaches to the fatty covering on the virus and the other end continues to adhere to the other water molecules—the result is that the soap action tends to pull this outer coating of the virus apart.  It breaks up the outer coating and carries it away with the soap bubbles.  That exposes the interior nuclear materials to the soap, water, bases and acids of the external environment which denatures them—renders them no longer viable.  

So I hope that this helps you to understand something about viruses—as well as the importance of avoiding infection.   Avoid places where people are coughing or sneezing. Stay out of crowds, stop touching your face and mouth and wash your hands regularly.  

Got the idea? 

ON MA PARKER’S TREE —IN BROOKLYN

In my youth in the 1950s a great American plane tree ( Platanus occidentalis )  a seventy foot tall sycamore—dominated the sidewalk on our city block in Brooklyn’s New Utrecht neighborhood.   The tree’s massive, shaggy-barked bole was so big four giggling ten year old kids holding hands couldn't join together to reach around it.  Its great curling roots, like those that entwined Laocooon and his sons, rose from the pebbly red soil  to lift and  crack the sidewalk squares and push the carefully laid NY City stone curbing out of line.  Local elders reminisced that the widow, Ma Parker,  the first person to own the 1920s era house in front of which it grew—planted the tree in honor of her son who fell at Belleau Wood, France during WW I. 

In the concrete and asphalt canyons of my youth in Brooklyn Ma Parker’s tree was always there  a sign of persistent nature..growing across from my house so I could always look through a grime soot stained glass and see it in its tangled natural magnificence.  It seemed to boldly assert the existence of  another  green and natural world—among the smog, noise, smoke, brick and asphalt in hard angled surfaces of a man-made world I knew only.

In summer the first birds species I came to know—the English Sparrow and the Starling— twittered among its shade dappled branches.  Its young and fuzzy gray-green buds sprouted in the Spring into bright green tri-lobed  leaves to wave and tremble in the summer breeze.  Its light and dark shadow patterns cooled the asphalt and concrete from which it sprang.  A great branch arising close to the ground  above its swelling base,  gave access to agile and adventurous  youngsters into the secrets of its higher (and dangerous) cool and shadowy branches.  Below, in the tree’s cool shade Johnny Rico’s grandma dozed in her rickety chair on the red brick stoop.  Above her, birds sang among the branches and gray squirrels ghosted lightly from limb to limb.  In the Fall, the  leaves turned  red and gold and as winter approached they browned and curled up like old man’s hands to fall on asphalt and concrete —unable to return as humus to the asphalt covered earth. Winter winds pushed up brown leaf windrows and woolen covered kids happily shuffled among them just to hear the leaves complain.  It was in those cold gray days that one noticed the hanging seed balls —“itchy balls’ we called them— which only then became apparent among bare leaved terminal branches of Ma Parker’s tree.  

Our block’s well loved sycamore boldly asserted to our young minds each day of the year and in each season that someplace outside of our cityscape world there exited another land—of clean fresh air and greenery where nature ruled over man.  Each year, like a persistent weed growing in a concrete crack it sprouted its green leaves and made us watch the grand designs of nature as it grew to top over the highest local roofs.  Its very existence, against all odds— its age and permanence — asserted to us that the natural world existed —even if out of our view—in the form of this massive tree—too big to tame, too massive to cut down. It was there to state the ascendency of Mother Nature over what mere humans could devise for for us and our earth.

ON RON DESANTIS, OPEN BEACHES, COVID!9, MORTALITY CURVES

Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida (R FL) continues to make weak and  irresponsible excuses for NOT closing the Florida beaches. These ciastal strips of sun drenched sand are venues where our nation’s youths fully bare their skin and drink themselves into oblivion.  These places  continue to act as the “Siren’s Call” for  irresponsible Americans—the “Spring Breakers” and the politicians who facilitate their dangerous behavior.  These youngsters with more testosterone (or progesterone) and alcohol in their blood than is good for them might be partly excused—they simply are not that smart or don’t know any better.  But adult politicians should.  

These youngsters are the perfect example of how we as a wealthy, permissive  nation have all fallen into self destructive and often dangerous practices that ignore the dictates and imperatives of biology and evolution.  These young people envision themselves as invulnerable to the laws of nature.  Their behavior once only affected themselves -in surges odf STDs and evolution of drug resistant bugs which can not be cured.   Misinformed “students” ignore safe health practices and the surge in STDs and other diseases prove it. In the past our advanced medical technology provided cures for STDs and similar diseases, but that was then. Today there is no cure for the Wuhan corona virus.  

Spring Break is the perfect example of what NOT to do during a pandemic and national crisis.  So In the age of Chinese pandemics the free-for-all  in Florida and elsewhere are no longer safe or permissible   Perhaps we can understand the poor behavior of these less than fully mature youths —and the mental lapse of their parents who pay for this dangerous stupidity, but what about those elected officials who act to facilitate such behaviors?. 

Let’s take the example of Republican Governor Ron De Santis.  DeSantis has refused to close down the Florida beaches bars and restaurants where these irresponsible youngsters congregate, drink excessively and pass body fluids between multiple partners many of which are surely laced with the Covid19 virus as well as your common STDs, fungi, bacteria and flu viruses.   When these still-financially dependent “students” return home to their families—they will surely carry with them this opportunistic Covid 19 pathogen  to infect their unsuspecting local friends, siblings, parents and grandparents—all across this nation.  

DeSantis as the new governor (seated 2019) is obviously putting the financial well-being and profits of the Florida beach, bar and hotel establishments- ahead of the lives and physical well being of the nation as a whole.  At a time when the rest of the nation’s businesses are shuttered and facing debt and despair, DeSantis has permitted Florida establishments to stay open and profit from the misbehavior of many.  But this act is not just self serving.  By permitting these places to operate he also places the rest of the nation in danger by creating young “Typhoid Marys” of these students as they become unknowing vectors of this deadly disease all across the nation.  

 In January of this year  the  President, learning about the Covid 19 outbreak in China closed our borders to the Chinese.  He did so in the face of stiff political opposition and opprobrium from the media, from business interests  as well as the “politically correct” crowd.  He was called a “racist” and worse for acting to protect us from the menace of Chinese carrying the virus to this nation.  Ron DeSantis’ behavior in this crisis is a stark comparison with that of the President. .  DeSantis is still stuck in the old pre-pandemic way of thinking; “what’s best for me?”, which is on a par with the youthful spring breakers whose behaviors he is facilitating.

So when the infection and mortality curve that our illustrious Dr Fauci keeps warning us about,  rises into a steep exponential climb after these spring breakers go home and infect others,  in good part we can thank Gov DeSantis of Florida for keeping the beaches open.  

(The Italians who have a large number of Chinese nationals working in the textile industry in northern Italy (Milan).  To accommodate these individuals they had daily direct flights from Wuhan City to Italy. After the outbreak was reported the Italian government blithely (or cowardly) failed to close down those flights and the human sources of infection from China.  They suffered for that act of hesitation, serving the interests of powerful industries, self-serving, political correctness (and stupidity) .  Italy ( a nation of only 60 million) now has a death rate higher than that of China (1.4 billion population) where the virus originated.  So it is clear that in times of crisis being politically correct can have deadly consequences. )