CT Bumblebee Dad

Thank you! A very off the beaten path type question but a fully serious one: Do you have a favorite kind of tree?

From Powerlessness to Power We will not achieve any of our ultimate goals without exercising state power, and the most effective way to take state power is through nonviolent but confrontational resistance.

“Let us be clear: we want the power of the state. We wish to hold the criminals of the regime accountable. We wish to seize back the public funds looted by Trump and his cronies. We wish to undo the damage he has done to the government. More than any of that we wish to rebuild.”

Climate Shift Index Ocean

Not everything's always climate change. Not everything's always climate change. Not everything's always climate change.

But then...

Climate change → Higher ocean temperatures → More moist air → More intense (winter) storms

Yes, there's a link csi.climatecentral.org/ocean?lat=26...

2025 Wasn’t the Hottest Year on Record. Earth Is Still Barreling to the Climate Brink Global warming surpassed 1.5 degrees Celsius for the past three years, meaning Earth is currently on track to breach the Paris climate agreement by the end of the decade

Global warming surpassed 1.5 degrees Celsius for the past three years, meaning Earth is currently on track to breach the Paris climate agreement by the end of the decade

Small plug-in solar panels gain traction as an affordable way to cut electricity bills YouTube video by PBS NewsHour

PBS News Hour discovers plug-in solar:

Moose
Rat snake
Evening primrose sweat bee
Eastern towhee
Barracuda

Heat pumps are the most efficiency heating technology ever invented.

That's because they harvest, compress and transport pre-existing heat from the air, the ground or the water.

Compared to a gas boiler heat pumps deliver ~4x more heat for each unit of energy inout.

Never forget: At breakneck speed we are leaving the stable Holocene climate in which human society developed and thrived. Weather extremes are outside historical experience. Sea-level rise is accelerating. Dangerous tipping points are ahead.
Graph: ed-hawkins.github.io/climate-visu...

The Electrotech Revolution | Ember The annual slidedeck from Kingsmill Bond and the Ember Futures team unpacks how electrotech is rewriting the economics and geopolitics of energy.

"Fossil demand has been flat for industrial energy since 2014, for buildings since 2018, for road transport since 2019, & may peak for electricity this year. 2/3 of countries have already seen peak fossil demand in end-use sectors, & half the world has seen a peak in fossil fuels for electricity."

Electrification is the key to energy efficiency Productivity gains could cut final energy demand by nearly a quarter over the next 25 years, even as global GDP doubles

"electrification is also the key to a dramatic improvement in energy efficiency, potentially reducing global final energy demand by 24% over the next 25 years, even as global GDP doubles"

A truly stunning point.

This is why I write about energy efficiency so much!

www.ft.com/content/7258...

The 2025 state of the climate report: a planet on the brink We are hurtling toward climate chaos. The planet's vital signs are flashing red. The consequences of human-driven alterations of the climate are no longer

The 2025 State of the Climate Report is out and as a MUST READ before COP30 gets underway. Check out these first 2 sentences: "We are hurtling toward climate chaos. The planet’s vital signs are flashing red. "
doi.org/10.1093/bios...

Second "No Kings Day" protests likely the largest single-day political demonstration since 1970, with 4.2-7.6 million participants Here are the initial results from our crowdsourced crowd-counting estimates

Good evening. We estimate that between 4.2 and 7.6 million people turned out for the No Kings Day demonstrations held around the country on Saturday. This makes Oct 18 very likely the biggest single-day U.S. protest event since 1970. www.gelliottmorris.com/p/second-no-...

This banner was a great idea! Proud to sign it! #NoKings

Mitigation efforts to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and meet the Paris Agreement have been offset by economic growth - Communications Earth & Environment Global carbon dioxide intensity declined from 2015 to 2024 following the Paris Agreement, but total emissions still increased due to economic growth, according to a global analysis of population, gros...

Good news: carbon intensity has declined

Bad news: carbon emissions increased, due to the rapid rise in world GDP

Also bad news: the chance of staying below 2°C remained low, at 17%

Better news: chance of going above 3°C has gone down substantially, from 26% to 9%

Still true! Get out there today if you can. Every act of patriotic opposition matters. #NoKings

Globally averaged CO2 concentration (a) and its growth rate (b) from 1984 to 2024. Increases in successive annual means are shown as the shaded columns in (b). The red line in (a) is the monthly mean with the seasonal variation removed; the blue dots and blue line in (a) depict the monthly averages. Observations from 179 stations were used for this analysis.

Holy wow, +3.5 ppm CO₂ last year, up from +2.4 ppm average the past decade, and +0.6 ppm in the 1960s.

It gets scarier the closer you look at it. All this is a stress test for the planet, and it's buckling.

Two big reasons for the massive increase: wildfires, and the ocean sinks are shutting down.

Drawing of a bird perched on a branch. The bird has a black head, white cheek, & brown body. It has a green caterpillar in its beak. Text says, "A pair of chickadees requires 6,000 to 9,000 caterpillars to raise one brood of young. To help birds, create a safe space for caterpillars. Grow native trees and shrubs. Avoid pesticides and leaf blowers, which destroy caterpillar habitat.

One of the key factors in a bird-friendly landscape is supporting caterpillars. Doug Tallamy's years-long research has shown that chickadees need a lot of caterpillars to raise their young. Most caterpillars need native trees to eat-mostly oaks. greengardeningmatters.blogspot.com/2025/07/the-...

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/09/o...

I compiled about 15 reasons a month ago. NYT editorial board is now on board.

A new record night of migration for BirdCast! Migration intensity goes off the charts, again, with a new record night of migration intensity for BirdCast!

We’ve only crossed the “billion” threshold 1X before, in Oct. 23'. Last night, we rejoined the Billion Bird Night Club in spectacular fashion. Migration soared past 1.2 billion, marking the largest single night of bird migration ever recorded by BirdCast. Learn more: birdcast.info/news/a-new-r...

Cannot believe four of Connecticut’s Dem Reps voted yes. Those four are in super safe blue seats! Hayes was the only one with the correct call - No vote - and she has the toughest district. We can’t beat fascism by supporting it!!! This just tells me they still don’t understand that we want fighters

Why is it so hard to just vote no???

Two Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Butterflies feeding off the white cluster flowers of Eupatorium serotinum's (Late Boneset) lateboneset easterntigerswallowtail butterflygarden nativeplants bloomscrolling doomscrolling calming Papilioglaucus bugsky invertebrates wildlifegarden backyardwildlife gardening pollinators

Late Boneset. Late Afternoon. Golden Swallowtails. Golden Hour. #EupatoriumSerotinum

Climate impacts are real — denying this is self-defeating The US administration is attempting to undermine efforts to curb greenhouse-gas emissions. It will ultimately leave that country, and the world, worse off.

The US administration is attempting to undermine efforts to curb greenhouse-gas emissions. It will ultimately leave the USA, and the world, worse off

go.nature.com/46msDyH

August 2025 was the third warmest August on record after 2023 and 2024 at approximately 1.3C above preindustrial levels.

This continues a string of recent months a bit cooler than the exceptional 2023/2024 temperatures but warmer than any prior years.

Flutterfest 2025
📍Nachusa Grasslands

#butterfly #insect #pollinators #prairie #nature

Close photo of an American Lady butterfly perched on a Buddleja flower head. North Haven, CT, USA.

It's been a down year locally for all kinds of insects. Very upsetting to think that our grandkids might think these exquisite creatures were as imaginary as unicorns...
🧪🐡🌿🌎

Ugh, I hate stupid typos. It’s ShagBARK hickory. Bark!

view is looking up trunk of mature Shagback hickory with shaggy bark (as its name suggests!) in mix of early evening/late summer sun and shadow with crooked snakey limbs protruding out in various directions and green-lime leaves in clusters with very blue sky behind it all.

Shagback hickory in early evening light.

#nature #nativeplants

The question and its framing in this clip are just beyond naive and credulous. It is assinine by this reporter to give even one iota of credibility to the military occupation of American cities on no legal basis whatsoever. He should be ashamed!

This is the way!