Rediscovering of Rare Blue Bee in Florida in 2020 – Science 3

Bee swarm, just for illustration.

The blue bee was first noticed in Florida in 2011, then scientists identified its with scientific name as Osmia calaminthae.

However, the blue bee was disappeared in 2016. Many scientists believed that Osmia calaminthae was extincted.

Surprisingly, the blue bee was rediscovered in the same areas where its was gone.

This bee consumes pollen and nectar from a violet flower, well known as Ashe’s calamint or Ashe's savory.

The flower is a wild flower in Florida with a scientific name Calamintha ashei. Other species of Calamintha are:

- Calamintha georgiana, Georgia calamint

- Calamintha dentata, the toothed savory.

Unfortunately, Ashe’s calamint flower is a Florida endemic, and listed as threatened species of the state.

Flowers blooming, just for illustration

Yes, Osmia calaminthae is very extreme rare species, but genus Osmia has at least 350 different species which can be found worldwide.

Many of these 350 species are common species, to be critical role in natural pollination.

10 examples of species from genus Osmia are following:

- Osmia bicornis

- Osmia caerulescens

- Osmia cornifrons

- Osmia cornuta

- Osmia atriventris

- Osmia avosetta

- Osmia latreillei

- Osmia inermis

- Osmia lignaria

- Osmia ribifloris

Sources: Several readings include Smithsonian Magazine (2020) and CNN (2020).

How Many Animals Are Expected to Extinct by 2050? - Nature 4

A wild duck in the city lake

Based on my own experienced that the number of birds decreased dramatically in my backyard in the last 7 years.

We did not observe red belly woodpeckers at all in the last couple years. Other birds not seen or very rare to show up in our garden:

- blue jay

- Mourning dove

- Carolina wren

- Carolina chickadee

- Northern Mockingbird 

- American Crow

- other migratory birds

In fact, a scientist from UK as reported by Guardian (2004) and supported by the United Nation report (UN, 2019) estimated 1 million species will extinct by 2050.

Then, there are a lot of lists of animals will be disappeared in the very near future worldwide. 

A Canadian geese on the side of lake

Top 10 animals expected to extinct soon are (Newsweek, 2020):

- Sumatran Rhino

- Lange's Metalmark Butterfly

- Māui dolphin

- Red Wolf

- Kauai Akepa

- Chinese Pangolin

- Attwater's Prairie Chicken

- Florida Grasshopper Sparrow

- Vaquita

- Alabama Sturgeon

Who is the main actor as the greatest threat to survival of animals?

The absolute answer is human being!

What human being had done to contribute to lead to depletion of species? Here they are:

- pouching

- destruction of habitats

- burning fossil fuel which cause climate changes.

So sad!!

Paris in the Eyes of Vincent Van Gogh - Art 1

Street in Montmartre, Paris, Painted by Van Gogh (1887)

We might know that Vincent Van Gogh, a Dutch painter lived in several places in France:

- Auvers-sur-Oise
- Saint- Remy- de- Provence
- Arles
- Paris

Living in Paris was crucial for Van Gogh in respect to paintings, both number and quality of paintings.

Van Gogh produced about 224 painting during his two years, from March 1886 to February 1888, lived in Paris. Some of his paintings:

- Street in Montmartre, 1887
- Outskirt of Paris, 1886
- Vase with flowers, 1886
- View of Paris from near Montmartre, 1886
- View of the roof of Paris, 1886.

Outskirt of Paris, Painted by Van Gogh (1886).

One of his painting, Street in Montmartre, not shown for public since 1920, about 100 years.

This painting, then exhibited recently in cities of:

- London
- Amsterdam
- Paris

Some of us might wonder why Van Gogh has no paintings of Eiffel Tower? These following facts lead to answer:

- Van Gogh lived in Paris from March 1886 to February 1888
- Eiffel tower was built in 1887, and completed in 1889

Do you love Van Gogh’s paintings?

Why?