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Turtles and Roads Are a Deadly Combination

By DEEP

  Connecticut’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) is reminding residents to be on the lookout for turtles crossing roads. The months of May and June are the nesting season for many turtles. At this time, egg-bearing aquatic turtles often cross roads in search… Read more »

A turtle crossing the road in Newtown, Connecticut. Photo by Amanda Bloom.
A turtle crossing the road in Newtown, Connecticut. Photo by Amanda Bloom.
"Let's have a quick snack, then throw this everywhere!"

Awaiting the $600 Egg

Jessica May

  When I was a kid, I lived on a farm.  We had it all: horses, cows, pigs, sheep, goats, chickens, turkeys, guinea hens, even a partridge!  My dad was the brains and brawn behind the operation; I was, for a time, the egg collector…. Read more »

The Afrezza inhaler, developed by Mannkind Corporation in Danbury, Connecticut.  The safety and ethics of the inhaler are currently being studied.

Inhaler for Diabetes Could be Available Within a Year

Rebecca DiFabbio

  Mannkind Corporation, a biopharmaceutical company in Danbury, Connecticut, will be releasing a new and easier daily treatment for diabetes within the next year.   Afrezza is an inhaler for diabetics used seconds before a meal.  It allows an insulin powder to be absorbed into… Read more »

Take Time Relaxation Center and Gallery, Bethel CT
The bear sighted on Park Avenue in Danbury, Connecticut Monday evening. Photo by Camila Bortolleto.

Bear Spotted by Danbury Mall

Amanda Bloom

  Danbury, Connecticut resident Camila Bortolleto spotted a bear near her home on Monday evening and shared this video of the sighting with The Mercurial.   The bear was spotted on Park Avenue, which is just east of the Danbury Mall.   Learn more about the… Read more »

Gerry Broome/Associated Press.

17-Year Cicada Exhibit at Peabody Museum through September

Mercurial Staff

  An extraordinary natural phenomenon is about to take place. This year the 17-year cicada will emerge from colonies in undisturbed forested regions in south-central Connecticut. Expect to see and hear these fascinating creatures starting at the end of May and throughout the month of… Read more »

Image courtesy of Connecticut DEEP.

Farmington Motorists Cautioned Due to Moose Sighting

Mercurial Staff

  The Department of Energy and Environmental and Protection (DEEP) has advised motorists in the Farmington to use extra caution and be observant while driving due to the sighting of a moose on Town Farm Road, approximately 2.5 miles from Interstate 84.  Moose near roadways… Read more »

long-island-sound

Connecticut Senators Push for Long Island Sound Preservation

Environmental Headlines

  Four U.S. Senators are pushing for increased funding for the preservation of the Long Island Sound.   Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), and Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) are asking Senate leaders of the Subcommittee on Interior, Environment and Related Agencies… Read more »

gartnersnake_-_resized_450

Learning to Live with Snakes

DEEP

  Connecticut’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) is reminding residents that snakes are starting to come out of their winter dens at the same time people are venturing outdoors to enjoy the nicer weather, start yardwork, or participate in various outdoor activities like… Read more »

microgreens-4-4-2013_thumb

Seed to Salad in 10 Days–You Can Grow That!

Joene Hendry

  Need a quick growing fix? Look no further than a seed packet of micro greens. With minimal effort you can go from seed to salad in 10 days, making micro greens a perfect You Can Grow That! success story.   On the fourth of… Read more »

Giraffes at the LEO Zoological Conservation Center in Greenwich. Image coutesy of itsrelevant.com.

Baby Rothschild Giraffe Born in Greenwich

Kwegyirba Croffie

  It’s a girl!  The LEO Zoological Conservation Center in Greenwich, Connecticut welcomed a healthy baby Rothschild giraffe into the world last Friday morning.   Petal, a six-year-old endangered Rothschild giraffe, gave birth to the unnamed baby girl giraffe on March 22. Born at just under six… Read more »

Jordan Woodworks and Design - Bethel CT
The top portion of the proposed Keystone XL Pipeline connecting Hardisty and Steele City, in a map provided by TransCanada.

Debating the Keystone XL Pipeline

Ehris Urban

  The Keystone XL Pipeline is a proposed $3.3 billion 875-mile pipeline project which would stretch from Alberta, Canada to oil refineries in the Gulf Coast areas of Texas and Louisiana. Its purpose would be to deliver up to 830,000 barrels of crude oil obtained… Read more »

View of the "Clamshell Area" from Steep Rock's summit.  Photo by James Dietter.

Trail Report: Steep Rock Preserve, Washington Depot

James Dietter

  Hike Style: Loop Region: Litchfield County, CT Hike Length: 5 miles Trail Map: map_steep_rock Trail Head and Parking Lot: Map Park Rules: Rules and Regulations Date of Report: 2/24/2013 Approximate Time: 3-5 hours   Difficulty: Easy to moderate. Ascent to the summit is moderately… Read more »

Image courtesy of Connecticut DEEP.

Connecticut Moose: Here to Stay

Will Michael

  Moose sightings were rare in Connecticut once upon a time, but beginning in the mid-1990s, sightings increased dramatically.   As old farmlands reverted back to forests and moose populations increased in neighboring Massachusetts, the moose bagan expanding their territory into Connecticut.   The largest… Read more »

A Stresemann’s Bristlefront, by Ciro Albano – NE Brazil Birding.

Researchers Discover Nest of One of World’s Most Endangered Birds

Environmental Headlines

  The first known nest of one of the world’s rarest birds – the critically endangered Stresemann’s Bristlefront – has been discovered in Brazil. Of perhaps equal significance is that strong evidence of active nestlings was also found.   The Stresemann’s Bristlefront is one of… Read more »

Deer-Tick-300dpi

Accidental Hosts: Humans and Lyme Disease

Theresa Bibeau

  Connecticut has the fifth most cases of Lyme disease in America and the second most in New England. Dr. Neeta Connally Connally, professor of biology at Western Connecticut State Universtity, is an expert on tick-borne, or vector-borne, diseases. She is a member of the American… Read more »

Photo by Jim Dietter.

I Always Heard the River Before I Could See It

C. D. Peterson

  I always heard the river before I could see it. Leaving my truck by the stone wall and crossing down through the meadow, I would swing my wader-clad legs through thick hay or scuff my boots over the stubble after a cutting, listening and… Read more »

bees

Plant Diversely and They Will Come

Joene Hendry

  As more seed catalogs arrive in the mail, gardeners will begin dreaming of next year’s gardens. Following the mantra “plant diversely and they will come” may be one way for gardeners to help troubled bee populations.   Multiple bee species are showing declining populations… Read more »