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Get a jump on spring with Gardening for Your Table, Oregon Peace Tree Project, Plants for the Planet and more

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Wednesday, March 13, 2024

Events are free unless noted. Please email calendar submissions at least three weeks in advance to events@oregonian.com.ONGOINGPlants for the Planet Native Plant Sale: Browse profiles of more than 100 native plant species and shop for plants online through March 24 to be picked up at one of four outdoor pop-up events in April or early May. sparrowhawknativeplants.com.Portland Fruit Tree Project Home Orchard Workshops: Various dates and locations through May. These hands-on workshops are designed to empower participants with practical knowledge on fruit tree care, composting, grafting and more. $50; visit portlandfruit.org or email treecare@portlandfruit.org.Tualatin SWCD spring workshops: Various dates and times through May 30. Tualatin Soil and Water Conservation District offers a variety of spring workshops, including Soil School, Weed Wranglin’, Sustainable Equine Management and more. Tualatin Soil and Water Conservation District, 7175 N.E. Evergreen Parkway (#400), Hillsboro; tualatinswcd.org.Grow Your Own Produce: The Workshop Series: (online via Zoom) First Wednesday of the month through Nov. 6. Taught by permaculture expert Marisha Auerbach, each workshop features seasonally relevant information about planning, growing, maintaining and harvesting food from the garden. $130 for a five-class series, or $30 per class; fertileground.org.Walk With a Friend at Tualatin Hills Nature Park: 9 a.m. first Wednesday and third Sunday of the month. Take a guided walk and learn about the plants, wildlife and history of the park. Tualatin Hills Nature Park, 15655 S.W. Millikan Way, Beaverton; thprd.org.East Multnomah Soil & Water Conservation District free webinars: Discover how to care for land in ways that benefit people, water and wildlife. From stormwater solutions to biochar to water conservation, these workshops will help you save time, money and energy. Register at emswcd.org/workshops-and-events/upcoming-workshops.Greater Portland Iris Society meeting: 7 p.m. first Tuesday of the month in March, April, September, October and November. Enjoy discussions of irises with guest speakers. Ainsworth House, 19130 Lot Whitcomb Drive, Oregon City; greaterportlandirissociety.org.Happy Valley Garden Club monthly meeting: 9 a.m.-noon second Tuesday of the month. Happy Valley Baptist Church, 14095 S.E. King Road, Happy Valley.Ikebana for Every Season: 1-2:30 p.m. second Tuesday of the month; $45. Become knowledgeable about basic concepts, techniques, tools, equipment and care for ikebana. The Resource Center, 219 S. Main Ave., Gresham; GreshamJapaneseGarden.org.Portland Dahlia Society monthly meeting: 7 p.m. second Tuesday of the month February through November. Take part in a discussion of seasonal topics. Oaks Park Dance Pavilion, 7805 S.E. Oaks Park Way; portlanddahlia.com.Estacada Garden Club monthly meeting: 1-3 p.m. second Thursday of the month. Estacada Public Library, 825 N.W. Wade St.FRIDAY, MARCH 15Oregon Peace Tree Project Presentation: 1-2 p.m. Learn about the project that has helped Oregon have the densest concentration of trees outside Japan that were grown from the seeds of trees that survived the 1945 bombing of Hiroshima. Hoyt Arboretum, 4000 S.W. Fairview Blvd.; hoytarboretum.org.SATURDAY, MARCH 16Gardening for Your Table: 8:45 a.m.-4 p.m. Eight speakers will cover topics ranging from growing fruits and vegetables to backyard composting. $25 includes snacks, $12 optional lunch; Church on the Hill, 700 N.W. Hill Road, McMinnville; register at YCMGA.org.Northwest Native Garden Plants and the Amazing Insects They Attract: 10 a.m.-noon. Join garden writer and photographer Amy Campion for an exploration of some of the best natives to plant in your wildlife-friendly garden and learn about the insects they support. CASEE Center (Building B, Room 205), 11104 N.E. 149th St., Brush Prairie, Washington. $15 registration required at info@naturescaping.org, marlene52ns@gmail.com or 360-737-1160. naturescaping.org.Raising Mason Bees: 10 a.m.-noon. Join mason bee expert Ron Spendal for a class focusing on environmental needs, nesting behaviors and housing devices attractive to mason bees. PCC Rock Creek (Building 4, Room 103), 17705 N.W. Springville Road; washingtoncountymastergardeners.org.Early Spring Container Planter Workshop: 1:30-3 p.m. In this hands-on session, you’ll learn every step of the art of creating container arrangements using the thriller, spiller and filler method. $35; Al’s Garden & Home (all locations); als-gardencenter.com.TUESDAY, MARCH 19Healing Herbs of the Arboretum: Noon-2 p.m. Stroll around the arboretum to explore medicinal trees, weeds and native plants and talk about which parts to use and which plants to avoid. $25 registration required at hoytarboretum.org; Hoyt Arboretum, 4000 S.W. Fairview Blvd.FRIDAY, MARCH 22Hillsboro Farmers Markets presents “The Green Fork Initiative”: 6 p.m. Enjoy a special premiere of the short film capturing a segment of Washington County’s food narrative, highlighting the individuals and abundant agricultural diversity that shape the region’s distinctive fruits, vegetables, grains and pasture-raised meats. $15; The Vault Theater, 350 E. Main St., Hillsboro; bagnbaggage.my.salesforce-sites.com/ticket#.SATURDAY, MARCH 23Tree School Clackamas: Opens at 7:15 a.m. Attend any of 73 classes covering forestry and tree grower topics key to the support of successful management of small woodlands. Participants will learn about forest management, tools and techniques, wildfire preparedness, marketing and business, forest health, wildlife habitat, weed management, forest fungi and more. $70 Clackamas County resident, $85 out of county, $35 ages 14-18 with adult; registration required at beav.es/tree-school-clackamas; Clackamas Community College, 19600 Molalla Ave., Oregon City.Newell Creek Canyon Spring hike and ecoblitz: 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Join Metro for a spring hike, learn about local plants and birds and take an optional survey of plant and animal life. Registration required at oregonmetro.gov/GuidedActivities; Newell Creek Canyon Nature Park, 485 Warner Milne Road, Oregon City.SUNDAY, APRIL 7Mushroom hike at Smith and Bybee: 9:30-11:45 a.m. or 12:30-2:45 p.m. Discover the fascinating world of mushrooms on this woodland hike with local mushroom guide Leah Bendlin. Learn about identification, ecological roles of fungi, their forms and how they eat and reproduce. $6 registration required at oregonmetro.gov; Smith and Bybee Wetlands Natural Area, 5300 N. Marine Drive.SATURDAY, APRIL 13Soil School 2024: 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Open to all gardeners – from aspiring to advanced – this event offers eight sessions taught by experts to learn about how improving soil health improves plant, garden and habitat wellbeing. $35 includes breakfast and lunch; Portland Community College, Rock Creek Event Center, 17705 N.W. Springville Road; register at wmswcd.org/soil-school.Mushroom hike at Oxbow Regional Park: 9:30-11:45 a.m. or 12:30-2:45 p.m. Discover the fascinating world of mushrooms on this woodland hike with local mushroom guide Leah Bendlin. Learn about identification, ecological roles of fungi, their forms and how they eat and reproduce. $6 registration required at oregonmetro.gov; Oxbow Regional Park, 3010 S.E. Oxbow Park Road, Gresham.Spring Lawn Maintenance: 1-2:30 p.m. Get tips for keeping your lawn healthy and green throughout the summer in the Northwest. Gresham Japanese Garden, 219 S. Main Ave., Gresham; greshamjapanesegarden.org.SATURDAY, MAY 4Gardenfest 2024: PCC Rock Creek, 17705 N.W. Springville Road; washingtoncountymastergardeners.org.THURSDAY, MAY 16Florence Rhododendron Festival: May 16-19. Enjoy the rhododendron show, vendor fair, live music, art, festivities, activities and more at this family-friendly Oregon institution. FlorenceChamber.com.SATURDAY, MAY 18Gathering in the Garden: 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Celebrate gardening and appreciation of community green spaces with a vendor fair, exhibits, live music and more. Eastmoreland Garden Park, Southeast 27th Avenue and Bybee Boulevard; eastmorelandpdx.org.Spring Maintenance on Pines: Noon-2 p.m. Learn the Niwa Method of candling and needling to maintain cloud-prune aesthetics and keep a manageable size and aesthetic focal point of your pines in a landscape. $45; Gresham Japanese Garden, 219 S. Main Ave., Gresham; greshamjapanesegarden.org.SATURDAY, JUNE 8Fundamentals of Pruning: 1-2:30 p.m. Take a tour, learn about tools and tool care, the four basic cuts of pruning and the subsequent reactions from these cuts. Gresham Japanese Garden, 219 S. Main Ave., Gresham; greshamjapanesegarden.org.SATURDAY, JUNE 15Creating Pollinator Habitat for your Garden and Home: 10:30-11:30 a.m. This seminar will focus on information about bees, butterflies, moths, hummingbirds and native host plants for creating your own pollinator yard. Gresham Japanese Garden, 219 S. Main Ave., Gresham; greshamjapanesegarden.org.SATURDAY, JUNE 22Pruning Lace-leaf Maples for Character: 12:30-2:30 p.m. Discover the fundamentals of pruning as they pertain to lace-leaf maples and listen to a short lecture on basic botany and growth habits. $45; Gresham Japanese Garden, 219 S. Main Ave., Gresham; greshamjapanesegarden.org.FRIDAY, SEPT. 6Parade of Homes: Sept. 6-22. Explore three luxury homes on large lots at the Reserve at Lake River in Felida, Washington. clarkcountyparadeofhomes.com.SATURDAY, OCT. 26Gardening with Pacific Northwest Native Plants: 10 a.m.-noon. Learn about the native plants that thrive in the Northwest and how to naturescape in support of wildlife and pollinators. PCC Rock Creek (Building 4, Room 103) and WCMGA Education Garden, 17705 N.W. Springville Road; washingtoncountymastergardeners.org.-- Corey SheldonStay in the loop. Sign up to receive a weekly newsletter and join the conversation at the Homes & Gardens of the Northwest on Facebook

Webinars and other events offer lessons in beekeeping, growing produce, ikebana and more.

Events are free unless noted. Please email calendar submissions at least three weeks in advance to events@oregonian.com.

ONGOING

Plants for the Planet Native Plant Sale: Browse profiles of more than 100 native plant species and shop for plants online through March 24 to be picked up at one of four outdoor pop-up events in April or early May. sparrowhawknativeplants.com.

Portland Fruit Tree Project Home Orchard Workshops: Various dates and locations through May. These hands-on workshops are designed to empower participants with practical knowledge on fruit tree care, composting, grafting and more. $50; visit portlandfruit.org or email treecare@portlandfruit.org.

Tualatin SWCD spring workshops: Various dates and times through May 30. Tualatin Soil and Water Conservation District offers a variety of spring workshops, including Soil School, Weed Wranglin’, Sustainable Equine Management and more. Tualatin Soil and Water Conservation District, 7175 N.E. Evergreen Parkway (#400), Hillsboro; tualatinswcd.org.

Grow Your Own Produce: The Workshop Series: (online via Zoom) First Wednesday of the month through Nov. 6. Taught by permaculture expert Marisha Auerbach, each workshop features seasonally relevant information about planning, growing, maintaining and harvesting food from the garden. $130 for a five-class series, or $30 per class; fertileground.org.

Walk With a Friend at Tualatin Hills Nature Park: 9 a.m. first Wednesday and third Sunday of the month. Take a guided walk and learn about the plants, wildlife and history of the park. Tualatin Hills Nature Park, 15655 S.W. Millikan Way, Beaverton; thprd.org.

East Multnomah Soil & Water Conservation District free webinars: Discover how to care for land in ways that benefit people, water and wildlife. From stormwater solutions to biochar to water conservation, these workshops will help you save time, money and energy. Register at emswcd.org/workshops-and-events/upcoming-workshops.

Greater Portland Iris Society meeting: 7 p.m. first Tuesday of the month in March, April, September, October and November. Enjoy discussions of irises with guest speakers. Ainsworth House, 19130 Lot Whitcomb Drive, Oregon City; greaterportlandirissociety.org.

Happy Valley Garden Club monthly meeting: 9 a.m.-noon second Tuesday of the month. Happy Valley Baptist Church, 14095 S.E. King Road, Happy Valley.

Ikebana for Every Season: 1-2:30 p.m. second Tuesday of the month; $45. Become knowledgeable about basic concepts, techniques, tools, equipment and care for ikebana. The Resource Center, 219 S. Main Ave., Gresham; GreshamJapaneseGarden.org.

Portland Dahlia Society monthly meeting: 7 p.m. second Tuesday of the month February through November. Take part in a discussion of seasonal topics. Oaks Park Dance Pavilion, 7805 S.E. Oaks Park Way; portlanddahlia.com.

Estacada Garden Club monthly meeting: 1-3 p.m. second Thursday of the month. Estacada Public Library, 825 N.W. Wade St.

FRIDAY, MARCH 15

Oregon Peace Tree Project Presentation: 1-2 p.m. Learn about the project that has helped Oregon have the densest concentration of trees outside Japan that were grown from the seeds of trees that survived the 1945 bombing of Hiroshima. Hoyt Arboretum, 4000 S.W. Fairview Blvd.; hoytarboretum.org.

SATURDAY, MARCH 16

Gardening for Your Table: 8:45 a.m.-4 p.m. Eight speakers will cover topics ranging from growing fruits and vegetables to backyard composting. $25 includes snacks, $12 optional lunch; Church on the Hill, 700 N.W. Hill Road, McMinnville; register at YCMGA.org.

Northwest Native Garden Plants and the Amazing Insects They Attract: 10 a.m.-noon. Join garden writer and photographer Amy Campion for an exploration of some of the best natives to plant in your wildlife-friendly garden and learn about the insects they support. CASEE Center (Building B, Room 205), 11104 N.E. 149th St., Brush Prairie, Washington. $15 registration required at info@naturescaping.org, marlene52ns@gmail.com or 360-737-1160. naturescaping.org.

Raising Mason Bees: 10 a.m.-noon. Join mason bee expert Ron Spendal for a class focusing on environmental needs, nesting behaviors and housing devices attractive to mason bees. PCC Rock Creek (Building 4, Room 103), 17705 N.W. Springville Road; washingtoncountymastergardeners.org.

Early Spring Container Planter Workshop: 1:30-3 p.m. In this hands-on session, you’ll learn every step of the art of creating container arrangements using the thriller, spiller and filler method. $35; Al’s Garden & Home (all locations); als-gardencenter.com.

TUESDAY, MARCH 19

Healing Herbs of the Arboretum: Noon-2 p.m. Stroll around the arboretum to explore medicinal trees, weeds and native plants and talk about which parts to use and which plants to avoid. $25 registration required at hoytarboretum.org; Hoyt Arboretum, 4000 S.W. Fairview Blvd.

FRIDAY, MARCH 22

Hillsboro Farmers Markets presents “The Green Fork Initiative”: 6 p.m. Enjoy a special premiere of the short film capturing a segment of Washington County’s food narrative, highlighting the individuals and abundant agricultural diversity that shape the region’s distinctive fruits, vegetables, grains and pasture-raised meats. $15; The Vault Theater, 350 E. Main St., Hillsboro; bagnbaggage.my.salesforce-sites.com/ticket#.

SATURDAY, MARCH 23

Tree School Clackamas: Opens at 7:15 a.m. Attend any of 73 classes covering forestry and tree grower topics key to the support of successful management of small woodlands. Participants will learn about forest management, tools and techniques, wildfire preparedness, marketing and business, forest health, wildlife habitat, weed management, forest fungi and more. $70 Clackamas County resident, $85 out of county, $35 ages 14-18 with adult; registration required at beav.es/tree-school-clackamas; Clackamas Community College, 19600 Molalla Ave., Oregon City.

Newell Creek Canyon Spring hike and ecoblitz: 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Join Metro for a spring hike, learn about local plants and birds and take an optional survey of plant and animal life. Registration required at oregonmetro.gov/GuidedActivities; Newell Creek Canyon Nature Park, 485 Warner Milne Road, Oregon City.

SUNDAY, APRIL 7

Mushroom hike at Smith and Bybee: 9:30-11:45 a.m. or 12:30-2:45 p.m. Discover the fascinating world of mushrooms on this woodland hike with local mushroom guide Leah Bendlin. Learn about identification, ecological roles of fungi, their forms and how they eat and reproduce. $6 registration required at oregonmetro.gov; Smith and Bybee Wetlands Natural Area, 5300 N. Marine Drive.

SATURDAY, APRIL 13

Soil School 2024: 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Open to all gardeners – from aspiring to advanced – this event offers eight sessions taught by experts to learn about how improving soil health improves plant, garden and habitat wellbeing. $35 includes breakfast and lunch; Portland Community College, Rock Creek Event Center, 17705 N.W. Springville Road; register at wmswcd.org/soil-school.

Mushroom hike at Oxbow Regional Park: 9:30-11:45 a.m. or 12:30-2:45 p.m. Discover the fascinating world of mushrooms on this woodland hike with local mushroom guide Leah Bendlin. Learn about identification, ecological roles of fungi, their forms and how they eat and reproduce. $6 registration required at oregonmetro.gov; Oxbow Regional Park, 3010 S.E. Oxbow Park Road, Gresham.

Spring Lawn Maintenance: 1-2:30 p.m. Get tips for keeping your lawn healthy and green throughout the summer in the Northwest. Gresham Japanese Garden, 219 S. Main Ave., Gresham; greshamjapanesegarden.org.

SATURDAY, MAY 4

Gardenfest 2024: PCC Rock Creek, 17705 N.W. Springville Road; washingtoncountymastergardeners.org.

THURSDAY, MAY 16

Florence Rhododendron Festival: May 16-19. Enjoy the rhododendron show, vendor fair, live music, art, festivities, activities and more at this family-friendly Oregon institution. FlorenceChamber.com.

SATURDAY, MAY 18

Gathering in the Garden: 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Celebrate gardening and appreciation of community green spaces with a vendor fair, exhibits, live music and more. Eastmoreland Garden Park, Southeast 27th Avenue and Bybee Boulevard; eastmorelandpdx.org.

Spring Maintenance on Pines: Noon-2 p.m. Learn the Niwa Method of candling and needling to maintain cloud-prune aesthetics and keep a manageable size and aesthetic focal point of your pines in a landscape. $45; Gresham Japanese Garden, 219 S. Main Ave., Gresham; greshamjapanesegarden.org.

SATURDAY, JUNE 8

Fundamentals of Pruning: 1-2:30 p.m. Take a tour, learn about tools and tool care, the four basic cuts of pruning and the subsequent reactions from these cuts. Gresham Japanese Garden, 219 S. Main Ave., Gresham; greshamjapanesegarden.org.

SATURDAY, JUNE 15

Creating Pollinator Habitat for your Garden and Home: 10:30-11:30 a.m. This seminar will focus on information about bees, butterflies, moths, hummingbirds and native host plants for creating your own pollinator yard. Gresham Japanese Garden, 219 S. Main Ave., Gresham; greshamjapanesegarden.org.

SATURDAY, JUNE 22

Pruning Lace-leaf Maples for Character: 12:30-2:30 p.m. Discover the fundamentals of pruning as they pertain to lace-leaf maples and listen to a short lecture on basic botany and growth habits. $45; Gresham Japanese Garden, 219 S. Main Ave., Gresham; greshamjapanesegarden.org.

FRIDAY, SEPT. 6

Parade of Homes: Sept. 6-22. Explore three luxury homes on large lots at the Reserve at Lake River in Felida, Washington. clarkcountyparadeofhomes.com.

SATURDAY, OCT. 26

Gardening with Pacific Northwest Native Plants: 10 a.m.-noon. Learn about the native plants that thrive in the Northwest and how to naturescape in support of wildlife and pollinators. PCC Rock Creek (Building 4, Room 103) and WCMGA Education Garden, 17705 N.W. Springville Road; washingtoncountymastergardeners.org.

-- Corey Sheldon

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Pink platypus spotted in Gippsland is cute – but don’t get too excited

Biologist says monotreme a Victorian fisher has nicknamed Pinky is ‘unusual but not exceptional’Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastCody Stylianou thought he saw a huge trout. But, skimming just below the surface, it was moving differently than a fish would.The creature surfaced and, amazed, the Victorian fisher reached for his phone. Swimming in front of him was a pink platypus. Continue reading...

Cody Stylianou thought he saw a huge trout. But, skimming just below the surface, it was moving differently than a fish would.The creature surfaced and, amazed, the Victorian fisher reached for his phone. Swimming in front of him was a pink platypus.Stylianou regularly fishes in the Gippsland spot, which he is keeping secret to protect the rare animal. He thinks it could be the same one he saw years ago, just older and bigger.“The bill and feet are super obviously pink,” he says. “When he did go a bit further into sunlit areas, he was easy to follow underwater, which is how I got so many videos of him surfacing.”Stylianou had been on his first trout fishing trip of the season in September when he saw the platypus, which he has nicknamed “Pinky”. He watched it feed at the top of the tannin-stained river for about 15 minutes.Sign up: AU Breaking News email“I’ve seen other platypus in the same river system, just regular coloured ones,” he says. “Probably about five to eight of them over the years, from memory. Normally, they just pop up at the top of the water and then disappear once they see me.”After Stylinaou shared footage of the monotreme, commenters online speculated that it could have been a rare albino platypus. But the biologist Jeff Williams says it is just lighter in colour than what most would expect.“Platypus do vary a lot in colour,” the director of the Australian Platypus Conservancy says. “And this one’s at the extreme end of the light ones. It’s not one that we consider should be added to the list of albino and leucistic ones.”Just as humans have different coloured hair or skin pigment, platypus also come in different variations, Williams says. He said the platypus captured on video was “unusual but not exceptional”.“What I’ve seen and what every other leading platypus person has looked at, it says, is that it’s well within the sort of variation in colour that one would expect,” he says.“Let’s put it this way, it’s cute, but it’s not a breakthrough … We think this is just one of the extreme ends. Every so often, you will get a genetic anomaly that just throws up things, just as it does with some humans, who have more freckles and so on.“It’s somewhat unusual, but it’s nothing to get particularly excited about, we’re afraid.”Sniffer dogs are being trained to track down threatened platypus populations – videoThe platypus is listed as near-threatened on the International Union for Conservation of Nature. There has also been a decline in Victorian populations, making them more vulnerable, Williams says.“Platypus were in significant decline up until about the 1990s when all the impact of European settlement on our waterways was becoming apparent,” he says.“We messed up pretty much the flow of every river we’ve got. We cleared native vegetation along most of our waterways, and, not surprisingly, that put a lot of pressure on the platypus population.”Replanting programs along the waterways, and consideration of environmental impacts near rivers, have started to help the population come back.“We’ve still got a way to go, and we can’t be complacent,” Williams says.“But the good news at the moment is most of the survey work that’s being done around the place is suggesting numbers that are coming back, certainly the number of sightings in some places where there was concern.”

Animals
Conservation
Nature

A “scientific sandbox” lets researchers explore the evolution of vision systems

The AI-powered tool could inform the design of better sensors and cameras for robots or autonomous vehicles.

Why did humans evolve the eyes we have today?While scientists can’t go back in time to study the environmental pressures that shaped the evolution of the diverse vision systems that exist in nature, a new computational framework developed by MIT researchers allows them to explore this evolution in artificial intelligence agents.The framework they developed, in which embodied AI agents evolve eyes and learn to see over many generations, is like a “scientific sandbox” that allows researchers to recreate different evolutionary trees. The user does this by changing the structure of the world and the tasks AI agents complete, such as finding food or telling objects apart.This allows them to study why one animal may have evolved simple, light-sensitive patches as eyes, while another has complex, camera-type eyes.The researchers’ experiments with this framework showcase how tasks drove eye evolution in the agents. For instance, they found that navigation tasks often led to the evolution of compound eyes with many individual units, like the eyes of insects and crustaceans.On the other hand, if agents focused on object discrimination, they were more likely to evolve camera-type eyes with irises and retinas.This framework could enable scientists to probe “what-if” questions about vision systems that are difficult to study experimentally. It could also guide the design of novel sensors and cameras for robots, drones, and wearable devices that balance performance with real-world constraints like energy efficiency and manufacturability.“While we can never go back and figure out every detail of how evolution took place, in this work we’ve created an environment where we can, in a sense, recreate evolution and probe the environment in all these different ways. This method of doing science opens to the door to a lot of possibilities,” says Kushagra Tiwary, a graduate student at the MIT Media Lab and co-lead author of a paper on this research.He is joined on the paper by co-lead author and fellow graduate student Aaron Young; graduate student Tzofi Klinghoffer; former postdoc Akshat Dave, who is now an assistant professor at Stony Brook University; Tomaso Poggio, the Eugene McDermott Professor in the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, an investigator in the McGovern Institute, and co-director of the Center for Brains, Minds, and Machines; co-senior authors Brian Cheung, a postdoc in the  Center for Brains, Minds, and Machines and an incoming assistant professor at the University of California San Francisco; and Ramesh Raskar, associate professor of media arts and sciences and leader of the Camera Culture Group at MIT; as well as others at Rice University and Lund University. The research appears today in Science Advances.Building a scientific sandboxThe paper began as a conversation among the researchers about discovering new vision systems that could be useful in different fields, like robotics. To test their “what-if” questions, the researchers decided to use AI to explore the many evolutionary possibilities.“What-if questions inspired me when I was growing up to study science. With AI, we have a unique opportunity to create these embodied agents that allow us to ask the kinds of questions that would usually be impossible to answer,” Tiwary says.To build this evolutionary sandbox, the researchers took all the elements of a camera, like the sensors, lenses, apertures, and processors, and converted them into parameters that an embodied AI agent could learn.They used those building blocks as the starting point for an algorithmic learning mechanism an agent would use as it evolved eyes over time.“We couldn’t simulate the entire universe atom-by-atom. It was challenging to determine which ingredients we needed, which ingredients we didn’t need, and how to allocate resources over those different elements,” Cheung says.In their framework, this evolutionary algorithm can choose which elements to evolve based on the constraints of the environment and the task of the agent.Each environment has a single task, such as navigation, food identification, or prey tracking, designed to mimic real visual tasks animals must overcome to survive. The agents start with a single photoreceptor that looks out at the world and an associated neural network model that processes visual information.Then, over each agent’s lifetime, it is trained using reinforcement learning, a trial-and-error technique where the agent is rewarded for accomplishing the goal of its task. The environment also incorporates constraints, like a certain number of pixels for an agent’s visual sensors.“These constraints drive the design process, the same way we have physical constraints in our world, like the physics of light, that have driven the design of our own eyes,” Tiwary says.Over many generations, agents evolve different elements of vision systems that maximize rewards.Their framework uses a genetic encoding mechanism to computationally mimic evolution, where individual genes mutate to control an agent’s development.For instance, morphological genes capture how the agent views the environment and control eye placement; optical genes determine how the eye interacts with light and dictate the number of photoreceptors; and neural genes control the learning capacity of the agents.Testing hypothesesWhen the researchers set up experiments in this framework, they found that tasks had a major influence on the vision systems the agents evolved.For instance, agents that were focused on navigation tasks developed eyes designed to maximize spatial awareness through low-resolution sensing, while agents tasked with detecting objects developed eyes focused more on frontal acuity, rather than peripheral vision.Another experiment indicated that a bigger brain isn’t always better when it comes to processing visual information. Only so much visual information can go into the system at a time, based on physical constraints like the number of photoreceptors in the eyes.“At some point a bigger brain doesn’t help the agents at all, and in nature that would be a waste of resources,” Cheung says.In the future, the researchers want to use this simulator to explore the best vision systems for specific applications, which could help scientists develop task-specific sensors and cameras. They also want to integrate LLMs into their framework to make it easier for users to ask “what-if” questions and study additional possibilities.“There’s a real benefit that comes from asking questions in a more imaginative way. I hope this inspires others to create larger frameworks, where instead of focusing on narrow questions that cover a specific area, they are looking to answer questions with a much wider scope,” Cheung says.This work was supported, in part, by the Center for Brains, Minds, and Machines and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Mathematics for the Discovery of Algorithms and Architectures (DIAL) program.

Animals
Culture
Energy

Common household rat poisons found to pose unacceptable risk to wildlife as animal advocates push for ban

Environmentalists say proposed temporary suspension of second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides ‘doesn’t go far enough’Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastCommonly available rat poisons pose unacceptable risks to native wildlife, according to a government review that has stopped short of recommending a blanket ban on the products, to the consternation of animal advocates.The long-awaited review of first- and second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides – FGARs and SGARs – has recommended the cancellation of some products, but a large array of waxes, pellets and blocks could continue to be sold to consumers subject to stricter labelling and conditions of use. Continue reading...

Commonly available rat poisons pose unacceptable risks to native wildlife, according to a government review that has stopped short of recommending a blanket ban on the products, to the consternation of animal advocates.The long-awaited review of first- and second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides – FGARs and SGARs – has recommended the cancellation of some products, but a large array of waxes, pellets and blocks could continue to be sold to consumers subject to stricter labelling and conditions of use.Baits containing anticoagulant rodenticides are widely available in supermarkets and garden stores such as Bunnings, Coles and Woolworths.The baits have come under scrutiny because they have been found in dead native animals such as tawny frogmouths, powerful owls and quolls that had eaten poisoned rats and mice.The second-generation products are more toxic and are banned from public sale in the United States and parts of Canada and highly restricted in the European Union.Commercially available rat poisons have been found in dead native animals. Photograph: Fabio De Paola/The GuardianConsumers can identify SGARs in Australia by checking whether they contain one of the following active ingredients: brodifacoum, bromadiolone, difethialone, difenacoum and flocoumafen. There are three FGAR active ingredients registered for use in Australia: warfarin, coumatetralyl and diphacinone.The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA), in response to the review which was published Tuesday, has proposed a temporary suspension of SGARs while public consultation about the recommendations is under way. If the suspension goes ahead the APVMA said the affected products could still be used, but only in accordance with the proposed stricter conditions.“If suspended, the importation or manufacture of SGARs would be illegal. They could only be sold if they meet the new strict conditions around pack size and use,” a spokesperson said.Holly Parsons, of BirdLife Australia, said the review “doesn’t go far enough and crucially, fails to address secondary poisoning that is killing owls and birds of prey” such as when, for example, a native bird ate a poisoned rat.“Despite overwhelming evidence provided in support of the complete removal of SGARs from public sale, we’re yet to see proposed restrictions that come close to achieving this,” Parsons said.She said consumers should be able to “walk into stores under the assumption that the products available to them aren’t going to inadvertently kill native animals” but the APVMA has put “the responsibility on to the consumer with an expectation that labels are fully read and followed – and we know that won’t be the case”.The review also recommended cancelling the registration of anticoagulant rodenticides baits that come in powder and liquid form or which do not contain dyes or bittering agents, finding they do not meet safety criteria.But it found other baits sold as waxes, pellets and blocks could continue to be sold to consumers with some changes to labelling and conditions of use.Sign up: AU Breaking News emailThe APVMA found that under “current instructions” it could not be satisfied that these types of products would not have unintended, harmful effects on non-target animals, including native wildlife, nor that they would not pose undue safety risks to people who handled them including vulnerable people such as children.But it found the conditions of product registration and other “relevant particulars” could be varied in such a way as to allow the authority “to be satisfied that products will meet the safety criteria”.Some of the proposed new instructions would include limiting mice baits to indoor use only when in tamper-resistant bait stations; placing outdoor rat baits in tamper-proof stations within two metres of outside a building; changes to pack sizes; and tighter directions for the clean-up and disposal of carcasses and uneaten baits.The recommendations are subject to three months of public consultation before the authority makes a final decision.John White is an associate professor of wildlife and conservation biology at Deakin University. In 2023 he worked with a team of researchers that studied rat poison in dead tawny frogmouths and owls, who found 95% of frogmouths had rodenticides in their livers and 68% of frogmouths tested had liver rodenticide levels consistent with causing death or significant toxicological impacts.He said the authority’s proposed changes failed to properly tackle the problem that SGARS, from an environmental perspective, were “just too toxic”.White said even if the authority tightened the conditions of use and labelling rules there was no guarantee that consumers would follow new instructions. “We should be completely banning these things, not tinkering at the edges,” he said.A spokesperson for Woolworths said the supermarket would await the APVMA’s final recommendations “to inform a responsible approach to these products, together with the suppliers of them”.They said the chain stocked “a small range of second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides for customers who might have a problem with rats or mice in their home, workplace, and especially in rural areas where it’s important for customers to have access to these products” while also selling “a number of alternative options”.Bunnings and Coles declined to comment.

Animals
Government

Trail Cameras in Vermont Captured Something Strange: Moths Sipping a Moose's Tears

Tear-drinking, known as lachryphagy, has mostly been observed in the tropics, so scientists were somewhat surprised to find the unusual behavior so far north

Trail Cameras in Vermont Captured Something Strange: Moths Sipping a Moose’s Tears Tear-drinking, known as lachryphagy, has mostly been observed in the tropics, so scientists were somewhat surprised to find the unusual behavior so far north Sarah Kuta - Daily Correspondent December 16, 2025 8:49 a.m. A trail camera in Vermont captured 80 photos of moths fluttering around a moose's head, likely slurping up its tears. Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department Laurence Clarfeld was sifting through images captured by a trail camera in Vermont when he came across a photo that stopped him in his tracks. Clarfeld, an environmental scientist at the University of Vermont, knew he was looking at a moose. But, beyond that, he was totally perplexed. “It almost looked like the moose had two [additional] eyes,” he tells Scientific American’s Gennaro Tomma. When he flipped through more photos in the sequence, Clarfeld finally understood what he was seeing: Moths were sipping tears straight from the ungulate’s eyes. Scientists have observed this unusual phenomenon, known as lachryphagy, among other types of animals. But, as far as anyone knows, the photos represent the first documented evidence of moths drinking moose tears. Clarfeld and his colleagues describe the encounter in a new paper published November 20 in the journal Ecosphere.  Moths seen drinking moose tears for first time ever The photos were captured in the early morning hours of June 19, 2024, in the Green Mountain National Forest, a large swath of protected woodlands in southern Vermont. Researchers had deployed them as part of an ongoing wildlife survey by the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department. In total, the camera captured 80 snapshots of the moths fluttering around a moose’s head. The photos don’t specifically show the moths’ proboscises, the long, slender, straw-like mouthparts they use to suck nectar from flowers. But lachryphagy is the “most plausible explanation,” the researchers write in the paper. Roughly a year later, a colleague captured video footage that appeared to show the same thing—moths hovering around a moose’s eyes, per Scientific American. Scientists have previously observed moths, bees and butterflies feeding on the tears of other animals. They’ve documented solitary bees drinking the tears of yellow-spotted river turtles in Ecuador, stingless bees harvesting human tears in Thailand, erebid moths feasting on the tears of ringed kingfishers in Colombia and erebid moths slurping up the tears of sleeping black-chinned antbirds in Brazil. But most of these instances have occurred in subtropical and tropical regions. Only one known case of lachryphagy has been documented outside the tropics, according to the researchers: a moth eating the tears of a horse in Arkansas. At first, researcher Laurence Clarfeld didn't know what he was seeing when he spotted moths hovering around a moose's eyes. Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department It may be that lachryphagy is simply more common in the tropics. But it’s also possible that “not a lot of scientists are looking in [other] places,” Akito Kawahara, an entomologist at the Florida Museum of Natural History who was not involved with the research, tells Scientific American. Why do moths and other insects feed on tears? It’s not entirely clear, but scientists suspect they may be seeking out certain essential nutrients, like sodium, during periods when those substances may be harder to find elsewhere. They may also be looking for protein boost. Insects typically get protein from plant nectar, but tears may be a handy backup. “Vertebrate fluids are the main alternative source for obtaining proteins,” Leandro Moraes, a biologist at the University of São Paulo who observed tear-feeding moths in Brazil, told National Geographic’s Sandrine Ceurstemont in 2018. Did you know? Resourceful insects Aside from tears, butterflies and moths have been known to take advantage of whatever resources are available, gathering up nutrient-rich liquids in and around soil, feces and carrion, including sweat and blood. Scientists call this feeding behavior “puddling.” Though lachryphagy appears to be relatively rare in nature, researchers still want to learn more about this unusual behavior. The tear drinker obviously benefits, but what about the tear supplier? For now, the relationship appears to be fairly one-sided—and might even be harmful to the host. In moose, for instance, eye-visiting moths could be transmitting pathogens that cause keratoconjunctivitis, which can lead to eye lesions and “significant health impacts,” the researchers write in the paper. For now, though, that’s just a hypothesis. Now that tear-drinking has been observed outside its typical range, the researchers are curious to know where else this behavior might be taking place, and among which other species. They’re encouraging wildlife scientists to keep an eye out because lachryphagy might ultimately be “more widespread than the lack of past records would suggest,” they write. Get the latest stories in your inbox every weekday.

Animals
Forests
Health

Costa Rica Shifts Toward Regenerative Tourism Alongside Other Nations

Costa Rica has long stood out for its commitment to protecting natural areas through tourism. Now, our country joins a growing number of nations that push beyond basic protection. They aim to restore and improve ecosystems damaged by past activities. This approach, called regenerative tourism, changes how visitors interact with places they travel to. In […] The post Costa Rica Shifts Toward Regenerative Tourism Alongside Other Nations appeared first on The Tico Times | Costa Rica News | Travel | Real Estate.

Costa Rica has long stood out for its commitment to protecting natural areas through tourism. Now, our country joins a growing number of nations that push beyond basic protection. They aim to restore and improve ecosystems damaged by past activities. This approach, called regenerative tourism, changes how visitors interact with places they travel to. In Costa Rica, tourism generates over 8 percent of the national economy and supports hundreds of thousands of jobs. For decades, the focus stayed on sustainability—keeping beaches clean, forests intact, and wildlife safe without causing more harm. But recent efforts show a clear move to regeneration. Local projects work to rebuild habitats, boost biodiversity, and strengthen communities hit hard by environmental changes. Take Punta Leona, a coastal area in Puntarenas. Hotels there add a small fee to each booking, with funds going directly to conserve local plants and animals. This has helped protect scarlet macaws and other species facing threats from habitat loss. In the Arenal area, Rancho Margot operates as a self-sustaining farm and lodge. It grows its own food, recycles water, and teaches guests how to plant trees that restore soil eroded by old farming practices. These actions do more than maintain the status quo; they repair what was lost. Costa Rica’s government backs this trend. The Tourism Board promotes programs that encourage visitors to join conservation work, such as planting mangroves along the Pacific coast or monitoring sea turtles in Tortuguero. A group called Costa Rica Regenerativa advises businesses on how to integrate regeneration into their operations. They focus on holistic plans that cover social, cultural, and environmental needs. As a result, areas like Monteverde see improved cloud forest health, with reforestation efforts bringing back native species absent for years. This shift aligns with global patterns. New Zealand sets a strong example. Its tourism authority invites travelers to participate in restoring native forests and waterways. In places like Rotorua, canopy tours fund projects that remove invasive plants and protect geothermal sites. The country reports higher visitor satisfaction when people contribute to these efforts, leading to longer stays and more repeat trips. Saudi Arabia takes a different path but shares the goal. It invests in large-scale regeneration in desert regions, turning arid lands into green spaces through water management and planting programs. Tourism there now includes experiences where guests help with these restorations, drawing interest from eco-conscious travelers. Finland emphasizes carbon neutrality in its northern landscapes. Cities like Helsinki offer tours that involve cleaning up lakes and planting boreal forests. This not only offsets travel emissions but also enhances wildlife corridors for species like reindeer. Ecuador’s Galápagos Islands provide another case. Strict rules limit visitor numbers, but regenerative programs let people assist in removing invasive species and monitoring marine life. Revenue from these activities funds habitat restoration, helping giant tortoises and other endemic animals thrive. In Mexico, Playa Viva on the Pacific coast runs as a regenerative resort. It restores mangroves and coastal dunes while involving local communities in decision-making. Guests leave with a sense of having improved the place they visited. These examples show regenerative tourism spreading across continents. It responds to rising awareness of climate change and biodiversity loss. Travelers today seek meaningful trips that give back, and nations like Costa Rica benefit from this demand. Studies from the World Travel & Tourism Council indicate that regenerative practices can increase tourism revenue by up to 20 percent in participating areas, as they attract higher-spending visitors. Challenges remain. Mass tourism can strain resources, as seen in some Costa Rican beaches where overcrowding leads to pollution. To counter this, experts call for better regulations and education. Community involvement stays key—local people must lead these initiatives to ensure they meet real needs. Looking ahead, Costa Rica plans to expand regenerative models nationwide. Partnerships with international organizations aim to share knowledge with other countries. This positions the nation as a guide in the field, showing how tourism can heal rather than just preserve. As more nations adopt this model, the travel industry may see lasting change. For us here in Costa Rica, it means building a healthier future for our land and people. The post Costa Rica Shifts Toward Regenerative Tourism Alongside Other Nations appeared first on The Tico Times | Costa Rica News | Travel | Real Estate.

Animals
Business
Climate

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