Ecology on Pitara Kids Network

Our Environment

Thu, 14 Mar 2002 18:59:07 +0000

Do you know what the greenhouse effect is or perhaps what the ozone hole means? If you don’t then find them here.

Treehuggers

Sun, 27 Jan 2002 05:51:43 +0000

Children of the fragile forest gather around
Where bird song seems to be the loudest sound

A place called Summer, green as you could please
A place where we all proudly hug the trees.

Hug trees for the walnuts and sweet apples
For the shade above small country chapels

For giving squirrel and crow a place to live
For the priceless gift of oxygen they give.

Follow your feet across a woodland floor
Beneath the tall and ancient sycamore

Why do Beavers Build Dams?

Thu, 22 Jul 1999 20:24:04 +0000

Picture a giant rat with a flat tail and webbed feet. That’s what the beaver looks like.

There are two kinds of beavers: the American and the European. The European beaver, found in Norway, Poland, Germany and France, lives in burrows.

But the American beaver builds a dam across a stream or lake to construct his home or lodge. The lodges are made of huge logs of trees.

Why do Beavers Build Dams? [Illustration by Sudheer Nath]

The American beaver constructs solid dams and lodges because it has the mind of an expert engineer among all the creatures in the animal kingdom. And it is hard-working too. Moreover, building fortress like lodges and dams helps it escape unfriendly animals.

Abdul Kareem's Forest

Fri, 19 Sep 2003 15:01:49 +0000

A lush green forest in the middle of a rocky wasteland. No, this paradise is not an illusion. Abdul Kareem has created it with his own hands.

Kareem’s 30-acre forest is in Kasargode district, Kerala. It is home to 1,500 medicinal plants, 2,000 varieties of trees, rare birds, animals and insects. Agricultural scientist, MS Swaminathan, has called the forest a “wonderful example of the power harmony with nature.”

Abdul Kareem’s Forest [Illustration by Shinod AP]

So, how did Kareem manage to convert a wasteland into a forest?

The Earthworm's Good Turn

Tue, 30 Jul 2002 10:25:21 +0000

Every day, countless dustbins are emptied in dumping grounds. A lot of this garbage ends up polluting the ground water and also the rivers and seas.

Actually, a large part of this junk, especially the biodegradable waste (waste that can be decomposed) can be disposed in a more efficient manner, without polluting water bodies. Many countries are now doing it by using a cheap and eco-friendly option – the earthworm.

Yes, earthworms have been in the business of decomposing waste and enriching the soil for thousands of years. It is only in the past few years that people have realised the importance of these little pests.

Excerpts From 'The world of trees'

Thu, 07 Nov 1996 05:51:09 +0000

This is a remarkable book on trees – trees which are not just ‘described’ to you in words as having branches, leaves and sweet-smelling flowers, but trees which you can actually ‘see’ as you read. Big trees, tall trees, stately trees….all come alive with the cries and activities of the numerous birds and insects living on them, the age old myths associated with them and the author’s personal comments, witty and insightful. Indeed, in many places, especially in villages in India, trees are quite inseparable from the way of life of the people.

The Crow’s Lunch

Tue, 16 Oct 2001 11:21:35 +0000

The crow sat on the tree
Waiting for lunch

What would it be? Rice,
roti – or earthworm?

Lunch was none of these
The family was on a fast

Disgusted, the crow
swooped down
If not curry, maybe
a bland earthworm?

But the worms weren’t there
The crow wasn’t early enough

The Crow’s Lunch [Illustration by Shinod AP]

What has the world come to,
cried the crow
No thought for others!

The Truth about Eels

Wed, 31 Mar 1999 03:53:10 +0000

Where: Florida, USA
October 16, 2000: The recent emergence of a large number of unfamiliar eels in the waters off the coast of Florida in South-east America, is causing worry to local ecologists there. They fear that the new arrivals, eels of Asian origin, will disturb the food chain of the region with their voracious appetites.

What exactly are eels ? They are slippery serpent-like fish, inhabiting shallow coastal waters throughout the world. They are fairly common in the freshwaters of eastern and south-eastern America.

Worming into the Olympics

Mon, 06 May 2002 23:20:49 +0000

The organisers of the 2000 Sydney Olympics are very serious about projecting the Olympics as an eco-friendly event. So the Olympics village in Sydney, where the athletes are living, is entirely solar-powered. But the organisers haven’t stopped at that. They’re ensuring that even the garbage generated by people at the Olympics is eco-friendly.

For this, they’ve enlisted the help of the humble earthworm — three varieties of the earthworm, in fact. Thousands of these worms cluster behind eating areas at the Olympics. And chew their way through the garbage left there deliberately for their eating pleasure, reports an ‘Associated Press’ feature in ‘The Indian Express’.