Dear Janus:

Thank you, I am staying quite warm. The snow decorates the trees outside beautifully. Thank you for the science lessons and online resources about snowflakes, the New Jersey Pine Barrens (I love pine nuts!), the function of trees holding soil together, the consequences of cutting trees/ deforestation, three of which are:  (1) soil erosion, soil that is less suitable to grow crops, and (2) flash floods (sudden, local floods due to heavy rain), (3) increased CO2 in the atmosphere, and … about frogs who are very beneficial, among other things, for eating algae (and keeping waterways clean this way), eating insects that can transmit malaria.. (keeping us people healthier), and for being eaten by birds and fish (which are eaten by people).

Sad to read: “Up to a third of the frog species on earth are threatened or on the brink of extinction due to pollution, habitat loss (ponds drying up), and deforestation and this is alarming“.

“Therefore it is important to protect the forests and nature because of economic and ecological value“- indeed!

anita