tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4998479738444661160.post1797163867751703930..comments2023-11-13T07:19:45.061+00:00Comments on CABINET OF CURIOSITIES: Tears, Toothache and a Defunct Doctrine...Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4998479738444661160.post-10585972538098142010-05-09T20:56:54.341+00:002010-05-09T20:56:54.341+00:00Yes Nyctalus, I think amateur naturalists are more...Yes Nyctalus, I think amateur naturalists are more important now than they ever were, now that their skills don't fit the modern model of biological sciences in academia. There are still plenty of detailed, specific studies of the kind you mention in universities, but the day of the Darwinian generalist is done - for now at least..Philhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15609107148344256875noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4998479738444661160.post-28437192645752578472010-05-07T19:15:56.073+00:002010-05-07T19:15:56.073+00:00That's a depressing thought in many ways Phil ...That's a depressing thought in many ways Phil -the devaluing of detailed observation. I suppose what you mean is that it's been relegated to an amateur thing now and no longer considered 'proper' science? But there must still be pockets left somewhere? The fantastic observational work behind the unravelling of the complex lifecycle of the Large Blue and the ants it relies on and which led ultimately to successful reintroduction projects, is very Darwinesque, I think. I'm sure that was a University research PhD project, so maybe all is not yet lost.Nyctalushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03529729794764990304noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4998479738444661160.post-55047428343694220582010-05-07T07:01:27.593+00:002010-05-07T07:01:27.593+00:00The bumblebees seem to like it too Emma. The seeds...The bumblebees seem to like it too Emma. The seeds ripen in early summer and I'm planning to collect some, to see if I can persuade it to establish itself on the roots of a hazel in my garden..Philhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15609107148344256875noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4998479738444661160.post-44024763801398611462010-05-07T06:59:18.212+00:002010-05-07T06:59:18.212+00:00Hi Nyctalus, amazing what an acute observer of nat...Hi Nyctalus, amazing what an acute observer of nature Darwin was , in so many areas ........... unlike the extreme specialists in science today ....... I suspect that there would be no place for somene like him in 21st. century sciencePhilhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15609107148344256875noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4998479738444661160.post-9562901185507312192010-05-07T06:56:46.207+00:002010-05-07T06:56:46.207+00:00Hi Rob,trees don't come much more resilient th...Hi Rob,trees don't come much more resilient than that!Philhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15609107148344256875noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4998479738444661160.post-10749853486157552032010-05-06T17:45:11.826+00:002010-05-06T17:45:11.826+00:00This is a fascinating plant, Phil. Thank you for ...This is a fascinating plant, Phil. Thank you for the i.d. on my fern.Emma Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04385447781203785369noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4998479738444661160.post-79617097179382216452010-05-05T19:30:44.464+00:002010-05-05T19:30:44.464+00:00What a fascinating plant and a most intriguing bus...What a fascinating plant and a most intriguing business that - the wet ground. I must look out for it. Just an incidental by-product of its way of life or a functional part of the whole process? Who knows, but you have to keep taking your hat off to Charles Darwin!Nyctalushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03529729794764990304noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4998479738444661160.post-24877501344311228572010-05-04T20:17:33.520+00:002010-05-04T20:17:33.520+00:00The hazel has a tough time, having the sap sucked ...The hazel has a tough time, having the sap sucked out of it below ground, coppiced to within inches of the woodland floor, and still it bounces back!<br />I didn't know that about the secretion or the supposed remedy - thanks.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com