Author Archives: Andrew Sabai
What Is Biomass?
In ecology, biomass is the living matter, quantified in the form of the weight of plants and animals. In industry, it is fuel for energy production like firewood. I’ll stick with the ecological definition. Biomass can be measured as the … Continue reading
What is Turbidity?
For many lakes and streams, turbidity is the most important environmental issue affecting individual water bodies. But what is turbidity, and where does it come from? Turbidity is a measure of the particles suspended in the water that absorb or … Continue reading
What is a graminoid plant?
A graminoid is a grass, or grass-like plant. The leaves are typically blade-shaped, and the flowers are plain by most human standards. Many people walking by a grass in bloom, would not even recognize that the plant was in flower. … Continue reading
What is a sedge?
What are Sedges? Sedges are a family of plants, the Cyperace. Most sedge species superficially resemble grasses, but upon close examination have several unique characteristics. Continue reading
What is Riprap?
Rip rap are hard structures usually made from rock or other debris on the shores of lakes and river to prevent erosion, but often it is just installed for looks. Continue reading
Swamp Aerial Video
I just finished editing and uploading my last video from last summer. This aerial video is a low-altitude flight over a wetland in NE Wisconsin. It is late September, and the leaves of the trees are just beginning to change … Continue reading
Spring is Coming!
This week the temperature was warm, and the kids were in school, so I took the opportunity to get outside and enjoy the sun after a very cold February. I hope to be getting out a lot this year to … Continue reading
Drainage Ditch Flight
Latest edit of a low altitude flight over sedge meadows I made last June. These ditches run through Poygan State Wildlife Area in Wisconsin. Some were dug to help drain nearby farmland and some were dug decades ago for ducks … Continue reading
Cooper’s Hawk on Birdfeeder
The Cooper’s Hawk (Accipiter cooperii) has become a much more common site in urban areas in my lifetime. The Cooper’s Hawk feeds almost exclusively on other birds, so the House Sparrows and other common city birds are a great source of … Continue reading
Frog on Ice
A couple of days ago, I took a walk down by a small spring-fed creek. The air temperature was about 4°F (-16°C), but since the creek is fed by numerous springs the stream was nearly free of ice. Wintertime in … Continue reading