Jason E. Andersen

Blog

Welcome to a world of limitless possibilities, where the journey is as exhilarating as the destination, and where every moment is an opportunity to make your mark on the canvas of existence. The only limit is the extent of your imagination.

  • Bird tongues

    Bonus Fun Fact: A hummingbird’s tongue is about 3-5 times as long as their head is (depending on the species). If you think about how long your tongue is compared to your head, maybe you can appreciate that. Hummingbirds stick that long thing down into tubular flowers to lap out the nectar. Their tongues are…

  • Passed storms

    In March I talked about storms, wall clouds, and hook echos. Yesterday, Iowa (and other Midwest states) were visited by another type of powerful storm — a derecho storm. Bonus Fun Fact: Derecho storms are widespread storms that produce very high winds in straight line patterns. On weather radar, they typically take the shape of…

  • Caterpillar cannibals

    Imagine you are a freshly hatched butterfly caterpillar. You are crawling around on your host plant, nibbling away at the leaves and growing big and strong. One day, there are no more leaves to eat. Oh no! You try to look around, but you’re a caterpillar, and you can’t see so good. Instead, you crawl…

  • C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE)

    If you haven’t gotten out to see Comet NEOWISE yet, I encourage everyone to try and do so this weekend. It was closest to Earth on July 23rd and is now speeding off into the black. You will need binoculars and a dark sky. To view the comet, look to the northwest about an hour…

  • Thistles in disguise

    Bonus Fun Fact: Artichokes, the tasty veggie you may know (and love) from pizza, chip dips, and/or salads, are actually the flower buds of a cultivated species of thistle. They’re also good grilled with a bit of butter on them. Bonus Bonus Fun Fact: In medieval Europe, artichokes were used as an aphrodisiac.

  • Firefacts

    Bonus (not-so) Fun Fact: In the United States in 2019, at least 12 people died from fireworks-related injuries and an estimated 10,000 people required treatment in hospital emergency rooms. I want all of you to be safe and keep all your pieces attached, so here are some fireworks safety tips from the US Consumer Product Safety Commission:…

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