It’s been a busy month with Pioneer Days, OPSU Rodeo, Five State Motorcycle Run, Community Clean – up … some of the best coming out in the community during that time. Lots of volunteers working for the community, lots of family’s having fun.
It’s a good time to learn about something most of us know little about … rain forests.
In order to qualify as a rain forest, a heavily wooded area must get at least 80 inches of rain per year, according to The Book of Bizarre Truth. Rain falls about 90 days a year in a rain forest. As much as 50% of this precipitation evaporates, meaning that rain forests recycle their water supply.
In non – rain forest areas, water evaporates and is transported via clouds to different regions. In a rain forest, however, the unique climate and weather patterns often cause the precipitation to fall over the same area from which it evaporated.
A rain forest is comprised of evergreen trees, either broadleaf or coniferous, and other types of intense vegetation. These regions collectively contain more than two – thirds of the plant species on the planet. There are two types of rain forests, tropical and temperate. Tropical rain forests are located near the equator; temperate rain forests crop up near oceanic coastlines, particularly where mountain ranges focus rainfall on a particular region.
Rain forests can be found on every continent except Antarctica. The larger tropical rain forest is the Amazon in South America; the largest temperate rain forest is in the Pacific Northwest, stretching from northern California all the way to Alaska.
At one time, rain forests covered as much as 14% of the earth, but that number is now down to about 6%. Scientists estimate an acre and a half of rain forest – the equivalent of a little more than a football field – is lost every second. The trees are taken for lumber, and the land is tilled for farming.
Famous Okie information: Oklahoma has more man – made lakes than any other state.
Tree trivia: California boasts the oldest known living tree – a Bristlecone Pine named Methuselah, which is estimated to be 4,767 years old.
Keep going on New Years resolutions: Bring a plant into your home. They might help reduce your stress and improve your productivity. Check out the plants at Helms Garden Shop in Guymon, 124 N. Quinn. It is a beautiful place to visit!
Made me laugh: You can never lose a homing pigeon. If your homing pigeon doesn’t come back, what you lost was a pigeon.
Work on your English skills: The question about the Oxford Comma and if it is needed. Here are three examples of why the Oxford Comma is good. 1) Among those interviewed were Merle Haggard’s two ex – wives, Kris Kristofferson and Robert Duvall. 2) This book is dedicated to my parents, Ayn Rand and God. 3) Highlights of Peter Ustinov’s global tour include encounters with Nelson Mandela, an 800 – year – old demigod and dildo collector.
Look for the upcoming Tiger Hunt in Guymon, to start on May 24!
See you on the bricks, soon! Stay safe.