It's exciting when nature does it and the outcomes and consequent
adaptations can be monitored and understood. This is the very stuff of
substance in evolution, and where I'd use the connotation of "Colonist".
It's however, unexciting when someone releases, say, starlings... Because
some famous human named Bill wrote about them in a sonnet. OR nile perch
because they're "gonna solve allll our problems". OR "We have algae
problems in our farm ponds real close to this major waterway that sometimes
floods catastrophically and instead of using native plant communities and
supporting a host of imperiled wetland plant species (that may or may not
contribute to the survival of the human species) which have a great habit of
reducing the excess nutrients in a natural manner, we'll just use these
asian fish to eat it all up instead."
That's where I'd use the connotations of "Exotic".
And hopefully this lad doesn't get the bright idea of rearing the amphibians
indoors all winter to spare them the "hardships" and be "humane", only to
let them loose next spring. The species should need to do it all on it's
own, and I just can't see them making it through any type of metamorphisis
into hibernation before the fall makes way into winter... Esp since I had to
scrape my windsheilds this morning!?!? Ugh. So much for a "fall" ;)
----- Original Message -----
From: "Sajjad Lateef" <sajjadlateef_at_yahoo.com>
To: <nanfa_at_aquaria.net>
Sent: Thursday, October 02, 2003 2:49 PM
Subject: NANFA-- News - Mysterious Frog Eggs Found in Connecticut
> Are Hurricanes vectors for exotic introductions? -- Sajjad
>
> BERLIN, Conn. - Hurricane Isabel brought unholy high winds and lashing
> rain to the East Coast. It also dumped something almost biblical on
> Connecticut.
>
> Primo D'Agata was startled by what he thought was hail smacking on his
> porch Sept. 19 as the remnants of Isabel moved through the state. But
> when he went outside to investigate, D'Agata discovered tiny,
> gelatinous eggs with dark spots in the middle.
>
> It had apparently been raining frogs.
>
> Since no frogs in Connecticut lay eggs this late in the year,
> scientists and naturalists speculate they may have come up from North
> Carolina or another warm location on the winds of Isabel.
>
> D'Agata brought a bowl of his mysterious find to a nearby nature
> center, after the town's animal control officer couldn't identify what
> had arrived in his yard.
>
> Nicolas Diaz, a naturalist and teacher at New Britain Youth Museum at
> Hungerford Park, took a look at D'Agata's bowl and told him it looked
> like amphibian eggs.
>
> D'Agata is keeping two small, water-filled glass jars of the eggs to
> see if any of them will hatch. He said a few seem to have sprouted what
> look like a tail.
>
> "I'm going to let them sit and see what happens," D'Agata said
> Wednesday.
/-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
/"Unless stated otherwise, comments made on this list do not necessarily
/ reflect the beliefs or goals of the North American Native Fishes
/ Association"
/ This is the discussion list of the North American Native Fishes Association
/ nanfa_at_aquaria.net. To subscribe, unsubscribe, or get help, send the word
/ subscribe, unsubscribe, or help in the body (not subject) of an email to
/ nanfa-request_at_aquaria.net. For a digest version, send the command to
/ nanfa-digest-request_at_aquaria.net instead.
/ For more information about NANFA, visit our web page, http://www.nanfa.org