Species at the Small Nature Trail Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Species at the Small Nature Trail - Essay Example The Small Nature Trail is not named so because of its size, but rather it is named after Lawrence Small, who owned the land before it was acquired by the school. The trail loops through woods and wetlands and offers many opportunities to observe diverse plant and animal interactions in their natural surroundings. The Harvard Trails Guide released by the Harvard Conservation Trust (n.d.) mentions that, â€Å"the black birch which, when scratched, smells like root beer; spice bush, which also emits a ‘spicy’ odor; sassafras, with its three different leaf shapes; and the shagbark hickory, with its distinctive or exfoliating bark.† I was able to identify and examine these trees myself during the hour and a half long trail walk. There were also boardwalks and bridges that cover the wet areas of the trail. A little while into my trail walk, I began to examine the ground where I was walking more closely. Soon, I noticed red ants moving rather quickly in their line. They were carrying a dead beetle to their nest. As I looked closely, I noticed that the larger worker ants were carrying the beetle while the smaller worker ants assisted the larger ones and went up and down the line formation, trying to get the dead beetle to their nest. ... Once the beetle was taken into the hole, the activity above the ground reduced as most of the ants accompanied their food into hole. After watching their activity for a while, I went back to the trail to continue my exploration. As I walked along the trail, I noticed bracket fungi growing on several trees like the poplar and maple trees. They were easy to identify as they had the characteristic semi-circular shape, which looks like shelving growing out of the trees. In fact, throughout my trail walk, I found several bracket fungi growing on trees and tree stumps. When I touched them, they felt soft and squishy. Bracket fungi are known to derive their nourishment from their host – the trees. I plucked out a piece of the fungi from a tree trunk and found some small root-like structures extending into the tree. Therefore, I believe that the bracket fungi that I saw were parasitic. The walk on the boardwalk was a wonderful experience as there was thick foliage on both sides and on e cannot see too far since the path twists and turns through the foliage. As I got off the board walk, I saw several different kinds of plants which had flowers of different colors. That is when I noticed some butterflies fluttering around these flowers. As I took some time to observe this insect-plant interaction, I realized that the butterflies was not only drinking the nectar from the flowers, but were also helping the plants in pollination - something that I had studied in my school, but never really taken the time to notice in nature. I spent a considerable amount of time observing these butterflies. After spending some time with the butterflies, I resumed my walk. As I approached the wet area of the trail, I noticed some turtles basking in the sun. I

Journal of Business Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Journal of Business Ethics - Essay Example Some argue there is little evidence that the UNGC vision, an economy with the human face, can be realized for the poor and developing nations with economic globalization. Many do not agree with the assumption of the Global Compact that globalization in its current form can be made sustainable and equitable, even if accompanied by the implementation of standards for human rights, labour, and the environment because they are well aware that many corporations would like nothing better than to wrap themselves in the flag of UN in order to blue wash their public image. Williams argues that they should respond to any criticism of their practices and discuss corrective action where necessary. As indicated â€Å"We expose the reality in a field too often dominated by rhetoric and help protect vulnerable people and communities against abuses†. The second group of critics is not focusing so much on the mission of UNGC but rather on the fact that the initiative is housed in the UN. There were fears that businesses would become too dominant in the organization. Williams responds that the background of this criticism is important because the UN had no close relationship with the private sector and in the 1960s this was amplified as many developing countries moved away from their colonial masters and became independent, As indicated â€Å"The UN served as a countervailing power for developing countries who understood multinational companies to be partially responsible for their slow economic and human development†.