Both Gondwana and Pangaea existed, but at different times. The theory is that the hot spots in the mantle cause the cratons (cores of continents) to rotate around and come together in various configurations. Gondwana was a fraction of Pangaea. And there is evidence that plants which originated prior to the breakup continued to evolve on the pieces of Pangaea after they separated. Euphorbias and Proteas are a good examples. Plants that developed after the breakup, like cacti and Bromeliads, remained isolated from the other continents. Some plants can roam the world, coconuts being a prime example. The outer husk is buoyant, floats high in the water and can be blown along by the wind. Some have fruit that is eaten by long distance travelers (birds for example) and the seeds can come out almost anywhere. This could be how a single cactus species made the Atlantic crossing before 1492. Grass is a good example of an invasive. The ancestor of Kentucky Blue Grass was brought over by the early colonists to the American continent. After about 150 years later when the first English got to Kentucky, the grass was already there! Humans have always traveled with plants. The first humans migrating around the SW Pacific spread a very useful hybrid herb around. It allowed them to move with a ready made food that grew fast, fruited young and could be carried along by migrating peoples. Years later (like 1000s), a disease almost wiped out the one widespread clone that formed the backbone of some economies. A single plant was found in a greenhouse in England that rejuvenated the industry. This one plant is the modern ancestor to almost all the worlds banana industry (Cavendish banana). DNA is giving us a look back. Rice has more than one ancestor. Corn is definitely from teosinte, even if it looks nothing like it. Bananas are a naturally occurring hybrid, as is much of our modern wheat. And kudzu and Johnson grass are the bane of a farmer's existance.

Yes, Cindy, I believe it does... particularly when you step on it and release the vapors. Personally, I think wild violets are a viable option, too, lol... They only grow so tall, too, and they bloom... But beauty IS in the eye of the beholder. I'm in a long-term project of getting a wintergreen bed established in the shade in my front yard. It's a great groundcover, but slow-growing and barely tolerant in our zone (almost too warm here), and needs the right conditions. If you have a shady, moist area in your yard (moist, but not soggy), that's an option for at least part of your yard. We'll figure this all out, eventually :) Jeff

Pixie Lou, I love those pond shots. You get such a range of critters visiting, and the green heron is especially nice. It has finally warmed up enough that Jane's least favorite critters are emerging in my garden, the snakes. I found a small (8") red-bellied snake that ended up in some grass clippings I moved to the compost after we hayed the lawn between rain showers. I was surprised to find him in the bottom of the garden cart, and tipped him out before I thought to photograph him. My reading tells me that they don't get much bigger than a big night crawler, so he was full grown. I was cleaning out the bed around the back patio where I so often see garter snakes, and had the company of this guy for a bit until he decided that I was interfering with his basking in the sun and left.

RE: How long have you vermicomposted and what have you learned ? Posted by vidyut none (My Page) on Thu, Jul 31, 14 at 3:16 Quote One week. I am learning that there is more to read than do once the bin is ready and I'm waiting for the earthworms to grow... just to keep me out of their bin... Discovering in myself the unexpected tendency to become a worm bin pest, and have to seriously tell myself to not touch it more than once in 24 hours. Endquote Pictured is paper unpeeled from Trader Joe Pumpkin Bread Pudding. Photo is about 15 hours later. I think what I learned, is how to remove springtails. There are twice as many under the paper where the breadpudding crumb is. Also possibly of interest is the "sprinkling" of castings on the paper. The dark burlap on the left covered the paper. The burlap has a population of young worms and cocoons.