If you live on Vancouver Island, chances are you’ve crushed a Lucky Lager or two. With its iconic red-and-white logo, the beer brand is known for being affordable, crisp and refreshing — and is intrinsically linked to our corner of the world. But how did that happen? The company, now owned by Labatt, has no current ties to the region. As it turns out, the story goes back nearly a century. …“The story of Lucky as a brand itself actually starts in 1934 in San Francisco,” Matt Poirier explained. “Even then the story of the brands that were built behind Lucky go back to 1858.” …Lucky Lager (with the the iconic red, white and gold logo with a large red ‘X’ behind it) remained a part of Vancouver Island’s exports for decades, through the Second World War and into the ’50s, when it was bought by Labatt in 1957. In 1980 the company purchased Budweiser, and moved their operations to Edmonton, tearing down the Victoria brewery where Lucky had been produced. Lucky has somehow been linked to the Island despite having no physical connection to it for 40 years, the reason according to Poirier is nostalgia.
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What looks a lot like a frog but doesn’t jump like a frog or eat like a frog? A toad. Frogs and toads are both amphibians, and they are closely related. So closely related that all toads are frogs, but not all frogs are toads. Toads belong to the family Bufonidae, which in taxonomy falls under the order of Anura, or frogs, in the amphibian class. Compared to frogs, which mostly live in and near water, adult toads are most often found on land. In addition, toads are noted for their bumpy, warty skin, while most frogs have smooth skin. Frogs are known for their jumping ability and toads are not, their legs are shorter than frogs, which limits their leaping ability. All toads have parotoid glands that secrete a toxin that makes toads poisonous. Frogs ribbit and toads sing, and each species has its own distinct calling sound. [One of the Tree Frog editors just can’t resist a story about frogs!]
GREENWICH, New York — It is Christmas time and many people have been busy decorating their Christmas Tree. But how did this somewhat strange practice come to be? To start, several ancient cultures practiced religious festivals around the time of the winter solstice that involved the use of evergreen boughs. … The first written record of a “Christmas tree” was in 1510 in Riga, Latvia. …The Christmas tree eventually made its way to the United States, mainly by way of German immigrants. However, the tradition did not catch on for a while. The Christmas tree was viewed as a pagan symbol, particularly in Puritan New England where laws forbade the practice for a long time. Eventually the greater prevalence of German and Irish immigrants in the first half of the 19th century made the practice more accepted. 
The Woodland Trust and Forestry England warned revellers the fruit can lead to a series of problems for creatures – including hedgehogs, foxes, badgers and birds – and spread disease. …Kate Wollen, assistant ecologist at Forestry England, said: “We see many posts on social media encouraging people to leave pumpkins in the woods for wildlife to eat, but please do not do this. “Pumpkins are not natural to the woodland and while some wildlife may enjoy a tasty snack it can make… birds, foxes, badgers, deer, and boar unwell and can spread disease. …Pumpkin flesh can attract colonies of rats and also has a really detrimental effect on woodland soils, plants and fungi.” People are being urged to turn their pumpkin into soup or even into a birdfeeder – or add to the garden compost.
I’m the daughter of a microbiologist – which is why this crusade against unseen germs doesn’t impress me. …I hold to the notion that, broadly speaking, wood is naturally antibacterial. I’ve had the same chopping board for more than 15 years, and I’ve only ever wiped it with a damp, soapy cloth; no one has died so far. The creepy trend for boiling spoons – it is said to result in gruesome excretions – began on TikTok. …I read about this, and even as I rolled my eyes – how utterly deranged, I thought. …Our attitude to hygiene, and by extension to dirt in all its multifarious forms, is increasingly strange and stupid. I’ve never known our city streets to look more filthy. But while this seems to induce no disgust whatsoever in most people… much of the rest of life induces rank nausea. 
Forestry Corporation ecologists have spent the week walking through Bondo State Forest near Tumut calling ‘hey frog’ – The most effective survey technique for detecting the critically endangered Northern Corroboree Frog. Amazingly, yelling ‘Hey Frog’ elicits a response from the frogs, which call out in response. Without this technique, the frogs would otherwise remain hidden in the wetlands, said Rohan Bilney, Senior Field Ecologist with Forestry Corporation. …“In late summer, the male corroboree frogs will call out in response to us bellowing “Hey frog” in a deep voice — they are usually sitting in their nest defending their territory,” Dr Bilney said. “So the survey method involves our ecology team essentially wandering through the swamps and bogs in the forest calling ‘hey frog’ to see how many we get calling back.”
German toilet paper maker Hakle is turning to waste from coffee production to stay afloat, reported Manila Times. Two years ago, at the height of the coronavirus pandemic, the firm profited from a huge demand in essentials – such as toilet paper. But with the health crisis abating, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has sparked skyrocketing energy costs, forcing Hakle to file for insolvency. It has therefore turned to innovative solution. Huge quantities of coffee grounds are produced every year by the European food industry, and Hakle has found a way to transform the waste into material to make loo roll. The first rolls using the new process were produced at the Duesseldorf-based company’s factory last week. …”The goal is 20 to 25%” of coffee grounds constituting the material for making the paper, replacing wood pulp, said Jung.
