Palm Sunday

 with Jules Aurora:

13 News Now (Virginia Beach), Paradise comes at a price: Keeping Virginia Beach’s palm trees alive

If you’ve walked along the Virginia Beach Oceanfront recently, you may have noticed palm trees with brown, decaying branches, some appearing nearly dead. The reason comes down to a combination of winter weather, ocean winds and salt air, according to a local palm tree expert who has been growing and caring for the trees for decades.

John Sweeney, owner of Palm Tree Mart in Virginia Beach, said the back-to-back snowfalls in February caused significant damage to palm trees around the Oceanfront.  “It killed a lot of trees,” Sweeney said. “We had another bad year about eight years ago. We had a lot of trees die.

Palm Sunday

Detailed helicopter-palm tree interaction physics discovered in Grand Theft Auto VI

Users of the dedicated Reddit community continue to thoroughly analyze available promotional materials for the upcoming Grand Theft Auto VI. A player named Kwint456, citing the author of QuinfyGTA, noted how realistically the crowns and branches of palm trees are deflected by the downward airflow from a passing helicopter. This visual mechanic underscores Rockstar Games' overall commitment to realistically simulating benchmark-level physics and dynamic environments.

The post sparked a lively discussion among community members. Some commenters noted that similar effects involving helicopter rotors interacting with foliage had already appeared in one form or another in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, San Andreas, and Grand Theft Auto V. However, other users emphasized that the animations and foliage deformation in Grand Theft Auto V are the most smooth, organic, and technologically advanced in the sixth installment compared to the studio's earlier releases.

Linked at The Pirate's Cove in the weekly Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup and links. 

Palm Sunday

 With Magdalina Soltan:

Seoul Economic Daily, Police Reenact Palm Tree Hanging, Conclude It Was Possible

Questions continue to surround the death of a woman in her 30s, surnamed Jang, who was found dead on Jeju Island about 100 days after police closed a missing-person report on her under false pretenses. Police concluded, based on an autopsy by the National Forensic Service, that Jang died after hanging herself from a palm tree. But as claims of possible foul play mounted, investigators went as far as staging a reenactment test that factored in her physical build, and determined that hanging from the tree was possible.

Nope, the palm tree did it. 

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: SecTreas Taking The Long Position?up and garnering clicks at The Other McCain.

Palm Sunday

With Augustina  Añon. She certainly smiles more when she's around palm trees.

 

At WDNT, Imagineers Reveal Fake Palm Trees Will Bring Encanto Casita to Life at Disney's Animal Kingdom

What appears real in the parks may not always be real. This is accomplished through multiple avenues, including forced perspective.

Forced perspective is being used to bring the casita to life partially with the perceived visual of an appropriate distance from the guest to the casita.

Palm trees of varying sizes will be installed to accomplish this. Even smaller trees with less color will be put in the distance with the mountains (which were recently spotted at the park) to help establish forced perspective.

Linked at the Pirate's Cove in the weekly Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup and links. 

Palm Sunday

 With Devon Windsor:

SFGate, San Jose races to remove 32 dangerous palms downtown

City officials said 15 palm trees in the Circle of Palms at 124 S. Market St., are dead or dying, while the rest are in declining health, raising the risk of falling trees, according to a media advisory from the city of San Jose. Crews began the removal Thursday and will keep the area barricaded for the next nine days as they finish the work, the city said.
...
Colin Heyne, a spokesperson for the city’s Department of Transportation, told SFGATE that the city was aware that some of the trees were browning and dropping fronds, but they began deteriorating more quickly than expected — a July arborist report confirmed nearly half of the trees were dead or dying, he said. Officials are examining tissue samples of the trees at a lab and haven’t determined the official cause of death, Heyne said.

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: More Coffee, Please up on time and under budget at The Other McCain (if you count Megan).

Palm Sunday

 With Sarah Tolley:

Chron, What happened to Houston's beloved River Oaks palm trees? "They took away our fake Miami," one commenter wrote. 

Palm Sunday

 With Jessy Hetten:

Another innocent man saved from the clutches of man-eating palm trees, ABC 10, Watch Sacramento firefighters rescue tree trimmer stranded high in palm tree.

Linked at the Pirate's Cove in the weekly Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup and links. The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Nice Flex up on time and under budget at The Other McCain.

Palm Sunday

With  Charlette Bree:

Mongabay, Rare palm tree rediscovered in Madagascar after nearly 100 years

Researchers have tracked down 28 individuals of a palm tree species last recorded in Madagascar nearly 100 years ago.

Nearly every tree of the species, Ravenea latisecta, was found within four protected areas in the Andasibe-Mantadia region of Madagascar, according to a recent study.“Andasibe–Mantadia is one of Madagascar’s best-explored botanical regions, and Ravenea latisecta is not an inconspicuous plant, it is a palm several metres tall,” Louis Aureglia, study lead author with Aix-Marseille University in France, told Mongabay by email. “Yet confirmed populations remained undocumented for almost a century. This is a good reminder that botanical exploration is far from complete.”

Linked at Pirate's Cove in the weekly Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup and links.  The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Getting Strapped up and garnering clicks at The Other McCain.

Palm Sunday

 With Chelsea McGehee:

10 News San Diego, Palm trees pose serious fire risk; expert warns Ramona residents to trim fronds

Three charred palm trees remain in front of a home nearly burned by the Creelman fire on Wednesday, a reminder of the danger they pose when they go untrimmed or catch on fire. Retired fire captain Bob Lyon says the incident is a reminder of why trimming palm trees during fire season is critical.

Lyon said certain varieties of palm trees are especially vulnerable to catching fire. "Some of the Spanish ones that have the fronds that go all the way up ... those are susceptible to fire embers getting into those, and it will get going, and then the whole tree goes off because it's really dry," Lyon said.

Lyon said an untrimmed palm tree can quickly become an extreme danger. "Some of them are 30 or 40 feet tall, so you'll get a 30 or 40-foot flame going straight into the air," Lyon said.

There were some striking videos of burning palm trees from the LA fires.

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: On The Beach up on time and under budget at The Other McCain.

Palm Sunday

With Emily Feld.

Another man-eating palm tree foiled, 12 News, Arizona, Tree trimmer rescued after being stranded 40 feet up a palm tree.

Linked at Pirate's Cove in the weekly Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup and links.

Palm Sunday

 With Thai AI Amara Sunisa, whose creator clearly understands the value of virtual palm trees as backdrop:

The Palm Springs Post, Palm Springs City Council approves new palm tree skirt removal policy. There must be a joke in there somewhere.

Linked at The Pirates Cove in the weekly Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup and links. The Wombat has Rule 5 Monday: Redhead in Denim up and garnering clicks at The Other McCain.

Palm Sunday

 With Sarah Harris:

Pollstar, Kygo’s Palm Tree Music Festival Napa Expands To Two Days

Following last year’s successful debut, Palm Tree Crew has announced that the Palm Tree Music Festival Napa will keep the party going by expanding to two days in 2026. Palm Tree Crew co-founder Kygo will take the stage, with additional headline performances by Zedd, Disclosure (DJ Set), and Hugel.

Produced in partnership with Another Planet Entertainment and Blue Note Napa, the 2026 edition takes place Oct. 2-3 at The Meritage Resort & Spa. The weekend promises to deliver “world-class music, elevated hospitality, and exclusive brand experiences.”

I've never heard of him before: 

Linked at The Pirate's Cove in the weekly Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup and links. The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Happy 250th, America! and FMJRA 2.0: Waiting Until August up in star-spangled glory at the Other McCain.

Palm Sunday

 With Taylor Gallo, who clearly appreciates the value of a palm tree in the background:

I've heard of chipping dogs or cats but palm trees? EuroNews, Tracking chips for palm trees: Seville acts after theft of ten specimens

The measure, described by the city council as the first of its kind in Spain, comes after a spate of thefts of ornamental palm trees worth around €500 each. The Seville City Council has fitted tracking devices to several Cuban palm trees on Aeronáutica Avenue, in Sevilla Este, so they can be located if they are stolen again. The measure, which municipal sources say is a first in Spain, comes after the disappearance of around ten trees, an incident already under investigation by the National Police.

The palm trees, a species in the Arecaceae family that is highly valued for ornamental use, cost approximately 500 euros each, including their purchase, planting and adaptation to the urban environment. The Parks and Gardens Department decided to fit the chips after filing several complaints with the aim of making it easier to locate the trees and helping to identify those responsible for the thefts.

Linked at the Pirate's Cove in the weekly Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup and links.

Palm Sunday

 with Grace Boor:

WFLA, Black bear cub found abandoned in palm tree taken to Florida zoo. Bears and palm trees. Now there's a juxtaposition you don't see every day.

Linked at Pirate's Cove in the weekly Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup and links. The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Rebel Yell up and garnering clicks at The Other McCain.

Palm Sunday

 with more Anastasia Rine:

Northeast News, Kansas City, Vandals Steal 15 Palm Trees, Impacting Independence Avenue Beautification Project

Over the past several weeks, the Independence Avenue Urban Street Ambassadors have been hard at work beautifying the Independence Avenue corridor with new landscaping installations, colorful flowers and decorative palm trees intended to brighten the community for residents, visitors and local businesses alike.

But overnight, in the early morning hours of Friday, May 22, at least 15 palm trees planted along Independence Avenue were stolen. Security cameras captured footage of a person in a white sedan stopping at Independence Avenue and Brooklyn at 12:23 a.m., removing a palm tree from a planter, placing the tree in the back seat of their vehicle, and driving away.

These trees, purchased as part of ongoing beautification efforts by the Independence Avenue Community Improvement District (CID), had recently been installed by the Urban Street Ambassadors, who maintain the corridor year-round through landscaping, litter removal and streetscape improvement projects.

I would have thought Kansas City winters would be too harsh for palms. Maybe they bring them in in winter. 

Linked at the Pirate's Cove in the weekly Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup and links. The Wombat has Rule Five Sunday: More About Agriculture up on time and under budget at The Other McCain.

Palm Sunday

 With Aurela Hoxha:

WDW Now, Damaged EPCOT Palm Trees Removed From Park Entrance

The EPCOT palm trees that flanked Spaceship Earth have been removed after being irrevocably damaged during cold snaps this winter. The trees were previously in flowerbeds right behind the flag poles at the entrance to the park. As of May 22, they are all gone. Florida experienced several bouts of freezing temperatures this winter. Disney was able to protect some plants but trees saw significant damage. We saw Disney trying to save the banyan tree at Animal Kingdom.

Linked at Pirate's Cove in the weekly Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup and links. The Wombat has Rule Five Sunday: Outstanding In Her Field up and garnering clicks at The Other McCain.

Palm Sunday

With Taylor Carpenter

KERA, Caracas' iconic macaws threatened by vanishing palm trees

Blue and gold macaws are not native to Caracas. But over the past two decades their numbers in Venezuela's capital have skyrocketed, with hundreds of these birds now flying freely across the city, and dazzling locals with their colorful feathers and peculiar calls.

The birds have become a symbol of Caracas and formed a special bond with some people, who leave food for them in their balconies or gardens. But this unique relationship between humans and exotic birds is now under threat as city authorities cut down the palm trees that the macaws depend on to raise their offspring.

Maria Lourdes Gonzalez, a biologist who studies the macaws says that in the following years, the city's population of blue and gold macaws could plummet. "If they don't find a place where they can breed, there will be no new generation of macaws" she said at her office in Caracas' Simon Bolivar University.

Gonzalez explained that the macaws only nest in a palm tree known as the chaguaramo, or the royal palm. And they only use chaguaramos with no leaves whose trunks are decaying and have been partially hollowed out by insects.

Officials are taking these old palm trees down in several parks and public spaces as they try to beautify the city ,and prevent rotting tree trunks from falling on people. It's a policy that makes sense from the perspective of a city planner, Gonzalez explained, but one that threatens the macaws.

"These are not birds that make nests out of branches or twigs," Gonzalez said. "They occupy holes inside old tree trunks, and in Caracas, they only use the chaguaramo trees."

Linked at The Pirate's Cove in the weekly Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup and links. The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: A Common Enemy up and garnering clicks at The Other McCain.

Palm Sunday

 With Georgiana Rosas:

Man saved from clutches of man-eating palm. At NYPo, Dramatic footage shows daring aerial rescue of worker stranded atop towering palm tree.

An unconscious tree trimmer stranded high above a San Jose neighborhood was dramatically airlifted to safety Friday after suffering a medical emergency while working roughly 75 feet up a palm tree. Emergency crews rushed to the 2900 block of Sunburst Drive around 10 a.m., where the worker had become incapacitated while cutting the tree, according to the San Jose Fire Department.

Linked at Pirate's Cove in the weekly Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup and links.

Back From Fishing

Sunrise at Location X. A little action here but nothing to brag about.

A bit after sunrise at a nearby location, my first fish. In the same area, I hooked a monster, and played it for a couple of minutes before it got off. I wasn't the only person who lost a big one here.

A tree killed by the encroaching bay.

Pete got the drone out, and we saw several large groups of really large stripers, but they were very reluctant to bite anything we were throwing, and that was quite a variable selection. We got a few more mediums, and Matt got a 39 inch fish, but finding them with the drone, getting near them and watching them swim by the boat was kind of frustrating.

Not from today:

Palm Sunday

 With new NATO member Suvi Laiho.

Bad news from Hawaii, Palm-Killing Beetle Found On Molokaʻi For First Time, Rediscovered On Maui

State officials are surveying parts of Maui and Molokaʻi for evidence of coconut rhinoceros beetles, and residents near detection sites are being asked to check palm trees for signs of damage after the highly invasive pest was discovered on both islands.

Linked at Pirate's Cove in the weekly Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup and links. The Wombat has Rule Five Sunday: More Hot Girls & Hot Cars up and garnering clicks at The Other McCain.