It would be easy to think that since houseplants live inside , they don’t really experience seasons as their outdoor relatives do. It’s true that they’re provided a lot more protection inside. 【小题1】They do，they do and they’d appreciate a few seasonal changes. Here is how to keep your plants happy as the summer goes away and cooler days come along.

If you’ve given your houseplants outside time in summer , bring them in before temperatures reach a low of 55 degrees Fahrenheit.【小题2】 For example, clear the dead leaves, which can attract pests. In this way, you won’t bring in whatever may be harmful to your indoor environment.

【小题3】Fall is the perfect time to leach out(滤掉)any salt by letting the water run freely out of the bottom of the pot. The water will also clean off any dust that collects on the leaves.

Give them a trim( 修剪). Remove any dead or dying leaves ：cut the leaves that are brown or yellow at the base. For brown or yellowing tips, you can just cut off the unhealthy leaves. 【小题4】

Be mindful of extreme temperatures. Being extremely hot or cold can stress plants out. 【小题5】Make sure they aren’t on the top of radiators(散热器)or by heaters; likewise, make sure they’re far from doors that are open to the outside.

As midnight approaches in Svalbard, a young polar bear climbs onto an iceberg (冰山) and carves himself a temporary bed before falling asleep. This peaceful moment, capturing the essence of Earth’s delicacy, was taken by Nima Sarikhani, who won Wildlife Photographer of the Year People’s Choice Award, which is decided by public vote.

Sarikhani, from the UK, spent three days searching Norway’s Svalbard islands in the hope of catching sight of these symbolic Arctic (北极的) animals. He was finally rewarded with the sight of both an older and younger male shortly after his ship changed course. Sarikhani seized the chance to take a photo of the younger bear sleeping on the iceberg — a scene that not only awakens the bond between an animal and its habitat, but also the need to act on global challenges like climate change and habitat loss.

These days, the sight of a lone polar bear on melting ice is a familiar symbol of the impact of climate change. But that is for a good reason: global warming is having a particularly rapid effect on the Arctic, which is heating up at a rate three times as high as that of the average around the world. Among those hardest hit are these bears, which are increasingly threatened by the reduction in sea ice cover that they rely on to hunt and raise young.

Though his photo is intended to arouse emotion in those who see it, Sarikhani is optimistic that with the right actions, it isn’t too late for polar bears. The image will be displayed in an exhibition at the Natural History Museum, London, along with the competition’s four runners-up, until 30 June.

In the Amazon rainforest, which is home to various kinds of wildlife, an American biologist has discovered a strange new species of ant, The Times reported. It has no eyes and gets a pale body and its fanglike mouthparts are longer than the rest of its head.

If you came across the peculiar ant, you might think that it belongs on another planet. Even its name— Martialis Heureka— playfully suggests that it came from Mars. And this discovery is forcing researchers to rethink what they know about the history of ants on our planet.

Christian Rabeling, from the University of Texas at Austin, discovered the new species amid the fallen leaves of the rainforest. But he did more than just notice how bizarre the ant looks. He also analyzed its genetic material, or DNA.

Comparing DNA among species can give scientists insights into family trees: the more DNA two species share in common, the more closely related they are, and the more recently they split off from ancestor.

Rabeling’s DNA analysis of Martialis Heureka showed that the species is only distantly related to other ant species. It’s so distant that it actually belonging in a separate subfamily. The last minute scientists found a new subfamily of living ants was in 1923, say the discoverers.

The DNA analysis also suggested that Martialis Heureka appeared on earth earlier than any other ant living here today. And observations suggest that the ant lives underground and paleness and blindness are two major clues. Some of the other oldest known ant species also live underground. So now, scientists are trying to figure out whether ants first evolved underground, or if they evolved above ground and then went under. A few other ant species have at least one of Martialis Heureka’s odd features, but none share them all.

So far, Rabeling has collected only one ant from the new species. Finding more specimens(样本), he hopes, will help us better understand the science and history of ants on earth.