Showing posts with label nature. Show all posts
Showing posts with label nature. Show all posts
Sunday, 15 February 2015
Icy sunset
These icy masterpieces were sculptured by nature. Some of her installations don't last very long, but she's the ultimate artist. Still... We wouldn't be enjoying them without a talented photographer who seized the moment!
Sunday, 9 June 2013
Wonderful world
Amy sent us this spectacular video. I'm a great fan of David Attenborough and never miss any of his fantastic programs.
Thank you, Amy.
Thank you, Amy.
Tuesday, 22 May 2012
Wednesday, 18 April 2012
Useful venom
Our friend Phuket Tom sent me some amazing videos of a deadly creature, the cone shell snail.
The first two videos show the cone snail in action:
In this third video, scientists explain the effects of the hundreds of different compounds that go into the venom of each type of cone snail, how they could be used as bio-weapons, but most importantly, how they can be used to develop new drugs to help control or alleviate the symptoms of many conditions.
Dr. Baldomero Olivera is a good friend of Tom's:
"The gentleman in the longest video about the lab in Utah is a good friend of mine, Dr. Toto Olivera. A few years ago he was named U.S. Scientist of the Year (I believe by Harvard University) for his studies of cone shell toxins and their possible use in human medicine - one of his discoveries is now in use and while more powerful than morphine has none of the side effects of that drug. In his research he has visited me here on Phuket several times, looking for additional species of deepwater cones in order to analyze their toxins."
Thank you very much for these videos, Tom. I find this research fascinating, tapping into Mother Nature's resources to produce drugs to help mankind...
The first two videos show the cone snail in action:
In this third video, scientists explain the effects of the hundreds of different compounds that go into the venom of each type of cone snail, how they could be used as bio-weapons, but most importantly, how they can be used to develop new drugs to help control or alleviate the symptoms of many conditions.
Dr. Baldomero Olivera is a good friend of Tom's:
"The gentleman in the longest video about the lab in Utah is a good friend of mine, Dr. Toto Olivera. A few years ago he was named U.S. Scientist of the Year (I believe by Harvard University) for his studies of cone shell toxins and their possible use in human medicine - one of his discoveries is now in use and while more powerful than morphine has none of the side effects of that drug. In his research he has visited me here on Phuket several times, looking for additional species of deepwater cones in order to analyze their toxins."
Thank you very much for these videos, Tom. I find this research fascinating, tapping into Mother Nature's resources to produce drugs to help mankind...
Tuesday, 21 February 2012
Eagle time!
It's that time of the year when we start following the joys and dramas of the Decorah eagles. It looks very cold out there! The second egg was laid yesterday evening.
I've embeded the livestream video on the sidebar to make life easier. [h/t to Shapeshifterbelly]
I've embeded the livestream video on the sidebar to make life easier. [h/t to Shapeshifterbelly]
Thursday, 12 January 2012
The birds, the bees and other friends
We need some beauty to counter the ugliness of the video I posted earlier. It comes courtesy of Mrsgunka.
Thank you, Mrsgunka, we needed it.
Thank you, Mrsgunka, we needed it.
Friday, 6 January 2012
Thursday, 15 December 2011
A rogue amaryllis
Mrsgunka sent me photos of her amaryllis plants. Apparently one of them came up with too many petals and no reproductive organs. It looks to me that Mrsgunka got a rogue double amaryllis mixed up with her normal bulbs...
They're both gorgeous, lucky Mrsgunka!
They're both gorgeous, lucky Mrsgunka!
Saturday, 10 December 2011
Now you see me... now you don't!
These pictures are great!
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| Satanic leaf-tailed gecko |
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| Bat-faced toad |
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| Lichen spider |
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| Mossy leaf-tailed gecko |
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| Great potoo |
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| Katydid |
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| Peppered moth |
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| Orchid mantis |
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| Sandhopper |
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| Find the snow leopard |
Friday, 25 November 2011
Real life surrealism in Antarctica
We've been watching a remarkable series on the BBC, called Frozen Planet. A couple of nights ago we saw this incredible footage. The landscape under the ice in Antarctica can only be described as surreal. As I watched, I kept thinking that it would be great to share it with you. Thanks to youtube, my wish was granted:
The BBC website explains the phenomenon and how it was filmed:
With timelapse cameras, specialists recorded salt water being excluded from the sea ice and sinking.
The temperature of this sinking brine, which was well below 0C, caused the water to freeze in an icy sheath around it.
Where the so-called "brinicle" met the sea bed, a web of ice formed that froze everything it touched, including sea urchins and starfish.
The unusual phenomenon was filmed for the first time by cameramen Hugh Miller and Doug Anderson for the BBC One series Frozen Planet.
The icy phenomenon is caused by cold, sinking brine, which is more dense than the rest of the sea water. It forms a brinicle as it contacts warmer water below the surface.
Mr Miller set up the rig of timelapse equipment to capture the growing brinicle under the ice at Little Razorback Island, near Antarctica's Ross Archipelago.
"It was a bit of a race against time because no-one really knew how fast they formed," said Mr Miller.
"The one we'd seen a week before was getting longer in front of our eyes... the whole thing only took five, six hours."
The BBC website explains the phenomenon and how it was filmed:
With timelapse cameras, specialists recorded salt water being excluded from the sea ice and sinking.
The temperature of this sinking brine, which was well below 0C, caused the water to freeze in an icy sheath around it.
Where the so-called "brinicle" met the sea bed, a web of ice formed that froze everything it touched, including sea urchins and starfish.
The unusual phenomenon was filmed for the first time by cameramen Hugh Miller and Doug Anderson for the BBC One series Frozen Planet.
The icy phenomenon is caused by cold, sinking brine, which is more dense than the rest of the sea water. It forms a brinicle as it contacts warmer water below the surface.
Mr Miller set up the rig of timelapse equipment to capture the growing brinicle under the ice at Little Razorback Island, near Antarctica's Ross Archipelago.
"It was a bit of a race against time because no-one really knew how fast they formed," said Mr Miller.
"The one we'd seen a week before was getting longer in front of our eyes... the whole thing only took five, six hours."
Thursday, 17 November 2011
Special photos of a special bird
Spike sent me these stunning photographs of an albino hummingbird, snapped by fifteen-year-old Marlin Shank in Staunton, VA. Spike wrote:
How lucky was the guy that grabbed these shots? I'd love to be able to just SEE one feeding in my flower beds. We get several that come thru every spring & fall. But I've never seen an albino. The pic with the red rose is outstanding. Enjoy, Spike.
[Click HERE to see more photos.]
Thank you Spike, what a beautiful creature!
How lucky was the guy that grabbed these shots? I'd love to be able to just SEE one feeding in my flower beds. We get several that come thru every spring & fall. But I've never seen an albino. The pic with the red rose is outstanding. Enjoy, Spike.
[Click HERE to see more photos.]
Thank you Spike, what a beautiful creature!
Tuesday, 8 November 2011
Living architecture
View_From_Here sent me this inspiring video:
Thank you, View. This shows humans CAN work with nature...
Thank you, View. This shows humans CAN work with nature...
Monday, 7 November 2011
Murmuration
HelenNPN sent me the link to a lovely nature story:
This is one of the most spectacular animal phenomena known to man.
A murmuration, which this is, consists of thousands of tiny starlings (birds) collectively flying and swirling about. The mesmerizing act is typically seen at the beginning of winter, right before dusk, as the birds look for a place to roost for the night.
Read more and see some photos HERE.
Thank you, Helen.
This is one of the most spectacular animal phenomena known to man.
A murmuration, which this is, consists of thousands of tiny starlings (birds) collectively flying and swirling about. The mesmerizing act is typically seen at the beginning of winter, right before dusk, as the birds look for a place to roost for the night.
Read more and see some photos HERE.
Thank you, Helen.
Saturday, 5 November 2011
Lac de Bournazel
There are numerous lakes in our region and this is one of the most picturesque. Lac de Bournazel covers 35 hectares of beauty, peace and quiet. We visited it yesterday. Billy enjoyed using the rustic sports equipment dotted around one of the margins of the lake. Peter and I preferred a gentle walk, taking some photos along the way.
We came across some pretty poisonous stuff.
Billy likes to keep fit, wherever he is:
Lac de Bournazel looks just as spectacular in winter. This is an old photo, when the lake was almost entirely frozen:
We were lucky with the weather yesterday. It was overcast, but fairly warm and dry. Today it's absolutely miserable, with buckets of rain and quite chilly!
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| A pensive blogger, looking at the landscape, totally unaware of the camera... |
We came across some pretty poisonous stuff.
Billy likes to keep fit, wherever he is:
Lac de Bournazel looks just as spectacular in winter. This is an old photo, when the lake was almost entirely frozen:
We were lucky with the weather yesterday. It was overcast, but fairly warm and dry. Today it's absolutely miserable, with buckets of rain and quite chilly!
Saturday, 29 October 2011
A birthday treat
Today we have a guest post by our friend HelenNPN. It's her husband's birthday on the 30th, but the post had to go up today because it's already tomorrow where they are and she wanted to surprise him when he got up in the morning. Confused? Blame it on the time difference...
Over to Helen:
Milford Sound is part of the “wild west” coast of New Zealand. It is a fiord, fed by rainfall and freshwater springs. Remote and accessed by helicopter or a relatively expensive two hour bus ride plus a two hour boat ride from the nearest small town, it is nevertheless quite a popular draw for those who wish to view an untouched ecosystem. It is the kind of place that gives New Zealand the catchphrase, “99% Pure.”
Starting out from the motel, we couldn’t help but take a photo of the sign by the laundry clotheslines – apparently drive-by-laundry-hangings provide a criminal element in an otherwise serene Kiwi neighbourhood. ; )
The bus ride passes through lush yellow green valleys and waterfalls in beech forests. We are encouraged to fill up our water bottles at the from the passing springs before heading into the most remote areas - there will be no place to buy water and the confidence in this lovely fresh water is absolute. The terrain eventually becomes quite rugged; after what already seems like a long journey you find yourself on a boat, facing a very mysterious and slightly foreboding waterway. Colors fade in the mist and the Gilligan’s Island theme starts up in your head.
As the air becomes more moist, waterfalls seem to sprout before your eyes. It feels like you are looking on a primeval landscape, viewing how the first waterfalls fell from the first land that just now rose and shook off the ocean. A picture of how life began somewhere both grim and lush. In these caves a unique species of glow worm spread themselves out like constellations inside the terminal darkness. If enough food doesn’t make it into the cave, they feast on each other, but the colony is always maintained. The long deep body of water cut by curtains of cliffs ultimately opens to the sea.
Despite the isolation, there is always a roaring merry go round of noise from the ocean-wind-falls-sea birds. A group of seals stretch and revel in the isolation. The sun breaks through as we head back to the dock for the long bus ride back to the little town Te Anau, which seems like a very remote outpost itself.
All photos were taken by my husband Philip, who I think did a splendid job of catching such sweeping and dimly lit views with an ordinary digital camera. Happy Birthday Philip!
[Happy birthday from all of us too. Have a wonderful day with lovely Helen, you're a lucky guy!]
Over to Helen:
Milford Sound is part of the “wild west” coast of New Zealand. It is a fiord, fed by rainfall and freshwater springs. Remote and accessed by helicopter or a relatively expensive two hour bus ride plus a two hour boat ride from the nearest small town, it is nevertheless quite a popular draw for those who wish to view an untouched ecosystem. It is the kind of place that gives New Zealand the catchphrase, “99% Pure.”
Starting out from the motel, we couldn’t help but take a photo of the sign by the laundry clotheslines – apparently drive-by-laundry-hangings provide a criminal element in an otherwise serene Kiwi neighbourhood. ; )
The bus ride passes through lush yellow green valleys and waterfalls in beech forests. We are encouraged to fill up our water bottles at the from the passing springs before heading into the most remote areas - there will be no place to buy water and the confidence in this lovely fresh water is absolute. The terrain eventually becomes quite rugged; after what already seems like a long journey you find yourself on a boat, facing a very mysterious and slightly foreboding waterway. Colors fade in the mist and the Gilligan’s Island theme starts up in your head.
As the air becomes more moist, waterfalls seem to sprout before your eyes. It feels like you are looking on a primeval landscape, viewing how the first waterfalls fell from the first land that just now rose and shook off the ocean. A picture of how life began somewhere both grim and lush. In these caves a unique species of glow worm spread themselves out like constellations inside the terminal darkness. If enough food doesn’t make it into the cave, they feast on each other, but the colony is always maintained. The long deep body of water cut by curtains of cliffs ultimately opens to the sea.
Despite the isolation, there is always a roaring merry go round of noise from the ocean-wind-falls-sea birds. A group of seals stretch and revel in the isolation. The sun breaks through as we head back to the dock for the long bus ride back to the little town Te Anau, which seems like a very remote outpost itself.
All photos were taken by my husband Philip, who I think did a splendid job of catching such sweeping and dimly lit views with an ordinary digital camera. Happy Birthday Philip!
[Happy birthday from all of us too. Have a wonderful day with lovely Helen, you're a lucky guy!]
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