Nature
- North Atlantic Right Whale (fewer than 500 left)
- North Pacific Right Whale
- Atlantic Humpback Dolphin
- Sei Whale
- Blue Whale
- Western Gray Whale
- Vaquita (a species of porpoise)
- Baiji (Possibly extinct)
Seen on the trail today, a zebra swallowtail! Saw a red spot purple on the walk yesterday. And the small flowers are starting to pop up above the leaves.
Rue anemone
A perfect afternoon visiting the bees as they collected pollen from a flowering plum tree.
#nature #bees #spring #flowers
A variety of bees, flys and butterflies were busy pollinating the plum trees today - the western honey bees especially!
With the recent rain the moss and lichen are looking very lush.
#moss #mosstodon #lichen #lichensubscribe
An interesting patch of moss and lichen near the trail on my morning walk. The lichen appears to be taking over the moss.
A gall induced by Atrusca quercuscentricola, Spotted oak apple gall wasp. An egg is laid and after hatching the larvae signals the tree which produces a protective gall which contains a nutritious food source. At maturity in late November to early December it cut's a tiny hole and exits the gall.
Seen on my morning trail walk. From top to bottom: The gall of a Atrusca quercuscentricola Spotted oak apple gall wasp.
Cladonia portentosa Lichen
Broom Forkmoss, Dicranum scoparium with a little cedar berry appearance.
Thuidium delicatulum, delicate fern moss or common fern moss.
ID uncertain, possibly Entondon cladorrhizans flattened entondon moss
I almost missed this fallen branch covered in Luminescent Panelus, Panellus stipticus. Such a fascinating world if we take the time to see it.
With last night’s rain and the soft light this morning the fungi, lichen and moss really popped out at me during my morning trail walk.
Luminescent Panellus, Panellus stipticus and Eastern speckled shield lichen, Punctelia bolliana
Sternum ostrea, false turkey-tail
Tremella mesentercia, witch’s butter
While out on a trail walk yesterday, I saw something small and white moving around in the leaves and met this cute, furry moth, Artace cribrarius, the dot-lined white.
This morning I discovered a small group of pawpaws growing just 150 feet from my cabin! 🤗 I planted 2 in a different spot last spring but these volunteers are growing in the other spot I was considering. Which leads me to think there must be more in the area that I have yet to discover. 🤗
On my morning walk a couple days ago I came upon an Eastern Towhee singing in some cedar trees. Same again this morning but a different song. I took a few minutes to listen to the other songs in Merlin Bird ID and am reminded, yet again, that learning about my feathered neighbors is a never ending process. For every bird song I learn there are so many others that I do not know. And of course, as I learn some I sometimes forget along the way. I’ll only ever know a tiny fraction and even then I’m not learning what the song is about.
Acknowledging the depth and complexity of the natural world is truly humbling.
From a recent morning walk. Some beautiful sun rays and a tiny little wildflower.
Dianthus armeria, the Deptford pink
A nice morning dog walk with all of the usual characters. I'm getting better at identifying bird song. Today: White-eyed vireo, yellow breasted chat, northern parula and cardinals.
Also, flowers: Queen Anne's Lace
Chicory and a green bee, perhaps Agapostemon virescens.
Half of the world’s 10,000-odd bird species are in decline. One in eight faces the threat of extinction. This problem has been worsening for decades, which means scientists have been able to estimate roughly how many fewer birds are around today than, say, half a century ago. The numbers are startling.
Orcas disrupt boat race near Spain in latest display of dangerous, puzzling behavior | AP News
The behavior defies easy explanation.
Yes, it’s the Orcas with their dangerous behavior that we should focus on.
In other news, these are some of the whales that may go EXTINCT due to the actions of human beings:
But, yes, let’s do go on about the Orcas.
Based on these findings, the authors warn that more than a fifth of ecosystems worldwide, including the Amazon rainforest, are at risk of a catastrophic breakdown within a human lifetime.
“It could happen very soon,” said Prof Simon Willcock of Rothamsted Research, who co-led the study. “We could realistically be the last generation to see the Amazon.”
Ecological tipping points could occur much sooner than expected, study finds | The Guardian
From my archive, a buffet of Purple Coneflowers being enjoyed by pipevine swallowtail, Battus philenor and monarch butterfly. Native wildflower gardens always bring the prettiest critters. 🥰