Photos are from the South Prong Trail, heading towards Roaring Plains. The pine barrens death camas (Stenanthium leimanthoides) growing in the bogs and seeps of the Plains is simply stunning this year. Such a toxic little beauty - death incarnate. Also, the mountain angelica (Angelica triquinata) is getting ready to bloom - I think of this tall, Appalachian endemic as the mid to late summer counterpart of cow parsnip. And how about that fabulous orange-fringed orchid (Platanthera ciliaris), which is just now reaching peak bloom in our high-elevation mountain bogs? The showy perennial is more commonly referred to as yellow-fringed orchid, but I have no clue why; every plant I've found in this neck of the woods has a hue similar to a Sunkist navel orange.
caught this northern green frog (lithobates clamitans melanota) mid-croak in the turtle pond at my local zoo! there were dozens of em gathered in the pond. highly recommend listening to audio of them croaking bc they sound kinda funny hehe
I had a lot of fun birding yesterday! Saw some of my favorite birds and a few new ones!!
I didn’t see as many around the pond, but I still saw my favorite funky lil’ guy, the green heron:
You can also see a frog in the left hand corner!
Some juvenile red-winged blackbirds:
A mourning dove:
I’ve been spotted!
At the arboretum, had to take some pictures of some pretty flowers:
some water lilies:
you can see another frog in this one!
A wild Kansas sunflower:
Big flower:
A turtle, relaxing out of the water:
Another big flower:
A butterfly! So pretty:
I saw so many of these guys out yesterday! A male northern cardinal:
I saw some more snowberry clearwings too:
Another male cardinal:
A wood pewee. There were two of these guys out, flying around, getting some bugs to eat:
A downy woodpeck, perched on top of a feeder:
A female cardinal, grabbing a treat:
A male indigo bunting! I met and helped a really nice older couple find this guy too. He was at the very top of the tree:
Some hummingbirds!
A male indigo bunting again, singing his little heart out:
Some pretty yellow flowers:
Some neat purple ones:
I thought this was a cool picture, an indigo bunting and an eastern bluebird:
I was SHOCKED when I saw this guy! A blue grosbeak!!! I almost confused him for an indigo bunting, but he’s too big, and you can see the brownish-red on his wings:
Have you ever visited The Deep in Kingston upon Hull? This fantastic aquarium is an international player in marine conservation, working on pioneering research schemes to protect the future of our oceans!
It is home to magnificent sharks, turtles, penguins and the UK's only green sawfish. The dramatic building, which overlooks the Humber estuary, was designed by world-class architects, Sir Terry Farrell and Partners in, what was then, one of the most deprived and unfashionable cities in England. The Deep is now the most commercially successful Millennium Project.
Camouflage is a valuable skill in the animal kingdom, and what better way to do it than to make yourself see-through? Glass frogs accomplish this by storing most of their blood in their livers while they sleep, rendering them almost completely transparent! When awake, they appear mostly green, except for their undersides which remain partially translucent.
(Image: A northern glass frog (Hyalinobatrachium fleischmanni) both sleeping and awake by Jesse Delia)
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What a time to be alive. It’s nearly June. And we want you, distinguished reader, to enter the best month of the year with all the little tidbits of June trivia you might possibly need:
June has the longest daylight hours of the year (in the Northern Hemisphere—in the Southern Hemisphere, it’s the shortest day of the year. Idk. Planets, man).
June is one of only two months to have three (!) birthstones (greedy). They are Moonstone, Alexandrite, and pearl—which is not technically a stone at all, but here we are.
If you’re born in June, roses and honeysuckle are associated with your birth. Get a whiff of that.
For many indigenous folks, including Creek, Cherokee, Seminole, Yuchi, and Iroquois folks, June's strawberry moon brings about harvest and thanksgiving, as well as Green Corn Festivals (weather permitting).
The Anglo-Saxon word for June was Ærra-Liða, which is like, “first calm.” Mmh (✿◡‿◡)
The Romans believed it was a bad omen to marry in June. In English, this month is named after the goddess Juno, who is the Roman equivalent to Hera, mother of the gods.
June starts on a different weekday than any other month in the year? Why? Maths.
So. Time is fake. We’re whooshing ahead. We’re celebrating June early. Come get comfy, check out these baby animals and cool flowers. Also this month: check out your local queer artists, have some fun with some polls, tickle some frogs, and try to escape the grim out there. Stay safe and be kind, Tumblr <3
This northern green frog (Lithobates clamitans melanota) was the chillest frog ever. Usually they scatter the moment they feel something coming, but I got my camera right up next to this one and it gave zero shits.