uh, why is the porch light on?

 

oh.

it's the planet.

=)

bb

okay, I figured out where 1 of the aerial shots I took was, so...

A QUIZ!! =)

Where da HECK is dis? (dat's my ND accent, doncha no)

Looks like a salamander, to me.

Just goofed off a bit on Google Earth, and found it.

I flew from Sacramento to Minneapolis.

And that's ALL I'm gonna tell ya.

=)

If, later, it looks like folks need a hint,

I've got one at the ready.

bb

human health and "Battling Bad Science"-Ted talk so interesting, I forgot I was eating.

 

Something he says early on makes me oh, so happy:

"In science we don't care how many letters you have after your name.
In science we want to know what your reasons are for believing something."

Yeah, baby!


And, if you need motivation to watch/listen to this, I learned about it from Google+ (via Joanne Manaster via Ben Lillie) where it was hailed as including the greatest epidemiological joke ever.

I went straight to the joke (11:05) and was sucked in, so started from the beginning. SO glad I did.

=)

bb

climbing the walls...

 

"I'm ready for my close up, Mr. DeMille..."

Gorgeous!

It's amazing to me these creatures can climb glass.
Of course, there's the advantage of climbing our windows,
which are not terribly clean (obv).

But, it's still amazing.

And I LOVE that I walked to the sink
and this creature was eye level.

"Hi, there."

=)

Nature has no idea the amount of amusement it provides for me.

*sigh*

xobb

I'm lookin' over, a 4 leaf clover... **BLINDING FLASH**

 

Super cutie just outside our front door, last night.

I'm guessing sub-adult from size and non-beefy-ness.

Second and final photo (didn't want to harass the guy),
as it tried to hide under the edge of our house
to dodge that tall, goofy chick with the camera....

It's a California toad, Anaxyrus boreas halophilus,
formerly known as western toad, Bufo boreas halophilus.

When I see these guys, I think "wee-toe!"
as in WETO, as in the 4 letter code you write down
on your data sheet (WEstern TOad) or in the GPS unit
to record the species observed.

If you use that 4-letter-code enough,
sometimes it replaces the name of the species in your brain.
The only was I can remember
the scientific name of Elgaria multicarinata,
is starting with ELMU, and working backwards,
 thanks to years of fieldwork in San Diego. =)

Whatever works!!

Talked to Bear this a.m., 'cause yesterday,
after reading Burbon, Bastards, and Birds' post,
I decided we must go birding this weekend.

And then last night I dreamed I was sitting in
  a downstairs room in our house, and saw these right outside the window.

photo by Rufous-crowned Sparrow
 And, to be honest, when you see them in person,
they are WAY more impressive. STUNNERS!

 About 10 of them.

And in my dream they were bigger than in real life,
with long tails, the black was jet black,
the yellow was (as in life) so intense,
and, for my viewing pleasure, they flew slowly.

YOW!

So, in my dream I didn't get a picture of those,
but I did get a shot of these which,
of course, are a normal part of fall migration
in the Sierra foothills...

 photo: Roger Moore Glandauer

photo: Leonhard F from de.wikipedia.org

These are red-crowned amazons, Amazona viridigenalis.
These are close to what I saw, though mine had more red
on their bodies. Got a shot of 4-5 perched (magically)
on our window. From just lying down on the carpet.

Per Wiki:

"Their natural range is across the lowlands of northeastern Mexico. Feral birds have bred in urban communities of southern California, southern Florida, and the island of Oahu in Hawaii. Birds in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas may be either feral, descendants of natural vagrants from Mexico, or both."

Therein lies the beauty of dreams. =)

Wanna take photos of migrating flocks of Amazonian parrots
from your bedroom floor, in the Sierran foothills? No sweat.

And more proof that at least some times I dream in color.

Got any outdoor plans coming up,
for migrating birds, or anything else?
Or any rockin' full-color nature dreams?

xoxobb

Deer baaaack!

 

Apparently lilac leaves (in cage) are tasty.

Yum!
Cute deer visit this a.m., plus a jackrabbit 3 feet from window,
which I didn't photograph (trying to encourage it to hang out).

It's nice to be home. =)

I think the cats are psyched, too, wherever they may be....

Possibly some more flight photos later,
if I deem any of them worthy,
or figure out what they're of, via Google Earth.

Which, incidentally, is totally an exercise I recommend.

1. Take photos from a plane (entertaining).

2. Arrive home safely (required).

3. Open Google Earth, and try and find large features
you've photographed from 30,000 feet, flying 480 mph.

So fun.

I freakin' love the Internet & Google Earth.

It's magic.

In the meantime, I may also undertake some spider ID work,
despite being a total amateur.

I'll keep you posted.

=)

xobb

P.S. Just figured out why I'm such a blob, today.
We traveled from 5 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. (18.5 hours) yesterday.
Oh, that....

big ol' mystery spider lady

 

Posting pics today, but traveling mega hours,
so will try and look her up (e.g. identify her) laytah.
She's pretty darn big; that's a broom she's clinging to.
Think I posted this on Google+ a while back but,
due to busy-ness, haven't returned there, of late.

Right now, thinking a Denver airport snooze is in order...

xobb

Why I heart the window seat, II

 

(pssst: might wanna click and zoom...)

bb

nature geek tags along w/ golfers on a gorgeous Midwestern fall day

 

The goal for these 2, Bear and his dad, is golf and relaxation...

on a STERLING, Midwestern fall day, 50 dF.

bb, on the other hand, brings binoculars and camera...

jogs off trail to "water hazards" to look for tracks...

squats at dandelions to visit local bees...

stares up at stained glass trees...

takes a quick picture, then leaves a nervous turtle alone...

is drawn off course, toward sunflowers,

so discovers a marshy, boggy mystery,
lurking in the background

and basically spends the afternoon on a wild goose chase,

happy as a clam.

bb


P.S. a few more from-the-plane flight shots,
and a goose ID mystery to solve, later. =)

uh, may I have a window seat, please?

 

=)

More to come.

xobb

how to get an entire sequoia into 1 frame...

 

If at first, you don't succeed,

tilt, tilt again.

An imperfect framing job, but it's not the 1st time

I pulled the old tilt-camera move to get

an entire giant sequoia into a frame, esp. w/o traipsing off trail.

This is the Clothespin tree in the Mariposa Grove,

at Yosemite National Park.

The Mariposa Grove and Yosemite Valley were among the 1st 2 pieces of the park set aside for preservation, and pretty much the 1st move to preserve land for what would eventually become the NPS.

This is THE MAN!

Galen Clark, posing in front of the spectacular Grizzly Giant.

Photo circa 1858-1859, by Carleton Watkins.

The Mariposa Grove inspired Galen Clark to traipse around to defend it from logging-crazed men, and he eventually helped get this land protected. How's THAT for a solid accomplishment during one's lifetime? Wow.

IF you don't know anything about Galen Clark,

I heartily encourage you to learn. Pretty amazing story. 

Blurb from Wiki:
"In 1853 at the age of 39, Clark contracted a severe lung infection that was diagnosed as consumption (as tuberculosis was called in his time). Doctors gave him six months to live, as they had no antibiotic treatment at the time, but counseled rest and outdoor air.

"Clark moved to the Wawona, California area as a homesteader. 'I went to the mountains to take my chances of dying or growing better, which I thought were about even.' (Galen Clark, 1856) Upon his discovery of the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias, Galen Clark spent most of his time exploring the area and teaching others about the mysteries of the giant, cinnamon-colored trees."

He guarded Yosemite for the next 24 years.

Apparently, Yosemite cured him.

AND he planted sequoias around where he planned to be buried. When I worked at Yosemite, I was at a meeting where my boss told this story, and he got choked up, I got choked up, etc. You can visit Galen Clark's grave in the old Yosemite Cemetery. And it's ringed by giant sequoias.

Photo by Justin Johnsen

A little thing called the Clark Range, in Yosemite, is named after him, among other things.

The tree I personally find most sort of magical (pardon TOTALLY NON-SCIENTIFIC-OSITY) is the Grizzly Giant. Staring at it makes elves in an enchanted forest seem totally believable. =)

So, these are some important trees, on many levels,

the Sequoiadendron giganteum.

And you've gotta love a park signed into law

by Abraham Lincoln. TOO COOL! =)

We hiked to the museum up the trail, and for some reason, I noticed things there I'd not noticed before (like the metal strip set into the floor that's the radius of a huge sequoia), and now can tell the difference between a cedar and a sequoia by their cute little scale-y "leaves."

Traveling, soon, so may be quiet for a week or so.

Tho' am bringing camera, so at some point

should have goodies to post.

Have a great week!

xoxobb

love takes flight

 

The male is in the upper left, mostly a blur...

He was certainly persistent,

as the female drank from the late blooming doveweed.

Whenever he'd fly over her, or even perch too near,

she'd flutter her wings, presumably to make landing difficult.

But his persistence may be rewarded...

And, REST,

two,

three, 

four...

Then, once again,

love takes flight.

=)

bb

white rein orchid, or Sierra bog orchid

 

Found in a fen, not a bog, incidentally, in Yosemite NP.
Asked a park ranger there a geeky question,
turns out we know each other,
and he had done a good amount of botany, etc.,
so during the course of our conversation,
he pointed this pup out to me.

Closer...

Platanthera dilatata var. leucostachys
used to be called Platanthera leucostachys.
It's on Yosemite's plant species list.

Pretty non-showy, small thing, until you get close.

According to Calflora, it is a perennial, herbaceous monocot.
Elevation range is 0 to 11,000 feet. Now, that's flexible.

Anyhow, cool plant, and such an interesting flower shape.

And I just love the word fen. =)

bb

after the storm

 

Ran around the Mariposa Grove yesterday,
then got to Glacier Point (both in Yosemite)
just when a lightning storm arrived.
Jagged white bolts zapped down into the valley's rainy mist,
and stunned the wet, granite wall by North Dome.

FABULOUS landscape of black, white, and 10,000 shades of gray;
wind, rain, blinding flashes, and huge, rumbling thunder.

Thor was having a good time. =)

Didn't have camera out much, as you might guess,
but did snap these when we briefly stopped outside of the park.

One of the most spectacular sunsets I've seen in my life,
thanks to that storm.

It's JUST getting started in the shots above.

Next, once I figure out what it is,
I'll post a shot of an orchid we met
along a fen in the Mariposa Grove.

xo

bb

Super colorful mystery resident of sunflower face

 

Here s/he is...

Close up

Per Sue, this is a red-shouldered stink bug, presumably Thyanta pallidovirens. Wow, Sue's quick, fired out that answer within minutes of posting.

LOVE my smarty blog readers!! =)

Sun comets, streaking through space.

There's such motion and fire in their form.

Heaven.

Today, planning to yank "failure to thrive" tomato plants
and plant peas and broccoli.
I hate pulling live plants,
not even sure if I've done it yet,
but frankly,
they've looked so poorly all summer,
it'll be a relief.

And then, brand fresh baby plants! =)

I do love a good cotyledon...

xobb