this child is probably a descendant of Helena's clan, a very prolific mitochondrial haplo group which arrived in Europe 20,000 years ago. There were seven main clans which geneticist Bryan Sykes categorized in his book "The Seven Daughters of Eve.'

Helena's group lived at a time when the ice age was at it's most severe. They hunted animals including the woolly mammoth which eventually disappeared as the climate warmed approx 12-10000 years ago.

Some scientists are trying to get viable DNA from frozen mammoths with the hope of cloning the lost species. ( why! poor things). It has not been successful yet.

siberiantimes.com/other/others/news/n0690-initial-stage-r...

This most amazing life size replica is at the Royal BC Museum. Russia also has the remains of a frozen baby mammoth (on loan to BC Museum last year) which still had vegetation in it's stomach. If you google Woolly Mammoth, a photo of the BC museum model will always come up.

The child is not a replica lol!

The great tit (Parus major) is a common, widespread, and adaptable bird found across Europe and parts of Asia, well known as a frequent visitor to garden bird feeders. It is the largest member of the tit family in the UK.

Key Characteristics

Appearance:

The great tit has a striking appearance with a glossy black head, prominent white cheeks, an olive-green back, and bright yellow underparts with a bold black stripe running down its breast. Males typically have a wider and brighter black stripe than females, which serves as an indicator of their status and reproductive fitness.

Size:

It measures about 14 cm (5.5 inches) in length with a wingspan of roughly 24 cm (9.4 inches).

Song/Call:

Great tits are very vocal and have a wide range of calls. Their most familiar and distinctive song is a repetitive, high-pitched two-syllable call, often described as sounding like a bicycle pump or "teacher, teacher".

Habitat:

While their natural habitat is mature deciduous woodland, they have adapted well to human-modified environments like parks, gardens, and urban areas. They are cavity nesters, using holes in trees or readily available nest boxes.

Diet and Behavior

Great tits are opportunistic and intelligent feeders. Their diet varies seasonally:

Summer:

They primarily eat insects, spiders, caterpillars, and other invertebrates, which provide essential protein for their chicks.

Winter:

When insects are scarce, they switch to seeds, nuts (such as sunflower seeds and peanuts), and berries, often visiting bird tables and feeders. They use a "hold-hammering" method, holding large food items with their feet and striking them with their bill to break them open.

Their intelligence has led to interesting behaviors, such as learning to break the foil caps of doorstep milk bottles to access the cream in the early 20th century. In winter, when food is extremely scarce, they have even been recorded preying on hibernating bats.

Population and Study:

The great tit population is widespread and currently categorized as a species of Least Concern by the IUCN. The species is a significant subject in ornithology, with the Wytham Woods Great Tit project at the University of Oxford being one of the longest continuous studies of an individually-marked animal population in the world, running for over 75 years.

Currently categorized as "Near-Threatened" by IUCN

Zebras are categorized into three primary species: the mountain zebra, plains zebra, and the elusive Grévy's zebra. Each species exhibits unique features, adapted to different environments across Southern, West, and East Africa.

La Piscina Playa de las Américas Tenerife.

What3Words

///soliciting.stoat.disclosing

The Common Ringed Plover (Charadrius hiaticula) is a small, stout wading bird known for its distinctive "bandit mask" and its presence along coastal and inland shores.

Appearance

Distinctive Markings:

Adults have a grey-brown back, white underparts, and a bold black neck ring (or "collar"). They feature a black-and-white head pattern, including a dark "mask" around the eyes and a white forehead.

Key Features:

They possess a short orange bill with a black tip and bright orange legs.

In Flight:

A broad white wing-stripe is clearly visible when they fly.

Identification vs. Little Ringed Plover: It is larger than the Little Ringed Plover, which has pale pinkish legs and a conspicuous yellow eye-ring.

Habitat and Behavior

Distribution:

They breed across northern Eurasia, Greenland, and Arctic Canada. While many are migratory, spending winters in Africa, populations in the UK are often resident year-round.

Nesting:

They nest on open ground, typically in a shallow scrape on shingle or sandy beaches. Their eggs are highly camouflaged, resembling speckled pebbles.

Feeding:

They use a "run-and-pause" technique to hunt insects, worms, and crustaceans. A unique behavior is "foot-trembling", where they tap the ground rapidly to mimic raindrops, enticing prey to the surface.

Defense:

To protect their nests, adults frequently perform a "broken-wing display", pretending to be injured to lure predators away from their eggs or chicks.

Conservation Status

UK Status:

Listed as Red on the UK Birds of Conservation Concern due to significant population declines.

Global Status:

Categorized as Least Concern by the IUCN.

Threats:

Major challenges include human disturbance on breeding beaches, habitat loss, and predation by species like hedgehogs or mink.

Some people can subconsciously prevent you from becoming your best self.

Everything you do in this life- where you go, what you say, what you do and who you do it with is the result of your thoughts.

A big reason people fight is because people identify with their thoughts. When we were growing up, most of us believed that thoughts come from the inside. We thought that they were innately a part of us and that we *are* our thoughts. We started building our whole identities around our own little internal monologues.

And the bigger the idea, the more of your identity it represents. This is why politics and religion are such hotly debated topics, because they're such big ideas. If I say your political idea is a bad idea, and you base your identity on that idea, then effectively what you're hearing is that I'm calling you a bad person. You think that I'm attacking you, not the idea.

Something that might be even more common is that people just straight up attack the individual as a proxy for attacking that person's idea.

Somewhere along the way, a few people started realizing they had it all wrong.

In practice, a much better way to think about it is that the universe has an infinite number of streams of thoughts, so to speak, that our brains can kind of tap into like different radio stations. With this analogy, we no longer have to view ourselves as a series of thoughts but rather as an empty vessel by which thoughts pass through. Now we're like the DJ of a radio station, not the individual song. The self is merely an observer. It was this distinction that sparked one of the most famous philosophical debates of all time, which is, I think therefore I am versus I *do* therefore I am.

Spolier alert, you should pick the latter.

In this analogy, the self is determined by our ability to pick and choose different ideas from different streams of thoughts and combine them to form new ideas. Sort of like picking ingredients to make a sandwich.

This is different from the first paradigm, in which we would just take everything from the same stream and hope that the sandwich turns out good anyways.

Therapists know that this works, that's why when people come in complaining about depression, they're told to use the term "negative intrusive thoughts".

The idea is actually pretty simple. If you don't take ownership of the idea and instead you assign a label to it, then you can categorize it as something that life just happened to send your way but something that you're also allowed to throw away. You don't have to hold on to it because it's not actually a part of you. It's just a shitty song on the radio station.

So how does this all relate to other people holding you back?

To be continued..

Credited to Austin Ambrozi on TikTok

🐒 Dance Monkey 🐒

The sand tiger shark (Carcharias taurus), gray nurse shark, spotted ragged-tooth shark or blue-nurse sand tiger, is a species of shark that inhabits subtropical and temperate waters worldwide. It inhabits the continental shelf, from sandy shorelines (hence the name sand tiger shark) and submerged reefs to a depth of around 191 m (627 ft).

They dwell in the waters of Japan, Australia, South Africa, and the east coasts of North and South America. The sand tiger shark also inhabited the Mediterranean, however it was last seen there in 2003 and is presumed extinct in the region. Despite its common names, it is not closely related to either the tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier) or the nurse shark (Ginglymostoma cirratum).

Despite its fearsome appearance and strong swimming ability, it is a relatively placid and slow-moving shark with no confirmed human fatalities. This species has a sharp, pointy head, and a bulky body. The sand tiger's length can reach 3.2 m (10.5 ft) but is normally 2.2–2.5 m in length. They are grey with reddish-brown spots on their backs. Shivers (groups) have been observed to hunt large schools of fish. Their diet consists of bony fish, crustaceans, squid, skates and other sharks.

Unlike other sharks, the sand tiger can gulp air from the surface, allowing it to be suspended in the water column with minimal effort. During pregnancy, the most developed embryo will feed on its siblings, a reproductive strategy known as intrauterine cannibalism i.e. "embryophagy" or, more colorfully, adelphophagy—literally "eating one's brother". The sand tiger is categorized as critically endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List. It is the most widely kept large shark in public aquariums owing to its tolerance for captivity.

One of my attempts at the "Macro Mondays" theme "Treasured".

When I was a child I was really into collecting crystals and fossils! So for a couple of years I was in the local mountains regularly with my relatives or friends, looking for anything worth collecting, always having my trusty hammer and a book with me to categorize what we found! While I gave away my small collection some time ago, I kept a handful of these stones/crystals which I had some connection to!

I don‘t remember exactly where I got this one from but I assume it was from some convention or a gift! Always enjoyed the look of these smoky quartz crystals though!

Shot with a "Tomioka-Copal 75 mm F 2.8" (enlarging) lens on a Canon EOS R5.

Right over my head earlier this summer...

Cumulus cloud

Small cumulus humilis clouds floating over cloud that can have noticeable vertical development and clearly defined edges.

Cumulo- means "heap" or "pile" in Latin. Cumulus clouds are often described as "puffy", "cotton-like" or "fluffy" in appearance, and have flat bases. Cumulus clouds, being low-level clouds, are generally less than 1,000 m (3,300 ft) in altitude unless they are the more vertical cumulus congestus form. Cumulus clouds may appear by themselves, in lines, or in clusters.

Cumulus clouds are often precursors of other types of cloud, such as cumulonimbus, when influenced by weather factors such as instability, moisture, and temperature gradient. Normally, cumulus clouds produce little or no precipitation, but they can grow into the precipitation-bearing congestus or cumulonimbus clouds. Cumulus clouds can be formed from water vapor, supercooled water droplets, or ice crystals, depending upon the ambient temperature. They come in many distinct subforms, and generally cool the earth by reflecting the incoming solar radiation. Cumulus clouds are part of the larger category of free-convective cumuliform clouds, which include cumulonimbus clouds. The latter genus-type is sometimes categorized separately as cumulonimbiform due to its more complex structure that often includes a cirriform or anvil top. There are also cumuliform clouds of limited convection that comprise stratocumulus (low-étage), altocumulus (middle-étage) and cirrocumulus. (high-étage). These last three genus-types are sometimes classified separately as stratocumuliform.

Formation

Cumulus clouds form via atmospheric convection as air warmed by the surface begins to rise. As the air rises, the temperature drops (following the lapse rate), causing the relative humidity (RH) to rise. If convection reaches a certain level the RH reaches one hundred percent, and the "wet-adiabatic" phase begins. At this point a positive feedback ensues: since the RH is above 100%, water vapour condenses, releasing latent heat, warming the air and spurring further convection.

In this phase, water vapor condenses on various nuclei present in the air, forming the cumulus cloud. This creates the characteristic flat-bottomed puffy shape associated with cumulus clouds. The size of the cloud depends on the temperature profile of the atmosphere and the presence of any inversions. During the convection, surrounding air is entrained (mixed) with the thermal and the total mass of the ascending air increases. Rain forms in a cumulus cloud via a process involving two non-discrete stages. The first stage occurs after the droplets coalesce onto the various nuclei. Langmuir writes that surface tension in the water droplets provides a slightly higher pressure on the droplet, raising the vapor pressure by a small amount. The increased pressure results in those droplets evaporating and the resulting water vapor condensing on the larger droplets. Due to the extremely small size of the evaporating water droplets, this process becomes largely meaningless after the larger droplets have grown to around 20 to 30 micrometres, and the second stage takes over. In the accretion phase, the raindrop begins to fall, and other droplets collide and combine with it to increase the size of the raindrop. Langmuir was able to develop a formula which predicted that the droplet radius would grow unboundedly within a discrete time period.

For further information please visit en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cumulus_cloud

At Km 18, Valle del Cauca, Colombia. The Multicolored Tanager (Chlorochrysa nitidissima) is among the most beautiful birds that are found in Colombia. This bird is endemic to the mountains of Colombia, and as of 2010 has been categorized as vulnerable (VU) by the IUCN. It was a commonly encountered bird in its small range, but loss of habitat is causing a serious decline in populations. The Multicolored Tanager is found mainly from 1300 to 2200 meters above sea level in the interior of wet forests.

youtu.be/wr8hE-KgptM

Byzantine Chant

Title: "Αποδεξάμενος ο τύραννος" (Kalophonic Sticheron "When the tyrant saw")

Service: The Service of the Furnace; The Play of the Three Holy Children

Performers: Cappella Romana & Alexander Lingas

Album: "Mt. Sinai: Frontier of Byzantium (Voices of Byzantium: Medieval Byzantine Chant from Mt. Sinai)"

.

photo:

Densuș Church (St Nicholas)

Hunedoara County, Transylvania, Romania

mainly 13th century

Probably built on the site of a 2nd century Roman temple or mausoleum, might have also been a 4th century Christianized Roman temple, with the main construction faze dating hypothesis ranging from the 7th century to the 12th-13th centuries, and later additions from the 15th-17th centuries. Fragments of 15th century frescoes are preserved inside.

Hateg region contains several striking old stone masonry churches built in Romanian villages as Orthodox churches but with Roman-Catholic architectural influences, testimony to the complex history of Transylvania.

Apart from its architecture [categorized by some as Romanesque or as a local syntheses of Romanesque and Byzantine architectures] the church is remarkable by the ubiquitous use of spolia from the ruins of the nearby capital of the Roman province of Dacia called Ulpia Traiana Sarmizegetusa, in the form of stamped bricks and various carved stones, some with Roman epigraphy. Presently it is considered to be the oldest Romanian Orthodox church building still in use today.

Category: Churches - Orthodox

Period: sec. XIII; adăugiri sec. XV - XVII

Importance: A

LMI code: HD-II-m-A-03307

Address: 23

Location: sat DENSUŞ; comuna DENSUŞ

District: Hunedoara

Region: Transilvania

Categorie: Biserici ortodoxe

Perioada: sec. XIII; adăugiri sec. XV - XVII

Importanta: A

Cod LMI: HD-II-m-A-03307

Adresa: 23

Localitate: sat DENSUŞ; comuna DENSUŞ

Judet: Hunedoara

Regiune: Transilvania

www.monumenteromania.ro/index.php/monumente/detalii/en/Bi...

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Densu%C8%99_Church

www.romanianmonasteries.org/other-monasteries/densus

This was not taken with a telescope but rather my old Nikon 750 with a 135mm lens. It wasn't visible to the naked eye, at least by me, it certainly could be but for the moon and it's low position in the sky. From top to bottom this image spans 15 degrees (The equivalent of 30 moons!) and yet the tail is still clipped. I thought for sure I could get the whole comet in the frame. I also collected some images with my telescope, but that's just of the nucleus.

from space.com:

"Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) has recently passed its closest approach to Earth and is now heading away from the Sun, though it's still visible in the night sky. After reaching its perihelion on September 27, 2024, it's been one of the brightest comets this century. The comet was closest to Earth on October 12, 2024, at a distance of about 71 million kilometers (44 million miles)

The initial calculations suggested that Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) was on a long-period orbit, potentially returning every 80,000 years, which would categorize it as an orbital comet. However, recent updates have indicated that this might not be accurate. As astronomers continue to gather more observational data, they've noted that the comet's path may actually lead it out of the solar system entirely, suggesting a possible hyperbolic trajectory rather than a closed elliptical orbit​. This means that Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) could be a non-periodic comet, visiting the solar system just this once before heading back into interstellar space, never to return. The distinction between a long-period and a hyperbolic orbit hinges on precise measurements and observations over time, which are still being refined for this comet.

As a comet approaches the Sun, it releases gas and dust. The finer dust gets pushed directly away from the Sun, forming the dust tail. However, some of the larger particles lag behind the nucleus along its orbit, essentially forming a trail. When Earth passes through or near the plane of the comet’s orbit, these larger particles can be seen in profile, appearing to spike straight out from the nucleus towards the Sun. This is the anti-tail.

The anti-tail is best visible when the Earth crosses the comet's orbital plane at or near the comet's tail. It's essentially an optical illusion from our vantage point; the dust isn't really heading towards the Sun but instead spreads along the comet’s path, seen edge-on. This alignment can make the anti-tail appear as a bright spike or fan emerging from the comet, creating a spectacular and somewhat counterintuitive visual"

Modified Nikon D750 (sensor filter removed)

100x15s exposures with Optolong L-Pro filter

Guided with Star Adventurer GTI, ASIair pro, ZWO 30mm guide scope

Processed with PixInsight, Ps

These are most likely very young honey fungi (Armillaria mellea).

Wikipedia: Armillaria is a genus of fungi that includes the A. mellea species ('honey fungus') that live on trees and woody shrubs. It includes about 10 species formerly categorized summarily as A. mellea. Armillaria sp. are long-lived and form the largest living fungi in the world. The largest known specimen (an A. ostoyae) covers more than 3.4 square miles (8.8 km2) in Oregon and is estimated to be 2,500 years old. Some species of Armillaria display bioluminescence.

Armillaria can be a destructive forest pathogen. It causes "white rot" root disease. As it feeds on dead plant material, it can kill its host with little negative effect to itself.

Honingzwam - honey fungus (Armillaria mellea)

Jiuzhaigou (九寨沟) is a nature reserve in the north of Sichuan (四川) province in central China, known mainly for its many multi-level waterfalls and colorful lakes. It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1992. It belongs to the category V (Protected Landscape) in the IUCN system of protected area categorization.

Thank you very much for the visit and comments. Cheers.

From a holiday at Narruman on the Murrumbidgee River, NSW, Australia.

Louisiana iris is a taxonomic group (Iris ser. Hexagonae) of five iris species native to Louisiana and surrounding regions of the southeastern United States: Iris fulva, Iris hexagona, Iris brevicaulis, Iris giganticaerulea, and Iris nelsonii. The Hexagonae series name is derived from the first Louisiana iris species to inhabit the series, Iris hexagona. Each recognized species has noticeable phenotypic and habitat differences, yet similarities between their phenotypes and habitats can be drawn. These similarities are partially a result of their similar phylogenies. Many of the species are closely related, some a result of interbreeding, as in the most recent discovery of the Abbeville Red Iris, Iris nelsonii. The five Louisiana irises are often categorized as "The Reds" or "The Blues" according to their corolla color. "The Blues", species Iris brevicaulis, Iris hexagona, and Iris giganticaerulea, typically have blue-purple corollas, with rare white forms. "The Reds", species Iris fulva and Iris nelsonii, typically have red-orange corollas, with rare yellow forms. (Source: Wikipedia)

Thank you to Cris Buscaglia Lenz for making the texture freely available: www.flickr.com/photos/crisbuscagliacom/8209778630/in/set-...

__________________________________________

© All rights reserved.

This image may not be copied, reproduced, distributed, republished, downloaded,

displayed, posted or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic,

mechanical, photocopying & recording without my written consent.

Maybe, out there somewhere,

the possibility of fear; the wall

that might tumble down, because it's for sure

that behind it is the sea.

Not fear.

Fear has a countenance;

It's external, concrete,

like a rifle, a shot bolt,

a suffering child,

like the darkness that's hidden

in every human mouth.

Not fear.

Maybe only the brand

of the offspring of fear.

It's a narrow, interminable street

with all the windows darkened,

a thread spun out from a sticky hand,

friendly, yes, not a friend.

It's a nightmare

of polite ritual wearing a frightwig.

Not fear.

Fear is a door slammed in your face.

I'm speaking here of a labyrinth

of doors already closed, with assumed

reasons for being, or not being,

for categorizing bad luck

or good, bread, or an expression

— tenderness and panic and frigidity - for the children

growing up.

And the silence.

And the cities, sparkling, empty.

and the mediocrity, like a hot

lava, spewed out over

the grain, and the voice, and the idea.

It's not fear.

The real fear hasn't come yet.

But it will.

It's the doublethink

that believes peace is only another movement.

And I say it with suspicion, at the top of my lungs.

And it's not fear, no.

It's the certainty

that I'm betting, on a single card,

the whole haystack I've piled up,

straw by straw, for my fellow man.

Rafael Guillen

Words for these troubled times. Thank you for your visit I hope you enjoy. :-)

#macromondays #plastic

I decided to share this image for the upcoming #macromondays theme called #plastic

What you see is the flexible plastic Handle of a Toothbrush.

A toothbrush is a small, handheld tool designed for cleaning teeth, gums, and tongue. It typically consists of two main parts:

Handle – The long, often ergonomically shaped part you hold. It can be made of plastic, bamboo, or other materials, and may include grips or rubber sections for better control.

Head – The top part that holds bristles, which are the fine, flexible strands used to scrub the teeth. The bristles are usually made of nylon and are arranged in rows. They can vary in texture (soft, medium, or hard) depending on user preference and dental needs.

A toothbrush is a common oral hygiene tool used primarily for cleaning teeth and gums. Here are several use cases for a toothbrush, categorized by purpose:

Primary Use Case

Daily Dental Hygiene

Function: Removes food particles, plaque, and bacteria from teeth and gums.

Frequency: Recommended twice daily.

Tools Used: Manual or electric toothbrush with fluoride toothpaste.

Secondary/Additional Use Cases

Tongue Cleaning

Some toothbrushes have a textured back for cleaning the tongue to reduce bad breath.

Braces/Orthodontic Care

Special brushes (e.g., orthodontic toothbrushes or interdental brushes) are used to clean around brackets and wires.

Denture Cleaning

Denture-specific toothbrushes are used for cleaning artificial teeth.

Gum Stimulation

Gentle brushing massages gums and can improve circulation and gum health.

Non-Oral Use Cases (Unconventional but Common)

Cleaning Small or Delicate Items

Electronics (keyboards, camera lenses)

Jewelry

Hard-to-reach corners in household objects

Beauty and Grooming

Eyebrow grooming

Hair dye application in small areas

Exfoliating lips or dry skin spots

Art and Crafts

Texturing paint or clay

Cleaning small parts of tools or models

Thank you for visits, comments and favs!

Vielen Dank für Eure Besuche, Kommentare und Sternchen!

Please don't use this image on websites, blogs or other media without my explicit permission. © All rights reserved

Flickr app doesn't support sRGB color. For best viewing use your browser.

a brake from spring migration and back to Costa Rica. This bird was illuminated briefly by the sun as it set deep in the mangroves.

From wiki: The fasciated tiger heron (Tigrisoma fasciatum) is a species of heron in the family Ardeidae. It is present in southern Central America and parts of northern and central South America, where its natural habitat is rivers.

In 1988 the fasciated tiger heron was categorized by the IUCN as Near Threatened but as of 2004 they have been recategorized as Least Concern, even though the total number of individuals is estimated population is quite low: 1,000–10,000 individuals, some 670–6,700 of which are thought to be mature adults. Its population trend is unknown, due in part to the poor quality of data regarding its numbers, and in part to uncertainty surrounding the impact that habitat modifications might have on the species. For what it's worth, we saw three individuals- on n the highlands and two in the mangroves.

Hit "L" then "Z" twice for full mag

461) Finsch’s Bulbul

Finsch's Bulbul, Iole finschii, Merbah Tekak Kuning

Uncommon bulbul with different kind of sound. Usually dwell on the upper canopy and only comes down to lower level of the forest to feed on ripening fruits. Categorized as Near Threatened.

El Parque Nacional Alerce Andino forma parte de la Reserva de la Biosfera Bosques Templados Lluviosos de Los Andes Australes.

Se ubica 40 km al sur de Puerto Montt por la Carretera Austral. Abarca la zona montañosa al sur del Lago Chapo entre el Seno y Estuario de Reloncavi por el Sur-Este y el Oceano Pacifico por Oeste. Cuenta con dos sectores para excursiones: Sector Correntoso proximo al Lago Chapo y el Sector Chaicas proximo a Lenca.

Entre sus principales atracciones es posible visitar mas de 40 hermosos lagos y lagunas de alta montaña, y principalmente sus 20.000 hectareas de primitivos bosques de Alerces milenarios, el Bosque Catedral. Este parque es el lugar donde es porsible visitar mas facilmente estos bosques que se caraterizan por crecer en zonas montañosas e inaccesibles tanto de la Cordillera de la Costa como de la Cordillera de los Andes de la Region de Los Lagos.

El Alerce (Fitzroya cupressoides) es el arból mas longevo del Hemisferio Sur, se ha encontrado arboles con mas de 4.000 años de antiguedad y puede llegar a alcanzar los 50 mts de altura. Es una conífera endémica de los bosques subantárticos sudamericanos, que crece principalmente en Chile y en menor proporción en algunas zonas de Argentina que se encuentra en peligro de extincion.

------------------------------------

Alerce Andino National Park is part of the Biosphere Reserve temperate rainforests of the southern Andes.

Located 40 km south of Puerto Montt on the Carretera Austral. It covers the mountainous area south of Lake Chapo between Sound and Reloncavi Estuary on the south-east and the Pacific Ocean to the West. There are two sectors for excursions: Sector Correntoso next to Lake Chapo and next to Lenca town Chaicas Sector.

Among its main attractions you can visit more than 40 beautiful langoons and high mountain lakes, and especially its 20,000 hectares of primitive forests of ancient Alerces, the Forest Cathedral. This park is the place where it is more easily possible to visit these forests are categorized by growing in mountainous and inaccessible slopes of the Cordillera de la Costa and the Andes of Los Lagos Region.

The Larch (Fitzroya cupressoides) is the oldest tree in the Southern Hemisphere, found trees with more than 4,000 years old and can reach the 50 meters high. It is a conifer endemic to the subantarctic forests of South America, which grows mainly in Chile and in smaller proportion in some areas of Argentina which is in danger of extinction.

360) Plain Pouch Hornbill

Plain-Pouched Hornbill, Rhyticeros subruficollis

It is found in forests of southern Myanmar, adjacent parts of western Thailand and northern Peninsular Malaysia. Categorized as Vulnerable and Totally Protected species in Malaysia.

A lot of people's "happy places" are ones that through art or other mediums are categorized as more positive. A sunny beach, a Disney park, a casino, a meditation center, etc. While I could get the appeal, neither of those could qualify as a place I'd like to be at any given time. A happy place is a relatively nice place you could have to one's self, normally with inclement weather.

This photo is exactly what I think of when I close my eyes thinking of someplace to relief stress. Underneath a natural overhang, the infamous south falls, a forest full of fall colors, low hanging fog, on and off rain. Now of course, because of it's older age there were still a couple problems. There was a very large chromatic line along the lip of the cave. In typical fashion I spent an hour editing it out by hand before I realized my software just had an option to get rid of that. The river was mud brown so I took away it's color. The light of the fog was messing with the treeline so I had to turn highlights down. Somehow after all that, the yellow and the green stood out enough while the waterfall was still the subject of the shot.

I cannot talk that highly of the shot beyond that cause of the circumstances of it. It's not hard at all to shoot this waterfall, it's right next to the largest parking lot in the state park (and for good reason). Easiest of the 10 falls to hit. But if my first shot randomly got explored, apparently flickr often likes "nice and easy" so I'll try my luck again.

During a recent road trip to the Oregon Coast, we passed many weathered barns decorated with brightly colored wooden plaques commonly called Barn Quilts. Since my wife is a quilter, she has an eye for spotting Barn Quilts as we meander through the countryside looking for subjects for Don to photograph.

___________________________

The Barn Quilt:

Perhaps you've seen a brightly painted pattern on the weathered face of a dilapidated barn as you’re driving down a country road. Though you likely didn’t give it much thought at the time, these surprising squares of color are becoming part of the rural landscape.

The phenomenon began with Donna Sue Groves, who's long had a fascination with old barns. As a child on road trips to visit her grandmother in West Virginia, she would count and categorize barns along the route, from the dilapidated ones to the beautifully maintained.

Fast forward to 2001—Donna Sue put her childhood appreciation for barns into something beautiful, adorning an old barn with the first painted “Barn Quilt'' square to honor her mother, Maxine, an avid quilter.

Her neighbors in Adams County, Ohio, encouraged her to expand the project, which resulted in a collaboration with the Ohio Arts Council to create 20 more painted quilt squares in the area.

From there, the art form took off and began making its way to barns and other buildings across America, including the South, with communities and individuals displaying their own unique patterns.

Today, barn quilts are one of the fastest-growing and community driven grassroots public art movements in the country.

- Southern Living Magazine

(iPhone 13 Pro Max, edited to taste)

They're VERY common here in the South end of town. Though they have been categorized as "Near Threatened" (NT) by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as that may be considered threatened with extinction in the near future, although it does not currently qualify for the threatened status. The IUCN notes the importance of re-evaluating near-threatened taxon at appropriate intervals.

Photographed at Shoreline Lake, Mountain View, California

=> Please click on the image to see the largest size. <=

6D6A3783-1_fCAFlkr

It's too ornate to be a military fighter or a racer but not strange enough to be alien so I don't know how to categorize it, any suggestions?

Sumatran tiger, one of endemic Sumatran animal categorized as Extinct Animal.

Their habitat shrunk by deforestation and poacher.

***Thank you for your visits and comments

Done during Mural Festival 2018 | muralfest.com

Artist www.drewmerritt.com

Denying boundaries and categorization while embracing the dynamism of his own free will, fine artist Drew Merritt is paving his own path straight to the heart of the Los Angeles art scene. The Saint Vrain, New Mexico native embodies a sense of rebellion both in his personal and creative aesthetics. Shuffling in and out of various art schools throughout his twenties, Merritt decided to lay his roots down in Los Angeles in 2011 where he continues to work.

His work often romanticizes or demonizes ambiguous characters that are cast as heroes, villains, underdogs, lovers, and friends. This combination lends his large-scale oil paintings a personal element that provokes an emotional response with the viewer. Devastatingly beautiful characters lay flush against white canvases, a signature aspect of his work that brings drama to the world in which his muses exist. Drew Merritt creates work that drops his audience in a fantastical world where light and darkness coexist seamlessly, inviting guests to immerse themselves completely.

Located: 210 Milton St, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, May 28, 2020.

Another from the archieves.

Melanerpes carolinus

You may occasionally see a Red-bellied Woodpecker flying quickly and erratically through the forest, abruptly changing direction, alighting for an instant and immediately taking off again, keeping up a quick chatter of calls. Scientists categorize this odd behavior as a type of play that probably helps young birds practice the evasive action they may one day need.

source - Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

For awhile now I have this photo on my folder of references. You know these pics that you save and forget to categorize who is the photographer? There we go.

Edit: The photo is by Sam Rock for Vogue Paris.

anneofcarversville.com/fashion/2021/6/10/anna-ewers-sam-r...

Special thanks to Julian for making the custom pose ♥

Taken at Allegories of Artemisia in The Vordun

Olana State Historic Site was the home of Frederic Edwin Church (1826–1900), one of the major figures in the Hudson River School of landscape painting. The centerpiece of Olana is an eclectic villa composed of many styles, difficult to categorize, which overlooks parkland and a working farm designed by the artist. The residence has a wide view of the Hudson River valley, the Catskill Mountains and the Taconic Range. Church and his wife Isabel (1836–1899) named their estate after a fortress-treasure house in ancient Greater Persia (modern-day Armenia), which also overlooked a river valley. 27

June 27, 2024, KM 18, Valle del Cauca, Colombia.

The Multicolored Tanager (Chlorochrysa nitidissima), one of Colombia's prettiest tanagers, is ENDEMIC to the mountains of Colombia. As of 2010, the IUCN categorized this bird as vulnerable (VU). It was a commonly encountered bird in its small range, but habitat loss is causing severe population decline. The Multicolored Tanager is found mainly from 1300 to 2200 meters above sea level in the interior of wet forests.

Starting a series of wading birds, not all of them will actually be wading at the time the photos were taken. Audubon categorizes wading birds as a group of birds that have physical and behavioral adaptations for living on or near water. They are known for wading in shallow water to find food, and many have long bills, necks, legs, and toes, like herons, egrets, spoonbills, ibis, etc.

Here, a Great Egret performing an impressive balancing act while scratching its neck.

This shot was taken at Canoa Ranch Conservation Park south of Tucson, AZ.

I have accessories in my inventory that I've never worn. Because I forgot I had them. That's it, that's the post.

Periodically organize your inventory and go through your items. You may surprise yourself and find something you like. Clothing, Hair, Cosmetics, Jewelry. Separate things and categorize them. You'll be able to find things faster.

Also please don't ask me where I got anything (I don't give that info out unless it's mentioned in my posts on rare occasions), I'm not a fashion blogger and I also hate asking people where they got things, for the same reason I don't like being asked.

Lipník is an ancient town with 8.5 thousand inhabitants, situated in the very heart of the Moravian Gate. One side of this ancient trade route is lined by the Hostýn Hills, the other one by the Oder Hills. The Moravian Gate Valley is passed by the Bečva River. In the past, an important trade route, called Amber Trail, passed here.

The first written mention of Lipník dates from the year 1238, the town itself is certainly much older. Since 1989, Lipník is an urban conservation area (there are only two conservation areas within the Olomouc Region - Olomouc and Lipník). There are more than 100 listed buildings. The town has retained its original street lines, historic buildings in the medieval core and to a large extent very remarkable fortification system, which still bears all the signs of ancient settlements – a dominant square in the centre, „star-type“ road system and bypass roads. To a large extent, it has preserved the original historic town´s layout.

From this point of view, the urban conservation area of Lipník can be considered as one of the most valuable towns in the country according to unofficial categorization. There is also a medieval Helfštýn Castle near the town, which is one of the largest castles in Central Europe. In recent years, the renowned international artist blacksmith meetings Hefaiston take place at the end of August. In addition, it hosts many other cultural and sports events.

The wider surroundings of the town have become an attractive destination for cyclists, riding on the Bečva and Amber Route biking trails. Some sections are also attractive for in-line skaters.

Lipník has an ideal transport accessibility - whether by road or rail. The town is located in central Moravia, about 30 km from Olomouc, 15 km from Přerov and 12 km from Hranice, by the river of Bečva in the valley of the Moravian Gate. You can reach Lipník from Olomouc in approximately half an hour, from Brno and Ostrava in an hour. Lipnik lies virtually on the main route from Ostrava to Olomouc. There is a dual carriageway R-35 in the vicinity, the D47 motorway is in service since 2009. Lipník n. B has a railway station. As to bus transport, several express coaches stop here too.

Third time revisiting this amazing target. Added some Sii and rgb light as well as updated processing.

"NGC 6888, also known as the Crescent Nebula, is an emission nebula located in the constellation Cygnus. It was discovered by William Herschel in 1792 and is approximately 4,700 light-years away from Earth. Here’s an overview of its key features:

1. Shape and Structure

Crescent Shape: The nebula has a distinct crescent or arc shape, which is the result of the interaction between fast stellar winds and the slower-moving material ejected by its central star.

Shell-like Structure: NGC 6888 consists of a shell of gas that is being illuminated by the hot, massive central star, creating the beautiful glowing appearance. It spans about 25 light-years across.

2. Central Star – Wolf-Rayet Star

At the heart of NGC 6888 is a massive, hot star called WR 136 (HD 192163), a Wolf-Rayet star. Wolf-Rayet stars are known for their intense stellar winds and their short, turbulent life cycles.

WR 136 has ejected a significant amount of its outer layers, forming the nebula. The interaction between these ejected materials and the powerful stellar winds is what shapes the Crescent Nebula.

3. Formation Process

The Crescent Nebula was formed by the stellar wind from WR 136 colliding with material it had ejected earlier when it was a red supergiant. The faster wind from the current Wolf-Rayet phase compresses the earlier, slower-moving material, creating the shockwaves that result in the glowing, intricate structures of the nebula.

4. Emission Nebula

NGC 6888 is categorized as an emission nebula, meaning it glows due to the ionization of gas, primarily hydrogen. The ultraviolet radiation from WR 136 excites the gas, causing it to emit light, predominantly in red and green colors, making it a popular target for astrophotographers.

5. Lifespan

WR 136 is expected to end its life in a supernova explosion. The Crescent Nebula represents a transitional phase in the life of a massive star as it sheds its outer layers before collapsing in on itself." --synthesized from various sources

Askar 120APO: 840mm f/7

ZWO ASI533MC Color Camera at -10C

55xUvIr@1m

ZWO ASI533MM Mono Camera at -10C

20xHa, 57xOiii@5m

12xSii@10m

Guided on ZWO AM5

Processed with PixInsight, Ps

Lundi 3 janvier 1983 : à Fulvy, entre Ancy-le-Franc et Nuits-sous-Ravières, une rame vide homogène de voitures couchettes DEV retourne vers Dijon et le Sud-Est après avoir assuré un train de nuit vers Paris. La CC-7138 est une ex-Maurienne à frotteurs pour troisième rail. Ce type de train (rame vide) était dénommé « W », et leur numéro de circulation commençait par un W, probablement à cause des initiales V-V de Voyageurs Vide.

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Monday, January 3, 1983: at Fulvy, between Ancy-le-Franc and Nuits-sous-Ravières (Yonne, France), an empty train consisting entirely of DEV couchette cars returns to Dijon and the southeast after completing a night train service to Paris. The CC-7138 is a former Maurienne locomotive car that was equipped with third rail collector shoes (by then removed). This type of empty passenger train was categorized as a “W”, probably because V.V. means Voyageurs Vide (for Passengers Empty).

© Jean-Marc Frybourg – 830103-007.03

The Milky Way cloud appears in detail over Morro dos Cabritos, a 900-meter-high mountain in the Vale dos Frades region, in Teresópolis, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. This is a rural area categorized as class 3 on the Bortle scale.

The Bortle scale is a numerical rating system that assesses the darkness and visibility of the night sky. It consists of nine levels, ranging from Class 1 (the darkest skies) to Class 9 (severe light pollution). Each class on the scale describes specific characteristics and features of the sky.

In Bortle Class 3, the sky conditions exhibit relatively limited light pollution. Here are some notable features of a Bortle 3 sky:

Moderate Light Pollution: Bortle 3 skies experience some degree of light pollution, typically from nearby towns or cities. While not as severe as in more populated areas, the presence of artificial lighting affects the overall darkness and visibility of the sky.

Milky Way Visibility: In Bortle 3 skies, the Milky Way, our galaxy, is visible as a prominent band stretching across the sky. While it may not be as vivid and detailed as in darker sky conditions, the core of the Milky Way and its brighter sections can still be observed.

Good Star Clarity: Bortle 3 skies offer reasonably clear views of individual stars. While some fainter stars may be less visible due to light pollution, the overall brilliance and clarity of the stellar display remain impressive. Constellations and their brighter stars are easily identifiable.

Observable Nebulae and Galaxies: Deep-sky objects, such as nebulae and galaxies, can be observed in Bortle 3 skies. While the presence of light pollution may affect the visibility of fainter objects, brighter and more prominent nebulae and galaxies should still be visible. The details and structures of these celestial objects can be appreciated with the right equipment.

Zodiacal Light: Bortle 3 skies allow for occasional sightings of the zodiacal light. This faint glow appears as a pyramid-shaped illumination along the ecliptic and is caused by sunlight reflecting off interplanetary dust particles. In darker areas of the Bortle 3 zone, the zodiacal light may be more visible.

Meteor Shower Observations: Bortle 3 skies are suitable for observing meteor showers. While some light pollution may affect the visibility of faint meteors, brighter meteors and fireballs should still be visible. Clear nights during meteor showers can offer memorable viewing experiences.

Overall, Bortle 3 skies provide a relatively darker and clearer viewing environment compared to higher Bortle classes. Although some light pollution is present, stargazers and astronomers can still enjoy a range of celestial objects and phenomena, including the Milky Way, individual stars, nebulae, galaxies, zodiacal light, and meteor showers.

EXIF:

07/14/2023 - 9pm

Single Exposure Vertical Panorama

Canon 6Da | Sigma 20mm f/1.4 Art

5x 20 sec | f/1.8 | ISO 5000

Excerpt from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_City_Hall_(The_Hague):

The Old City Hall in The Hague is a Renaissance-style building on the Groenmarkt near the Grote Kerk. It is the former seat of the city's government, and remains a place where residents hold civic wedding ceremonies, and where the royal family register their family births. Other families do this at the current city hall located in the large white building on the Kalvermarkt, near the public library.

The town hall (built in 1565 and restored and enlarged in 1882) contains a historical picture gallery. The building was considered very large and imposing in its day; just after it was built in 1566 Lodovico Guicciardini referred to The Hague as the most beautiful, richest, and biggest village of Europe. However, The Hague was not a walled town and therefore Guicciardini categorized it with the villages. For a village, the city hall must have seemed quite grand. That The Hague was thus vulnerable to attack makes it all the more amazing that the old city hall survived the Protestant Revolution without damage to older ornaments and windows.

Formerly, prior to 2011, categorized as a Moorhen, the Common Gallinule is now considered to be a separate species due to slight morphological differences and very different vocalizations. They can, however, if interbred, produce viable and fertile offspring, so to me, at least, in my limited understanding, this distinction (rather than different subspecies) is confusing.

A mirage is a naturally occurring optical phenomenon in which light rays are bent to produce a displaced image of distant objects or the sky. The word comes to English via the French mirage, from the Latin mirari, meaning "to look at, to wonder at". This is the same root as for "mirror" and "to admire".

In contrast to a hallucination, a mirage is a real optical phenomenon that can be captured on camera, since light rays are actually refracted to form the false image at the observer's location. What the image appears to represent, however, is determined by the interpretive faculties of the human mind. For example, inferior images on land are very easily mistaken for the reflections from a small body of water.

Mirages can be categorized as "inferior" (meaning lower), "superior" (meaning higher) and "Fata Morgana", one kind of superior mirage consisting of a series of unusually elaborate, vertically stacked images, which form one rapidly changing mirage.

Other platforms:

500px - Tumblr - Twitter - National Geographic

Known as ornamental kale, purple flowering kale is a member of the cabbage family, and is most often categorized as a vegetable by those who feel obligated to stereotype plants into categories. It certainly fits the bill as a vegetable; it is edible, quite healthy for you, and goes well in a salad or as a colorful side garnish.

To creative gardeners, however, it is a stunning ornamental annual with one highly desirable and enduring attribute; it's highly ruffled purple, cream and deep green colored foliage, which unlike flowers, persists from planting right through to the first frosts of fall.

northscaping.com/IZArticles/FS-0004

Fonthill Castle, Doylestown, Pennsylvania, was the home of the archaeologist and tile maker Henry Chapman Mercer. Built between 1908 and 1912 by Mercer himself and a team of workers, it is a large house and not a castle, and an early example of poured-in-place concrete. Fonthill defies any classification or categorization into architectural styles or modes.

The estate of Fonthill is one of the pioneer examples of using reinforced concrete as a building medium.

Fonthill is described by Dr. Mercer as coming from various sources, some of which are Byzantine Churches in Greece, Mount St. Michel in France, a Turkish house in Salonica, and the paintings of Gerard Dow.

This from the web:

Cumulus clouds are part of the larger category of free-convective cumuliform clouds, which include cumulonimbus clouds. The latter genus-type is sometimes categorized separately as cumulonimbiform due to its more complex structure that often includes a cirriform or anvil top.

Abbreviation: Cu

Altitude: 200–2,000 m, (1,000–6,600 ft)

Appearance: Low-altitude, fluffy heaps of clouds with cotton-like appearance.

Genus: Cumulus (heap)

Abstract Surrealism has always been one of those smaller "rooms" off at the back or side, that's not always talked about or widely celebrated, but where wonders exist and categorization is confounded. One of the great Surrealists, Max Ernst, was a Master of the form.

Over the years I've derived a lot of inspiration from his Abstract Surrealist pieces and continue to do so. Ernst ventured quite far into pure abstraction as well, but art theorists and historians don't seem to like to use the word abstraction when talking about Ernst or the other historical Surrealists. Yet, Ernst was quit an accomplished abstractionist. Pieces like "Birth of a Galaxy" and "33 Children Chasing Butterflies" are prime examples.

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In the next little while I'm going to be taking threads from all the styles I've worked with these past few years and employing them all, to varying degrees, in the service of abstraction. Particular emphasis will be placed on Pano-Sabotage, otherwise called by me - "TumbleWorld".

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Music Link: "Meadow of Infinity Pt1 / The Glass Bridge / Meadow of Infinity Pt 2" - Peter Baumann, from his album "Romance'76". Baumann was one of the earliest members of the infamous, 70's, German electronic outfit, Tangerine Dream. "Romance" was his first solo album, recorded shortly before his departure from the band.

Whereas Tangerine Dream were known for their big, swelling, gothic, Wagnerian "washes", Baumann's first outing showed a different sensibility - one that was stripped back and pared down to almost icy clarity and a more "chamber" feel in his arrangements.

This suite here has always been a favourite musical piece of mine to dream by, to imagine with. Baumann's seamless and cutting edge blend of advanced electronics combined with a few cellos, some percussion and a small choir makes for some mysterious and atmospheric imagining. Turn it up, and the lights down.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPIqwPW1YfE

Click in Image to Enlarge !

© Richard S Warner ( Visionheart ) - 2015. All Rights Reserved. This image is not for use in any form without explicit, express, written permission.

Reb-bellied woodpecker, Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, Dec 17, 2018.

A regular visitor to our feeders.

Melanerpes carolinus

You may occasionally see a Red-bellied Woodpecker flying quickly and erratically through the forest, abruptly changing direction, alighting for an instant and immediately taking off again, keeping up a quick chatter of calls. Scientists categorize this odd behaviour as a type of play that probably helps young birds practice the evasive action they may one day need.

source - www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red-bellied_Woodpecker/

Oshten (Adyghe Oshyuten) is one of the mountains in the western part of the Caucasus Range. Oshten, Pshekha-Su and Fisht (43°59' N and 39°53' E) form one mountain range, with a wide, torn into several parts peak and are separated from each other by a saddle, passing in the south southeast direction. Oshten, together with Fisht, are the first peaks from the western end of the Caucasus Range, rising to the height of the snow line and covered not only with snow, but also with small glaciers, about 10 in number. The snow line on Oshten and Fisht, located from the Black Sea, is only 40 miles and subject to its strong influence, falls very low - up to a height of 2,737 meters above sea level. On these peaks, rocks and a clearly defined zone of alpine meadows protrude, while to the west of them the Caucasus Mountains almost nowhere rise above the upper border of the forests and almost everywhere are covered with them to the very tops. Oshten consists of only limestones. Several fairly large rivers flow from Oshten, Fisht and their spurs: Tsitse and Pshekha head north from them, and Belaya south.

The peak is not categorized, but there are climbing routes of difficulty categories up to 1B and 2B

Three-toed Jacamar is a Near Threatened species (IUCN Red List)

www.iucnredlist.org/species/22682186/153924733

This image shows a Three-toed Jacamar with a food item that it captured with that very long bill. This individual is one of an estimated maximum of 5,400 mature individuals living in habitats subject to deforestation, and as such it is categorized as Near Threatened by the IUCN. The sighting, my only ever of the species, was in the Sumidouro area of Rio de Janeiro State. Three-toed Jacamar is an endemic of southeastern Brazil.