AFTR the Fact Couture SL
View allAll Photos Tagged Facts,
Jellyfish have been possibly around 700 million years or longer, before dinosaurs lived on the Earth.
Jellyfish bodies are actually made up of as much as ~98 % water.
Jellyfish have no heart, bones, brain, ears, noses or even
eyes(some have eyes).
Jellyfish mouth is found in the centre of its body, they use mouth for both eating and pooping.
Some Jellyfish's may never actually die (Theoretically Immortal!).
Some jellyfish are clear, but others are vibrant colours of pink, yellow, blue and purple.
Jellyfish produce their own light!
texture by ipiccy.com
The Slate-throated Redstart is found from northern Mexico south to northern Bolivia, always in temperate montane habitats. In the north it lives in Pine-Oak forests, farther south in cloud forests and moist montane slopes.
It is a species which shows a high degree of geographic variation. In fact this largely grayish-blue bird with a dark chestnut cap has a striking red belly in the north, and in South America it is yellow-bellied, with orange-bellied forms in-between.
La Ceja, Colombia; Central Andes, 2300 meters above sea level.
neotropical.birds.cornell.edu/Species-Account/nb/species/...
Today's fun fact - Black Swans were presumed not to exist because there was only ever records of white ones. Then when Europeans discovered they did in fact exist, in WA Australia, the phrase "black swan" was coined. The Black Swan by scholar Nassim Taleb, was ranked by the Sunday Times one of the 12 most influential books since World War II. Taleb's black swan theory states that dramatic unexpected events matter more to history than regular happenings.
Bit simpler for me, I just like to photograph them on the local lake. Especially at sunset. Like little floating silhouettes. (bit of an older pic, revisiting some unloved pics from my Flickr exile years)
There are three male African lions at Zoo Atlanta: Azizi, Hondo and Hatari. They are brothers, and you will often find them inseparable. In fact, the lions are usually only separated from each other when they eat and when they are training.
P1790010 - Himalayan Bulbul - Size - 20 cm
# 271 - 07 Jun '18 - 17:16 (11:46 GMT)
Himalayan bulbul (Pycnonotus leucogenys) or white-cheeked bulbul, is a species of songbird in the bulbul family found in central Asia.
Seen close to - Naggar - Himachal Pradesh - Western Himalayas ~1600m (5200 ft) Altitude
WONDERFUL FACTS - Bowhead Whales also known as the Arctic Whale - is by far the longest living mammal on Earth.
Some Bowhead Whales have been found with the tips of ivory spears still lodged in their flesh from failed attempts by whalers 200 years ago.
The oldest known Bowhead Whale was at least 211 years old.
Happy birding 🐾
Scenic south West coastline. The fiords of New Zealand are all located in the southwest of the South Island, in a mountainous area known as Fiordland. The spelling 'fiord' is used in New Zealand rather than 'fjord', although all the maritime fiords use the word Sound in their name instead. The Marlborough Sounds, a series of deep indentations in the coastline at the northern tip of the South Island, are in fact drowned river valleys, or rias. The deeply indented coastlines of Northland and Auckland also host many rias, such as the Hokianga and Waitematā Harbours. New Zealand has fifteen named maritime fiords, listed here from northernmost to southernmost. 13677
A colourful kerfuffle
Common NameCaribbean flamingo, American flamingoKingdomAnimaliaPhylumChordataClassAvesOrderCiconiiformesFamilyPhoenicopteridaeGenus SpeciesPhoenicopterus (crimson winged) ruber ruber (red)
Fast Facts
DescriptionCaribbean flamingos are tall, large bodied birds with long necks and small heads. Most flamingos have bright pink or crimson plumage, legs, and bills. The Caribbean flamingo is by far the brightest and one of the largest of all the flamingos.SizeApproximately 80–145 cm (31–57 in.) long
Females tend to be smaller than malesWeightApproximately 1.9–3 kg (4.2–6.6 lbs.)DietIncludes algae, diatoms, aquatic invertebrates such as crustaceans and mollusksIncubation26–31 daysClutch SizeTypically 1 large eggFledging DurationApproximately 11 weeks
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None of the image material in this account may be copied, downloaded or used in any way without my written permission.
Despite the fact I'm told these birds are common, I have never had an opportunity to shoot one until now.
Some facts: The ocelot, also known as the dwarf leopard, is a wild cat distributed extensively within South America including the islands of Trinidad and Margarita, Central America, and Mexico. It has been reported as far north as Texas. North of Mexico, it is found regularly only in the extreme southern part of Texas,although there are rare sightings in southern Arizona.
The ocelot is similar in appearance to a domestic cat. Its fur resembles that of a clouded leopard or jaguar and was once regarded as particularly valuable. As a result, hundreds of thousands of ocelots were once killed for their fur. The feline was classified as a vulnerable species from 1972 until 1996, and is now listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocelot
Photographed at Pousada Santa Teresa, Mato Grosso at the end of the day.
Have a wonderful Tuesday!
Thanks a lot for your visits, comments, faves, invites, etc. Very much appreciated!
©All rights reserved. Do not use without my express consent. Please contact me at thelma.gatuzzo@gmail.com if you intend to buy or use any of my images.
This beautiful avenue of beech trees was planted by the Stuart family in the eighteenth century.
It was intended as a compelling landscape feature to impress visitors as they approached the entrance to their Georgian mansion, Gracehill House.
Two centuries later, the trees remain a magnificent sight and have become one of the most photographed natural phenomena in Northern Ireland.
In fact, the iconic trees have been used as a filming location in HBO's epic series Game of Thrones, representing the King's Road.
Cool facts from "all about birds":
Arctic Terns migrate from pole to pole; birds in North America travel around 25,000 miles each year.
Downy Arctic Tern hatchlings come in two colors: gray or brown. And chicks from the same nest aren't always the same color.
Arctic Terns can live for decades, but they usually do not start breeding until they are 3 or 4 years old.
The oldest recorded Arctic Tern was at least 34 years old, when it was recaptured and rereleased during a banding operation in Maine. This bird flew at least 850,000 miles, or 3 and a half times to the moon and back!!!
When molting its wing feathers during the winter, the Arctic Tern rarely flies; instead it spends much of its time resting on small blocks of ice at the edge of the pack ice.
Red Squirrel:-
Red Squirrel:-Interesting facts.
They have four fingers and five toes.
They can be right or left-handed when eating a pine cone.
They can swim.
Their coats moult twice a year, once after winter and then in the late summer before the weather gets colder.
They moult their ear tufts once a year, in late autumn.
(Courtesy of RSST website)
The name was given to what was the oldest Florentine bridge when the bridge to the Carraia was built, then called "Ponte Nuovo" in contrast to the pons Vetus. Beyond the historical value, the bridge over time has played a central role in the city road system, starting from when it connected the Roman Florentia with the Via Cassia Nuova commissioned by the emperor Hadrian in 123 AD.
In contemporary times, despite being closed to vehicular traffic, the bridge is crossed by a considerable pedestrian flow generated both by the notoriety of the place itself and by the fact that it connects places of high tourist interest on the two banks of the river: piazza del Duomo, piazza della Signoria on one side with the area of Palazzo Pitti and Santo Spirito in the Oltrarno.
The bridge appears in the list drawn up in 1901 by the General Directorate of Antiquities and Fine Arts, as a monumental building to be considered national artistic heritage.
PP work in Luminar Neo filters and Topaz Labs Star Effects filters.
First snow of the season fell last night and this may be the first Slate-Colored Junco of the fall/winter in my yard if in fact it is not a Cassiar Junco. I believe that some consider Cassiar Juncos to be Oregon x Slate-colored Junco intergrades. I should probably just simplify the title and call this bird a Dark-eyed Junco. Comments are welcome. IMG_6250
ursus arctos
length: 1 to 2.8 m
weight: 139 kg (male), 95 kg (female)
lifespan: 20 to 30 years
predators: humans
habitat: boreal forest, mountain alpine, arctic tundra
yukon population estimate: 6,000-7,000
they breed for the first time around their 8th year and reproduce every 3 to 4 years
bears routinely distinguish between threatening and non-threatening human behaviour
bears are not mean or malicious; they are very gentle, curious, and tolerant animals
shih shòh (gwich’in)
shär cho (hän)
dlēze (kaska)
srà cho (northern tutchone)
akłaq (inuvialuit)
atsìá sho (big grandpa) (southern tutchone)
shash chō (tagish)
shüh choh (upper tanana)
xóots or xûts (tlingit)
First posted on March 22, 2019
Original comments are below ...
Just returned from a visit to my second home (Portugal) and I'm busy culling more than 1500 photos taken during the trip.
I found myself shooting more 'abstracts and graphics' than usual (the above photo a case in point)... must have been the mood I was in? I did visit the coastline almost daily so there are many seascape images to consider for development but even those tended to take on an abstract character (influence of Hiroshi Sugimoto perhaps?). I did considerably less street work than I usually do when in Portugal but that was simply because I wasn't out on the streets that often. That circumstance and the fact that I have become aware that European laws prohibit taking people pics without their explicit permission has dampened my zeal for street photography in Portugal (somewhat).
The title is from a quote by Harry Callahan ... a favourite photographer of mine. A few other photos inspired by Callahan are in the first comment box. To learn more about him just click Harry Callahan or Harry Callahan
- Santarém, Portugal -
A combination of moments,
light and shadows.
Lines and dots.
All inconspicuous and at the same time quite clear.
French window.
It was a small village somewhere in the French countryside in which we stopped for a short time.
Wandering around the village it was interesting to see the different and interesting styles of architecture from bygone years.
This window was in what can only be described as a Tudor style are so named because they came into popularity in Europe during the reign of Henry Tudor VIII.
The timber framing was vertical wooden posts and the gap in between was filled with a combination mixture of straw, mud and manure which held the filling together.
So why are there Tudor style buildings in France?
The answer is found in the fact that from 1485-1603 the House of Tudor was predominately from Welsh and English origins, however they descended from the Tudors of Penmynydd and Catherine of France.
Rural countryside, France.
I was so thrilled to get to photograph a Wood Duck today on this side of the Mountains!!!!! And no crowds, no dogs no bikes, just peace and quiet and very calm birds! In fact Mallards were walking right up to me...probably hoping for a treat! The Wood Ducks were very calm also!
Fast facts on garlic
In many countries, garlic has been used medicinally for centuries.
Garlic may have a range of health benefits, both raw and cooked.
It may have significant antibiotic properties
A sample of some of the books on my bookshelf. Taken with a vintage Canon AE-1-Program camera with a FD 55mm S.S.C f1.2 lens using a Konica VX400 Monochrome film that expired in October 2005.
It is pouring with rain actually so my forecast may have been wrong....
My new year resolution that was wavering on day one...I pay for pro but don't upload that many photos' and this is so I get value for my money....One photo per day whether from my extensive archives or newly taken. I don't like frittering my money away....yet if I only uploaded one a month its highly likely that every single one would get Explored...maybe all those that do that are short of money ?
Whatever,.. do whatever makes you happy is my new motto for 2025...Sue ;)
Of course I don’t mean those too ill to upload more photos..in fact my heart goes out to all suffering from any infirmities ❤️
She was, in fact, a child of the moon.
Wandering around aimlessly in the dark.
Bringing light to everyone around her.
- Luna Tiara
- Mendhi Tattoo
Vanilla Bae - Aelia Top & Aelia Skirt - FLF Bday Bash
- Lotte Animations Set (Pose Static 1) - for The Saturday Sale ♡
"RIDING THE FLAME" - WESTERN GREEN LIZARD (LACERTA BILINEATA) | ADULT FEMALE ON TRUMPET VINE | 09-2023 | TICINO | SWITZERLAND
In case you're interested, you'll find the whole "Flame Rider" series and the other photos taken on that day here: www.lacerta-bilineata.com/post/western-green-lizards-in-t...
More Ticino/Tessin Wildlife Photos (all taken in my garden in Monteggio/Ti, Switzerland): de.lacerta-bilineata.com/westliche-smaragdeidechse-lacert...
And my most recent BIRD VIDEO (a goldfinch invasion in my garden) you can find here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=EvVNEYPfFtU
THE STORY BEHIND THE PHOTO:
The shot above was for once NOT taken in my garden, but instead I captured this "lady of the flame" last September in the Maggia Valley - named after the river Maggia - which also lies in Ticino, but approximately at an hour's drive from my house in Monteggio.
I had been invited there by my good friend Evie who spends a lot of time in that gorgeous natural paradise, completely off grid in a little "rustico" (that's what the ancient, traditionally built stone houses are called in Ticino). She and I have known each other since we were toddlers, and she's as much a nature nerd and photo nut as I am, so I was very much looking forward to a day of exploring this beautiful valley with a fellow wildlife paparazzo.
Around 9am I got off the bus and strolled head-on into the marvelous wilderness where my friend had instructed me to. Evie had offered to come get me at the bus stop, but I assured her it would be a piece of cake for me to find the place on my own; the rustico was only approximately 20 minutes away in the forest, and her directions sounded easy enough. But she insisted I call her once I reached a small clearing in the woods so she could come and fetch me, because there was supposed to be a hidden shortcut from there to the house.
Like in most men - and I'm sure ALL women know this about us - there lives a stubborn little boy inside my head that fancies himself the ultimate survival expert and never wants to rely on anybody else's directions (I call that fella "Jungle-Mike" 😉 ), so I had memorized a satellite image of the area beforehand, and I now felt confident enough to leave the trail and head straight for the river through the woods - and instantly got lost. 😂
But of course, Mr Survival Expert was too absorbed with his (mis-) adventure in the underbrush to realize he was heading in the wrong direction: an army of brambles was more than happy to welcome such a worthy adversary as was good ole' "Jungle Mike" and drew first blood immediately, but I fought back bravely and heroically escaped their thorny clutches to make it - though not exactly unscathed - to the river bank.😅
So far, my trip was a complete success: I had found the Maggia river, which had been my goal after all (as I said: "piece of cake" 😁 ). Now all I needed to do was get across. If I had been smart enough to follow Evie's instructions, I would have come to a bridge (the satellite photo had corroborated that), but in my valiant struggle against the undergrowth I had ended up much further downstream than intended, and there was no bridge to be seen.
A decision had to be made. Calling my friend and simply asking for new directions never crossed my mind ("Jungle-Mike don't phone!"), nor did I want to waste more time by walking upstream in search of the bridge. Instead I took off my shoes and waded into the shallow looking river, praying the current wouldn't get too strong and my expensive camera gear wouldn't take a plunge.
Thankfully, this was a stretch of the Maggia where the water never got more than knee-deep, but the ground was very uneven as well as slippery, and the current DID get pretty strong. I wobbled through the stream like a drunk duck, desperately trying not to slip on the algae-covered stones or lose my balance. It must have looked very comical to any outside observers (and "Jungle-Mike" was very pleased there were none of those around 😉 ).
I made it to the other side without sacrificing any of my belongings to the river gods, but my feet were now wet, and I had to continue my journey into the woods barefoot for a while. This meant I had to concentrate hard and scan the ground before every step, because this was chestnut country, and let me tell you: collecting chestnut spines with one's soft, rosy feet is about as much fun as stepping on a sea urchin!
It couldn't have been more than 20 minutes since I had left the bus stop, but I was already sweating profusely from sheer exertion, when I finally found the meadow where I was supposed to call my friend (it had to be the right clearing, since I was sure I hadn't seen any other open spaces in the forest on the satellite photo).
I dialed her number, and she answered immediately. 3 Minutes later Evie materialized out of the trees like a kind forest spirit that had come to rescue me. Of course I did my best not to show how relieved I was to see her. "Was it easy to find?" she asked as we walked up the trail to the house. "Piece of cake," Jungle-Mike answered. 😜
The rustico stood in the midst of little meadow, surrounded by gorgeous old oak and chestnut trees. It had a few small solar panels on the roof that powered some lights and a tiny fridge, but heating and cooking were only possible with firewood, and the water came from a nearby spring. A shower or bathtub wasn't needed: the Maggia river provided for that.
After a hard-earned cup of coffee - "Savor it," Evie said, "I had to work for half an hour for that, and it will take me another half hour to make another one" - we finally got going. Evie led the way; I tried my best to keep up with her pace as she gracefully darted through the woods, until she stopped when we arrived at a narrow hiking trail. "This is the best part," she proclaimed, "I always wanted to show you this: there's lots of your favorite lizards along this stretch of the trail."
The path she had chosen led us through the magnificent wilderness of the Maggia valley, but every once in a while a derelict rustico or parts of a stone wall of some ancient enclosure for goats or sheep would appear on either side of the way - remnants of a long gone era when all of this was farm land. And my friend was right: my favorite reptiles - the western green lizards (Lacerta bilineata) - apparently thrived here!
Every couple of meters we were greeted by yet another impressive green fella basking on the warm stones (the sky was overcast, but we could feel the heat of the still powerful September sun coming through the clouds), and every single one of the reptiles would be announced in advance by Evie. "Watch out, there's usually a big one right there," she would say, or: "Slow down a bit, the one that normally sits on that wall behind the next curve is a little shy."
Western green lizards are very territorial and can often be found in the same spots, and so Evie had begun to give some of them names as if they were her pets: "The fella we're about to see on that rock over there has a partially regrown tail; I call him 'Stummeli'," (which means "stunted" in Swiss German); "He never takes flight, and you can practically touch him."
I was indeed struck by the fact that many of the lizards here showed little to no fear when we approached them - which was in stark contrast to the Lacerta bilineata population in my own village - and my camera got so busy that I feared the shutter would start to glow and throw sparks! 😊
It was an incredible trip, and I can honestly say without exaggeration that this part of the Maggia Valley was one of the most beautiful places I'd ever visited. And never have I seen so many western green lizards within such a short a period of time as I did during that hike! Mating season was over, so the males lacked the intense blue facial colors they usually display from April to June, but they still looked absolutely amazing.
The highlight of our little expedition - at least for me since Evie had already been here countless times - was when we got to a cluster of abandoned rustici in the midst of the forest. It might have been a village once; now the crumbling stone buildings were overgrown by grapevines that had escaped an ancient vineyard, and awkwardly bent apple trees that were covered in lichen and moss grew between the sunken ruins.
These veterans were probably the last descendants of the trees that once grew in a long since disappeared orchard; there was also a huge fig tree growing out of a collapsed house - and it was carrying plenty of fruit, which didn't go unnoticed by my now growling stomach.
Evie and I quickly descended upon the figs - which were sweet and juicy - and I couldn't help but think of "Hansel and Gretel" feasting on the wicked witch's gingerbread house. The whole scenery indeed looked like something straight out of a fairy tale - or a fantasy novel like 'Lord of the Rings'. And it was here, in this magical place, that I captured the "flame rider" you can see in the photo above.
The hungry lizard lady was looking for six-legged treats in a gorgeous trumpet vine (Campsis radicans) that grew over the roof of one of the ruins; the image above shows her right before she dove into the flaming orange flower to get at whatever bug she had spotted inside. She buried her head completely in the flower, which I thought looked very funny (if you're interested, you can find those photos here: www.lacerta-bilineata.com/post/western-green-lizards-in-t... )
What else is there to say (unsurprisingly, this anecdote has once again gotten much longer than I intended 😄 ); I guess you can tell by my rambling that, my initial "detour" not withstanding, visiting my friend in the Maggia Valley was a fantastic experience. I certainly hope to return there soon (and who knows, maybe next time I'll even manage to leave "Jungle-Mike" at home 😉 ).
Thanks for looking (and READING if you made it to this point 😁); many greetings from Ticino, and have a wonderful Sunday and great start into the new week everyone! 🙏 😊 ❤
As always, let me know what you think in the comments (I hope you'll forgive me for breaking my own rule and - for once - posting a shot that I didn't take in my garden 😄).
Keukenhof est un très beau jardin de fleurs (32 hectares) avec plus de 7 millions de bulbes en fleurs chaque printemps. Symbole des Pays-Bas, il est un lieu unique dans le monde dédié à la tulipe.
Le parc de Keukenhof est situé à une distance proche d'une trentaine de kilomètres d'Amsterdam.
Keukenhof est l'un des plus grands jardins de fleurs au monde avec plus de 800 variétés différentes de tulipes et de nombreux autres types de fleurs qui fleurissent dans le parc chaque printemps.
Même les plus grands sceptiques sont impressionnés !
Le jardin est situé dans l'environnement boisé d'un château du 17ème siècle visible de l'autre coté de la route. Autrefois, le lieu était appelé Keukenduin, littéralement "la cuisine des dunes". Le nom Keukenduin vient du fait que les produits de la région des dunes, comme le gibier, le bétail et toutes sortes d'herbes et de baies, étaient destinés aux propriétaires du château. Pour ensuite devenir Keukenhof soit "Le potager" qui devait servir le château en légumes et en herbes aromatiques.
C'est 1949 que les jardins de Keukenhof sont créés sous l'impulsion du Maire de l'époque souhaitant valoriser le travail des horticulteurs. Depuis les producteur de bulbes de la région exposent chaque année leurs plus belles variétés de tulipes dans des massifs grandioses.
Keukenhof is a very beautiful flower garden (32 hectares) with more than 7 million flower bulbs each spring. Symbol of the Netherlands, it is a unique place in the world dedicated to the tulip.
Keukenhof Park is located at a distance of about thirty kilometers from Amsterdam.
Keukenhof is one of the largest flower gardens in the world with over 800 different varieties of tulips and many other types of flowers blooming in the park each spring.
Even the biggest skeptics are impressed!
The garden is set in the wooded surroundings of a 17th century chateau visible across the road. Formerly, the place was called Keukenduin, literally "the kitchen of the dunes". The name Keukenduin comes from the fact that the products of the dune region, such as game, cattle and all kinds of herbs and berries, were destined for the owners of the castle. To then become Keukenhof or "The vegetable garden" which was to serve the castle with vegetables and aromatic herbs.
It was in 1949 that the Keukenhof gardens were created at the instigation of the Mayor of the time, wishing to promote the work of horticulturists. Since then, bulb producers in the region have exhibited their most beautiful varieties of tulips each year in grandiose beds.
experienced at Stink Beach, it came quickly and stayed for a while and then left everything clean and refreshed.
listening to a song I had forgotten sung by John Sebastien at Woodstock - "Darling Be Home Soon"
love the lines -" A quarter of my life is almost past
I think I've come to see myself at last"
www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBXL7FaPod4
about the song :
www.songfacts.com/facts/the-lovin-spoonful/darling-be-hom...
Quite apart from its famed cathedral, the old town of Chartres is, itself, endlessly fascinating. Its narrow winding streets and alleys lead steeply down from the cathedral to the Eure river, passing rows of shops, a Romanesque church and several half-timbered houses. In medieval times Chartres was in fact two towns: a pilgrim village centred around the cathedral and an industrial town along the river. These days the mills and waterwheels of the industrial town are long gone, replaced by private houses, gardens and picturesque stone bridges. Their quiet charm forms a relaxing counterpoint to the high drama and magnificence of the cathedral.
© Irwin Reynolds, all rights reserved. If you are interested in using one of my images or would like a high quality fine art print, please send me an email (irwinreynolds@me.com)
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
Your comments and favs are appreciated and do not go unnoticed
The prettiest Thomisidae I have seen in the flesh.
She was right up top of my Butterfly bush and if it was not for the fact that I pulled down a branch to have a look I would have never known.
Last year I seen them in white. I never knew they could be this color.
To gather the images I used manual hand held focus stacking.
Here are my settings
1/80th ||| F11 ||| ISO 200 ||| Flash @ 1/64 +0.4
I bought her into my living room and made some shots of her. She will be placed back in my garden where I found her.
I used some purple felt for the background.
Location , Wodonga , VIC , Australia 🇦🇺
Helicon Focus
Adobe PS
Topaz Labs Denoise AI
Olympus EM1 Mkii
OM SYSTEM M.Zuiko Digital ED 90mm F3.5 Macro IS PRO
Hand held Focus Stack
Godox V1 O
CJ Diffuser V2 + CJ Lens Hood
©Craig Loechel
Have a nice day
Water drops. As many of you that have been Flickr friends for a while will know water and rain drops are a fascination of mine. It’s been nice today even though it’s dry but cold and overcast to pop out to the garden to catch some drops.
I toyed with the idea of zooming in on the drop, it opted for the “bigger picture”. Interesting how bare the trees become at this time of year, knowing how full of growth they were back in the summer.
Thanks for stopping
HBW 😊😊😍
This work is dedicated to my friend, Marta, whom I consider as family, in fact as another daughter. However, Marta has a wonderful Mother and Father both of whom I love, so she is a daughter in my heart and always will be!
The greatest gift of life is friendship, and I have received it.
Hubert H. Humphrey
One of the most beautiful qualities of true friendship is to understand and to be understood.
Lucius Annaeus Seneca
The language of friendship is not words but meanings.
Henry David Thoreau
Thank you for your kind visit. Have a wonderful and beautiful day! ❤️❤️❤️
Wisteria
is a genus of flowering plants in the legume family, Fabaceae (Leguminosae), that includes ten species of woody climbing bines that are native to China, Korea, and Japan and as an introduced species to the Eastern United States. Some species are popular ornamental plants. An aquatic flowering plant with the common name wisteria or 'water wisteria' is in fact Hygrophila difformis, in the family Acanthaceae.
Wisterias climb by twining their stems around any available support. W. floribunda (Japanese wisteria) twines clockwise when viewed from above, while W. sinensis twines counterclockwise. This is an aid in identifying the two most common species of wisteria.
They can climb as high as 20 m (66 ft) above the ground and spread out 10 m (33 ft) laterally. The world's largest known wisteria is in Sierra Madre, California, measuring more than 1 acre (0.40 ha) in size and weighing 250 tons. Planted in 1894, it is of the 'Chinese lavender' variety.
The leaves are alternate, 15 to 35 cm long, pinnate, with 9 to 19 leaflets. The flowers are produced in pendulous racemes 10 to 80 cm long, similar to those of the genus Laburnum, but are purple, violet, pink or white. There is no yellow on the leaves. Flowering is in spring (just before or as the leaves open) in some Asian species, and in mid to late summer in the American species and W. japonica. The flowers of some species are fragrant, most notably W. sinensis. Wisteria species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including brown-tail.
The seeds are produced in pods similar to those of Laburnum, and, like the seeds of that genus, are poisonous. All parts of the plant contain a saponin called wisterin, which is toxic if ingested, and may cause dizziness, confusion, speech problems, nausea, vomiting, stomach pains, diarrhea and collapse.
There is debate over whether the concentration outside of the seeds is sufficient to cause poisoning. Wisteria seeds have caused poisoning in children and pets of many countries, producing mild to severe gastroenteritis and other effects.
For more informations:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wisteria
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“It is an illusion that photos are made with the camera…
they are made with the eye, heart and head.”
[Henry Cartier Bresson]
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In fact the whole village is named after the Saviour. Sotira in Greek means Saviour. Sotira is a well-known village in the Ammochostos (Famagusta) area of Cyprus and plenty of old churches have survived in the village centre. The "Church of the Metamorphosis/Transfiguration of Christ" is currently closed. There is archaeological work going on, but the building was too small anyway and, in the 20th century, had been replaced by the "Church of the Metamorphosis/Transfiguration of Jesus". I'll come back to this interesting change of title. This old church here goes back to the 13th century, back to the time of the crusades and the French occupation of Cyprus. The building began as a simple barrel roof construction. In Venetian times, the dome was added, and the spire, also in Venetian style, is a 19th century product (still built during the Ottoman occupation). The archaeological dig showed that this church is resting on foundations of a fifth century Christian basilica. So, the question of who the Saviour is, has always been central to this village. Metamorphosis or Transfiguration denotes the visible appearance of Jesus, not as man, but as God. But "Christ"? Christ is already a title presupposing divinity, no need to transfigure here. That is why, I would guess, that in the 20th century the title was changed to transfiguration of Jesus. It makes more sense. Sense is, of course, in the eye of the beholder. If, as Christian doctrine has it, Jesus Christ was one person, but had two natures (God and Man), and if the Trinity consist of three persons, but having only on nature, there is trouble if you apply Aristotelian logic. Things are made not easier by the gospel of John which stipulates that Christ was always there with God and, therefore, had pre-existence. If you find this difficult, it only means that your mind is working. The question of who the Saviour is is not a puzzle the mind can resolve. But if you sing the question, turn it into sound, or into vision, you may be on a different path. Fuji X-Pro3.
Here some facts about gas stations:
The world’s first gas station is widely considered to have opened in 1905 in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. It was established by the Automobile Gasoline Company, a subsidiary of the Shell Oil Company. Before this, gasoline was typically sold at general stores, pharmacies, or even from barrels at blacksmith shops.
This early gas station was a dedicated facility designed specifically to dispense gasoline to automobiles, marking a significant shift in infrastructure for the growing number of car owners. It had a simple hand pump and a large visible storage tank, setting the stage for the evolution of modern fueling stations.
However, another key milestone came in 1913, when the Gulf Refining Company opened what many consider the first modern gas station in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. This one featured a canopy, uniformed attendants, and paved driveways — elements that would become standard in service stations later on.
So while St. Louis had the earliest form, Gulf’s Pittsburgh station is often credited with pioneering the modern gas station model.
And another fact: Bertha Benz, wife of Karl Benz (inventor of the first practical automobile), made the world’s first long-distance car trip in 1888.
During her journey, she purchased fuel (ligroin, a petroleum solvent) from a pharmacy in Wiesloch, Germany. And that again is not too far, from where I live :-) And even closer to my job....
www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmVUW8SNGyg&list=RDLmVUW8SNGy...
The Great Filling Station Holdup -·Jimmy Buffett
Marsh Tit - Poecile palustris
Globally, the marsh tit is classified as Least Concern, although there is evidence of a decline in numbers (in the UK, numbers have dropped by more than 50% since the 1970s, for example). It can be found throughout temperate Europe and northern Asia and, despite its name, it occurs in a range of habitats including dry woodland. The marsh tit is omnivorous; its food includes caterpillars, spiders and seeds. It nests in tree holes, choosing existing hollows to enlarge, rather than excavating its own. A clutch of 5–9 eggs is laid.
Marsh and willow tits are difficult to identify on appearance alone; the races occurring in the UK and are especially hard to separate. When caught for ringing, the pale 'cutting edge' of the marsh tit's bill is a reliable criterion; otherwise, the best way to tell apart the two species is by voice. Plumage characteristics include the lack of a pale wing panel (formed by pale edges to the secondary feathers in the willow tit), the marsh tit's glossier black cap and smaller black 'bib', although none of these is 'completely reliable'; for example, juvenile marsh tits can show a pale wing panel. The marsh tit has a noticeably smaller and shorter head than the willow tit and overall the markings are crisp and neat, with the head in proportion to the rest of the bird (willow tit gives the impression of being 'bull-necked').
A measure of the difficulty in identification is given by the fact that, in the UK, the willow tit was not identified as distinct from marsh tit until 1897. Two German ornithologists, Ernst Hartert and Otto Kleinschmidt, were studying marsh tit skins at the British Museum and found two wrongly-labelled willow tits amongst them (two willow tit specimens were then collected at Coalfall Wood in Finchley, north London, and that species was added to the British list in 1900).
I decided to change the title of this based on two things -- Llorenç's comment below, and the fact that it meant absolutely nothing to anybody besides the seven people involved in the Souvenirs exhibition.
Unguided missile launcher from the 1800's or earlier. Dropped in favor of the larger wooden wheel models. Less hernias, while moving said unit, were endured as a result.
Ricoh R1
Expired 400asa unknown film taken from a disposable camera and shot at 100asa
Homemade C41 and Bleach
Epson V700
Staring into a camera lens for a picture is just about as difficult for me as keeping my hair out of my face (apparently). I’d rather NOT look into a lens thank you very much 😬 Anyway, thank you for being here! I thought I would try again at a quick introduction but keeping it might this time. Some fun facts about me that maybe you know or don’t know in no particular order: • Piano is my first love ❤️ • One of 9 kids • Mother of 7 kids • Autumn is my favorite season • Flickr was my first photography community • Colorado native • Texas Newbie • Road trips are my favorite • Favorite fruit - 🍒 Favorite drink - ☕️ • Writing is my favorite way to communicate ✍️ • I actually went to school for Psychology (my dream was to become a criminal psychologist, haven’t quite made it yet ) • Silence is beautiful • I like to watch people (not in a creepy way though, I just enjoy studying other humans and their interactions) • Books over movies • Documentaries are my favorite if the TV is on • Rainy days are my favorite • listening to a Thunderstorm makes me happy • besides lenses I like collecting coffee mugs 🙈 • I struggle with insomnia (hence late night posts and rambling) ok that’s all😄 I’m not the most interesting person I know but if you have a question drop it in the comments and I will do my best to answer it 💗 thank you for reading yet another rambling post... xx, Rachel
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