Unlike the rivers of the UK, the Rhine sees a good deal of freight traffic. A typical looking gas or liquid tanker is seen as it is about to pass under the Hohenzollern railway Bridge.

The Water Hyacinth, Eichhornia crassipes, is in the family Pontederiaceae, which includes other aquatic plants such as Pickerelweed and the Mud Plantains. It is native to Brazil. Unlike Pickerelweeds, which root themselves in the mud at the shoreline, Water Hyacinth is free-floating, consisting of wide rosettes of thick round or fan-shaped leaves, each leafstalk with a bulbous swelling near the base that provides flotation. The feathery roots dangle into the water, and the violet-blue flowers bloom on stalks that can extend as much as three feet above the plant. Water Hyacinth is the fastest-reproducing plant that has ever been measured--in addition to seeds, the plant can reproduce asexually by sending out horizontal runners called "stolons" which produce daughter plants. A single plant is capable of producing as many as 600 offspring within four months. A patch of Water Hyacinth can easily double its size in less than two weeks, and form thick dense mats in which most of the individual plants are linked to each other through stolons.

Because of its free-floating lifestyle and its attractive foliage and flowers, Water Hyacinth has long been popular for use as an ornamental plant in water gardens, fish ponds and aquariums, and has been widely exported around the world (many Internet aquarium shops sell it). As a result, it is one of the most common invasive plants on earth, and has now been established in over 50 countries in Africa, Asia and Australia. In the US, Water Hyacinth has become introduced throughout the Southeast, from North Carolina to Texas, and also in southern California and Hawaii. The plants have also been found in the wild in New York, Tennessee, Kentucky, Washington, Missouri, Arkansas and Oregon, but because the tropical Water Hyacinth cannot tolerate cold temperatures, they cannot survive the winter in these northern areas.

Once it becomes established, the plant can quickly cover an entire body of water, from shore to shore. The dense mats block out sunlight, killing off most of the native aquatic plants. They also reduce oxygen levels in the water, which can kill fish and other aquatic life. One acre of Water Hyacinth plants can weigh over 200 tons, enough to interfere with boats, making many rivers un-navigable, and to choke off water flow, turning the water stagnant. It also deposits about 500 tons of dead and rotted plant material on the bottom each year, leading to ponds and waterways being filled in.

It is believed that Water Hyacinth first entered Florida in 1884, by way of New Orleans. In 1884, at the New Orleans World Fair, a pavilion from Japan was giving out free Water Hyacinths as ornamental water plants (why the Japanese were giving out a plant from Brazil is a question that can no longer be answered.) One of the visitors to the World's Fair was Mrs WF Fuller from Florida, who took the lovely little plant with her back to Palatka, on the St John's River, and put it in her outdoors fish pond. When a sheet of Water Hyacinth covered her pond, she thinned it out, tossing some extra plants around her boat dock on the St John's River. By 1896, the plant covered more than 200 miles of river. When cattle rancher Eli Morgan saw how quickly the plant grew, he in turn decided it would make a good food source for his cattle, and transferred some Water Hyacinths to his ranch on the Kissimmee River. As it turned out, Water Hyacinths aren't very nutritious and the cattle didn't like them anyway. But the plants soon spread along the Kissimmee River, reaching Lake Okeechobee and fanning out across southern Florida. By the 1960's, Water Hyacinth mats covered some 120,000 acres of ponds and rivers all over Florida.

The state launched a multi-million dollar campaign to eradicate the invader. The plant was made illegal to import, keep, or release. Waterborne machines were developed to grind the mats into pulp, and large amounts of plant poisons were sprayed onto them. In some areas, two species of Hyacinth Weevils, insects from Brazil that kill the plants, were released as a form of biological control. Although reduced by over 98%, however, the plant defied all efforts to eradicate it. Today, Florida uses a constant program of "maintenance control" to keep the invasive plant at a tolerable level.

I found these growing and blooming in Lake Kissimmee, in Polk County, Florida.

Unlike Semipalmated sandpiper, this peep does not vacate the US in winter. Carlos Pointe.

.Unlike the Belted Kingfisher, this larger Ringed Kingfisher is not easy to find in North America.

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After Manu National Park, I flew to Puerto Maldonado, a small town at the South Eastern corner of Peru bordering Brazil. Not as many birds as the cloud forest of Manu but luckily I got this shot of the Ringed K.

It's really hot at P, Maldonado, temperature at around 36-40 degree C (97-104 F) high everyday year round. Be prepared if you go there.

Unlike the smoke shots with the incense this was a little harder to get. First the smoke wasn't as thick, second the smoke wanted to go straight up almost as soon as the flame was blown out. I had to blow the flame out and then wave my hand real quick to get the smoke to swirl.

Speedlite fired from left and behind at 1/4 power and bounced off of a white board to the right of the camera.

Unlike traditional Japanese raku, which is mainly hand built bowls of modest design, western raku tends to be vibrant in color, and comes in many shapes and sizes. Western raku can be anything from an elegant vase to an eccentric abstract sculpture. Although some do hand build, most western potters use throwing wheels while creating their raku piece. Western culture has even created a new sub-branch of raku called horse hair raku. These pieces are often white with squiggly black lines and smoke-like smudges. These effects are created by placing horse hair, feathers, or even sugar on the pottery as it is removed from the kiln and still extremely hot.

A day I can never forget.

4Th January 2020 my world sunk into darkness and there was nothing I could do but unlike many others our town was lucky, we were safe but at the time many did not believe this. we were surrounded by the fires and we had no way out.

Today I look back on my photos and I remember, I don't want to forget because if I forget then how have I learnt anything from that day.

With everything that is happening, isn't it time to see that we have to change our ways, we have to listen to those who know the land and we have to learn to understand what is happening around us.

We all play a part in how we live and how we respond.

I've always found these flowers interesting and very spider like... my friend had them in her garden and I took a bunch of seeds...

Cleomes aren't the most popular annuals sold at nurseries, and it might be because they look rather weedy as young seedlings. Unlike pert marigolds or dazzling New Guinea impatiens, cleomes usually do not start blooming until they are well established in the garden. Though they can be planted in early spring, many gardeners opt for a late fall seed sowing directly in garden soil.

Unlike many cars based on Jaguar running gear, which often tries to replicate the original, the Kougar is a bespoke design with a unique identity. Founded in the late 1970s by Rick Stevens, Kougar Cars used mostly tri4ed and tested Jaguar chassis and engines as the basis for a distinctive “love it or hate it” two-seater fibreglass body.

This 1967/1980s Jaguar Kougar GNH822F uses a 4.2 litre straight six from a 1967 Jaguar 420 with triple SU carburettors driving through a four-speed gearbox. The performance is spectacular, with over 200bhp in a car weighing 1,000kgs.

Around two-thirds of the cars were sold as self-built kits, usually completed by enthusiasts.

This example is on show at Haynes Motor Museum.

Unlike many people Filip enjoys being weighed.

This bird is a Grayish Baywing (Agelaioides badius) taking just a passing interest in a fly-by fly. They are usually vegetarian so should not be interested in insects as food. Baywings are a kind of Cowbird; New World Blackbirds in the family icteridae. But unlike most cowbirds, Baywings are sociable and don't lay their eggs in other birds' nests. The scientific name Agelaioides refers to their social or gregarious nature. The specific name badius is Latin for the colour chestnut, or reddish-brown, from the colour of the patch in its wing. Badius is also the root of the largely obsolete word "bay" meaning chestnut-coloured. The word persists in horses (a bay horse is reddish brown, usually with black mane and tail), and in Bay-breasted Warbler (Setophaga castanea) plus about twenty other birds, including Baywing. Grayish Baywing is found in open habitats in South America south of the Amazon, but an isolated population in NE Brazil has been split as Pale Baywing (Agelaioides fringillarius). I photographed this Grayish Baywing at Costanera Sur near Buenos Aries.

Even arachnophobes will have to admit: this is an amazing creature! Unlike other spiders, the Golden Orb Weaver uses gold silk to make its web. This golden gleam is especially easy to see in the morning, and is how this spider earned its name. Additionally, this fascinating example of Khao Sok wildlife builds some of the largest and strongest webs in the world! Nevertheless, these gentle giants are unaggressive, and harmless to humans.

Unlike the last time I took a picture of myself "on the phone," this time I was really talking to my friend Gayla, who was giving me advice and instructions about how to jump start my career. She called at 11:30, and I hadn't yet taken a picture for the day, so I snapped it while I was talking to her, smiling to my Flickr friends who say they like my smile (you know who you are...).

I felt better after the call, like I had more to a game plan and someone to watch that I followed it.

Unlike Malta, Gozo is a Picturesque fertile island which provide hidden treasures that you have to discover. The cliffs here provide a way from green water too clear blue water on the other side.Similar to the coasts off Sicily

Unlike the previous image www.flickr.com/photos/eugeneus/51720678651, here the direct sunlight hitting the mountain peak makes for high contrast and deep shadows. Flash with a diffuser added here to lighten the foreground.

Twite have a distribution unlike any other bird in the world. In Europe they are just about confined to northern Britain and Norway (plus a few in Sweden), but there is a population in the Himalayas from eastern Turkey across to China, which may be a separate species. In Britain the bulk of the population breeds in northern Scotland, with a few pairs in northern England and North Wales. In winter they move to the coast where they often feed on saltmarsh. There are also a few breeding around the coasts of Northern and western Ireland. They usually breed on moorland but feed on arable land and disturbed ground where they feed almost entirely on seeds. Even the chicks are fed on seeds, unlike most finches, which switch to protein-rich insects when feeding chicks. A few pairs breed near me in the Pennines but they are scarce, elusive and skittish. But I found them to be common and confiding on the Isle of Skye. I often saw them feeding on gravelly passing places on moorland roads and this photograph was taken early morning from the car on one such road. They are unremarkable in plumage, though males do have a pink rump, just about visible here below the wings. They also have a distinctive buffy face and some white in the wings and tail. They are really small too, less than half the weight of a sparrow. The scientific name Linaria flavirostris means yellow-billed, but they only have a yellow bill in winter. Here's one I took on the Lincs coast in winter with a yellow bill: www.flickr.com/photos/timmelling/15647225554/in/photolist And the name Twite is onomatopoeic after their buzzing nasal call which to my ear is unlike any other bird. Here is a flock recorded in Scotland giving the distinctive "twite" call www.xeno-canto.org/593210

View large

Murraba is a fruit pickle that originated in Gurjistan, the present day Republic of Georgia. It is traditionally sweet, prepared with fruit, sugar, and spices, and resembles a preserve. This one is made with cute little baby carrots, sugar and cardamom.

Sweet, but unlike an over powering sugary product; more akin to the subtle nuances of a ripe fruit. The pickling process has removed the tartness of the crisp carrot retaining a sturdy composition with texture; not so soft as to melt on the tongue, rather gentle, retaining shape with a slight bite between the teeth.

Unlike the light-brownish eyes that my family has, my nephew got his eye color from his father, my bro-in-law. They're so dark & beautiful, and seem to be able to reflect one's soul. In his eyes, I see innocence & joy, and they just bring me smiles. Oh yeah, you can tell that I'm a proud uncle!...LOL...:-)

Aug, 2008

SN/NC: Pelecanus Occidentalis, Pelecanidae Family

Pelecanus is a genus of seabirds commonly called pelicans, and belonging to the Pelecanidae family.

Pelicans are famous for their huge beaks, but they have another distinctive feature: unlike other waterfowl, they have all four webbed toes, just like cormorants and gannets. They eat fish, and most live in the sea. The pelican is the only animal that swallows salt water and turns it into fresh water in its throat for consumption.

Pelecanus é um gênero de aves marinhas comumente chamado de pelicanos, e pertencente à família Pelecanidae.

Os pelicanos são famosos por seus bicos enormes, mas eles têm outra característica distintiva: ao contrário de outras aves aquáticas, eles têm os quatro dedos palmados, assim como os corvos-marinhos e os gansos-patola. Eles comem peixe e a maioria vive no mar. O pelicano é o único animal que engole água salgada e a transforma em água doce na garganta para consumo

Pelecanus es un género de aves marinas llamadas vulgarmente pelícanos, y pertenecientes a la familia Pelecanidae.

Los pelícanos son famosos por sus enormes picos, pero poseen otro rasgo distintivo: a diferencia de otras aves acuáticas, tienen los cuatro dedos palmeados, al igual que los cormoranes y alcatraces . Se alimentan de peces, y la mayoría vive en el mar. El pelícano es el único animal que traga agua salada y en su garganta la convierte en agua dulce para su consumo.

Pelecanus è un genere di uccelli marini comunemente chiamati pellicani e appartenenti alla famiglia Pelecanidae.

I pellicani sono famosi per i loro enormi becchi, ma hanno un'altra caratteristica distintiva: a differenza di altri uccelli acquatici, hanno tutte e quattro le dita palmate, proprio come i cormorani e le sule. Mangiano pesce e la maggior parte vive nel mare. Il pellicano è l'unico animale che inghiotte l'acqua salata e la trasforma in acqua dolce nella sua gola per il consumo.

Pelecanus is een geslacht van zeevogels dat gewoonlijk pelikanen wordt genoemd en behoort tot de familie Pelecanidae.

Pelikanen staan ​​bekend om hun enorme snavels, maar ze hebben nog een ander onderscheidend kenmerk: in tegenstelling tot andere watervogels hebben ze alle vier tenen met zwemvliezen, net als aalscholvers en jan-van-gent. Ze eten vis, en de meeste leven in de zee. De pelikaan is het enige dier dat zout water inslikt en het in zijn keel verandert in zoet water voor consumptie.

Pelecanus est un genre d'oiseaux de mer communément appelés pélicans et appartenant à la famille des Pelecanidae.

Les pélicans sont célèbres pour leur énorme bec, mais ils ont une autre particularité : contrairement aux autres oiseaux aquatiques, ils ont les quatre doigts palmés, tout comme les cormorans et les fous de Bassan. Ils mangent du poisson et la plupart vivent dans la mer. Le pélican est le seul animal qui avale de l'eau salée et la transforme en eau douce dans sa gorge pour la consommation.

Pelecanus ist eine Gattung von Seevögeln, die gemeinhin als Pelikane bezeichnet werden und zur Familie der Pelecanidae gehören.

Pelikane sind berühmt für ihre riesigen Schnäbel, aber sie haben eine weitere Besonderheit: Im Gegensatz zu anderen Wasservögeln haben sie alle vier Zehen mit Schwimmhäuten, genau wie Kormorane und Basstölpel. Sie essen Fisch und die meisten leben im Meer. Der Pelikan ist das einzige Tier, das Salzwasser schluckt und es in seinem Rachen in Süßwasser für den Verzehr umwandelt.

‎البجع هو جنس من الطيور البحرية يسمى البجع ، وينتمي إلى عائلة البجع.

‎تشتهر طيور البجع بمناقيرها الضخمة ، لكن لديها ميزة مميزة أخرى: على عكس الطيور المائية الأخرى ، لديها جميع أصابع القدم الأربعة ، تمامًا مثل طيور الغاق والأطيش. يأكلون الأسماك ، ويعيش معظمهم في البحر. البجع هو الحيوان الوحيد الذي يبتلع الماء المالح ويحوله إلى ماء عذب في حلقه للاستهلاك.

ペリカンは、一般にペリカンと呼ばれる海鳥の属で、ペリカン科に属します。

ペリカンは巨大なくちばしで有名ですが、別の特徴があります。他の水鳥とは異なり、鵜やカツオドリと同じように、4 つの水かきのあるつま先があります。彼らは魚を食べ、ほとんどが海に住んでいます。ペリカンは、塩水を飲み込み、喉の中で新鮮な水に変えて消費する唯一の動物です。

Unlike the previous week, the crowds have gone and Betton Grange pleases those few present as it passes with the 15.30 Ex Loughborough service.

Unlike their close relatives Coots, Moorhen do not have lobed toes to facilitate swimming (I have pasted a Coot photo in the comments below for comparison). You can see here that Moorhens have long, thin, green toes, and it was actually the green colouration of the legs that gave rise to its scientific name chloropus, meaning green-footed. Moorhens do quite a few unusual things at nesting time. They usually start to incubate when they lay the first egg, so in a clutch of seven the young will hatch over a period of about seven days. But oddly for subsequent broods they wait for the full clutch before incubating so the young hatch together. This is odd because the young are nidifugous (means nest-fleeing) in that they walk around as soon as they hatch, so it is difficult for parents to look after different aged young while they continue incubating. Another unusual thing is that the young of the first brood stick around to help their parents raise the siblings in subsequent broods. This is quite rare in birds, although House Martins also do it.

Unlike the last few weeks here.

Thanks to all of you for your time, comments and favs. Truly appreciated..

Do not use or reproduce this image on websites, blogs or other media without my explicit permission. © All rights reserved.

The nictitating membrane

OK this is a photographic site not a biology site., but this particular piece of avian anatomy does produce an unusual photographic effect

Unlike us humans a birds eye is lubricated by this nictitating membrane, a third concealed eyelid that sweeps horizontally across the eye like a windscreen wiper

As this happens on this Kite the eye suddenly looks like a highly polished marble., which I think makes him look quite menacing

Unlike my previous posts from Conowingo Dam that showed a Bald Eagle hunting, this series is more scenic and artistic in nature.

Here I've used a teleconverter and cropped a bit to get in as tight as I could (from a half-mile away). I also pushed the post-processing; I think it looks more like a painting than a photograph.

View large for best results.

Unlike "Operation Chrome Dome" keeping B-52s continuously in the air, providing rapid delivery capability of thermonuclear weapon packages...

Fedex has a different fleet in the air (this photo capturing a Boeing 767), providing rapid delivery capability of much less dangerous packages.

The first threatened to end the world. The later very much keeps the world running.

Unlike last time, there was no fog at Ortlando Wetlands yesterday.

More info: edrosack.com/wordpress/2014/10/05/orlando-wetlands-and-bw...

Unlike any other flower in my garden, Sea Holly (Eryngium) makes a strong statement of originality and strength with its color, form, and spiny leaves. It is one of my favorite flowers & I couldn't resist the urge to paint it.

"We live in a rainbow of chaos."

~ Paul Cezanne

"Where flowers bloom, so does hope." ~ Lady Bird Johnson

Unlike Fence Friday it's Frosty Friday here in Plevna.

Canon DSLR with a Sigma 105mm macro lens and edited in Lightroom Classic.

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you all know that I appreciate your comments and visits although I may not get back to you quickly I will try.

Unlike most of Canada our people aren't used to this.

Unlike other dogs, Bella actually LOVED getting wrapped up in my scarf. She was a perfect model as she gave me several shots in this session. She is one of the most well behaved dogs I pet sit for... and she's young too. Don't know exactly how old as she's a rescue dog, but somewhere around a year old.

Unlike last year’s submissions, when I challenged myself to triple alliterations and puns, this year I simply tried to make a quadrant kaleidoscopes out of each picture from last year. It worked for all but 2 of last year’s photos, so I found 2 new subjects.

This photo is one of these 2 subjects where I used a a new object.

Unlike the previous two uploads, this one was taken at the eastern shore of the lake a few minutes earlier. I noticed wind on this side and still water on the other side, so I ran to the western shore to catch some reflections. Yet I love the mood in this one too.

Perks of being a local: spontaneity!

Unlike a one-way street.

It is one of the most significant Victorian era boomtowns in Australia. Just months after Victoria was granted separation from New South Wales, the Victorian gold rush transformed Ballarat from a small sheep station to a major settlement. Gold was discovered at Poverty Point on 18 August 1851 and news quickly spread of rich alluvial fields where gold could easily be extracted. Within months, approximately 20,000 migrants had rushed the district. Several Australian mining innovations were made at the Ballarat diggings including the first use of a Chilean mill in 1851 and the first use of a mine cage in 1861. Unlike many other gold rush boom towns, the Ballarat fields experienced sustained high gold yields for decades.

Unlike today Wednesday was not so sunny! I am looking forward to meeting flickr friend 'Blue Spirit Images' www.flickr.com/photos/blue-spirit/ here on Sunday and she and her hubby pass through on their East Coast Road Trip.

Today I was out in the sun all day and I have to admit I am pretty burnt. My poor face is as pink as one of the local lobsters.

Eastern Passage is a Canadian urban community in Nova Scotia's Halifax Regional Municipality.

Located at the southeastern edge of Halifax Harbour, fronting the Atlantic Ocean, Eastern Passage derives its name from the narrow strait separating the mainland from McNabs Island, an island in the harbour lying several hundred metres west of the community. This "Eastern Passage" into the harbour is not the main shipping channel due to its shallow depths; the main shipping channel lies west of McNabs Island. The Eastern Passage is largely used by small recreational boats and fishing vessels during inclement weather as the island affords shelter from prevailing winds.

Unlike many of the flowers in the garden, this one is still looking great. We had very heavy rain last night; again! Some very pretty rain drops on the petals.

Unlike the sharply declining Golden-winged Warbler, the numbers for the Blue-winged appear stable and its range is expanding. Seen at Port Huron SGA.

Unlike most waterfowl, Wood Ducks perch and nest in trees and are comfortable flying through woods. Their broad tail and short, broad wings help make them maneuverable. When swimming, the head jerks back and forth much as a walking pigeon's does. You often see Wood Ducks in small groups (fewer than 20), keeping apart from other waterfowl. Listen for the female's call when these wary birds flush.

Look for Wood Ducks in wooded swamps, marshes, streams, beaver ponds, and small lakes. They stick to wet areas with trees or extensive cattails. As a cavity nester, Wood Ducks take readily to nest boxes.

Unlike the brown pelican which dives for food, American white pelicans hunt as a group while swimming. These birds seen on the Red River at Lockport, Manitoba, Canada, migrate south in winter.

Unlike Colas liveried 37219 leading , Europhoenix 37611 sticks out in the autumnal colours at Treeton as they pass working the 1245 VSTP 1Z37 Neville Hill - Derby.

19 11 17

Unlike the Nagano area where I live, it rarely snows in Tokyo now. Nevertheless, in this old Japanese garden, during winter, we engage in "雪囲い-yukigakoi" to protect pine trees from snow. This custom may not be necessary in areas without heavy snowfall. However, I believe I'm not the only one who wishes for these beautiful landscapes to endure indefinitely.

Unlike Glossy Starlings the Violet-Backed Starling spends very little time on the ground so isn't seen quite as often. They feed on fruit and insects and follow the fruiting cycle of trees.

I saw them quite frequently in the Makuleke but this is the closest I was able to get for a photo.

Makuleke Concession

Pafuri region

Kruger National Park

Limpopo

South Africa

www.photoafrica.net

Unlike its namesake dove, the warbler is so called not for how it sounds but how it looks. Seen at Marquette.

Unlike the lookalike Moorhen, this Water Rail is a very shy bird, and spends most of its time skulking around in the reeds out of sight.

This one came out from cover and was wandering around in clear view for a short while.

Unlike some of the more gourmet chowders, this seafood version is very basic due to its origins. The recipe came from a friend's father and was what he cooked for his crew on his boat when out fishing for days on end during the 1930's and 40's. Where most recipes call for fresh milk or cream, this one calls for evaporated milk simply because fresh was not available out at sea in those days. This recipe is a real crowd pleaser. If you'd like the recipe, please message me.

A waterfall, a cave and a huge wedge of rock that seems to defy gravity. Unlike me on the climb down!

Unlike most lemurs, which are arboreal and nocturnal, this species is diurnal and can often be found on the ground of arid forests in southern Madagascar.

It feeds on all kinds of leaves, sprouts, roots and fruit and it is a gregarious animal that forms groups of up to thirty individuals, which are usually led by females.

Unlike the somewhat similar Common Tern, Forster's is exclusive to the New World. Selfridge Boat Launch. Macomb Co.