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When I visited the Green Swamp in early May, I saw flowers of Yellow Pitcher Plant (Sarracenia flava), but all of them were mature and had lost their petals. However, 3 parts of the flower persist long after the petals are gone:
1) The 5 large petal-like structures are the sepals.
2) The 3 smaller structures above the sepals are bracts.
3) The green umbrella-shaped structure beneath the sepals is the style, an extension of the ovary that receives the pollen.
When the petals are present, they are anchored directly beneath the sepals, and hang down through the dips in the style.
Location: The Green Swamp near Wilmington, North Carolina
A rare, pure-black specimen of the Northwestern Garter snake. Despite looking rather ominous, this was one of the friendliest snakes I've ever handled. Thanks to Collin for his help!
I was conducting a site tour of the Cowichan Garry Oak Preserve near Duncan on Vancouver Island with members of the Nature Conservancy of Canada's BC Region Board of Directors, when through the thick undergrowth of camas flowers I spotted this snake slithering along. We see snakes at this particular site all the time, and although I do find them interesting, I do not normally bother to catch them. This one looked somehow unique, and I can't explain why I felt that I needed to catch it, I just did it.
After picking it up, I was astonished to see that it had absolutely no colouration at all. Normally the snakes we see are an olive-brown with clear and vibrant red-yellow markings. For that reason, I got excited by my find. Was it an unrecorded species for this area? An exotic pet released into the wild? A strange colour morph of a more common snake?
Not knowing it's taxonomy, and understanding that exotic pets do get away fairly often, I was a bit worried that it may be venemous or at least behave aggressively, but this little snake was very content to coil around my wrist and fingers without any indication of wanting to strike or even being stressed or affraid.
I passed him on to my colleague Collin to hold, while I took macro shots of key identification features so that I could identify the species later on.
www.flickr.com/photos/timennis/499207278/in/photostream/
The funny thing about that is that last week I did a very impromptu photo shoot of a pacific treefrog with Joel Sartore from National Geographic using some frogs my kids had caught and a white file folder that I happened to have in my truck as a backdrop. I still had that same folder in my truck, so picking up that tip from Joel, we used it as a backdrop to many of our snake shots including this one.
Unlike the frogs last week, this subject was all too happy to model for us, showing no real interest in escaping. Meanwhile, Jan Garnett, the Vice-President of NCC in BC tried calling various reptile experts to get some indication of the taxonomy, so that we could make a decision as to the little snake's fate. If it were an exotic, introduced species/lost pet we may have done one thing, whereas if it were a rare species or new record for the area, we may have done another thing. As we could not reach anyone by phone, we decided that after the photo shoot, we would just let it go right where we found it, which we did. A wise decision as it turns out.
A close look at the photos with my key to reptile identification revealed that this was most certainly a Northwestern Garter snake (Thamnophis ordinoides), which is very common in our area. This was determined by counting the scutes (scales) on the body and head, as well as looking at features like the shape of the pupil, shape and size of the head etc.
Normally, Northwestern Garter snakes are olive-brown with red/yellow markings, however (accordng to the books) in rare cases, these critters can be pure black like this one is. They call that the "melanistic" form. It's kind of like being an albino, but in reverse.
What also made the day kind of neat was that just moments before catching the snake, I was pointing out an albino (pure white) camas flower to the Board members. Camas is normally a blue-purple flower. (Refer to other photos in my stream for images of the common and albino forms of this flower.)
The take home message from all of this is:
1. Nature is an astonishingly beautiful and mysterious place. We can never know it all, but taking the time to be engaged with the natural world through hands-on exploration can only enrich, and deepen your appreciation of life.
2. Biodiversity is much more than just the different numbers and types of species that exist. It extends at the genetic level to variations like melanistic/albino forms within populations of a given species. Conserving habitat that is large enough to allow natural variation at the genetic level to persist is critical. Little "postage-stamp" nature preserves will always be critical, but landscape-level conservation and the maintenance of healthy functioning ecosystems and ecological processes (like gene flow through population mixing) is totally essential.
Each of us can do things in our lives, no matter how busy we may be, towards both 1 and 2 above.
The Gordon Butler Nature Preserve is located in the Sandhills community of Hope Mills just south of Fayetteville, NC, in Cumberland County. This 12.5-acre preserve contains an impressive assemblage of pine flatwoods plants including an amazing collection of mountain laurel flower color variants and the rare white wicky (Kalmia cuneata). This preserve is also the site of a longleaf pine restoration project funded by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program.
Along the Butcher Slough at the Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary on the Northcoast of Humboldt County
Sorry about reposting. Do you ever post an image and look at it later and wonder just what were you thinking? After looking at my first attempt, I got to thinking that it looked more like a postcard snapshot. What I saw through my viewfinder was this soft, very special bird. I think this better converys the mood that I was feeling.
Old, rusted pipe along the Middle Mountain Trail, Clinton County, at the West Branch Forest Preserve.
White-tailed deer, Johnsonburg Swamp Preserve, Warren County.
The Nature Conservancy owns and manages the preserve.
Orange Milkwort (Polygala lutea) is one of my favorite wildflower species to encounter in the Southeastern Coastal Plain. The flowers are sometimes called "Bog Cheetos".
Location: The Green Swamp near Wilmington, North Carolina
I have seen photos of very shaggy-looking Bird's-nest fungi still with their caps on, and I wondered if that is what the 'things' in the centre of this photo might be. I couldn't think of any plant that looks like this. Any help with ID would be so much appreciated!
"The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) has a rare opportunity to protect a 640-acre (260-hectare) property neighbouring Alberta's capital city. In 1974, five families bought Bunchberry Meadows Conservation Area — a parcel of land bordering Edmonton near the Devonian Botanic Garden. For 40 years the families cared for the land, protecting important habitat for moose and numerous other species.
The five ownership families have generously offered to sell Bunchberry Meadows Conservation Area to the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) for half the asset value. Their vision is to ensure that the land is conserved for our province; particularly for our children.
Over the years Bunchberry Meadows has remained intact. But the surrounding lands and the city of Edmonton have undergone significant changes. Natural spaces in and around Edmonton continue to be developed. It’s increasingly difficult for city dwellers to find open green spaces to enjoy a sunny afternoon, or teach their children about the outdoors.
The campaign for Bunchberry Meadows was officially launched in Edmonton on May 21, 2015. Since then, Edmontonians have stepped up in support so that this special community amenity can be created.
Urban development on this property would mean the loss of habitat for many plant and wildlife species, and the loss of a wonderful space in which Albertans and all Canadians can reconnect with nature.
In June 2016, the Bunchberry campaign was closed successfully. NCC will open Bunchberry to the public in the fall of 2016 as a natural retreat for everyone to enjoy."
www.natureconservancy.ca/en/where-we-work/alberta/feature...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=FibqXugavrc
On 17 September 2016, it was a long day, spent with a group of people - some of us travelled north from Calgary and others lived in or near the capital city of Alberta - Edmonton. Two friends had been invited to meet with members of the Nature Conservancy of Canada, to do a walk at a newly acquired 640 acre parcel of land, immediately to the east of the Devonian Botanic Garden. Edmonton is a three-hour drive north of Calgary, so it makes for a long drive when one goes for just a day trip. Set my alarm for 4:20 am. That, plus walking for several hours (my pedometer said 16,175 steps by the time I went to bed) completely knocked me out.
One of the two friends I went with, Dr. Peter Whitehead (who drove us there and back, which was wonderful) is an ecologist and bryologist, and founder of the Western Canada Bryophyte and Lichen Interest Group. Also, see the first link below about his exciting program for school children.
www.capeecology.ca/people.html
The other friend I went with was Dr. Janet Marsh, Lichenologist. She is considered one of Canada's leading authorities on lichens. So, as you can see, I was in the company of extremely knowledgeable people. I'll add that I have been on many outings the last few years that have included both these specialists. Always most enjoyable and lots of fun!
My big confession is that so many of the lichens that they find are growing in forests - and when I'm in a forest, my focus immediately turns to fungi! Which is why I still barely know anything about lichens : ) I do enjoy photographing them, however, and have quite a few in my photostream. This day, I was able to see a number of different fungi, which made my day.
The people of Edmonton and area are so very fortunate that this land is being preserved by the Nature Conservancy of Canada. What a beautiful area of meadows, bogs and forest! I especially liked the spectacular Birch trees that were growing there, with their beautiful peeling bark - some of these trees were quite large.
Thanks so much to the Nature Conservancy of Canada for inviting us for this walk. I know you will receive extensive lists of the species that Peter and Janet found. Many thanks, Peter, for organizing this trip and for all the driving you did, too. I really appreciated the opportunity to visit this new area and capture a few species with my camera. Even the weather cooperated, giving us a very pleasant temperature for walking (around 18C?) and even the rain that had been falling in Edmonton, stopped for the rest of the day. A great day in great company!
Zoomed-in vista of the West Branch Susquehanna River Valley, Clinton County, from the Donut Hole Trail at the West Branch Forest Preserve.
This is one of several vistas along the red-blazed Donut Hole Trail as it follows a pipeline swath along a narrow ridge.
Each summer, up to 80% of the world's population of Semipalmated Sandpipers (Calidris pusilla) arrive in the upper Bay of Fundy from their breeding grounds in the Arctic. The extreme tides of the bay expose mudflats which extend for 3 or 4 Km and are the habitat of mud shrimp (Chorophium volutator). These shorebirds feed on mud shrimp at low tide and, in the 10 to 15 days spent here, they double their weight in fat reserves in order to complete a nonstop 72 hour flight to South America. At high tide, they roost at the water's edge. Other shorebird species are also found in these huge flocks.
For a fascinating account of the origin of mud shrimp in the Bay of Fundy and the Gulf of Maine, please see the following CBC Radio link:
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/maritime-sea-life-li...
These photos were taken at the Nature Conservancy Canada Interpretive Centre, Johnson's Mills, New Brunswick.
Circumpolar star trails at dawn over the historic Butala homestead at the Old Man on His Back Prairie and Heritage Conservation Area in southwest Saskatchewan, taken May 2015. This is a stack of 70 frames from a larger time-lapse sequence, from the end of the sequence in the dawn twilight. Each exposure is 40 seconds with the 14mm lens at f/2.8 and Canon 60Da at ISO 1600. Stacked with Advanced Stacker Actions. The foreground comes from a stack of 8 of the final exposures, mean combined, to smooth noise.
A reflection of cypress trees in the Cypress Island Preserve at Lake Martin, near Lafayette, LA.
Buy a copy of my new book, A Carolina Mountain Perspective.
Hardwoods and white pines at the West Branch Forest Preserve, a Nature Conservancy preserve in Clinton County.
Some trees have blackened bark from a prescribed burn several years ago. Dense thickets of mountain laurel were burned within a 20-acre tract of upland (plateau) forest to encourage the growth of tree seedlings.
Tiger Creek Preserve is a Nature Conservancy location here in Central Florida, featuring a great deal of scrub and sandhill habitat that provides varied topography for hiking.
The Nature Conservancy, Cold Spring Harbor, NY. I found this skipper while hiking through a wood. Skippers are normally very active and skittish. I was able to get my lens within a few inches for this hand-held shot and it never flinched. I assume it was asleep, as it was after 6:00 PM.
Trailhead along Sugar Camp Road, Sproul State Forest, Clinton County, near the West Branch Forest Preserve.
The trail (actually a woods road) leads to a magnificent vista.
Photograph copyright Carlton Ward Jr.
Flamingos in an isolated, shallow chain of lakes north of Flamingo Key. They aggregate in this location and no others nearby.
The remote west side of Andros Island in the Bahamas is the proposed site of a new national park and marine protected area. From June 18-30, 2006, The Nature Conservancy, organized a team of 20 researchers to participate in an ecological assessment of West Andros in to define priorities for planning the protected areas. The multi-national team of biologists focused on sea turtles, flamingos, bonefish, geology, benthic ecology, fish ecology, plant commuities, reptlies and amphibians.
The Nature Conservancy Bahamas office has rights to using this photography for its programs, but may not sell the photograph release it for use by parties outside of its immediate control without direct consent from Carlton Ward Jr. TNC publications with photo budgets, such as Nature Conservancy Magazine, TNC Calendar, and TNC annual report, must may standard rate for use. Whe photo is used, credit must be given "Photo by Carlton Ward Jr"
showing his genius, FLW designed a pool within the streambed of Bear Run at Fallingwater in the Laurel Highlands of PA; that's the free-flowing river on the right and the quiet, deep pool on the left. stone stairs led up to the house above, where i shot this from a terrace. rumor has it swimsuits were optional.
Calloway Forest Preserve is on Aberdeen Road, North Carolina Highway 211 outside of Raeford in Hoke County.
Whetham Cabin, Clinton County, at the West Branch Forest Preserve.
This is a restored Civilian Conservation Corps–built cabin at the site of the Whetham Fire Tower (removed in the early 1990s).
The Nature Conservancy hosts a group of roughly 30 visitors for a vernal pool hike at Forest Pools Preserve, adjacent to Kings Gap State Park in Cumberland County, Pa., on March 25, 2016. Because vernal pools, or seasonal wetlands, dry up every year, they don't harbor fish and thus are critical habitat for many amphibian species. (Photo by Will Parson/Chesapeake Bay Program)
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