I let Azizi clamber over some very new, very hard cherry tomatoes (room temp) to show how tiny he is. He's supposed to eat fruit but like most Tenrec owners, they are faddy so any fruit and veg has to be fed via the bugs! It's called gut loading and it ensures that my 6 quilled wonders get all the nutrients they need.

Norfolk Hawker - Anaciaeschna isoceles

Habitat

The optimum conditions for breeding appear to be unspoilt grazing marsh dyke systems with clean, non-saline water, rushy margins, preferably with an abundance of water soldier as well as other aquatic plants.

Threats

Conversion of grazing marsh to arable farming.

Inappropriate ditch management.

Nutrients enrichment.

Pollution.

The impact of global climate change and fluctuations in water levels.

Status & Distribution

The Norfolk Hawker is currently restricted to the fens and grazing marshes that are relatively isolated from polluted water in the Broadlands of Norfolk and Northeast Suffolk. A Local Biodiversity Action Plan (LBAP) for the Norfolk Hawker has been drafted for Norfolk.

Similar Species

Brown Hawker

Brown wings.

Blue-brown eyes.

Blue and yellow markings.

Management

Norfolk Hawker Management Profile

General management principles include maintaining grazing marshes, controlling saline intrusion, controlling nutrient enrichment. There are also best practice guidelines for managing inhabited sites, particularly the dyke vegetation and the surrounding terrestrial habitats.

Case Study

Work is underway to restore habitats for this species in Norfolk.

A close up shot of the Sundew plant showing the sticky globules that attracts insects. By absorbing insects the plant can obtain additional minerals and nutrients which are lacking in the acid wetland soils.

Fly agaric (Amanita muscaria) 🍄🍄 Famous, enchanting and highly toxic. Fly agaric is the home of fairies and magical creatures and a lover of birch woodland, where it helps trees by transferring nutrients into their roots, but if eaten can cause hallucinations and psychotic reactions.

Thanks for all the nice comments, it is much appreciated

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

Regards, Bram van Broekhoven (BraCom)

My Website | Facebook | Instagram

Have a nice and wonderful new week

Yellow-rattle has yellow, tube-like flowers protruding from an inflated, green calyx, which appear May to September. It has serrated leaves with heavy, dark veins, which sprout opposite each other all the way up the stem. Its stems have black spots.

When the flowers of yellow-rattle fade, the brown calyxes (containing the sepals) in which the tiny seeds ripen can be seen and heard - they give a distinctive 'rattle', hence the common name. Yellow-rattle is an annual that thrives in grasslands, living a semi-parasitic life by feeding off the nutrients in the roots of nearby grasses. For this reason, it was once seen as an indicator of poor grassland by farmers, but is now often used to turn improved grassland back to meadow - by feeding off the vigorous grasses, it eventually allows more delicate, traditional species to push their way through.

Norfolk Hawker - Anaciaeschna isoceles (M)

Habitat

The optimum conditions for breeding appear to be unspoilt grazing marsh dyke systems with clean, non-saline water, rushy margins, preferably with an abundance of water soldier as well as other aquatic plants.

Threats

Conversion of grazing marsh to arable farming.

Inappropriate ditch management.

Nutrients enrichment.

Pollution.

The impact of global climate change and fluctuations in water levels.

Status & Distribution

The Norfolk Hawker is currently restricted to the fens and grazing marshes that are relatively isolated from polluted water in the Broadlands of Norfolk and Northeast Suffolk. A Local Biodiversity Action Plan (LBAP) for the Norfolk Hawker has been drafted for Norfolk.

Similar Species

Brown Hawker

Brown wings.

Blue-brown eyes.

Blue and yellow markings.

Management

Norfolk Hawker Management Profile

General management principles include maintaining grazing marshes, controlling saline intrusion, controlling nutrient enrichment. There are also best practice guidelines for managing inhabited sites, particularly the dyke vegetation and the surrounding terrestrial habitats.

Case Study

Work is underway to restore habitats for this species in Norfolk.

Purple dead-nettle is a low annual, unpleasant-smelling, fast-growing dead-nettle that blooms from March to October.

www.wildebloemen.info/pages%20bloemen/P/paarse%20dovenete...

It can bloom even in mild winters.

It grows to a height of 10 to 30 cm and is very common throughout the Netherlands.

It grows on open, moist, very nutrient-rich soil in fields and vegetable gardens, on dikes and on roadsides, also in the dunes and under coppice wood. In a short time the plant can form entire carpets.

Approaching Sylvan Pass from Yellowstone National Park's east entrance, I encountered this snag forest in the Absaroka Range.

Snag forests are actually quite beneficial to the ecosystem, providing nutrient rich resources to the various fora and fauna inhabiting the area. This forest is a result of lightning caused wildfires in 2007.

Phalaenopsis Orchids Are Nicknamed ‘Moth orchids’

You may have heard Phalaenopsis orchids called “moth orchids” before. While it might seem like the nickname originated from the appearance of the blooms — which do look like a pretty moth taking flight — the actual reason for the nickname goes much deeper. “Phalaenopsis” comes from the Latin word “phal,” which translates to “moth.” Of course, this isn’t a coincidence: Carl Ludwig Blume, who gave Phalaenopsis orchids their name, supposedly chose it due to the moth resemblance.

The Phalaenopsis Fragrance Is Most Pronounced at Sunrise

If you’ve ever woken up in the morning to the sweet smell of orchids and wondered why your nose was so keen to the scent in the early morning, it turns out there’s actually a reason for that. The lightly sweet smell of a flowering orchid is actually most pronounced at sunrise.

Phalaenopsis Orchids Grow Naturally in Trees

Even though we’re so conditioned to see them in pots, Phalaenopsis orchids actually naturally grow in trees. However, while they like to use trees as their grounding place, orchids don’t actually extract nutrients from their host tree. They have aerial roots that curl around tree trunks and branches, rather than burrow into soil.

Phalaenopsis Orchids can get Sunburned

You likely already know that you shouldn’t put your orchid in direct sunlight, but did you know that doing so can actually cause your plant to develop a sunburn? Rather than turning red, a sunburned orchid will have withered, yellowed leaves or develop brown and white splotches. If this happens, move your orchid to a shadier spot immediately and do your best to keep your plant hydrated.

Phalaenopsis Orchids are Native to Southeast Asia

If you’ve ever wondered where your orchids originate from, here’s your answer: Southeast Asia. However, you’ll also find Phals native to the Philippines and Australia.

Phalaenopsis Orchids Can Take Up to a Year To Flower

Most Phalaenopsis take their sweet time to flower. Luckily, unless you’re an orchid grower, most plant owners don’t have to wait through this process. By the time you purchase your orchid, it should either already be in a blooming cycle or have buds ready to burst.

Trees share water and nutrients through the networks, and also use them to communicate. They send distress signals about drought and disease, for example, or insect attacks, and other trees alter their behavior when they receive these messages. Scientists call these mycorrhizal networks. I think they have a special language when they run into each other trying to reach the sky or is it some kind of competition between them?

There must have been a lot of nutrient blown ashore to fertilize the wildflowers at the shore of Lake St. Clair (Michigan). The pink flowers in the foreground are Common Milkweed, a favorite of Monarch Butterflies. Behind are Blue Vervain, and the wild snakelike whips with yellow clusters of flowers are Black Mustard.

The tallest of the flowers was taller than me! 5'11" (180cm)

Even this seed pod looks happy on a summer day and who doesn't? It doesn't matter if people consider it an aggressive annual weed.

Velvetleaf (Abutilon theophrasti) wreak havoc in crops, roadsides, disturbed areas, and pastures. The plant thrives in nutrient-rich soils and competes aggressively with crops for nutrients. Velvetleaf seeds can persist for decades, so preventing seed set is important for this species.

Thank you very much for your kind comments and visit, much appreciated! © All rights reserved.

Especie de Ave #143 subido a Flickr

Visita mi segunda cuenta de flickr con menos calidad:

www.flickr.com/photos/155364995@N05/

www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1259536601

My Instagram; emmhpsv

El colibri Garganta Verde una especie de altura que le gusta el habitat de montaña y nebuloso apropiado encontrarlo en El Area Protegida Cerro Verde al occidente de la Ciudad de San Salvador El Salvador.

como todos los colibri se alimentan de nectar de flores en especial de color rojas y amarillas pero para conseguir mas nutrientes en ocaciones buscan diminutos insectos de donde obtienen algunas proteinas importantes para su salud.

Los girasoles, aún la mayoría sin abrir la flor, excepto este ejemplar que por acción de los nutrientes ha desarrollado su flor antes que los demás. ¡Enhorabuena chaval!

El ISO fue un olvido, pero aún así, ningún ruido en la fotografía, para que después hablen mal de las micro 4/3,

Sunflowers, most of them still without opening the flower, except for this specimen that, due to the action of nutrients, has developed its flower before the others. Congratulations lad!

The ISO was forgotten, but even so, no noise in the photograph, so that later they speak ill of the micro 4/3,

The small milkweed bug is a species of seed bug in the family Lygaeidae.

It is found in north temperate regions of North America and is not a migratory insect. Only adults overwinter and they do not begin reproduction until the following April. Females are receptive to males in all seasons. The eggs are laid on milkweed in the spring.

Small milkweed bugs' primary sources of nutrients are flower nectar and milkweed seeds. If these food sources are limited, they may feed on other insects. (Wikipedia)

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

Although there was plenty of milkweed in the area, there were few flowers, so this Milkweed Bug is feasting on Pearly Everlasting flowers instead.

Pinhey Dunes, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. August 2022.

Hello my amazing Flickr friends !

Today is a pink or purple day at Color my World Daily and we have another awesome theme at Smile on Saturday : cakes and cookies. And what is better than cookies ? Flying cookies of course. Juste like the chocolate from yesterday’s picture those are very, very low in calories but very, very high in not really essential nutrients… So if you can catch flying cookies (since they are very light, they can be very, very fast), you can have as many as you want …. And don’t worry about the weight !! Those cookies are absolutely guilt free since we all know that guilt feels like the heaviest element on earth. So please, treat yourself to a guilt free, very light and delicious cookie … or whatever you like !

See you later my friends !! Happy SOS and happy CMWD to all participants and Flickr users !! Mucho, mucho amor for you all !!

Thank you so much for all your lovely comments / favs/ general support / happy thoughts!! Stay safe and well!!

Llegó el tiempo de salir del letargo invernal para todo ser vivo y los bulbos comienzan a florecer..

Las freesias siempre son las primeras.Debo aclarar que en el caso de las freesias, no son bulbos, sino “cormos”, tallos engrosados subterráneos, de base hinchada y crecimiento vertical que contiene nudos y abultamientos de los que salen yemas; los cuales cumplen la función de órgano reservante de nutrientes. En su base produce pequeños cormos nuevos para nuevas plantas.

Hay quince variedades de freesia , originaria del continente africano …La popular "freesia" de los jardines y de flor cortada para la venta, es Freesia hybrida, basada en varias hibridaciones del género, que dieron como resultado las que todos conocemos con buen tamaño y colores bien brillantes, cultivares comerciales modernos , con menos perfume que los que ofrece la naturaleza.

Hoy subo esta Freesia Laxa. Se utiliza como planta para hacer bordes porque resulta muy ornamental

Las pequeñas flores de 2cm son de color rojo , con marcada intensidad en los tres sépalos inferiores, también hay de flor blanca o azul claro, pero solo tengo de este color y bien feliz que estoy con ella..

Male common blues have violet-blue upper wings with grey-beige undersides. However, females vary from those with predominantly brown upper wings and orange crescents, usually more common in the south, to those with more blue, found farther north and west.

This butterfly is common throughout the UK. There are often two broods, with eggs laid in June, then August and September. Common blue caterpillars hibernate and pupate in April and May giving rise to adults in May and June.

The caterpillars are short, green and furry. They feed on the underside of young leaves, leaving the upper leaf epidermis intact. This creates silvery blotches on the leaves that are easy to spot.

The caterpillars secrete nutrient-containing substances that attract ants. In turn, the ants protect the caterpillar from predators. Ants probably tend the chrysalis too.

Adults drink nectar from flat-headed flowers. Caterpillars eat wild, leguminous plants such as bird's-foot trefoil, rest harrow and white clover.

I saw this Leonard's Skipper on the path sipping nutrients from the soil. I cautiously approached and discovered that some dirt and small pebbles were preventing me from getting a decent shot. I bent down and started clearing the dirt away and to my surprise this little skipper flew up and landed on my finger. It must have been some mighty tasty dirt because it stayed on my finger for quite some time. It was a wonderful experience to see a Leonard's Skipper this close up.

Baltimore County, Maryland

Hawthorn berries are tiny fruits that grow on trees and shrubs belonging to the Crataegus genus.

The genus includes hundreds of species commonly found in Europe, North America, and Asia.

These nutrient-rich berries have a tart, tangy taste and mild sweetness. They range in color from yellow to dark red (1Trusted Source).

For hundreds of years, people have used hawthorn berry as an herbal remedy for digestive problems, heart issues, and high blood pressure. In fact, the berry has been a key part of traditional Chinese medicine since at least 659 A.D. (1Trusted Source).

Nepenthes, also called tropical pitcher plant or monkey cup,

The pitcher plant is a type of plant that eats insects, also called a carnivorous plant. They are rare and unique. Typical plants consume nutrients from the soil, but carnivorous plants are found in nutrient-poor soil. They get their nutrition from insects they "catch," after converting them into a form they can digest or absorb.

The pitcher plant is a carnivorous type of plant that includes several species. It attracts insects to it using the scents of nectar and already-captured dead insects, and once inside, insects cannot escape and drown in a pool of water at the bottom. Instead of getting nutrients from the soil, the pitcher plant uses enzymes to digest the insects for its nutrition. It is located along the east coast of North America, in bogs and other wet locations with acidic soil.

Carnivorous plants have a variety of methods to get prey: pitfall traps (like the pitcher plant), snap traps (like venus flytraps) and flypaper traps (like sundews) are just a few. In North America there are 10 known species in the genus Sarracenia, the pitcher plants. Sarracenia purpurea is probably the most common.

According to the International Carnivorous Plant Society, pitcher plants of the genus Sarracenia are located in the eastern United States, from the southeast and along the coastline up through British Columbia.

Pitcher plants are mostly found in bogs, often in the wettest sections. Although they don't require acidic soil, they are well-adapted to nutrient-poor and acidic dirt. They live in areas that are prone to fires, and can survive fire under some circumstances.

Pitcher plants resemble their name: they look like pitchers. Inside the elongated structure is a pool of water. Decaying insects that have been trapped inside, along with nectar from the "lid," attract flies, beetles, butterflies and other insects to the plant. The plant's flowers are the color of raw meat, which further serves to attract flies.

Once inside, many insects find it difficult to exit the structure, so they eventually drown in the liquid. The interior walls are waxy and slippery, and there are hairs toward the top that aid in keeping prey trapped. The plant's enzymes digest the meal and the plant is then able to absorb the nutrients.

While pitcher plants are popular houseplants, it is not a good idea to harvest them from the wild because some species have become extinct this way. Instead, obtain them through a nursery. They are best-suited to bog gardens and indoor terrariums, and they require sunlight and mildly acidic soil.

Some insects and animals live harmoniously with pitcher plants. Some predators, like spiders, use the lid to hide under, and some insect larvae, like mosquitoes, live inside the pitcher plant itself. Ants that die inside the plant are used for their decaying scent to attract other prey. Sometimes small frogs will hide in pitcher plants, eating flies that are attracted to the plant.

Closeup view of a Mexican Sunflower from the bottom.

This damselfly is sitting on a seed bud when it opens, you can seet the seed here.

When a seed comes to rest in conditions suited to its germination, it breaks open and the embryo inside starts to grow.

Roots grow down to anchor the plant in the ground. Roots also take up water and nutrients and store food.

A shoot grows skyward and develops into a stem that carries water and nutrients from the roots to the rest of the plant. The stem also supports leaves so they can collect sunlight.

Leaves capture sunlight to make food for the plant through the process of photosynthesis.

Flowers of Monotropastrum humile, which belongs to Ericaseae. Azaleas are typical members of Ericaseae. Monotropastrum humile is a parasitic plant, unable to perform photosynthesis, and receives nutrients from fungus. It is distributed in East and Central Asia. In Amami Oshima, Japan.

奄美大島で見たギンリョウソウです。

The stone pine is also known as the "Queen of the Alps". This very old stone pine tree lost its crown probably when it was still young. Nevertheless, it managed to survive in these difficult conditions at 2016 m above sea level with metres of snow in winter. It grows on a rock without much soil underneath its roots. In order to get a good hold an enough water and nutrients from the soil, it has developed an enormous root system Even though it looks like it is growing on a poor site, it has chosen to grow on the most beautiful spot on this mountain lake 💕

The mountainlake "Obersee" is located on the border East Tyrol (Austria) with South Tyrol (Italy).

Sony Alpha 7III; Canon EF 16-35 mm f2.8 L II USM

Arroyo

... el torrente corria fuerte por el bosque, regando las riveras de agua cristalina y rica en nutrientes minerales, los arboles, la vegetacion, los musgos , liquenes, helechos... sigue su camino dibujando bellas y refrescantes imagenes ...

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

stream

... the torrent ran strong through the forest, watering the banks of crystalline water rich in mineral nutrients, the trees, the vegetation, the mosses, lichens, ferns ... it continues on its way drawing beautiful and refreshing images ...

Brisk wind, cloudy day, and only 7 C... But there I was with Olymp looking at two pretty Weeping Willows next to the Canon-Pond. Some insects were out as well seeking nutrients.

Here's a Mining Bee (thanks to Bernhard Jacobi) braving the cold. He seems to be savoring nectar and not collecting pollen.

Algae become over-abundant when the water has too much of the nutrients that algae need for growth, a process called nutrient enrichment or eutrophication. Just as nutrient-rich fertilizers help plants grow in our farms and gardens, nutrients in the water cause algae to grow. Nutrients can come from non-point sources, such as fertilizers, sediment, and natural organic matter in stormwater runoff, or from point sources such as wastewater treatment plant effluent.

@Stoever's Dam Park-Lebanon, PA

(Best in Large)

The Small Pool Frog (Rana lessonae)

As the name suggests, the small water frog is our smallest water frog species. It is usually grass-green in colour, but there are also blue-green and brown variants. Habitats tend to be smaller and nutrient-poor bodies of water such as forest ponds.

The females grow to 5 to 7.5 centimetres, the males are somewhat smaller on average at 4.5 to 6.5 centimetres.

photo ist taken with a historical lens, which I removed from a night vision device

A tiny mushroom finds nutrients in the rotting end of an old wooden fence post.

For Looking Close on Friday theme 'Texture in Flora'.

The title is taken from the famous line used by Jeff Goldblum in the 1993 film Jurassic Park

Cistanche is a worldwide genus of holoparasitic desert plants in the family Orobanchaceae. They lack chlorophyll and obtain nutrients and water from the host plants whose roots they parasitize. (Wikipedia)

Merzouga, Morocco. March 2019.

Everything eventually succumbs to the rigors of the high-desert of Southern Utah.

I suppose what attracts me to images of western dead trees is the evidence of a life of willful endurance so openly exposed in their texture and shape. These roots and branches are so twisted and wrought in order to make their way to life sustaining nutrients, hold fast during intense storms and enable this life to take advantage of beautiful days when the skies are clear, the sun is bright, the winds are calm, and the soil is fertile.

Most of us don't think of trees as much more than inanimate objects. What I see here is an aggressive, zealous approach to life, built over decades, which - when it did end, for whatever reason - did not go quietly into that good night.

Center focus on a Spot Swordtail in a sea of mud=puddling butterflies.

Wikipedia: Graphium nomius, the spot swordtail, is a butterfly found in South and Southeast Asia that belongs to the swallowtail family. The spot swordtail gets its name from the line of distinct white spots along the margin of its wings. It is known from southern and eastern India (including Sikkim and Assam), Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos and Kampuchea.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graphium_nomius

Mud-puddling, or simply puddling, is a behavior most conspicuous in butterflies, but occurs in other animals as well, mainly insects; they seek out nutrients in certain moist substances such as rotting plant matter, mud and carrion and they suck up the fluid. Where the conditions are suitable, conspicuous insects such as butterflies commonly form aggregations on wet soil, dung or carrion. From the fluids they obtain salts and amino acids that play various roles in their physiology, ethology and ecology. This behavior also has been seen in some other insects, notably the leafhoppers, e.g. the potato leafhopper, Empoasca fabae.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mud-puddling

Stanislaus National Forest, CA

The snow plant is a rare beauty, protected from collection and destruction by California law. It is bright red and fleshy. It gets water and nutrients from fungi connected to tree roots.

Dead or dying trees don’t always need to be removed, if they are located in a forested area or away from people and structures. These trees can serve as a home and refuge for woodpeckers and other wildlife. In addition, its nutrients enrich the soil near decaying wood, helping new plants to grow and keeping living ones healthy as the nutrients are reabsorbed.

I saw this tree in the park last year and felt so sad. No signs of life, it was rotting and full of fungi. Trees are my favorite gifts from nature.

Rothschild's swordtail (left) and other butterfly eating minerals on river bank in Manu National Park.

Mud-puddling, or simply puddling, is a behaviour most conspicuous in butterflies, but occurs in other animals as well, mainly insects; they seek out nutrients in certain moist substances such as rotting plant matter, mud and carrion and they suck up the fluid. Where the conditions are suitable, conspicuous insects such as butterflies commonly form aggregations on wet soil, dung or carrion. From the fluids they obtain salts and amino acids that play various roles in their physiology, ethology and ecology.

Protesilaus earis, the Rothschild's swordtail, is a species of butterfly found in the Neotropical realm.

Peruvian Amazon Rainforest, Manú National Park

Please don't use my images without my permission. All images © Aivar Mikko.

At the moment I am living and breathing fungi. Actually we are all inhaling about 10 fungal spores with every breath. That shows how ubiquitous fungi are. I feel a sense of wonder when I find another beautiful mushroom. Sometimes they are quite small and you have to get close to appreciate their beauty. The cap of the Golden-scruffy Collybia in the photo is no more than 2.5 cm (1 inch) across. Like many fungi it grows on fallen trees and helps to return vital nutrients to the soil. Cyptotrama asprata is widely distributed in tropical regions of the world. It is absent from Europe and Northwestern North America.

This female has been laying her eggs on the Milkweeds all week

some of her first eggs have hatched.

Parque Nacional Tierra del Fuego - Ushuaia - Provincia de Tierra del Fuego, Antártida e Islas del Atlántico Sur - ARGENTINA

_ _ _

CUANDO NO SE MIDEN LAS CONSECUENCIAS... LA NATURALEZA ES LA QUE SE PERJUDICA

En 1946 se introdujeron en Tierra del Fuego 25 parejas de castores con fines peleteros, intento de producción nunca alcanzado.

Sin predadores, que los combatieran, ni competidores naturales y en un ambiente similar al propio, la especie colonizó exitosamente el ecosistema fueguino.

Hoy ocupan casi todas las cuencas del Archipiélago Fueguino en Argentina y Chile.

IMPACTOS GENERADOS POR LA ACTIVIDAD DEL CASTOR SOBRE EL ECOSISTEMA

Los castores cortan árboles para alimentarse de sus hojas y cortezas; para gastar sus dientes de crecimiento continuo; y para construir los diques, que al retener sedimentos, materia orgánica y agua, modifican la dinámica natural de los ríos y arroyos y el ciclo de nutrientes, produciendo la desaparición de extensas áreas boscosas.

VULNERABILIDAD DE LOS BOSQUES EN TIERRA DEL FUEGO

Los árboles de los bosques fueguinos, a diferencia de los que conviven con el castor en su lugar de origen, no pueden rebrotar una vez que han sido cortados ni están adaptados a sobrevivir en ambientes inundados, por lo cual, una vez formado el embalse, mueren los ejemplares que quedan dentro.

A fern (Polypodiopsida or Polypodiophyta) is a member of a group of vascular plants (plants with xylem and phloem) that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. They differ from mosses by being vascular, i.e., having specialized tissues that conduct water and nutrients and in having life cycles in which the sporophyte is the dominant phase. Ferns have complex leaves called megaphylls, that are more complex than the microphylls of clubmosses. Most ferns are leptosporangiate ferns, sometimes referred to as true ferns. They produce coiled fiddleheads that uncoil and expand into fronds. The group includes about 10,560 known extant species. Ferns are defined here in the broad sense, being all of the Polypodiopsida, comprising both the leptosporangiate (Polypodiidae) and eusporangiate ferns, the latter itself comprising ferns other than those denominated true ferns, including horsetails or scouring rushes, whisk ferns, marattioid ferns, and ophioglossoid ferns. Ferns are not of major economic importance, but some are used for food, medicine, as biofertilizer, as ornamental plants and for remediating contaminated soil. 29578

Aechmea nudicaulis is a bromeliad species in the genus Aechmea, which is often used as an ornamental plant. This species is native to Central America, the West Indies, central and southern Mexico, and northern and central South America. A number of cultivars derived from this species are commercially available. These are either selected forms, or hybrids arising from crosses with other species. These epiphytes do not take nutrients from the host tree but obtain most of their water and nutrients from the urn created by the rosette of leaves. This is a most attractive plant with pale green arching leaves and a spike with large red bracts and greeny yellow flowers during spring and summer. Once the plant has flowered it will produce pups around the base of the plant. The pups will take nutrients from the dying parent plant and can be removed and replanted when they reach about a third of the parent. 20512

A solitary pansy ekes out an existence in a narrow crack between the paving stones where ants have disturbed the soil below allowing it to find enough nutrients to survive.

A fern (Polypodiopsida or Polypodiophyta) is a member of a group of vascular plants (plants with xylem and phloem) that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. They differ from mosses by being vascular, i.e., having specialized tissues that conduct water and nutrients and in having life cycles in which the sporophyte is the dominant phase. Ferns have complex leaves called megaphylls, that are more complex than the microphylls of clubmosses. Most ferns are leptosporangiate ferns, sometimes referred to as true ferns. They produce coiled fiddleheads that uncoil and expand into fronds. The group includes about 10,560 known extant species. Ferns are defined here in the broad sense, being all of the Polypodiopsida, comprising both the leptosporangiate (Polypodiidae) and eusporangiate ferns, the latter itself comprising ferns other than those denominated true ferns, including horsetails or scouring rushes, whisk ferns, marattioid ferns, and ophioglossoid ferns. Ferns are not of major economic importance, but some are used for food, medicine, as biofertilizer, as ornamental plants and for remediating contaminated soil. 36686

Mearns Moor

As an oligotrophic (low nutrient levels) loch, this is a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest.

Too busy sipping nutrients to notice me

Callophrys niphon

Patuxent Research Refuge

North Tract

Anne Arundel County, Maryland

Explored April 29, 2021

After a heavy storm the day before with winds reaching 80mph on the Isle of Wight just across the solent, the beach at Lepe was piled high with seaweed, invertebrates and nutrient rich treasure thrown up by the sea. It was a delight watching Turnstone and a solitary Sanderling explore the rich pickings as they busily scuttled and searched along the shoreline. A close look at the rear foot of this Sanderling shows the diagnostic lack of a hind toe with this species.

Sarracenia leucophylla, also known as the Crimson Pitcherplant, Purple Trumpet-leaf or White Pitcherplant, is a carnivorous plant in the genus Sarracenia. Like all the Sarracenia, it is native to North America and this species is endemic to the southeastern United States.

It inhabits moist and low-nutrient longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) savannas, primarily along the Gulf Coast, and generally west of the Apalachicola River on the Florida Panhandle.

This magnificent specimen was seen at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

This Juniper Hairstreak was sipping nutrients from the moist soil. Butterfly season is finally here.

Green Ridge State Forest

Allegany County, Maryland

The waratah is a flower of the Telopea species. This red flowering tree belongs in the Proteaceae plant family – meaning they have special ‘proteid’ root systems designed to survive in nutrient-deficient soil. In spring, they produce their signature bright red flowers (although some cultivars bloom in while, pink, or yellow) – or clusters of flowers, actually! Each ‘conflorescence’ is made up of tens to hundreds more flowers, all arranged around a centre.

A male Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens) discovered a treasure trove of nutrients likely stored by another bird in a cavity in the rough bark of the aspen poplar in the woods east of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

29 December, 2022.

Slide # GWB_20221229_1778.CR2

Use of this image on websites, blogs or other media without explicit permission is not permitted.

© Gerard W. Beyersbergen - All Rights Reserved Worldwide In Perpetuity - No Unauthorized Use.