View allAll Photos Tagged nutritious
Crossbills usually prise open pine cones in situ to extract the nutritious seeds inside and will often hang acrobatically to achieve this. But sometimes they use their bills like secateurs to snip off the cone and carry it somewhere more convenient for extracting the seeds. This female Crossbill was caught in the act of doing just that, and you can even see the cut stump where she has just taken it from. Crossbills are often common in the Peak District woodlands but their numbers fluctuate massively and this winter I have only seen one or two. I took this photograph in local woodlands back in March when there were dozens around. They specialise in eating conifer seeds, and even feed their young on a porridge of regurgitated seeds when most finches switch to an insect diet.
Family: Anatidae. (Waterfowl)
Length: 74 to 84cm Wingspan: 1.49 to 1.68cm Weight: 2.9 to 3.7kg Lifespan 15 to 20 years.
Anser anser, (“Anser being the Latin name for “Goose.”) is the ancestor of most domesticated farmland geese, from as early as 1360 BC.
The Greylag, is Britain’s commonest native goose and is present all year round in the UK. It is widespread throughout Europe and into far Eastern countries, such as Russia, China and Turkey. Also present in countries which have a coastline along the Mediterranean coast, including North Africa. They are also present in many other countries around the world as far as New Zealand.
Large numbers of Greylag geese migrate to Scotland, from Iceland and some Scandinavia countries for the winter months.
Truly wild populations are mainly found in the Scottish regions of the UK.
Habitats: Various Freshwater places including, coastal marshlands, farmlands, gravel pits, reservoirs, Lakes and rivers. They have become semi-tame in public places such as parks, lake sidewalks, river sidewalks, where it will be commonly seen. Greylag geese are mainly herbivorous and graze favourably on various short nutritious grasses, (note the teeth like bill, which enables it to tear apart vegetation.) usually close to water. Will also be found in meadows, usually where farm animals are also grazing. Various leaf vegetation including cereal crops are also eaten, will also dig up the roots of young crops. They have been known to feed throughout the night as well as daytime, which can and does cause a concern for agricultural farmers, when large flocks are close by. They will also feed on small fish, amphibians, molluscs, crustaceans and insects.
Greylag geese are listed in Schedule 2 of the UK Wildlife and Countryside Act, so unfortunately, they have no protection outside the “Close season” (nesting times). The Greylag Goose is considered a pest in many countries, In the Orkney islands, they are now killed most of the year, they are also killed to be eaten, in some countries.
Nesting: The adult birds usually pair for life, many travel to their northerly breeding grounds in spring, marshlands, rivers, around lakes and on coastal islands are favoured habitats. 4 to 6 eggs are laid on the ground or on floating vegetation; using the likes of heather, rushes, reeds and various grasses. The nest is usually sparsely built, then lined with small feathers and down. Only the female will incubate the eggs, but both parents will protect the nest and young. Incubation takes around 28 days after the last egg is laid. The chicks are precocial, (being able to feed and move independently as soon as hatching). One brood a year between May and June in the UK.
Nesting times the Greylag geese will become territorial and will be very protective of their nest and young fledglings, from other large birds and other geese. Although some do join together with other families of geese for added protection. When nesting time ends, they will become social again. The birds will stay together as a family group and migrate south, in the late Autumn months.
UK has nearly 50,000 breeding pairs (2022) in the winter months, the number of breeding pairs, approximately trebles.
These dried dates are super-hard!
I can’t eat them as I don’t want to break my teeth but there are those in India and the Middle East who do chew merrily upon them. People, like us, often soak them overnight to soften them before eating.
They are very nutritious and in their dried form will keep for a very long time as their water content is extremely low, preserving them for ages.
One more shot of the tanager! I have cropped the feeder out of this shot, as the pale wood was a distraction - I don't have any rigid rule around this, but usually if I pay attention to the graphics, these choices fall into place. With the bright base line removed, our eyes are free to follow the diagonal of this colourful bird from the bottom corner up to the saskatoon berry it is tasting. Yes, birds have taste receptors.
Maurice grows saskatoons and he freed up some of last year's frozen crop for the birds this spring. His acreage, just beyond village limits, has a lot of trees, and they attract a lot of birds. Saskatoon berries grow throughout western Canada, north to the Yukon and Alaska, and into the western and north-central USA. The fruit is good - sweet and a little nutty - similar to blueberries in nutrients, although more closely related to apples, great in pies or processed into jam. I like them on my cereal. Maurice sent me home with a bag full, in much better shape than the ones handed out to his avian visitors.
More bird photos to come, although none will be as gaudy as this!
Photographed in Val Marie, Saskatchewan (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2024 James R. Page - all rights reserved.
Dientes gualdos - Ondas blancas
Mariposa escasa incluso en la misma península ibérica donde se distribuye de manera dispersa. Al resto de Europa parece ser que no ha pasado de una pequeña zona del pirineo oriental francés.
Su planta nutricia es Cephalaria leucantha. (Escabiosa blanca)
Spanish fritillary
Butterfly scarce even in the same Iberian Peninsula where it is distributed in a scattered way. It seems that the rest of Europe has not gone beyond a small area of the eastern French Pyrenees.
Its nutritious plant is Cephalaria leucantha. (Scabious white)
Damier des knauties, Damier de Godart
Papillon rare même dans la même péninsule ibérique où il est distribué de manière dispersée. Il semble que le reste de l'Europe n'ait pas dépassé une petite zone des Pyrénées françaises orientales.
Sa plante nutritive est Cephalaria leucantha. (Blanc scabieux)
For 121 Pictures in 2021 #35 "Fibre", broccoli is a nutritious vegetable very high in fiber (or fibre, as it is spelled elsewhere).
By October, when the visitors to our area thin out to a trickle, the wildlife species become more evident. An additional factor is the colder days and nights; they quicken their pace to match their need to bulk up for the long winter. The Coyotes look great at this time of year, dressed up in their luxurious winter coats. I am seeing a lot of coyotes these days, but so far no photos that I like as much as this shot from two years ago.
Two years ago, there was a bumper crop of grasshoppers. The farmers and ranchers were less than thrilled, but those billions of insects provided easy and nutritious meals for a lot of critters higher on the food chain. Just ask this coyote. He'll tell you they are delicious.
Actually, I have tried grasshoppers - many years ago - and they weren't bad. However, this time I left them all for the birds and mammals. The coyote is looking very intent as he prepares to snatch another hapless hopper from the dry grass.
Three "fall celebration" shots remaining, then on to a new image set.
Photographed in Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2021 James R. Page - all rights reserved.
Red Crossbill, female
"A fascinating finch of coniferous woodlands, the Red Crossbill forages on nutritious seeds in pine, hemlock, Douglas-fir, and spruce cones. Their specialized bills allow them to break into unopened cones, giving them an advantage over other finch species. Several types of Red Crossbill exist; they each have different calls, feed on particular conifer species, and might represent distinct species.” www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red_Crossbill/overview
This female is a type 4, feeding specifically on Douglas Fir cones.
Here a female American Goldfinch does her part to dismantle one of my gorgeous red sunflowers. Its seeds will be packed with nutritious protein and fat to power her southward when the cold weather sets in.
Photographed in my back yard in Val Marie, Saskatchewan. Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission © 2016 James R. Page - all rights reserved.
#AbFav_MY_THEMES_MUSHROOMS 💖
#AbFav_PHOTOSTORY
The Oyster mushroom, or Pleurotus ostreatus var. columbinus,BLUE OYSTER MUSHROOMS, they look like part of a Symphonic Orchestra, the Tuba section?
Oyster mushrooms (there are several varieties and subspecies) are some of the most nutritious around.
According to R.H. Kurtzman, PhD., they are a rich sources of high-quality proteins and amino acids, B vitamins, and pro-vitamin D (the vitamin a lot of people are missing these days, as indoor jobs means little sun exposure).
Minerals such as iron and potassium are also present.
Why not take a few minutes, CLICK on the link and WATCH, sit back and relax, enjoy the beauty, you'll feel replenished? FOOD GLORIOUS FOOD
I wish you all the very best and thank you for all your kind words, time, comments and faves. Very much appreciated.
M, (*_*)
For more: www.indigo2photography.com
IT IS STRICTLY FORBIDDEN (BY LAW!!!) TO USE ANY OF MY image or TEXT on websites, blogs or any other media without my explicit permission. © All rights reserved
mushrooms, blue, "Oyster mushroom", "Pleurotus ostreatus", funghi, food, macro, black-background, lighting, colour, studio, square "Nikon D7000", "magda indigo"
Two Psyllid species.
The one below is a fully grown adult. Their nymphs weave lerps to cover themselves, but the small birds find the lerps very nutritious, and feed on them, forcing the nymphs, if they are left behind, to keep spinning new covers.
The Psyllid above is an immature specimen of a larger species. These provide food for ants which feed on their excrement.
Both Psyllids were found on a Eucalyptus tree.
Urban Canberra, Australia, December, 2014.
anacamptis morio
L'orchis bouffon (Anacamptis morio), est une espèce de plantes à fleurs de la famille des Orchidaceae. C'est une orchidée terrestre eurasiatique.
L'aire de répartition, très vaste, va du sud de la Norvège à l'Iran et au bassin méditerranéen.
L'espèce est souvent victime du prélèvement systématique des tubercules pour la commercialisation du Salep. Des stations complètes sont ainsi détruites.
Le salep ou sahlep ou sohlob en Tunisie est une farine faite à partir de tubercules d'Orchis et, par extension, la boisson que l'on confectionne avec cette farine.
Durant l’Antiquité, les Romains utilisaient des bulbes d'orchidées moulus pour fabriquer des boissons auxquelles ils donnaient un certain nombre de noms, en particulier satyrion et priapiscus. Comme ces noms l'indiquent, ils considéraient également ces boissons comme de puissants aphrodisiaques
De nos jours, la boisson est souvent faite avec du lait chaud au lieu de l'eau et est saupoudrée de cannelle.
Le salep se boit dans une tasse en grès. D'autres desserts sont également fabriqués à partir de salep, notamment le pudding de salep et la crème glacée au salep.
Anacamptis morio, the green-winged orchid] or green-veined orchid (synonym Orchis morio), is a flowering plant of the orchid family, Orchidaceae. It usually has purple flowers, and is found in Europe and the Middle East.
The species is often the victim of systematic harvesting of tubers for the sale of Salep. Entire stations are thus destroyed.
Salep, also spelled sahlep or sahlab, is a flour made from the tubers of the orchid genus Orchis (including species Orchis mascula and Orchis militaris). These tubers contain a nutritious, starchy polysaccharide called glucomannan. Salep flour is consumed in beverages and desserts, especially in the cuisines of the former Ottoman Empire, notably in the Levant where it is a traditional winter beverage. An increase in consumption is causing local extinctions of orchids in parts of Turkey and Iran
The Ancient Romans used ground orchid bulbs to make drinks, which they called by a number of names, especially satyrion and priapiscus. As the names indicate, they considered it to be a powerful aphrodisiac.[6] Of salep, Paracelsus wrote: "behold the Satyrion root, is it not formed like the male privy parts? No one can deny this. Accordingly, magic discovered it and revealed that it can restore a man's virility and passion ».
This beverage was sold in place of tea and coffee, which were much more expensive, and was served in a similar way with milk and sugar.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
_5D42043
Abencerraje del tomillo
Entre los licénidos es de los más pequeños de tamaño junto a Cupido mínimus. Su planta nutricia es Thymus sp. (Tomillo silvestre).
Panoptes blue
Among the lichenids it is one of the smallest in size along with Cupido minimus. Its nutritious plant is Thymus sp. (Wild thyme).
Parmi les lichénidés, il est l'un des plus petits avec Cupido minimus. Sa plante nutritive est Thymus sp. (Thym sauvage).
This is baby #3 who is all over me when I show up and fights with her half (buckskin) brother for all my attention. She is eating the wild Alberta rose which is packed with nutrients. I like to eat the petals even though the whole plant is nutritious, especially for horses and wildlife. I often find her sleeping by them and I would have called her Rose or Rosie, but her name is Dixie which is just as cute. She is a real sweetheart. I'm glad I caught her here so peaceful because now the bugs are torturous, the part of summer I absolutely hate so it has been a while since I last visited the foals plus I have been super busy.
Réalisé le 03 septembre 2016 sur l'Île-aux-Basques, au large de Trois-Pistoles, Bas-Saint-Laurent, Québec.
Made on Sept, 3rd / 2016 on Île-aux-Basques, off Trois-Pistoles, Bas-Saint-Laurent, Quebec.
Sonchus asper is native to Europe, North Africa, and western Asia. It has also become naturalized on other continents and is regarded as a noxious, invasive weed in many places. Its edible leaves make a palatable and nutritious leaf vegetable.
My moose mood continues.
This is the mother of the calf I posted yesterday. By late summer, moose calves are adventurous enough to put a little distance between them and their moms. Almost never out of sight though. Here, the cow alertly watches her wayward offspring in between big bites of nutritious pond vegetation.
Roosevelt National Forest, Colorado.
Northern cardinals weren't the only birds feeding on weed seeds in a brushy area of Lake Meyer Park yesterday. A flock of about 20 American tree sparrows, including this one, were keying in on those nutritious wild buckwheat seeds as they try to pile in as many calories as possible during this taxing winter season.
Protea - levana -
Valle de Aran (Pirineo catalán)
Curiosamente el anverso de la primera generación (forma levana en primavera) es distinto al de la segunda generación (forma prorsa en verano). El ejemplar de la imagen es veraniego. La única planta nutricia de estas mariposas es la ortiga (Urtica dioica)
Map butterfly
Aran Valley (Catalan Pyrenees)
Curiously, the obverse of the first generation (levana form in spring) is different from that of the second generation ("Prorsa" form in summer.). The specimen of the image is summery. The only nutritious plant of these butterflies is nettle (Urtica dioica)
Carte géographique
Vallée d'Aran (Pyrénées catalanes)
Curieusement, l'avers de la première génération (forme levana au printemps) est différent de celui de la deuxième génération (forme “prorsa” en été). Le spécimen de l'image est estivale. La seule plante nutritive de ces papillons est l'ortie (Urtica dioica).
Carcharodus alceae = Papilio alceae = Papilio malvarum
Piquitos castaña - Piquitos de las malvas.
Cópula
Sus principales nutricias son la malva, (Malva sylvestris), Malva real (Alcea rosea), Malva de hoja redonda (Malva neglectum), (Malva moschata) etc. Y parece ser que en España también se nutre de Hibiscus sp.
Inverna como oruga adulta envolviéndose perfectamente en las hojas que repliega de la planta nutricia.
Mallow skipper
Its main nutrients are mallow, (Malva sylvestris), royal mallow (Alcea rosea), round-leaved mallow (Malva neglectum), (Malva moschata) etc. And it seems that in Spain it also feeds on Hibiscus sp.
It winters like an adult caterpillar, wrapping itself perfectly in the folded leaves of the nutritious plant.
Grisette, Hespérie de l'alcée
Ses principaux nutriments sont la mauve, (Malva sylvestris), la mauve royale (Alcea rosea), la mauve à feuilles rondes (Malva neglectum), (Malva moschata), etc. Et il semble qu'en Espagne, il se nourrit également d'Hibiscus sp.
Il hiverne comme une chenille adulte, s'enveloppant parfaitement dans les feuilles pliées de la plante nutritive.
iolana debilitata = iolana iolas (Ochsenheimer, 1816)
Espantalobos, Mariposa del espantalobos.
En “confianza” también la llamamos Lola. Esta bonita mariposa está considerada como el lepidóptero más raro y amenazado de nuestra fauna, teniendo en cuenta las dificultades de la “espantalobos” en nuestra geografía. Por estos lares ya hemos detectado su ausencia en algún lugar conocido, al mismo tiempo que se ha mermado la presencia de su planta nutricia, Colutea arborescens, popularmente conocida como “espantalobos”.
En la imagen posa sobre la flor de su nutricia, Colutea sp.
Iolas Blue
Among friends we also call her Lola. This beautiful butterfly is considered the rarest and most threatened lepidopteran in our fauna, taking into account the difficulties of Iolas blue in our geography. In these parts we have already detected its absence in some known place, at the same time that the presence of its nutritious plant, Colutea arborescens, popularly known as "wolf scare," has diminished.
In the image it poses on the flower of its nutricia, Colutea sp.
Azuré du baguenaudier
Entre amis, nous l'appelons aussi Lola. Ce beau papillon est considéré comme le lépidoptère le plus rare et le plus menacé de notre faune, compte tenu des difficultés de Azuré du baguenaudier dans notre géographie. Dans ces régions, nous avons déjà détecté son absence dans un endroit connu, en même temps que la présence de sa plante nutritive, Colutea arborescens, populairement connue sous le nom de «effrayer les loups», a diminué.
Dans l'image, il pose sur la fleur de son nutricia, Colutea sp.
Water Hyacinth, Pontederia crassipes, has returned to White Lake, despite the best efforts of park protectors to contain them. Superficially attractive, free floating, non-nutritious, and fast-growing. Some things are hard to shake.
The prairie-grass dividing—its special odor breathing,
I demand of it the spiritual corresponding,
Demand the most copious and close companionship of men,
Demand the blades to rise of words, acts, beings,
Those of the open atmosphere, coarse, sunlit, fresh, nutritious,
Those that go their own gait, erect, stepping with freedom and command—leading, not following,
Those with a never-quell'd audacity—those with sweet and lusty flesh, clear of taint,
Those that look carelessly in the faces of Presidents and Governors, as to say, Who are you?
Those of earth-born passion, simple, never constrain'd' never obedient,
Those of inland America.
Walt Whitman
Bumble Bee In Love With Lupine
Few things about Lupines
(some of them are toxic, specially the seeds)
but ...
The lupine is one of the few plants capable of fixing nitrogen from the air.
Due to the many hybrids and varieties, lupines can be found in almost all colours.
Lupins make the soil more nutritious and therefore enhance biodiversity.
Lupine flour is made from non-toxic varieties of lupine. This is used for many meat substitutes.
Lupine flour is on the rise. This is because lupine as a meat substitute is more sustainable than, for example, soy that has to be shipped from abroad.
Due to the rapid growth of lupins, weeds will not stand a chance.
Edible lupins are good for intestinal health and contain a lot of fiber, protein, minerals and vitamins.
Lupine is described as the perfect plant for the future! (From a human perspective ofcourse)
Amen
Bull thistle (Cirsium vulgare),also known as spear thistle, twas introduced from Eurasia and is now common in Yellowstone region. The roots, stems and young flower buds are nutritious.
Taken with Nikon F=70-210mm 1:4 Series-E in India. The fruit is tasty, beautiful and highly nutritious. It is very beautiful when fully bloom.
Trichosanthes pilosa is a tropical or semitropical vine bearing an edible fruit. It is native to Japan, Taiwan, India, Malaysia, Vietnam, the Philippines, China (Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Hunan, Jiangxi, Sichuan, Xizang (Tibet), Zhejiang) and other parts of southeast Asia as well as in Australia.[2][3][4][5][6] It is known in English as Japanese snake gourd[note 1].
The Japanese snake gourd (T. pilosa), is very similar in its vegetative characters to the more widespread "snake gourd", Trichosanthes cucumerina, the flower and leaves of the two species are very similar but the fruit of T. pilosa are round to egg-shaped, about 7 cm long and not resembling a snake.[2]
Notes
^ Robinson and Decker-Walters (1997[7]) p. 203-206: "Japanese snake gourd" preferred name for Trichosanthes ovigera, and Trichosanthes ovigera preferred definition for "japanese snake gourd".
References
^ The Plant List, Trichosanthes pilosa
^ a b Flora of China v 19 p 45, Trichosanthes cucumeroides
^ Merrill, Elmer Drew. 1914. Philippine Journal of Science. Section C, Botany. Manila, 9: 458, Trichosanthes vanoverberghii in the Philippines
^ Kundu. 1943. J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 43: 382, Trichosanthes ovigera var. sikkimensis, in Sikkim
^ Blume, Carl Ludwig von. 1826. Bijdragen tot de Flora van Nederlandsch Indie 15: 934, Trichosanthes ovigera in Malaya
^ Miquel, Friedrich Anton Wilhelm. 1856. Flora van Nederlandsch Indie i. I. 677, Trichosanthes horsfieldii in Java
^ Robinson RW and DS Decker-Walters. 1997. Appendix: Common Cucurbit Names and their Scientific Equivalents. in: Cucurbits. CAB International, USA.
source: www.inaturalist.org/taxa/452203-Trichosanthes-cucumeroides
I came upon this decorative cabbage plant today around town. The owner could eat it for a healthy side dish or meal.
Bananas are one of the few fruits found in stores everywhere in the world. They are nutritious and I think, delicious!
My B&W photos:
Barranco de Mulleres (Pirineos) 1.600 mts. altitud.
Manto de cobre - Manto cobrizo. Ejemplar macho.
En esta ocasión la mariposa muestra el característico diseño de reverso posando sobre la flor de su principal planta nutricia, Polygonum bistorta (Bistorta).
Purple-edged copper. Male specimen.
Ravine de Mulleres (Pyrenees) 1.600 meters of altitude.
On this occasion the butterfly shows the characteristic reverse design posing on the flower of its main nutritious plant, Polygonum bistorta (Bistorta).
Cuivré écarlate - Spécimen mâle.
Ravin de Mulleres (Pyrénées) 1.600 mts d'altitude.
A cette occasion, le papillon montre le dessin inverse caractéristique posant sur la fleur de sa principale plante nutritive, Polygonum bistorta (Bistorta).
A 19-shot focus stack of a small portion of pine marten 'scat' that was covered in fungus. This was photographed using my Raynox DCR-250 mounted on my macro lens and shows about 2cm of the scat. The 'fluffiness' is due to the mycelium of the fungus, which consists of branches of tiny thread-like hyphae. The scat is clearly a highly nutritious substrate for the fungus.
While we visit Alaska primarily for the brown bears, there are many other wild subjects around for photo ops. Came across this cute little squirrel on a rail on our way. It couldn't have cared less about our presence as it kept continuing to dine on it leafy sprig of greens. :-). You never know what you'll find ... except snakes ... Alaska is reportedly void of them. I can breath easy. ;-)
Happy Tuesday!
© Debbie Tubridy Photography
Cape buffaloes mingle with zebras in the rich grass of Ngorongoro Crater in northern Tanzania. Cattle egrets and tick birds compete for nutritious real estate on the buffaloes' backs. ©2019 John M. Hudson | jmhudson1.com
These primates are most notorious for the loud resonant sound they produce as a result of an enlarged voice box and pouch in the throat that helps to amplify the sound. This call can be heard up to 2-3 miles away. Males often use this vocalization to defend their territories. However, both males and females begin and end their day with this call in order to figure out how far away another troop may be; males from a nearby troop will return the howl ensuring that each troop will remain widely separated. An average group size includes 5 to 8 individuals, but may reach up to 30 animals.
Given that the more nutritious younger, green leaves are the top of trees, Howler monkeys tend to remain near the treetops. They usually stay away from the ground, only coming down in search of water during dry conditions.
DIET
Primarily leaves, but may also eat fruits and other plant parts
Original image that I edited and posted short while back.
"Divided" flic.kr/p/BnjGHk
My head is gone blank! no new ideas, so posting old stuff, guess I relaxed too much over my holiday to Portugal! :-)
Water Hyacinth, Eichhornia crassipes.
Free-floating non-nutritious, rapidly propagating, invasive species. Amazon native, also known as “the terror of Bengal”. Kudos to the caretakers of Cullinan Park, who dramatically reduced the coverage this summer, after it had almost overwhelmed White Lake.
13 Oct 2021; 09:30 CDT; Velvia+
Specially prepared, nutritious 'pellets' have been spread on the ground by a Sanctuary staff member to augment their natural grazing within the almost eleven thousand acre sanctuary in the Black Hills of South Dakota.
"Gorse is highly nutritious. It is from the pea family and full of protein, making it the perfect food for horses who eat the plant backwards, preventing any spines from hurting their throat.
The bright yellow flowers are edible raw and can be made into a tea. The buds can be pickled and used like capers. Gorse is a useful wild food as it continually flowers all year round. Flowers may have a slight coconut aroma and the faint taste of bitter almonds."
btw I didn't know any of the above until I googled it a few minutes ago.
The giraffe (Giraffa) is an African artiodactyl mammal, the tallest living terrestrial animal and the largest ruminant. It is traditionally considered to be one species, Giraffa camelopardalis, with nine subspecies. However the existence of up to eight extant giraffe species have been described, based upon research into the mitochondrial and nuclear DNA, as well as morphological measurements of Giraffa. The giraffe's chief distinguishing characteristics are its extremely long neck and legs, its horn-like ossicones, and its distinctive coat patterns. It is classified under the family Giraffidae, along with its closest extant relative, the okapi. Its scattered range extends from Chad in the north to South Africa in the south, and from Niger in the west to Somalia in the east. Giraffes usually inhabit savannahs and woodlands. Their food source is leaves, fruits and flowers of woody plants, primarily acacia species, which they browse at heights most other herbivores cannot reach. They may be preyed on by lions, leopards, spotted hyenas and African wild dogs. Giraffes live in herds of related females and their offspring, or bachelor herds of unrelated adult males, but are gregarious and may gather in large aggregations. Males establish social hierarchies through 'necking', which are combat bouts where the neck is used as a weapon. Dominant males gain mating access to females, which bear the sole responsibility for raising the young. Giraffe use their 45-50 cm long prehensile tongue and the roof of their mouths in order to feed on a range of different plants and shoots. Giraffes use their dexterous tongues to sort out the nutritious leaves from spiky thorns. Fortunately, a giraffe’s tongue has thickened papillae, which helps to protect it from these vicious thorns. Additionally, thick saliva is also believed to help protect giraffe’s tongue and mouth against the defensive mechanisms of their favourite food. R_15306
If raw dandelion leaves don't appeal to you, they can also be steamed or added to a stir-fry or soup, which can make them taste less bitter. The flowers are sweet and crunchy, and can be eaten raw, or breaded and fried, or even used to make dandelion syrup or wine. From root to flower, dandelion are highly nutritious plants, loaded with vitamins, minerals and fiber. Dandelion greens can be eaten cooked or raw and serve as an excellent source of vitamins A, C and K. They also contain vitamin E, folate and small amounts of other B vitamins (1)
I saw this American goldfinch land on the stem of a Rattlesnake master plant. I had never seen the goldfinch be interested in that plant and don't know if the seeds would. be nutritious for them or no. I do know they are weeks from being mature.