The Gyrfalcon (Falco rusticolus), also spelled Gyr Falcon, sometimes Gerfalcon, is the largest of all falcon species. The Gyrfalcon breeds on Arctic coasts and islands of North America, Europe and Asia. It is mainly resident, but some Gyrfalcons disperse more widely after the breeding season, or in winter[1].

The bird's common name comes from French gerfaucon, and in mediaeval Latin is rendered as gyrofalco. The first part of the word may come from Old High German gîr (cf. modern German Geier), "vulture", referring to its size compared to other falcons, or the Latin gȳrus ("circle", "curved path") from the species' circling as it searches for prey, unlike the other falcons in its range[2]. The male gyrfalcon is called a gyrkin in falconry.

Its scientific name is composed of the Latin terms for a falcon, Falco, and for someone who lives in the countryside, rusticolus.

Plumage is very variable in this highly polymorphic species: the archetypal morphs are called "white", "silver", "brown" and "black" though coloration spans a continuous spectrum from nearly all-white birds to very dark ones.

The Gyrfalcon is a bird of tundra and mountains, with cliffs or a few patches of trees. It feeds only on birds and mammals. Like other hierofalcons, it usually hunts in a horizontal pursuit, rather than the Peregrine's speedy stoop from a height. Most prey is killed on the ground, whether they are captured there or, if the victim is a flying bird, forced to the ground. The diet is to some extent opportunistic, but a majority of breeding birds mostly rely on Lagopus grouse. Avian prey can range in size from redpolls to geese and can include gulls, corvids, smaller passerines, waders and other raptors (up to the size of Buteos). Mammalian prey can range in size from shrews to marmots (sometimes 3 times heavier than the assaulting falcon), and often includes include lemmings, voles, ground squirrels and hares. They only rarely eat carrion.

The Gyrfalcon is the official bird of Canada's Northwest Territories.

www.lissongallery.com/exhibitions/anish-kapoor-f45a2ea5-2...

For his latest exhibition, Anish Kapoor presents a new series of paintings, an element of his practice that has rarely been seen, exploring the intimate and ritualistic nature of his work. Created over the past year, the show provides a poetic view of the artist's recent preoccupations. While painting has always been an integral part of Kapoor’s practice, this radical new body of work is both spiritual and ecstatic, showing Kapoor working in more vivid and urgent form than ever. Alongside this exhibition, a solo show dedicated to Kapoor's paintings will run at Modern Art Oxford from 2 October 2021 - 13 February 2022, and both shows precede Kapoor’s major retrospective at Gallerie dell'Accademia di Venezia, opening April 2022 to coincide with the Venice Biennale.

Through painting, Kapoor delves into the deep inner world of our mind and body, from the physical exploration of the flesh and blood, to investigating psychological concepts as primal and nameless as origin and obliteration. Since the 1980s, Kapoor has been celebrated largely as a sculptor, yet painting, and its rawest composition, colour and form, have been a fundamental element of his practice-. The presentation will feature a selection of new and recent paintings, created between 2019 and 2021, the majority in the artist’s London-based studio during the pandemic. Like the artist’s wider oeuvre, these paintings are rooted in a drive to grasp the unknown, to awaken consciousness and experiment with the phenomenology of space.

Kapoor’s work has been characterized by an intense encounter with colour and matter – manifest either through refined, reflective surfaces such as metal or mirrors, or through the tactile, sensual quality of the blankets of impasto. The magnetism of the colour red is evident in these new paintings, manifesting the elemental force that flows through us all, yet now accompanied by a new palette of telluric greys and yellows, as if witnessing a surge from the depths of the earth. Some works appear volcanic, with an intense, fiery energy, while others are more primitive and abstract, with layers of dense pigment and resin forming a sculpted solidity. Many of the paintings have a visceral outpouring where a canvas within a canvas rotates and evolves in space, seeming to defy gravity, with brushstrokes cascading over the edges like a waterfall. In others we see distorted, polymorphic figures emerging from a deep, radiant void, with a ghostly aura.

Kapoor achieves a coherence of mind and body, of interior and exterior in two of the series of works, illustrating a mythic landscape with a turbulent, ominous atmosphere that differentiates land from sky, body from space. These whirling landscapes evoke the extraordinary, eerie Romanticism of JMW Turner, a worship of nature marked through an expressive, dramatic scene. Similar in disposition are two works where we imagine the moon rising over the peak – a symbolic narrative of a new cycle, of origins and menstruation.

The wall-based paintings recall some of Kapoor’s most ambitious, distinguished works, including Svayambhu (2007), My Red Homeland (2003) and Symphony for a Beloved Sun (2013). In these floor-based works we see a more ritualistic, visceral language, where Kapoor unashamedly delves into depicting the very blood and flesh from which we are all born. Artists from Leonardo di Vinci to Francis Bacon have been fascinated with the innards of the body, be it our anatomy or the surrealist beauty in violence. The work also stands in a powerful tradition of artists exploring the human body’s expression of divine matters, yet through the unique vision of Kapoor’s Eastern and Western influences, and ---– considering the year in which they were created --– taking on new meaning highlighting the fragility of the body and self.

My photographs and videos and any derivative works are my private property and are copyright © by me, John Russell (aka “Zoom Lens”) and ALL my rights, including my exclusive rights, are reserved. ANY use without my permission in writing is forbidden by law.

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1. Before the smoke drove me inside, 2. Reflector, 3. 3D Guitar Conundrum, 4. Interior Design, 5. Mohegan Wonder, 6. Bridge over troubled waters, 7. I stood proudly and would not fall, 8. Simulon Whirlpool Vortex,

9. Fettuccine Alfredo, 10. He flies through the air with the greatest of ease, 11. Poe in the Bag of Doom - with eye schmutz, 12. Crows solving problems, 13. Psychedelic Roses - Crystalized Petals - Let's Go to the Opera, 14. Lights for the Lighthouse, 15. The Amplitude of Inebriation, 16. The Ancients of Days,

17. Gnat for breakfast - Large, 18. The Mothman Prophesied, 19. Yeah...I'm one cooooool cat, 20. Instant insanity, 21. Polymorphic Simbianese Plutarda, 22. Full Moon with Halloween Clouds, 23. Are there no more songs to be sung?, 24. A spectacular girl doing spectacular things,

25. Do you see me, 26. Blowin' Smoke, 27. If I told you my dreams would you think me foolish, 28. Saying nighty-night, 29. Willow weep for me, 30. Improper Noun, 31. Guitar whiskey women on my knees, 32. Cirque du Silke - XIII --- "The Daring Young",

33. Moonglow beyond the pines, Memorial Day 2010, 34. Lemon-Lime Plutarda, 35. Folded, spindled, and mutilated on the River of Tears, 36. I couldn't see myself too clearly, 37. Post Valentine's Day Heartaches and Joys, 38. Misshapen Ring Tone, 39. My Spaghetti Wasn't Strapped Down Too Well, 40. Chihuahuas in the Mist,

41. Hoboes from Hoboken with Swooning Angel, 42. Do not let bars hold music, 43. Heart-Shaped Boke, 44. YPG - GPY, 45. Rust - In time, all is Rust, 46. Sea Breeze Incognito with Cocktails, 47. Eating a marshmallow, 48. My own personal doppelganger,

49. I'm agonna have me a cherry limeade today, 50. Meadowlark, 51. Rosette, 52. Smokin' Joe, 53. So Knock it Off with the Flash Already, 54. And Then She Says to Me, 55. Autumn's Favor, 56. Zooom,

57. Beauty unseen until this day - Spokes in the Wheel of Life, 58. I Swerved to avoid the Blues, 59. Photon, 60. Ta-Da!, 61. Dirty deeds done dirt cheap, 62. Emergence of the fetal skull, 63. Dance with me, 64. Black Rock Forest Stream - I,

65. A musical sketchbook, 66. Sun-baked helios death center, 67. The Conjure, 68. It's only a paper moon, 69. Flagship2, 70. Forty-four (Wish I could go back to), 71. And then all the ignernce just spilled out of her evil little head, 72. Camera Toss XXXb

Costa-Rica. Tortuguero. Aug. 2007

Oophaga pumilio (former endrobates pumilio) = Strawberry Poison Dart Frog - tiny and incredibly beautiful creature from Tortugero (Costa Rica) have got blue legs (Blue-jeans Frog) while those from Pacific regions are whole-red. Very polymorphic species with various color patterns from tropical America. The flamboyant appearance warns the potential predator: I am poisonous!!! If a snake bites it, it immediately releases the frog, scrapes its mouth against the ground, nd may writhe or lie comatose for several hours. Snakes, birds, and mammals do not die from such experience, but they remember the lesson!

The reproductive behavior of this frog is the most unbelievable stories in the rainforest! Males establish territories on logs and stumps at a spacing of about ten feet. Their mating call is a cricketlike buzz that pulses at a rate of four to five buzzes per sec., deterring males while attracting females. If another male approaches, the too ones rise up and grapple with each other like little sumo wrestlers. When a female approaches, the male leads her to nesting site in the ground litter, where he deposits sperm on a leaf and she lays two to five eggs on it. He guards the eggs and keeps them moist for about 7 days until they hatch. Then, the female returns, and the tadpoles climb onto her back, using their mouths as suckers. She climbs trees and backs into the water tanks of bromeliads or water-filled plant cavities. After the tadpoles slide into the water, she returns for the others. She visits them for the 50 days it takes to develop! When the tadpoles sense its approaching mother, they vibrate their tales. Then she backs into the water and lays an unfertilized egg for the tadpoles to eat! - 7-11 eggs for each baby during its development! This incredible adaptation developed to avoid raising tadpoles in fishful ponds.

e-wonosobo – Tingkat anak putus sekolah di Wonosobo masih cukup tinggi, pada tahun 2012 sebanyak 550 anak. Untuk membekali anak agar mampu mencukupi kebutuhan ekonomi pada masa mendatang. Dinas Sosial Kabupaten Wonosobo memberikan pelatihan keterampilan, pada tahun ini direncanakan mencapai 90 anak yang mendapatkan pelatihan ini.

Kepala Dinas Sosial Kabupaten Wonosobo, Agus Purnomo mengatakan, pada wal tahun ini pihaknya memberangkatkan 20 anak putus sekolah untuk mengikuti pelatihan keterampilan di Kabupaten Sukoharjo. Mereka tergabung dalam program Calon Penerima Manfaat, dimana yang diberangkatkan saat ini merupakan Angkatan I dari 3 angkatan yang direncanakan diberangkatkan tahun ini.

“Setelah bulan Januari, direncanakan akan diberangkatkan lagi pada bulan Mei dan September,”kata Agus kemarin (8/1) saat memberangkatkan anak putus sekolah.

Menurutnya, anak putus skolah itu akan megikuti pelatihan keterampilan di Balai Rehabilitasi Sosial, Taruna Yudha, Kabupaten Sukoharjo, selama 4 bulan. Ke-20 anak ini merupakan anak putus sekolah, yang berasal dari lulusan SMP sebanyak 12 anak dan lulusan SMA 8 anak. Untuk Angkatan I ini, berasal dari Kecamatan Wadaslintang sebanyak 6 anak, Kecamatan Kalikajar sebanyak 2 anak, Kecamatan Watumalang sebanyak 2 anak, Kecamatan Kaliwiro sebanyak 6 anak, Kecamatan Kertek sebanyak 1 anak, Kecamatan Kalibawang sebanyak 1 anak, dan Kecamatan Kejajar sebanyak 2 anak.

“Mereka akan mendapat bekal pendidikan keterampilan berupa pendidikan menjahit, yang diikuti 13 anak, salon 2 anak dan bengkel 5 anak,”katanya.

Berdasarkan data yang dihimpun Dinas Sosial,kata Agus, pada tahun 2012, jumlah anak putus sekolah di Wonosobo sebanyak 550 anak, terdiri dari SD/MI sebanyak 125 anak, SMP/MTs sebanyak 213 anak, SMA/MA sebanyak 140 anak, dan SMK sebanyak 72 anak. Oleh karena itu, Dinas Sosial setiap tahunnya selalu berupaya untuk mengikutkan anak putus sekolah melalui pemberian bimbingan keterampilan agar mereka menjadi manusia yang mandiri, tidak bergantung lagi dengan orang tua dan masyarakat sekitar.

“Salah satu upayanya mengadakan kerjasama dengan beberapa Balai Rehabilitasi Sosial seperti Balai Rehabillitasi Sosial Sukoharjo, Semarang dan Tawangmangu untuk memberikan bekal pendidikan keterampilan,”katanya.

Ditambahkan dia, dalam pelatihan ini peserta tidak dipungut biaya sepeserpun, bahkan diberi uang saku dan ada libur di hari-hari libur. Setelah selesai pelatihan pun mereka akan disalurkan ke beberapa tempat kerja yang sudah siap menampung mereka, seperti di salon-salon, perusahaan konveksi dan beberapa Bengkel AHASS.

“Selain anak putus sekolah, rencananya ke depan Dinas Sosial akan mengikutsertakan penyandang cacat,”katanya.(rase)

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Indian Paradise Flycatcher

The Indian paradise flycatcher (Terpsiphone paradisi) is a medium-sized passerine bird native to Asia that is widely distributed. As the global population is considered stable, it has been listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List since 2004. It is native to the Indian subcontinent, Central Asia and Myanmar.

Males have elongated central tail feathers, and a black and rufous plumage in some populations, while others have white plumage. Females are short-tailed with rufous wings and a black head. Indian paradise flycatchers feed on insects, which they capture in the air often below a densely canopied tree.

Three subspecies are recognized:

Himalayan paradise flycatcher (T. p. leucogaster) – (Swainson, 1838): Originally described as a separate species. Breeds in the western Tian Shan, in Afghanistan, in the north of Pakistan, in northwestern and central India, in Nepal’s western and central regions; populations occurring in the east of Pakistan and in the south of India migrate towards the foothills of the Himalayas in spring for breeding.

T. p. paradisi – (Linnaeus, 1758): breeds in central and southern India, central Bangladesh and south-western Myanmar; populations occurring in Sri Lanka in the winter season are non-breeding.

Ceylon paradise flycatcher (T. p. ceylonensis) – (Zarudny & Harms, 1912): found in Sri Lanka.

Adult Indian paradise flycatchers are 19–22 cm (7.5–8.7 in) long. Their heads are glossy black with a black crown and crest, their black bill round and sturdy, their eyes black. Female are rufous on the back with a greyish throat and underparts. Their wings are 86–92 mm (3.4–3.6 in) long. Young males look very much like females but have a black throat and blue-ringed eyes. As adults they develop up to 24 cm (9.4 in) long tail feathers with two central tail feathers growing up to 30 cm (12 in) long drooping streamers.

Young males are rufous and have short tails. They acquire long tails in their second or third year. Adult males are either predominantly bright rufous above or predominantly white. Some specimens show some degree of intermediacy between rufous and white. Long-tailed rufous birds are generally devoid of shaft streaks on the wing and tail feathers, while in white birds the shaft streaks, and sometimes the edges of the wing and tail feathers are black.

In the early 1960s, 680 long-tailed males were examined that are contained in collections of the British Museum of Natural History, Chicago Natural History Museum, Peabody Museum, Carnegie Museum, American Museum of Natural History, United States National Museum and Royal Ontario Museum. The specimens came from almost the entire range of the species, though some areas were poorly represented. The relative frequency of the rufous and white plumage types varies geographically. Rufous birds are rare in the extreme southeastern part of the species' range. Throughout the Indian area and, to a lesser extent, in China, asymmetrically patterned intermediates occur. Intermediates are rare or absent throughout the rest of the range of the species. In general, long-tailed males are

predominantly rufous with some white in wings and tail — collected in Turkestan, Kashmir, northern India, Punjab, Maharashtra, Sikkim and in Sri Lanka;

predominantly rufous with some white in wings — collected in Iran, Afghanistan, Baluchistan, Punjab, Kashmir, northern and central India, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Bihar, Nepal;

predominantly rufous with some white in tail — collected in Punjab, northern and central India, Kolkata, Sri Lanka and in the Upper Yangtze Valley in China;

predominantly white with some rufous in tail and wings — collected in Kashmir, Maharashtra, Sichuan and North China;

predominantly white with some rufous in tail — collected in Maharashtra and Fuzhou, China;

predominantly white with back partly rufous — collected in Punjab and Chennai;

moulting from rufous into white plumage — collected in North Bihar.

Possible interpretations of this phenomenon are : males may be polymorphic for rufous and white plumage colour; rufous birds may be sub-adults; and there may even be two sympatric species distinguishable only in the male.

They are migratory and spend the winter season in tropical Asia. There are resident populations in southern India and Sri Lanka, hence both visiting migrants and the locally breeding subspecies occur in these areas in winter.

According to Linné’s first description Indian paradise flycatchers were only distributed in India. Later ornithologists observed this spectacular bird in other areas, and based on differences in plumage of males described several subspecies.

Indian paradise flycatchers inhabit thick forests and well-wooded habitats from Central Asia to south-eastern China, all over India and Sri Lanka to Myanmar.

Indian paradise flycatchers are noisy birds uttering sharp skreek calls. They have short legs and sit very upright whilst perched prominently, like a shrike. They are insectivorous and hunt in flight in the understorey. In the afternoons they dive from perches to bathe in small pools of water.

The breeding season lasts from May to July. Being socially monogamous both male and female take part in nest-building, incubation, brooding and feeding of the young. The incubation period lasts 14 to 16 days and the nestling period 9 to 12 days. Three or four eggs are laid in a neat cup nest made with twigs and spider webs on the end of a low branch. The nest is sometimes built in the vicinity of a breeding pair of drongos, which keep predators away. Chicks hatch in about 21 to 23 days. A case of interspecific feeding has been noted with paradise flycatcher chicks fed by Oriental white-eyes.

Tenagogerris euphrosyne

Family: Gerridae

Order: Hemiptera

The striders are hemipterans or "true-bugs" - insects that feed by piercing and sucking food through the proboscis.

In the first photo, this strider has located a small insect on the surface of the pond. It runs its antennae over it to determine suitability for eating. In the second photo, the front legs have clamped the prey, the proboscis has been lowered and the insect is being prepared for lunch!

The striders walk on water, thanks to hydrophobic hairs on the legs. The hairs extend across the whole body too, making the insect able to repel splashes of water. They are so successful in their niche, that the strider family, the Gerridae, are widespread with some 1700 species described, 10% of which are marine.

The Gerridae are polymorphic in that they can have wings in one generation, when there might be a need to relocate to a new water body. The next generation may not have wings however, if the current environment is stable.

DSC05051 - DSC05055 composite

Common Mormon (Female; Form: romulus)

SEE VIDEO: www.flickr.com/photos/23985194@N06/5989934211/in/photostr...

This female form of the Common Mormon mimics the Common Rose very closely but lacks red markings on body. This is the commonest form wherever the Common Rose flies. The female of the Common Mormon is polymorphic. In South Asia, it has three forms or morphs. These are as follows: cyrus, stichius, romulus.

The Common Mormon (Papilio polytes) is a common species of swallowtail butterfly (family: papilionidae) widely distributed across Asia. Seen round the year throughout India from plains up to 2000m. This butterfly is known for the mimicry displayed by the numerous forms of its females.

Host Plant: Ixora coccinea; Rangan (রঙ্গন, Rugmini in Hindi, commonly known as the Jungle Geranium, Flame of the Woods, and Jungle Flame from Rubiaceae family) is an exotic bright red flower, bloom as a flower bunch comprises of lot of small red flowers at the top of branch. Each red flower has four petals and holds four yellow stamen(no filament) between the petals. Flower blooms more or less throughout the year, but best during the rainy season.

Bibhuti Bhushan Wildlife Sanctuary, Parmadan

Images of Bengal, India

Parmadan wild life sanctuary is 28 km from Bongaon, a city on the Indo-Bangladesh border. Nestling under the shade of the Shishu, bamboo, minjiri, tut, arjun, shimul, and shirish trees, this 68 sq.km forest lies on the banks of the Ichamati River. It has been renamed as Bibhuti Bhushan Wildlife Sanctuary. Besides wild animal like the deer, monkey, peacock and rabbit, large number of birds such as shankacheel, neelkanth, phooltushi, etc. are found in abundance in this forest.

The Variable Oystercatcher (Haematopus unicolour, torea-pango in Maori), a species of wading bird, is endemic to New Zealand. They are also known as 'red bills'. "Variable" refers to the frontal plumage, which ranges from pied through mottled to all black. They are polymorphic meaning they have different genetic variants. Blacker birds are more common in the south; all Stewart Island variable oystercatchers are black.

DISCRIPTION

Variables have pink legs, an orange eye ring and red beaks. Males are around 678 grams and females slightly larger at around 724 grams. Variables can be identified as they are slightly larger than the (black and white) South Island Pied Oystercatchers (SIPOs) which are around 550 grams. Occasionally totally black, but if they are pied (black and white) they can be easily confused with SIPOs. The variable species has less definition between the black and the white area, as well as a mottled band on the leading edges of the underwing. Variables also have a smaller white rump patch which is only a band across the base of the tail rather than a wide wedge shape reaching up to the middle of the back as in the SIPO. When mottled they are sometimes called 'smudgies'.

BREEDING

Variables are often seen in pairs on the coast all around New Zealand. Once mated pairs rarely divorce. They breed in North Island, South Island, Stewart Island, and Chatham Islands. They do not breed inland or beside rivers, although the SIPO does. They nest on the shore between rocks or on sand dunes by making a scrape out of the sand or shingle, sometimes lined with some seaweed. During breeding, the pair will defend their territory, sometimes aggressively. They usually lay 2 to 3 eggs, but they can lay up to 5. The eggs are typically stone coloured with small brown patches all over. Eggs hatch in 25 to 32 days. Chicks are well camouflaged by their colour and can fly in about 6 weeks. After breeding they may be seen within or on the edges of flocks of SIPO which also have vivid orange beaks. After breeding they may even form small flocks of their own. The bird lives up to about 27 years.

FOOD

They are noisy and talkative birds, and when in flight they make a high pitched 'kleep kleep' sound. The birds feed on molluscs, crabs and marine worms. After heavy rain, they sometime go inland in search of earthworms. They can open a shellfish by either hammering a hole in it or getting the bill between the two shells (of a bivalve) and twisting them apart.

Source: Wikipedia

***Edit 2 January 2012 - This picture has been viewed a total of 15,025 times - which, to me, shows there are many many many people out there suffering from PMLE and still nothing to ease it!...keep adding comments...ways of easing it, etc etc!! :)

***Edit @ 3rd August 2008**

As of today this picture has been viewed a total of 2,059 times - which just goes to show in some way how many people suffer from PMLE - and still there's not an awful lot of good practical advice on the internet on how to deal with it - I thought, as there are lots of people visiting here and hopefully getting some good advice about how to control the condition - that people who suffer from it, comment below on the effects and how they manage to deal with it - I can then pull it together and hopefully create a self-help page on this 'ere tinternet! What d'yu think??

Sorry chaps and chapesses - this is not the prettiest of photos - but I think it's an important to highlight this - especially for those who suffer like I do.

Everyone who has ever made my aquaintance, especially in summertime, will know that I suffer from a condition called PMLE (Polymorphic Light Eruption) They know this because I moan about it constantly! This means, to all intents and purposes, I am allergic to the sun! When my skin is exposed to the sun, I blister, within literally seconds.

Now, this condition not only is unsightly, but can be incredibly painful, and the example I've posted is a relatively minor reaction I had today whilst chatting to my Mum outside in the sun for 10 minutes. There have been occasions that the blisters have become so raw, they become blood-blisters and believe me, that really is horrid!

Anyways, for years and years I have been looking for some sort of treatment for this. The only real cure I've found is for me to sit in the sun, exposed (!), with a high factor sun cream on, for minutes at a time, building up slowly but surely - and then, after about 2 months, my skin becomes desensitised.

This is all well and good, but the process is soooo bloody painful - I try to avoid it at all costs. It also makes me look like I've got the lurgy, is very unnattractive and sends young children screaming.

The other option is that I stay out of the sun and cover up (sometimes wearing longsleeved tops and trousers doesn't help, as the UVA rays can still penetrate the material, if it's not the thickness of something like denim)

Basically, I never get to enjoy the sun - BOOOOO!!

What really annoys me is that people call this condition 'prickly heat' - it is not! Prickly heat is an entirely different thing, and although itchy, is not as painful or as harsh or as debilitating as PMLE.

So, after searching and searching the internet, and not getting very far, I decided to post this picture, as it is said that 10% of the population suffers from the condition, most don't even report it to their docs, as the doctor will only give steroid cream as a soother- and, I suppose they reckon that having skin that's allergic to the sun is bad enough as it is, without having it thin out due to steroid treatment....

so... for those 10% of the population who are currently being driven crazy-doolally by the condition, here's what I've found to be helpful (because I couldn't find any other, non medical journal type, useful points of reference or help - there may well be some cracking advice out there, but I haven't found it - there are thousands of pages out there that explain what it is - but not many that give good advice on how to ease it.

1. If you're in the sun wear a high factor sun cream WITH Mexoryl XL + SX in it. Garnier do it, and if you live in the UK, Superdrug are selling it on a two for one offer right now for a tenner. Mexoryl is a new ingredient that does a darn fine job of blocking the UVA *and UVB* rays, which are the ones that cause a lot of the damage.

2. Try and desensitise your skin by building up a resistance (no longer than a few minutes at the beginning) WITH the suncream on.

3. Cool your skin with an aftersun (even if you've only been exposed for a short amount of time and you don't look as if you've caught the sun) - it will go some way to relieving the redness of the blisters.

4. Take an antihistimine (really helps with the itching and the rawness) and try not to itch - the blisters become far more painful after itching.

5. Get a good quality vitamin E cream and cover yourself with it after a shower or bath. (Vitamin E is a wonderful thing for people with skin probs)

The steps above won't get rid of the condition, unfortunately, I don't think anything will, but it certainly will help alleviate the symptoms, allow you to sleep without pain, and feel a bit better about yourself during the Summer months.

/lecture

spanwidth min.: 54 cm

spanwidth max.: 60 cm

size min.: 32 cm

size max.: 36 cm

Breeding

incubation min.: 11 days

incubation max.: 12 days

fledging min.: 17 days

fledging max.: 17 days

broods 15

eggs min.: 1

eggs max.: 25

Cuach

Status: Widespread summer visitor to Ireland from April to August.

Conservation Concern: Green-listed in Ireland. The European population is currently evaluated as secure.

Identification: Despite its obvious song, relatively infrequently seen. In flight, can be mistaken for a bird of prey such as Sparrowhawk, but has rapid wingbeats below the horizontal plane - ie. the wings are not raised above the body. Adult male Cuckoos are a uniform grey on the head, neck, back, wings and tail. The underparts are white with black barring. Adult females can appear in one of two forms. The so-called grey-morph resembles the adult male plumage, but has throat and breast barred black and white with yellowish wash. The rufous-morph has the grey replaced by rufous, with strong black barring on the wings, back and tail. Juvenile Cuckoos resemble the female rufous-morph, but are darker brown above.

Similar Species: Sparrowhawk

Call: The song is probably one of the most recognisable and well-known of all Irish bird species. The male gives a distinctive “wuck-oo”, which is occasionally doubled “wuck-uck-ooo”. The female has a distinctive bubbling “pupupupu”. The song period is late April to late June.

Diet: Mainly caterpillars and other insects.

Breeding: Widespread in Ireland, favouring open areas which hold their main Irish host species – Meadow Pipit. Has a remarkable breeding biology unlike any other Irish breeding species.

Wintering: Cuckoos winter in central and southern Africa.

Where to See: Occurs throughout Ireland though nowhere especially common. Good areas to see Cuckoo are the Burren and Connemara, which hold the highest density of breeding pairs.

Physical characteristics

Forests and woodlands, both coniferous and deciduous, second growth, open wooded areas, wooded steppe, scrub, heathland, also meadows, reedbeds. Lowlands and moorlands and hill country to 2 km.

Habitat

Forests and woodlands, both coniferous and deciduous, second growth, open wooded areas, wooded steppe, scrub, heathland, also meadows, reedbeds. Lowlands and moorlands and hill country to 2 km. Food and Feeding

Other details

Cuculus canorus is a widespread summer visitor to Europe, which accounts for less than half of its global breeding range. Its European breeding population is very large (>4,200,000 pairs), and was stable between 1970-1990. Although there were declines in many western populations-most notably France-during 1990-2000, most populations in the east, including key ones in Russia and Romania, were stable, and the species underwent only a slight decline overall

Feeding

Diet based on insects, mainly caterpillars, also dragonflies, mayflies, damselflies, crickets, and cicadas. Sometimes, spiders, snails, rarely fruit. Preys on eggs and nestling of small birds.

Conservation

This species has a large range, with an estimated global Extent of Occurrence of 10,000,000 km². It has a large global population, including an estimated 8,400,000-17,000,000 individuals in Europe (BirdLife International in prep.). Global population trends have not been quantified, but populations appear to be stable so the species is not believed to approach the thresholds for the population decline criterion of the IUCN Red List (i.e. declining more than 30% in ten years or three generations). For these reasons, the species is evaluated as Least Concern. [conservation status from birdlife.org]

Breeding

May-Jun in NW Europe, Apr-May in Algeria, Apr-Jul in India and Myanmar. Brood-parasitic, hosts include many insectivorous songbird species, like: flycatchers, chats, warblers, pipits, wagtails and buntigs. Often mobbed by real or potential hosts near their nests. Eggs polymorphic in color and pattern, closely match those of host in color and pattern. Nestling period 17-18 days, evicts host's eggs and chicks.

Migration

Migratory in N of range, arriving in SW Britain mainly Apr - May, when occasionally recorded in small parties, and even in one flock of 50+ birds; also seasonal in hill country from Assam and Chin Hills to Shan States, where present Mar - Aug. Resident in tropical lowland areas of S Asia. Winter resident in sub-Saharan Africa and in Sri Lanka. W Palearctic populations migrate to Africa, where a Dutch-ringed juvenile found in Togo in Oct and a British-ringed juvenile found in Cameroon in Jan; migrants appear in N Senegal as early as late Jul through Oct; in W Africa nearly all records are in autumn ( Sept - Dec), birds apparently continuing on to C & S Africa. Race bangsi occurs on passage in W Africa, and winters S of equator from W Africa to L Tanganyika. Asian populations of nominate canorus and bakeri winter in India, SE Asia and Philippines, also in Africa, but the extent of migration of Asian birds to Africa is unknown; some subtelephonus migrate through Middle East and occur in winter from Uganda and E Zaire to Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Natal. Mainly a passage migrant in Middle East, though some breed in region. Migrants also appear on islands in W Indian Ocean ( Seychelles, Aldabra). Nominate canorus accidental in Iceland, Faeroes, Azores, Madeira, Canary Is and Cape Verde Is, rarely also Alaska and eastern N America; one record of canorus in Indonesia, off W Java in winter. Autumn migration starts in August and continues until October. The main passage through Egypt is in September and the first half of October, with a peak in the third week of September (Goodman & Meininger 1989). Southward movement through Africa lasts from September to December and is linked to the occurrence of rainfall and the growth of cover.

Sassafras albidum is easily identified by its polymorphic leaves, with three different leaf shapes on the same tree. This sapling is only a foot tall, so it has about fifty more feet to grow.

リコリス・ロンギチュバ ‘ピュア・ホワイト’

Lycoris longituba Y.C.Hsu et G.J.Fan, 1974 ‘Pure White’

This name is accepted. 08/13, 2022.

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Family: Amaryllidaceae (APG IV)

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Distribution:China (Jiangsu)

36 CHS

Lifeform:Bulb geophyte

Original Compiler:R.Govaerts

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Authors:

Yin Hsu (fl. 1974)

Guang Jin Fan (fl. 1970)

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Publication:

Acta Phytotaxonomica Sinica. [Chih su fen lei hsüeh pao.]. Beijing

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Collation

12(3): 299

Date of Publication

18 Jul 1974

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Type-Protolog

Locality:China: Jiangsu: Nanjing, 28 Aug. 1951

Collector and Number:F.H. Liou 1919

Institutions(s):HT: HSBI; IT: SHMMI

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(Imported at JAPAN, 1979 from China, By Mr. Kaneko, Japan.)

Very rare plants. 2n=16=6M+10T

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This name is Accepted by:

Zhengyi, W. & Raven, P.H. (eds.) (2000). Flora of China 24: 1-431. Missouri Botanical Garden Press, St. Louis.

Flora of China Editorial Committee. 2000. Flora of China (Flagellariaceae through Marantaceae). 24: 1–431. In C. Y. Wu, P. H. Raven & D. Y. Hong (eds.) Fl. China. Science Press & Missouri Botanical Garden Press, Beijing & St. Louis.

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Endemic to China (Jiangsu and Anhui). Very polymorphic species. Variable in flower color and shape. Plants with yellow flowers classified as a variety, "Lycoris longituba Y.C.Hsu et G.J.Fan, 1974". Very long tepatube and its fragrance are marked chracteristics of this species. Leaves lanceolate, to 63 cm long and to 4 cm wide, somewhat fleshy and pale green, appearing in early spring and wither up in May. Scape, 60-80 cm hight, appearing in July to August. Spathe, to 5 cm long. Pedicel 1.5-4.5 cm, tepaltube 4.5-6.0 cm. Tepals 7-9.5 cm long, . Stamens 6-7.5 cm, shorter than tepals. Style 7-9.5 cm, nearly equal to or slightly exceeding tepals. Before that it was far carrying out this plant in a scientific statement, it was indicated by U.S. an Advanced Horticulturalist Mr. Sam Coldwell from that it was a new species. The formal scientific statement of "Lycoris longituba" was announced by Y.C.Hsu & G.J.Fan in 1974. However, this plant was introduced into Japan and was already grown in the 1930s. It by misconception of scholar Dr. Inariyama (1948) of Japan "Lycoris x straminea Lindl., 1848" said. When it depended on research of scholar Dr. Kurita of Japan, it became clear that the individual of this plants is one of the variations of "Lycoris longituba Y.C.Hsu et G.J.Fan, 1974"

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此の個体はリコリス中でも最も大型の部類で、主に種子繁殖をし、非常に自家受粉しやすいが、その反面、分球はしずらく、1球が10球までになるには大凡30年はかかった。ヒガンバナが30年で2000球に分けつする事と比較すると恐ろしいほどスローモーな分けつ力である。此の個体は、金子氏が40年前に中国から導入したヒガンバナ類の中から選抜した個体で、他に麦藁色の個体が明治期にもたらされていたが、在来の個体より鑑賞価値は高い。春出葉型なので、短い期間しか葉が無い為、其の間には良く日光に当て肥培をすることが肝心で有る。自然交雑種のナツズイセンの片親である事がDr. Kurita の研究で判明した。自然界でのリコリス・ロンギチュバは、白、ピンクなど幅があり、黄花や麦藁色の物は別途變種扱いされている。此の個体自体は、蘂にやや紫色が乗るが、是程に白い花の個体は少なく、殆どの場合、やや濁っているピンクであり、選抜した意味は大きい。本種は大球性で他のリコリスよりもやや深く土中に球根が潜る。開花は、是から得られたナツズイセンよりも1ヶ月早く、7月中には開花する。

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昨年は、薄らピンクの花を咲かせ、大いにがっかりしましたが、今年は、元来の綺麗な白花として咲きました。蘂の色からも解る様に、 a true albino では無いので、原因は不明ですが、環境要因か、体調の具合で色彩に影響されるのかも知れません。然は然り乍ら、ロンギチュバの個体群の中では一番白い花です。手元には 變種フラバの系統もありますが、稲荷山博士がストラミネアと誤認した個体等です。稲荷山系の個体は今年はサボリで開花しない様です。

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Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Nikon Ai Micro-Nikkor 200mm F4s (IF)

The Gyrfalcon (Falco rusticolus), also spelled Gyr Falcon, sometimes Gerfalcon, is the largest of all falcon species. The Gyrfalcon breeds on Arctic coasts and islands of North America, Europe and Asia. It is mainly resident, but some Gyrfalcons disperse more widely after the breeding season, or in winter[1].

The bird's common name comes from French gerfaucon, and in mediaeval Latin is rendered as gyrofalco. The first part of the word may come from Old High German gîr (cf. modern German Geier), "vulture", referring to its size compared to other falcons, or the Latin gȳrus ("circle", "curved path") from the species' circling as it searches for prey, unlike the other falcons in its range[2]. The male gyrfalcon is called a gyrkin in falconry.

Its scientific name is composed of the Latin terms for a falcon, Falco, and for someone who lives in the countryside, rusticolus.

Plumage is very variable in this highly polymorphic species: the archetypal morphs are called "white", "silver", "brown" and "black" though coloration spans a continuous spectrum from nearly all-white birds to very dark ones.

The Gyrfalcon is a bird of tundra and mountains, with cliffs or a few patches of trees. It feeds only on birds and mammals. Like other hierofalcons, it usually hunts in a horizontal pursuit, rather than the Peregrine's speedy stoop from a height. Most prey is killed on the ground, whether they are captured there or, if the victim is a flying bird, forced to the ground. The diet is to some extent opportunistic, but a majority of breeding birds mostly rely on Lagopus grouse. Avian prey can range in size from redpolls to geese and can include gulls, corvids, smaller passerines, waders and other raptors (up to the size of Buteos). Mammalian prey can range in size from shrews to marmots (sometimes 3 times heavier than the assaulting falcon), and often includes include lemmings, voles, ground squirrels and hares. They only rarely eat carrion.

The Gyrfalcon is the official bird of Canada's Northwest Territories.

Photographed while walking at San Antonio Open Space Preserve, Los Altos, California

Please click on the photo or press the L key to view the larger size

This beautiful Red-tailed Hawk was perched on a horizontal branch, no more than 50 feet from a heavily-used trail that winds up the hillside from the parking area. Many hikers and runners passed this hawk in both directions without noticing the hawk. The hawk itself was constantly moving its head about as it was searching for prey and in this photo was looking up the hill behind it at some movement that had attracted its attention.

Canon 7D Mark II. f/5.6 1/640 ISO 400

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From Wikipedia: The red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) is a bird of prey that breeds throughout most of North America, from the interior of Alaska and northern Canada to as far south as Panama and the West Indies. It is one of the most common members within the genus of Buteo in North America or worldwide. The red-tailed hawk is one of three species colloquially known in the United States as the "chickenhawk," though it rarely preys on standard-sized chickens. The bird is sometimes also referred to as the red-tail for short, when the meaning is clear in context.

Red-tailed hawks can acclimate to all the biomes within their range, occurring on the edges of non-ideal habitats such as dense forests and sandy deserts. The red-tailed hawk occupies a wide range of habitats and altitudes including deserts, grasslands, coniferous and deciduous forests, agricultural fields and urban areas. Its latitudinal limits fall around the tree line in the Arctic and the species is absent from the high Arctic. It is legally protected in Canada, Mexico and the United States by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

The 14 recognized subspecies vary in appearance and range, varying most often in color, and in the west of North America, red-tails are particularly often strongly polymorphic, with individuals ranging from almost white to nearly all black. The subspecies Harlan's hawk (B. j. harlani) is sometimes considered a separate species (B. harlani). The red-tailed hawk is one of the largest members of the genus Buteo, typically weighing from 690 to 1,600 g (1.5 to 3.5 lb) and measuring 45–65 cm (18–26 in) in length, with a wingspan from 110–141 cm (3 ft 7 in–4 ft 8 in). This species displays sexual dimorphism in size, with females averaging about 25% heavier than males.

The diet of red-tailed hawks is highly variable and reflects their status as opportunistic generalist, but in North America, it is most often a predator of small mammals such as rodents. Prey that is terrestrial and diurnal is preferred so types such as ground squirrels are preferential where they naturally occur. Large numbers of birds and reptiles can occur in the diet in several areas and can even be the primary foods. Meanwhile, amphibians, fish and invertebrates can seem rare in the hawk’s regular diet; however, they are not infrequently taken by immature hawks.

Red-tailed hawks may survive on islands absent of native mammals on diets variously including invertebrates such as crabs, or lizards and birds. Like many Buteo, they hunt from a perch most often but can vary their hunting techniques where prey and habitat demand it. Because they are so common and easily trained as capable hunters, the majority of hawks captured for falconry in the United States are red-tails. Falconers are permitted to take only passage hawks (which have left the nest, are on their own, but are less than a year old) so as to not affect the breeding population. Adults, which may be breeding or rearing chicks, may not be taken for falconry purposes and it is illegal to do so. Passage red-tailed hawks are also preferred by falconers because these younger birds have not yet developed the adult behaviors which would make them more difficult to train.

Description:

Red-tailed hawk plumage can be variable, depending on the subspecies and the region. These color variations are morphs, and are not related to molting. The western North American population, B. j. calurus, is the most variable subspecies and has three main color morphs: light, dark, and intermediate or rufous. The dark and intermediate morphs constitute 10–20% of the population in the western United States but seem to constitute only 1-2% of B. j. calurus in western Canada. A whitish underbelly with a dark brown band across the belly, formed by horizontal streaks in feather patterning, is present in most color variations. This feature is variable in eastern hawks and generally absent in some light subspecies (i.e. B. j. fuertesi).

Most adult red-tails have a dark brown nape and upper head which gives them a somewhat hooded appearance, while the throat can variably present a lighter brown “necklace”. Especially in younger birds, the underside may be otherwise covered with dark brown spotting and some adults may too manifest this stippling. The back is usually a slightly darker brown than elsewhere with paler scapular feathers, ranging from tawny to white, forming a variable imperfect “V” on the back. The tail of most adults, which of course gives this species its name, is rufous brick-red above with a variably sized black subterminal band and generally appears light buff-orange from below. In comparison, the typical pale immatures (i.e. less than two years old) typically have a mildly paler headed and tend to show a darker back than adults with more apparent pale wing feather edges above (for descriptions of dark morph juveniles from B. j. calurus, which is also generally apt for description of rare dark morphs of other races, see under that subspecies description). In immature red-tailed hawks of all hues, the tail is a light brown above with numerous small dark brown bars of roughly equal width, but these tend to be much broader on dark morph birds.

Even in young red-tails, the tail may be a somewhat rufous tinge of brown. The bill is relatively short and dark, in the hooked shape characteristic of raptors, and the head can sometimes appear small in size against the thick body frame. The cere, the legs, and the feet of the red-tailed hawk are all yellow, as is the hue of bare parts in many accipitrids of different lineages. Immature birds can be readily identified at close range by their yellowish irises. As the bird attains full maturity over the course of 3–4 years, the iris slowly darkens into a reddish-brown hue, which is the adult eye-color in all races. Seen in flight, adults usually have dark brown along the lower edge of the wings, against a mostly pale wing, which bares light brownish barring. Individually, the underwing coverts can range from all dark to off-whitish (most often more heavily streaked with brown) which contrasts with a distinctive black patagium marking. The wing coloring of adults and immatures is similar but for typical pale morph immatures having somewhat heavier brownish markings.

Though the markings and hue vary across the subspecies, the basic appearance of the red-tailed hawk is relatively consistent. Overall, this species is blocky and broad in shape, often appearing (and being) heavier than other Buteos of similar length. They are the heaviest Buteos on average in eastern North America, albeit scarcely ahead of the larger winged rough-legged buzzard (Buteo lagopus), and second only in size in the west to the ferruginous hawk (Buteo regalis). Red-tailed hawks may be anywhere from the seventh to the ninth heaviest Buteo in the world depending on what figures are used. However, in the northwestern United States, ferruginous hawk females are 35% heavier than female red-tails from the same area. On average, western red-tailed hawks are relatively longer winged and lankier proportioned but are slightly less stocky, compact and heavy than eastern red-tailed hawks in North America. Eastern hawks may also have mildly larger talons and bills than western ones. Based on comparisons of morphology and function amongst all accipitrids, these features imply that western red-tails may need to vary their hunting more frequently to on the wing as the habitat diversifies to more open situations and presumably would hunt more variable and faster prey, whereas the birds of the east, which was historically well-wooded, are more dedicated perch hunters and can take somewhat larger prey but are likely more dedicated mammal hunters. In terms of size variation, red-tailed hawks run almost contrary to Bergmann's rule (i.e. that northern animals should be larger in relation than those closer to the Equator within a species) as one of the northernmost subspecies, B. j. alascensis, is the second smallest race based on linear dimensions and that two of the most southerly occurring races in the United States, B. j. fuertesi and B. j. umbrinus, respectively, are the largest proportioned of all red-tailed hawks. Red-tailed hawks tend have a relatively short but broad tails and thick, chunky wings. Although often described as long winged, the proportional size of the wings is quite small and red-tails have high wing loading for a buteonine hawk. For comparison, two other widespread Buteo hawks in North America were found to weigh: 30 g (1.1 oz) for every square centimeter of wing area in the rough-legged buzzard (Buteo lagopus) and 44 g (1.6 oz) per square cm in the red-shouldered hawk (Buteo lineatus). In contrast, the red-tailed hawk weighed considerably more for their wing area: 199 g (7.0 oz) per square cm.

As is the case with many raptors, the red-tailed hawk displays sexual dimorphism in size, as females are up to 25% larger than males. As is typical in large raptors, frequently reported mean body mass for Red-tailed Hawks are somewhat higher than expansive research reveals. Part of this weight variation is seasonal fluctuations, hawks tending to be heavier in winter than during migration or especially during the trying summer breeding season, and also due to clinal variation. Furthermore, immature hawks are usually lighter in mass than their adult counterparts despite averaging somewhat longer winged and tailed. Male red-tailed hawks may weigh from 690 to 1,300 g (1.52 to 2.87 lb) and females may weigh between 801 and 1,723 g (1.766 and 3.799 lb) (the lowest figure from a migrating female immature from Goshute Mountains, Nevada, the highest from a wintering female in Wisconsin). Some sources claim the largest females can weigh up to 2,000 g (4.4 lb) but whether this is in reference to wild hawks (as opposed to those in captivity or used for falconry) is not clear.[24] The largest known survey of body mass in red-tailed hawks is still credited to Craighead & Craighead (1956), who found 100 males to average 1,028 g (2.266 lb) and 108 females to average 1,244 g (2.743 lb). However, these figures were apparently taken from labels on museum specimens, apparently from natural history collections in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, without note to the region, age or subspecies of the specimens. However, 16 sources ranging in sample size from the aforementioned 208 specimens to only four hawks in Puerto Rico (with 9 of the 16 studies of migrating red-tails), showed that males weigh a mean of 860.2 g (1.896 lb) and females weigh a mean of 1,036.2 g (2.284 lb), about 15% lighter than prior species-wide published weights. Within the continental United States, average weights of males can range from 840.8 g (1.854 lb) (for migrating males in Chelan County, Washington) to 1,031 g (2.273 lb) (for male hawks found dead in Massachusetts) and females ranged from 1,057.9 g (2.332 lb) (migrants in the Goshutes) to 1,373 g (3.027 lb) (for females diagnosed as B. j. borealis in western Kansas). Size variation in body mass reveals that the red-tailed hawks typically varies only a modest amount and that size differences are geographically inconsistent. Racial variation in average weights of great horned owls (Bubo virginianus) show that mean body mass is nearly twice (the heaviest race is about 36% heavier than the lightest known race on average) as variable as that of the hawk (where the heaviest race is only just over 18% heavier on average than the lightest). Also, great horned owls correspond well at the species level with Bergmann’s rule.

Male red-tailed hawks can reportedly measure 45 to 60 cm (18 to 24 in) in total length, females measuring 48 to 65 cm (19 to 26 in) long. The wingspan typically can range from 105 to 141 cm (3 ft 5 in to 4 ft 8 in), although the largest females may possible span up to 147 cm (4 ft 10 in). In the standard scientific method of measuring wing size, the wing chord is 325.1–444.5 mm (12.80–17.50 in) long. The tail measures 188 to 258.7 mm (7.40 to 10.19 in) in length. The exposed culmen was reported to range from 21.7 to 30.2 mm (0.85 to 1.19 in) and the tarsus averaged 74.7–95.8 mm (2.94–3.77 in) across the races. The middle toe (excluding talon) can range from 38.3 to 53.8 mm (1.51 to 2.12 in), with the hallux-claw (the talon of the rear toe, which has evolved to be the largest in accipitrids) measuring from 24.1 to 33.6 mm (0.95 to 1.32 in) in length.

Identification:

Although they overlap in range with most other American diurnal raptors, identifying most mature red-tailed hawks to species is relatively straightforward, particularly if viewing a typical adult at a reasonable distance. The red-tailed hawk is the only North American hawk with a rufous tail and a blackish patagium marking on the leading edge of its wing (which is obscured only on dark morph adults and Harlan’s hawks by similarly dark colored feathers).

Other larger adult Buteo in North America usually have obvious distinct markings that are absent in red-tails, whether the rufous-brown “beard” of Swainson's hawks (Buteo swainsonii) or the colorful rufous belly and shoulder markings and striking black-and-white mantle of red-shouldered hawks (also the small “windows” seen at the end of their primaries). In perched individuals, even as silhouettes, the shape of large Buteos may be distinctive, such as the wingtips overhanging the tail in several other species, but not in red-tails. North American Buteos range from the dainty, compact builds of much smaller Buteos, such as broad-winged hawk (Buteo platypterus) to the heavyset, neckless look of ferruginous hawks or the rough-legged buzzard which has a compact, smaller appearance than a red-tail in perched birds due to its small bill, short neck and much shorter tarsus, while the opposite effect occurs in flying rough-legs with their much bigger wing area.

In flight, most other large North American Buteo are distinctly longer and slenderer winged than red-tailed hawks, with the much paler ferruginous hawk having peculiarly slender wings in relation to its massive, chunky body. Swainson's hawks are distinctly darker on the wing and ferruginous hawks are much paler winged than typical red-tailed hawks. Pale morph adult ferruginous hawk can show mildly tawny-pink (but never truly rufous) upper tail, and like red-tails tend to have dark markings on underwing-coverts and can have a dark belly band but compared to red-tailed hawks have a distinctly broader head, their remiges are much whiter looking with very small dark primary tips, they lack the red-tail’s diagnostic patagial marks and usually (but not always) also lack the dark subterminal tail-band, and ferruginous have a totally feathered tarsus. With its whitish head, the ferruginous hawk is most similar to Krider's red-tailed hawks, especially in immature plumage, but the larger hawk has broader head and narrower wing shape and the ferruginous immatures are paler underneath and on their legs. Several species share a belly band with the typical red-tailed hawk but they vary from subtle (as in the ferruginous hawk) to solid blackish, the latter in most light-morph rough-legged buzzards. More difficult to identify among adult red-tails are its darkest variations, as most species of Buteo in North America also have dark morphs. Western dark morph red-tails (i.e. calurus) adults, however, retain the typical distinctive brick-red tail which other species lack, which may stand out even more against the otherwise all chocolate brown-black bird. Standard pale juveniles when perched show a whitish patch in the outer half of the upper surface of the wing which other juvenile Buteo lack. The most difficult to identify stages and plumage types are dark morph juveniles, Harlan’s hawk and some Krider’s hawks (the latter mainly with typical ferruginous hawks as aforementioned). Some darker juveniles are similar enough to other Buteo juveniles that it has been stated that they "cannot be identified to species with any confidence under various field conditions." However, field identification techniques have advanced in the last few decades and most experienced hawk-watchers can distinguish even the most vexingly plumaged immature hawks, especially as the wing shapes of each species becomes apparent after seeing many. Harlan’s hawks are most similar to dark morph rough-legged buzzards and dark morph ferruginous hawks. Wing shape is the most reliable identification tool for distinguishing the Harlan’s from these, but also the pale streaking on the breast of Harlan’s, which tends to be conspicuous in most individuals, and is lacking in the other hawks. Also dark morph ferruginous hawks do not have the dark subterminal band of a Harlan’s hawk but do bear a black undertail covert lacking in Harlan’s.

AB2A8487-1_fCA2Flkr

Pasar Siti Khadijah, Buloh Kubu, Kota Bharu, Kelantan, Malaysia.

Dioscorea alata L. Dioscoreaceae. CN: [Malay - Ubi badak, Ubi jembut, Ubi kerbau tidur, Ubi nasi, Ubi kelapa, Ubi sukun], Greater yam, Guyana arrowroot, Ten-months yam, Water yam, White yam, Purple yam, Winged yam. Origin South East Asia; elsewhere naturalized or cultivated. D. alata is the most extensively cultivated of the edible yam with hundreds of cultivars worldwide. Plants tuberous; tubers 1-many, stalked and ± deeply buried, elongate (highly polymorphic ), often massive, weighing up to several kg , flesh starchy, white or variously colored . Stems twining clockwise, climbing up to 20 m, broadly winged, 4-angular, producing bulbils up to 4 cm in diam. in leaf axils, wings often purplish. Leaves alternate proximally, opposite and ultimately decussate distally, 6-16 × 4-13 cm; petiole ca. as long as blade, winged, base clasping, basal lobes stipulate, growing as extensions of wings, less than 1 mm wide; blade 5-7-veined, ovate, glabrous, base typically sagittate, margins entire, apex acute to acuminate.

Synonym(s):

Dioscorea rubella Roxb.

Dioscorea globosa Roxb.

Dioscorea javanica Queva

Dioscorea purpurea Roxb.

Dioscorea sapinii De Wild.

Dioscorea sativa Munro

Dioscorea vulgaris Miq.

and many more - see The Plant List www.theplantlist.org/tpl/record/kew-239747

Ref and suggested reading:

www.theplantlist.org/tpl/record/kew-239747

www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/taxon.pl?14175

zipcodezoo.com/Plants/D/Dioscorea_alata/

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dioscorea_alata

www.hear.org/species/dioscorea_alata/

Knowledge of genetic diversity is one of the important tools used for genetic management of quinoa accessions for plant breeding. This research aimed to molecularly characterize five quinoa genotypes using ISSR markers to reveal genetic polymorphism and identify unique markers for each genotype. Analysis of inter-simple sequence repeats (ISSR) revealed that 10 ISSR primers produced 53 amplicons, out of them 33 were polymorphic and the average percentage of polymorphism was 61.83%. The number of amplicons per primer ranged from 3 (HB-13, HB-10, HB-8 and 17898A) to 10 (HB-15) with an average of 5.3 fragments/primer across the different quinoa genotypes. Data showed a total number of unique ISSR markers of 24; eleven of them were positive and 13 were negative. Using ISSR analysis, we were able to identify some unique bands associated with quinoa genotypes. The genetic similarity ranged from 49% (between Ollague and each of QL-3 and Chipaya) to 76% (between CICA-17 and CO-407). The results indicated that all the five quinoa genotypes differ from each other at the DNA level where the average of genetic similarity (GS) between them was about 59%. The dendrogram separated the quinoa genotypes into two clusters; the first cluster included two genotypes (QL-3 and Chipaya). The second cluster was divided into two groups; the first group included two genotypes (CICA-17 and CO-407) and the second group included only one genotype (Ollague). Our results indicated that ISSR technique is useful in the establishment of the genetic fingerprinting and estimation of genetic relationships among quinoa genotypes. Also, this technique could detect enough polymorphism in the studied quinoa genotypes to distinguish each genotype from the others. Furthermore, the use of these results in the future is important for quinoa germplasm management and improvement as well as for the selection strategies of parental lines that facilitate the prediction of crosses in order to produce hybrids with higher performance. Using ISSR analysis, we were able to identify unique bands associated with quinoa genotypes. These bands might also be used in breeding programs for differentiating among Chinopodium quinoa varieties.

Author(s) Details

A. M. M. Al-Naggar

Department of Agronomy, Faculty of Agriculture, Cairo University, Egypt.

R. M. Abd El-Salam

Department of Agronomy, Faculty of Agriculture, Cairo University, Egypt.

A. E. E. Badran

Plant Breeding Unit, Department of Genetic Resources, Desert Research Center, Cairo, Egypt.

Mai M. A. El-Moghazi

Plant Breeding Unit, Department of Genetic Resources, Desert Research Center, Cairo, Egypt.

Read full article: bp.bookpi.org/index.php/bpi/catalog/view/54/599/485-2

View More: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhiRynfypug

This mocker swallowtail butterfly (Papilio dardanus), native to sub-Saharan Africa, was seen in last year's Butterflies Live! exhibit at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden. Males have a generally uniform appearance, but there are at least 14 varieties, or morphs, of the polymorphic females, with differences in wing shapes, colors, and markings; I learned today (August 6, 2014) at the botanical garden that this is one of the female variants.

Press "L" for larger image, on black.

Common Mormon (Female; Form: stichius)

This female form of the Common Mormon mimics the Common Rose very closely but lacks red markings on body. This is the commonest form wherever the Common Rose flies.

The Common Mormon (Papilio polytes) is a common species of swallowtail butterfly (family: papilionidae) widely distributed across Asia. Seen round the year throughout India from plains up to 2000m. This butterfly is known for the mimicry displayed by the numerous forms of its females.

The female of the Common Mormon is polymorphic. In South Asia, it has three forms or morphs. These are as follows: cyrus, stichius, romulus.

Host Plant: Ixora coccinea; Rangan (রঙ্গন, Rugmini in Hindi, commonly known as the Jungle Geranium, Flame of the Woods, and Jungle Flame from Rubiaceae family) is an exotic bright red flower, bloom as a flower bunch comprises of lot of small red flowers at the top of branch. Each red flower has four petals and holds four yellow stamen(no filament) between the petals. Flower blooms more or less throughout the year, but best during the rainy season.

Bengal Monsoon

Images of Bengal, India

Music Courtesy: Vivaldi - The Four Seasons - Andante from 'Water'

ze-no-STEEJ-ee-uh or ze-no-STEG-ee-uh -- Greek: xeno (strange); stegia (covering) ... Dave's Botanary

try-den-TAY-ta -- three-toothed ... Dave's Botanary

commonly known as: narrowleaf morning glory • Bengali: হলুদ কলমি লতা holud kolmi lawta, প্রসারিণী prosharini • Gujarati: ભીંતગરીયો bhintagariyo • Hindi: प्रसारिणी prasarini • Kachchhi: ઝામરવલ jhamarval, ટોપરાવલ toparaval • Kannada: ಇಲಿಕಿವಿ ಸೊಪ್ಪು ilikivi soppu, ಪ್ರಸಾರಣಿ prasaarani • Konkani: काळी वेल kali vel • Malayalam: പ്രസാരണി prasaarani, തലനീളി thalaneeli • Marathi: काळी वेल kali vel • Odia: ପ୍ରସାରଣୀ prasarani • Rajasthani: प्रसारिणी prasarini • Sanskrit: प्रसारिणी prasarini • Tamil: முதியோர் கூந்தல் mutiyor kuntal • Telugu: లంజ సవరం lanja savaram, సీతమ్మ జడ seethamma jada, సీతమ్మ సవరం seetamma savaram, సుంచు మూతి sunchu mutthi

botanical names: Xenostegia tridentata (L.) D.F.Austin & Staples ... homotypic synonyms: Convolvulus tridentatus L. • Evolvulus tridentatus (L.) L. • Ipomoea tridentata (L.) Roth • Merremia tridentata (L.) Hallier f. ... infraspecific: Xenostegia tridentata subsp. tridentata ... and more at POWO, retrieved 07 February 2025

~~~~~ DISTRIBUTION in INDIA ~~~~~

throughout (except n-w India); including Lakshadweep islands

Names compiled / updated at Names of Plants in India.

Subang Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia.

Dioscorea alata L. Dioscoreaceae. CN: [Malay - Ubi badak, Ubi jembut, Ubi kerbau tidur, Ubi nasi, Ubi kelapa, Ubi sukun], Greater yam, Guyana arrowroot, Ten-months yam, Water yam, White yam, Purple yam, Winged yam. Origin South East Asia; elsewhere naturalized or cultivated. D. alata is the most extensively cultivated of the edible yam with hundreds of cultivars worldwide. Plants tuberous; tubers 1-many, stalked and ± deeply buried, elongate (highly polymorphic ), often massive, weighing up to several kg , flesh starchy, white or variously colored . Stems twining clockwise, climbing up to 20 m, broadly winged, 4-angular, producing bulbils up to 4 cm in diam. in leaf axils, wings often purplish. Leaves alternate proximally, opposite and ultimately decussate distally, 6-16 × 4-13 cm; petiole ca. as long as blade, winged, base clasping, basal lobes stipulate, growing as extensions of wings, less than 1 mm wide; blade 5-7-veined, ovate, glabrous, base typically sagittate, margins entire, apex acute to acuminate.

Synonym(s):

Dioscorea rubella Roxb.

Dioscorea globosa Roxb.

Dioscorea javanica Queva

Dioscorea purpurea Roxb.

Dioscorea sapinii De Wild.

Dioscorea sativa Munro

Dioscorea vulgaris Miq.

and many more - see The Plant List www.theplantlist.org/tpl/record/kew-239747

Ref and suggested reading:

www.theplantlist.org/tpl/record/kew-239747

www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/taxon.pl?14175

zipcodezoo.com/Plants/D/Dioscorea_alata/

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dioscorea_alata

www.hear.org/species/dioscorea_alata/

3

A very very variable in color (polymorphic) species in the stinkbug family from South America. I have a couple of other examples, but there seems to be no limit to the color variations this species has. How lovely and mysterious. Not sure what the research is on this thing, but it must be an interesting story. This is what you find when you dig around in the National Collection at the Smithsonian. Sadly all the specimens are old as there is little collecting going on these days.

~~~~~~~~~~{{{{{{0}}}}}}~~~~~~~~~~

All photographs are public domain, feel free to download and use as you wish.

Photography Information: Canon Mark II 5D, Zerene Stacker, Stackshot Sled, 65mm Canon MP-E 1-5X macro lens, Twin Macro Flash in Styrofoam Cooler, F5.0, ISO 100, Shutter Speed 200

Beauty is truth, truth beauty - that is all

Ye know on earth and all ye need to know

" Ode on a Grecian Urn"

John Keats

You can also follow us on Instagram account USGSBIML Want some Useful Links to the Techniques We Use? Well now here you go Citizen:

Art Photo Book: Bees: An Up-Close Look at Pollinators Around the World

www.qbookshop.com/products/216627/9780760347386/Bees.html...

Basic USGSBIML set up:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-_yvIsucOY

USGSBIML Photoshopping Technique: Note that we now have added using the burn tool at 50% opacity set to shadows to clean up the halos that bleed into the black background from "hot" color sections of the picture.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bdmx_8zqvN4

PDF of Basic USGSBIML Photography Set Up:

ftp://ftpext.usgs.gov/pub/er/md/laurel/Droege/How%20to%20Take%20MacroPhotographs%20of%20Insects%20BIML%20Lab2.pdf

Google Hangout Demonstration of Techniques:

plus.google.com/events/c5569losvskrv2nu606ltof8odo

or

www.youtube.com/watch?v=4c15neFttoU

Excellent Technical Form on Stacking:

www.photomacrography.net/

Contact information:

Sam Droege

sdroege@usgs.gov

301 497 5840

Polymorphic Jade Fire

Pasar Siti Khadijah, Buloh Kubu, Kota Bharu, Kelantan, Malaysia.

Dioscorea alata L. Dioscoreaceae. CN: [Malay - Ubi badak, Ubi jembut, Ubi kerbau tidur, Ubi nasi, Ubi kelapa, Ubi sukun], Greater yam, Guyana arrowroot, Ten-months yam, Water yam, White yam, Purple yam, Winged yam. Origin South East Asia; elsewhere naturalized or cultivated. D. alata is the most extensively cultivated of the edible yam with hundreds of cultivars worldwide. Plants tuberous; tubers 1-many, stalked and ± deeply buried, elongate (highly polymorphic ), often massive, weighing up to several kg , flesh starchy, white or variously colored . Stems twining clockwise, climbing up to 20 m, broadly winged, 4-angular, producing bulbils up to 4 cm in diam. in leaf axils, wings often purplish. Leaves alternate proximally, opposite and ultimately decussate distally, 6-16 × 4-13 cm; petiole ca. as long as blade, winged, base clasping, basal lobes stipulate, growing as extensions of wings, less than 1 mm wide; blade 5-7-veined, ovate, glabrous, base typically sagittate, margins entire, apex acute to acuminate.

Synonym(s):

Dioscorea rubella Roxb.

Dioscorea globosa Roxb.

Dioscorea javanica Queva

Dioscorea purpurea Roxb.

Dioscorea sapinii De Wild.

Dioscorea sativa Munro

Dioscorea vulgaris Miq.

and many more - see The Plant List www.theplantlist.org/tpl/record/kew-239747

Ref and suggested reading:

www.theplantlist.org/tpl/record/kew-239747

www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/taxon.pl?14175

zipcodezoo.com/Plants/D/Dioscorea_alata/

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dioscorea_alata

www.hear.org/species/dioscorea_alata/

Pasar Siti Khadijah, Buloh Kubu, Kota Bharu, Kelantan, Malaysia.

Dioscorea alata L. Dioscoreaceae. CN: [Malay - Ubi badak, Ubi jembut, Ubi kerbau tidur, Ubi nasi, Ubi kelapa, Ubi sukun], Greater yam, Guyana arrowroot, Ten-months yam, Water yam, White yam, Purple yam, Winged yam. Origin South East Asia; elsewhere naturalized or cultivated. D. alata is the most extensively cultivated edible yam with hundreds of cultivars worldwide. Plants tuberous; tubers 1-many, stalked and ± deeply buried, elongate (highly polymorphic ), often massive, weighing up to several kg, flesh starchy, white or variously colored. Stems twining clockwise, climbing up to 20 m, broadly winged, 4-angular, producing bulbils up to 4 cm in diameter. in leaf axils, wings are often purplish. Leaves alternate proximally, opposite, and ultimately decussate distally, 6-16 × 4-13 cm; petiole ca. as long as blade, winged, base clasping, basal lobes stipulate, growing as extensions of wings, less than 1 mm wide; blade 5-7-veined, ovate, glabrous, base typically sagittate, margins entire, apex acute to acuminate.

Synonym(s):

Dioscorea rubella Roxb.

Dioscorea globosa Roxb.

Dioscorea javanica Queva

Dioscorea purpurea Roxb.

Dioscorea sapinii De Wild.

Dioscorea sativa Munro

Dioscorea vulgaris Miq.

and many more - see The Plant List www.theplantlist.org/tpl/record/kew-239747

Ref and suggested reading:

www.theplantlist.org/tpl/record/kew-239747

www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/taxon.pl?14175

zipcodezoo.com/Plants/D/Dioscorea_alata/

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dioscorea_alata

www.hear.org/species/dioscorea_alata/

The Gyrfalcon (Falco rusticolus), also spelled Gyr Falcon, sometimes Gerfalcon, is the largest of all falcon species. The Gyrfalcon breeds on Arctic coasts and islands of North America, Europe and Asia. It is mainly resident, but some Gyrfalcons disperse more widely after the breeding season, or in winter[1].

The bird's common name comes from French gerfaucon, and in mediaeval Latin is rendered as gyrofalco. The first part of the word may come from Old High German gîr (cf. modern German Geier), "vulture", referring to its size compared to other falcons, or the Latin gȳrus ("circle", "curved path") from the species' circling as it searches for prey, unlike the other falcons in its range[2]. The male gyrfalcon is called a gyrkin in falconry.

Its scientific name is composed of the Latin terms for a falcon, Falco, and for someone who lives in the countryside, rusticolus.

Plumage is very variable in this highly polymorphic species: the archetypal morphs are called "white", "silver", "brown" and "black" though coloration spans a continuous spectrum from nearly all-white birds to very dark ones.

The Gyrfalcon is a bird of tundra and mountains, with cliffs or a few patches of trees. It feeds only on birds and mammals. Like other hierofalcons, it usually hunts in a horizontal pursuit, rather than the Peregrine's speedy stoop from a height. Most prey is killed on the ground, whether they are captured there or, if the victim is a flying bird, forced to the ground. The diet is to some extent opportunistic, but a majority of breeding birds mostly rely on Lagopus grouse. Avian prey can range in size from redpolls to geese and can include gulls, corvids, smaller passerines, waders and other raptors (up to the size of Buteos). Mammalian prey can range in size from shrews to marmots (sometimes 3 times heavier than the assaulting falcon), and often includes include lemmings, voles, ground squirrels and hares. They only rarely eat carrion.

The Gyrfalcon is the official bird of Canada's Northwest Territories.

Morchella, the true morels, is a genus of edible mushrooms closely related to anatomically simpler cup fungi. These distinctive mushrooms appear honeycomb-like in that the upper portion is composed of a network of ridges with pits between them.

The ascocarps are prized by gourmet cooks, particularly for French cuisine. Commercial value aside, morels are hunted by thousands of people every year simply for their taste and the joy of the hunt.

Morels have been called by many local names; some of the more colorful include dryland fish, because when sliced lengthwise then breaded and fried, their outline resembles the shape of a fish; hickory chickens, as they are known in many parts of Kentucky; and merkels or miracles, based on a story of how a mountain family was saved from starvation by eating morels (the spelling of the word "merkel" reflects the pronunciation of the word "miracle" in the Appalachian dialect common to the south).[citation needed] In parts of West Virginia, they are known as "molly moochers." Other common names for morels include sponge mushroom. Genus Morchella is derived from morchel, an old German word for mushroom, while morel itself is derived from the Latin maurus meaning brown.

The fruit bodies of the Morchella are highly polymorphic in appearance, exhibiting variations in shape, color and size; this has contributed to uncertainties regarding taxonomy.[1] Discriminating between the various species is complicated by uncertainty regarding which species are truly biologically distinct. Some authors suggest that the genus only contains as few as 3 to 6 species,[2][3] while others place up to 50 species in the genus.[4][5] Mushroom hunters refer to them by their color (e.g., gray, yellow, black) as the species are very similar in appearance and vary considerably within species and age of individual. The best known morels are the "yellow morel" or "common morel" (M. esculenta); the "white morel" (M. deliciosa); and the "black morel" (M. elata). Other species of true morels include M. conica, M. vulgaris, and the half-free morel (M. semilibera).

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morchella

Cladonia phyllophora Hoffm., syn.: Cladonia alcicornis var. phyllophora (Hoffm.) Malbr., Cladonia cervicornis f. phyllophora (Hoffm.) Dalla Torre & Sarnth., Cladonia degenerans (Flörke) Spreng

Family: Cladoniaceae

EN: Felt cladonia, DE: Beblätterte Becherflechte

Slo.: no name found

Dat.: Sept. 18. 2008

Lat.: 46.32403 Long.: 13.58408

Code: Bot_0297/2008_DSC3510

Habitat: Steep mountain slope, northwest aspect; among large boulders of a recent, large sock slide; in half shade; on sandy, calcareous ground; moderately humid place; protected from direct rain by overhanging rock; average precipitations ~ 3.000 mm/year, average temperature 7-9 deg C, elevations 750 m (2.450 feet), alpine phytogeographical region.

Substratum: sandy soil/raw hummus, among large calcareous boulders.

Place: Bovec basin, Northwest slopes of Mt. Javoršček, 1557 m; toward the end of a dirt forest road, East Julian Alps, Posočje, Slovenia EC.

Comment (relates to Flickr album Cladonia phyllophora): Browsing literature to determine the name of this find I've found only one or two candidates with podetia, which sometimes proliferate in more than two stores from cup margins. Cladonia rappii as well as Cladonia cervikornis/verticilata look similarly from far, but proliferate strictly from the center of the cups. Cladonia ramulosa may look similar too, but rarely (if at all) proliferates in more than two stores and is usually fertile with numerous conspicuous brown apothecia. None of several specimens found in this observation had podetia with apothecia.

The best, although not ideal, fit I've found seems to be Cladonia phyllophora. All sources agree that this taxon is highly polymorphic (google the pictures of it!). The taxon is also very variously interpreted by the authors (Ref. 7.). The description in literature, which seems the closest to this find, is in Brodo, Sharnoff, Sharnoff (2001) (Ref. 2.) mentioning gradually broadening and seemingly soft near the apex podetia having a slightly puffed-up aspect and cup margins richly decorated by small and thick squamules (see Fig. 4.) and brown pycnidia /see Fig.7.). The description in Smith at al (2009) (Ref. 1.) fits reasonably well too, particularly the description of the habit stated as 'often extensive more or less interlocking tiers of proliferating podetia'. However, many sources mention that the surface of the podetia near the base should be areolate with contrasting blackened decorticated and maculated areas (Ref. 1., Ref. 8.) or blackish podetia base (Ref. 7.), which is not the case in this find. Also substratum is usually cited as acid. This find apparently grew on a mixture of sandy soil and raw hummus deposited in gaps among large rock boulders (a few meters across) of a relatively recent large mountain rock slide. It seems possible that it was at least to some extent acid, however, the bedrock and the boulders themselves are no doubt calcareous. I am not sure my determination is correct, but, I am also not aware of a better alternative.

Ref.:

(1) C.W.Smith, et all, The lichens of Great Britain and Ireland,The British Lichen

Society,(2009), p 333.

(2) I.M. Brodo, S.D. Sharnoff, S.Sharnoff, Lichens of North America, Yale Uni. Press (2001), p 265.

(3) V. Wirth, Die Flechten Baden-Württembergs, Teil.1., Ulmer (1995), p 332.

(4) www.researchgate.net/publication/228358096_The_lichen_gen... (accessed May. 31. 2021)

(5) v3.boldsystems.org/index.php/Taxbrowser_Taxonpage?taxid=6... (accessed June 8. 2021)

(6) www.sharnoffphotos.com/lichensB/cladonia_phyllophora.html (accessed June 12. 2021)

(7) www.lichensmaritimes.org/index.php?task=fiche&lichen=... (accessed June 12. 2021)

(8) italic.units.it/index.php?procedure=taxonpage&num=814 (accessed June 14. 2021)

Me and my friend had ventured into a very dense and hilly forest(Western Ghats) following elephant tracks...

The tracks were covered with fresh droppings and foot prints... All along the path we found freshly ravaged trees and branches which was suggestive of the pachyderm's proximity...

Unfortunately we didn't spot any elephants...

But I managed to capture this beautiful snail..!!

(It was a tough job getting a good picture considering the facts that is was pouring heavily and my phone isn't water resistant...)

Location:

S-Kodagu,

Karnataka.

Information on the specimen:

Indrella ampulla is a species of tropical air-breathing land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Ariophantidae.

This is the type species of the monotypic genus Indrella, which is endemic to the Western Ghats of India.

This is the only species in the genus Indrella, however the animal color is polymorphic: the visible soft parts of the snail can be various colors including red and pale yellow.

The shell of this species is like that of Vitrina, imperforate, with few whorls and with a very large aperture.[3] The shell consists mainly of proteins with only small amounts of calcium carbonate.

The color of the shell is brownish olive, sometimes darker brown. Spire is small, convex and obtuse. The number of whorls is 3 and a half, rapidly increasing, the last much larger, rounded at the periphery and beneath. The aperture is very large, oblique, roundly oval, the same colour within as without, but smooth and glossy

The external soft parts are similar to those of Ariophanta, but larger, and not fully retractile within the shell. The mucous pore is of moderate size,there is no distinct overhanging lobe or a small one. The sole of the foot is undivided and very smooth. There are no shell-lobes. The dorsal lobes are well developed, the left divided into an anterior and a posterior part by a deep sinus. Kalc-sac small, receiving the vas deferens; retractor muscle attached to long straight caecum given off at the junction of the flagellum of the male organ. The spermatheca is oval, very short, on a short stem. The amatorial organ (the dart-sac) is stout and long

Radula:

The jaw is straight, with a slight convexity on the cutting-edge and no median projection. The radula is broad, with about 100 rows of teeth: 145 .17 .1 .17 .145; median tooth and the 17 on each side (admedians) long, broadly pointed, straight-sided, lateral cusps indistinct; laterals curved, aculeate, outer laterals bicuspid.

Distribution:

This species occurs in the Western Ghats of India, specifically on the wetter western slopes of the Wynaad, Nilgiri, and Anaimalai Hills, at moderate elevations (3000 ft)

Feeding habits:

Colonel Richard Henry Beddome of the British Indian forest service found this snail feeding on large fungi.

The Great Mormon (Papilio memnon) is a large butterfly that belongs to the swallowtail family and is found in southern Asia. It is widely distributed and has thirteen subspecies. The female is polymorphic and with mimetic forms. (Wikipedia)

Papiliorama, Kerzers, Switzerland

Pasar Siti Khadijah, Buloh Kubu, Kota Bharu, Kelantan, Malaysia.

Dioscorea alata L. Dioscoreaceae. CN: [Malay - Ubi badak, Ubi jembut, Ubi kerbau tidur, Ubi nasi, Ubi kelapa, Ubi sukun], Greater yam, Guyana arrowroot, Ten-months yam, Water yam, White yam, Purple yam, Winged yam. Origin South East Asia; elsewhere naturalized or cultivated. D. alata is the most extensively cultivated of the edible yam with hundreds of cultivars worldwide. Plants tuberous; tubers 1-many, stalked and ± deeply buried, elongate (highly polymorphic ), often massive, weighing up to several kg , flesh starchy, white or variously colored . Stems twining clockwise, climbing up to 20 m, broadly winged, 4-angular, producing bulbils up to 4 cm in diam. in leaf axils, wings often purplish. Leaves alternate proximally, opposite and ultimately decussate distally, 6-16 × 4-13 cm; petiole ca. as long as blade, winged, base clasping, basal lobes stipulate, growing as extensions of wings, less than 1 mm wide; blade 5-7-veined, ovate, glabrous, base typically sagittate, margins entire, apex acute to acuminate.

Synonym(s):

Dioscorea rubella Roxb.

Dioscorea globosa Roxb.

Dioscorea javanica Queva

Dioscorea purpurea Roxb.

Dioscorea sapinii De Wild.

Dioscorea sativa Munro

Dioscorea vulgaris Miq.

and many more - see The Plant List www.theplantlist.org/tpl/record/kew-239747

Ref and suggested reading:

www.theplantlist.org/tpl/record/kew-239747

www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/taxon.pl?14175

zipcodezoo.com/Plants/D/Dioscorea_alata/

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dioscorea_alata

www.hear.org/species/dioscorea_alata/

Pasar Siti Khadijah, Buloh Kubu, Kota Bharu, Kelantan, Malaysia.

Dioscorea alata L. Dioscoreaceae. CN: [Malay - Ubi badak, Ubi jembut, Ubi kerbau tidur, Ubi nasi, Ubi kelapa, Ubi sukun], Greater yam, Guyana arrowroot, Ten-months yam, Water yam, White yam, Purple yam, Winged yam. Origin South East Asia; elsewhere naturalized or cultivated. D. alata is the most extensively cultivated of the edible yam with hundreds of cultivars worldwide. Plants tuberous; tubers 1-many, stalked and ± deeply buried, elongate (highly polymorphic ), often massive, weighing up to several kg , flesh starchy, white or variously colored . Stems twining clockwise, climbing up to 20 m, broadly winged, 4-angular, producing bulbils up to 4 cm in diam. in leaf axils, wings often purplish. Leaves alternate proximally, opposite and ultimately decussate distally, 6-16 × 4-13 cm; petiole ca. as long as blade, winged, base clasping, basal lobes stipulate, growing as extensions of wings, less than 1 mm wide; blade 5-7-veined, ovate, glabrous, base typically sagittate, margins entire, apex acute to acuminate.

Synonym(s):

Dioscorea rubella Roxb.

Dioscorea globosa Roxb.

Dioscorea javanica Queva

Dioscorea purpurea Roxb.

Dioscorea sapinii De Wild.

Dioscorea sativa Munro

Dioscorea vulgaris Miq.

and many more - see The Plant List www.theplantlist.org/tpl/record/kew-239747

Ref and suggested reading:

www.theplantlist.org/tpl/record/kew-239747

www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/taxon.pl?14175

zipcodezoo.com/Plants/D/Dioscorea_alata/

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dioscorea_alata

www.hear.org/species/dioscorea_alata/

Pasar Siti Khadijah, Buloh Kubu, Kota Bharu, Kelantan, Malaysia.

Dioscorea alata L. Dioscoreaceae. CN: [Malay - Ubi badak, Ubi jembut, Ubi kerbau tidur, Ubi nasi, Ubi kelapa, Ubi sukun], Greater yam, Guyana arrowroot, Ten-months yam, Water yam, White yam, Purple yam, Winged yam. Origin South East Asia; elsewhere naturalized or cultivated. D. alata is the most extensively cultivated of the edible yam with hundreds of cultivars worldwide. Plants tuberous; tubers 1-many, stalked and ± deeply buried, elongate (highly polymorphic ), often massive, weighing up to several kg , flesh starchy, white or variously colored . Stems twining clockwise, climbing up to 20 m, broadly winged, 4-angular, producing bulbils up to 4 cm in diam. in leaf axils, wings often purplish. Leaves alternate proximally, opposite and ultimately decussate distally, 6-16 × 4-13 cm; petiole ca. as long as blade, winged, base clasping, basal lobes stipulate, growing as extensions of wings, less than 1 mm wide; blade 5-7-veined, ovate, glabrous, base typically sagittate, margins entire, apex acute to acuminate.

Synonym(s):

Dioscorea rubella Roxb.

Dioscorea globosa Roxb.

Dioscorea javanica Queva

Dioscorea purpurea Roxb.

Dioscorea sapinii De Wild.

Dioscorea sativa Munro

Dioscorea vulgaris Miq.

and many more - see The Plant List www.theplantlist.org/tpl/record/kew-239747

Ref and suggested reading:

www.theplantlist.org/tpl/record/kew-239747

www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/taxon.pl?14175

zipcodezoo.com/Plants/D/Dioscorea_alata/

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dioscorea_alata

www.hear.org/species/dioscorea_alata/

Wood frogs exhibit a range of different colors. Here are two female wood frogs that were found at the same pond. One is brown and the other is red. To my eye, both colors seem to be excellent camouflage in the forests where these frogs live.

Are these color polymorphisms genetically based or induced by the environment? I am not aware of any research that has investigated this, but I would be very curious to know!

Frog Photography

Now with binocular zoom! Thanks to my friend Sam Meeks for giving me the

idea of literally putting in binoculars...they may or may not stay until the

final version, but for now I think they are hilariously awesome.

The .rar of the finished product is now available for download at drop.io/shaymus22/asset/jump-install-rar

At the Elysee Palace in Paris, at the request of President Georges Pompidou, who founded the Centre which bears his name, Israeli artist Yaacov Agam designed an antechamber (1974-1975) originally meant to be set at the entrance of the presidential private apartments. This now displayed at the Centre, with walls covered by polymorphic murals of changing images, a kinetic ceiling, moving transparent colored doors and a kinetic carpet on which he placed a sculpture. It embraces viewers: they are no longer looking at a framed, fixed scene, but rather at an arc, moving within an artistic space which changes constantly according to their shifting position and point of view.

Visitors are not normally permitted to walk inside the Salon Agam: but participants in the Fun Palace party hosted by the Centre this evening were exceptionally given access, providing they removed their shoes.

リコリス・ロンギチュバ ‘ピュア・ホワイト’

Lycoris longituba Y.C.Hsu et G.J.Fan, 1974 ‘Pure White’

This name is accepted. 08/13, 2022.

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Family: Amaryllidaceae (APG IV)

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Distribution:China (Jiangsu)

36 CHS

Lifeform:Bulb geophyte

Original Compiler:R.Govaerts

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Authors:

Yin Hsu (fl. 1974)

Guang Jin Fan (fl. 1970)

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Publication:

Acta Phytotaxonomica Sinica. [Chih su fen lei hsüeh pao.]. Beijing

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Collation

12(3): 299

Date of Publication

18 Jul 1974

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Type-Protolog

Locality:China: Jiangsu: Nanjing, 28 Aug. 1951

Collector and Number:F.H. Liou 1919

Institutions(s):HT: HSBI; IT: SHMMI

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(Imported at JAPAN, 1979 from China, By Mr. Kaneko, Japan.)

Very rare plants. 2n=16=6M+10T

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This name is Accepted by:

Zhengyi, W. & Raven, P.H. (eds.) (2000). Flora of China 24: 1-431. Missouri Botanical Garden Press, St. Louis.

Flora of China Editorial Committee. 2000. Flora of China (Flagellariaceae through Marantaceae). 24: 1–431. In C. Y. Wu, P. H. Raven & D. Y. Hong (eds.) Fl. China. Science Press & Missouri Botanical Garden Press, Beijing & St. Louis.

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Endemic to China (Jiangsu and Anhui). Very polymorphic species. Variable in flower color and shape. Plants with yellow flowers classified as a variety, "Lycoris longituba Y.C.Hsu et G.J.Fan, 1974". Very long tepatube and its fragrance are marked chracteristics of this species. Leaves lanceolate, to 63 cm long and to 4 cm wide, somewhat fleshy and pale green, appearing in early spring and wither up in May. Scape, 60-80 cm hight, appearing in July to August. Spathe, to 5 cm long. Pedicel 1.5-4.5 cm, tepaltube 4.5-6.0 cm. Tepals 7-9.5 cm long, . Stamens 6-7.5 cm, shorter than tepals. Style 7-9.5 cm, nearly equal to or slightly exceeding tepals. Before that it was far carrying out this plant in a scientific statement, it was indicated by U.S. an Advanced Horticulturalist Mr. Sam Coldwell from that it was a new species. The formal scientific statement of "Lycoris longituba" was announced by Y.C.Hsu & G.J.Fan in 1974. However, this plant was introduced into Japan and was already grown in the 1930s. It by misconception of scholar Dr. Inariyama (1948) of Japan "Lycoris x straminea Lindl., 1848" said. When it depended on research of scholar Dr. Kurita of Japan, it became clear that the individual of this plants is one of the variations of "Lycoris longituba Y.C.Hsu et G.J.Fan, 1974"

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此の個体はリコリス中でも最も大型の部類で、主に種子繁殖をし、非常に自家受粉しやすいが、その反面、分球はしずらく、1球が10球までになるには大凡30年はかかった。ヒガンバナが30年で2000球に分けつする事と比較すると恐ろしいほどスローモーな分けつ力である。此の個体は、金子氏が40年前に中国から導入したヒガンバナ類の中から選抜した個体で、他に麦藁色の個体が明治期にもたらされていたが、在来の個体より鑑賞価値は高い。春出葉型なので、短い期間しか葉が無い為、其の間には良く日光に当て肥培をすることが肝心で有る。自然交雑種のナツズイセンの片親である事がDr. Kurita の研究で判明した。自然界でのリコリス・ロンギチュバは、白、ピンクなど幅があり、黄花や麦藁色の物は別途變種扱いされている。此の個体自体は、蘂にやや紫色が乗るが、是程に白い花の個体は少なく、殆どの場合、やや濁っているピンクであり、選抜した意味は大きい。本種は大球性で他のリコリスよりもやや深く土中に球根が潜る。開花は、是から得られたナツズイセンよりも1ヶ月早く、7月中には開花する。

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

昨年は、薄らピンクの花を咲かせ、大いにがっかりしましたが、今年は、元来の綺麗な白花として咲きました。蘂の色からも解る様に、 a true albino では無いので、原因は不明ですが、環境要因か、体調の具合で色彩に影響されるのかも知れません。然は然り乍ら、ロンギチュバの個体群の中では一番白い花です。手元には 變種フラバの系統もありますが、稲荷山博士がストラミネアと誤認した個体等です。稲荷山系の個体は今年はサボリで開花しない様です。

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Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Nikon Ai Micro-Nikkor 200mm F4s (IF)

Great Mormon (Papilio memnon) is a large butterfly with contrasting colors that belongs to the Swallowtail family. A common South-Asian butterfly, it is widely distributed and has thirteen subspecies. The female is polymorphic and with mimetic forms.

This specimen was discovered in northern Mississippi. Specimens from this area are in a state of taxonomic confusion based on morphology and genetic data. There may just be one polymorphic species or as many as three different species that are very similar morphologically. Since Orconectes etnieri is the oldest species name in this currently confusing group, it has been conservatively assigned to animals from this population. This animal was caught in a baited minnow trap placed in a first order stream that emanates from a steep sided ravine that is periodically (usually) dry.

Here's a little White-throated Sparrow I happened to see in September..Enjoy!

I spotted this little beauty while walking in the park. The parks people where cleaning up and pruning the trees and they had made a pile of branches...This little one was sitting on top of the pile!! :)

"Crisp facial markings make the White-throated Sparrow an attractive bird as well as a hopping, flying anatomy lesson. There’s the black eyestripe, the white crown and supercilium, the yellow lores, the white throat bordered by a black whisker, or malar stripe. They’re also a great entrée into the world of birdsong, with their pretty, wavering whistle of Oh-sweet-canada. These forest sparrows breed mostly across Canada, but they’re familiar winter birds across most of eastern and southern North America and California."

"Although they look nothing alike and aren’t particularly closely related, the White-throated Sparrow and the Dark-eyed Junco occasionally mate and produce hybrids. The resulting offspring look like grayish, dully marked White-throated Sparrows with white outer tail feathers."

"The White-throated Sparrow is polymorphic."

This photo is NOT CROPPED!

Pasar Siti Khadijah, Buloh Kubu, Kota Bharu, Kelantan, Malaysia.

Dioscorea esculenta (Lour.) Burkill. Dioscoreaceae. CN: [Malay - Ubi Itik, Ubi torak. (Note: The vernacular name, "Torak itik" is sometime used for the variety as in the image, tubers shape polymorphic; while "Torak telunjuk", a different typically having uniform elongated bottle-shaped tubers); Indonesia - Gembili, Kemarung], Asiatic yam, Chinese yam, Lesser yam, Gan Shu, Potato yam, Spiny chinese yam, Wild yam. Native of India, Indo-China (Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam), Malesia (Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea); elsewhere cultivated. Tubers usually 4--10, produced from apical branches of rhizome; cork light yellow, smooth; thorny roots present or absent. Stem twining to left, with T-shaped, soft hairs, proximally prickly (thornless in cultivated variety), distally so only at nodes. Leaves alternate, simple; petiole 5--8 cm; leaf blade broadly cordate, to 15 × 17 cm, with T-shaped hairs especially abaxially, basal veins 9--13, base cordate, apex acute. Male spike solitary, dense, ca. 15 cm. Male flowers: usually solitary, rarely in cymules of 2--4, sessile or subsessile ; bract ovate ; perianth shallowly cupular, puberulent, outer lobes broadly lanceolate, ca. 1.8 mm, inner ones slightly shorter than outer; stamens 6, inserted in perianth tube, slightly shorter than perianth lobes. Female spike solitary, pendent, to 40 cm. Capsule very seldom maturing, ca. 3 cm, base truncate, apex slightly emarginate; wings ca. 1.2 cm wide. Seeds inserted near middle of capsule, winged all round. Plant mostly cultivated in the north-eastern states of peninsular Malaysia. The tubers are edible and normally dug–out from the ground at the onset of rainy seasons in anticipation of flood to stock up as food source.

Synonym(s):

Dioscorea aculeata L.

Dioscorea fasciculata Roxb.

Dioscorea sativa auct.

Oncus esculentus Lour. (basionym)

Ref and suggested reading:

www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/taxon.pl?14204

zipcodezoo.com/Plants/D/Dioscorea_esculenta/

www.globinmed.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=a...

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dioscorea_esculenta

id.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gembili

The Gyrfalcon (Falco rusticolus), also spelled Gyr Falcon, sometimes Gerfalcon, is the largest of all falcon species. The Gyrfalcon breeds on Arctic coasts and islands of North America, Europe and Asia. It is mainly resident, but some Gyrfalcons disperse more widely after the breeding season, or in winter[1].

The bird's common name comes from French gerfaucon, and in mediaeval Latin is rendered as gyrofalco. The first part of the word may come from Old High German gîr (cf. modern German Geier), "vulture", referring to its size compared to other falcons, or the Latin gȳrus ("circle", "curved path") from the species' circling as it searches for prey, unlike the other falcons in its range[2]. The male gyrfalcon is called a gyrkin in falconry.

Its scientific name is composed of the Latin terms for a falcon, Falco, and for someone who lives in the countryside, rusticolus.

Plumage is very variable in this highly polymorphic species: the archetypal morphs are called "white", "silver", "brown" and "black" though coloration spans a continuous spectrum from nearly all-white birds to very dark ones.

The Gyrfalcon is a bird of tundra and mountains, with cliffs or a few patches of trees. It feeds only on birds and mammals. Like other hierofalcons, it usually hunts in a horizontal pursuit, rather than the Peregrine's speedy stoop from a height. Most prey is killed on the ground, whether they are captured there or, if the victim is a flying bird, forced to the ground. The diet is to some extent opportunistic, but a majority of breeding birds mostly rely on Lagopus grouse. Avian prey can range in size from redpolls to geese and can include gulls, corvids, smaller passerines, waders and other raptors (up to the size of Buteos). Mammalian prey can range in size from shrews to marmots (sometimes 3 times heavier than the assaulting falcon), and often includes include lemmings, voles, ground squirrels and hares. They only rarely eat carrion.

The Gyrfalcon is the official bird of Canada's Northwest Territories.

Pasar Siti Khadijah, Buloh Kubu, Kota Bharu, Kelantan, Malaysia.

Dioscorea alata L. Dioscoreaceae. CN: [Malay - Ubi badak, Ubi jembut, Ubi kerbau tidur, Ubi nasi, Ubi kelapa, Ubi sukun], Greater yam, Guyana arrowroot, Ten-months yam, Water yam, White yam, Purple yam, Winged yam. Origin South East Asia; elsewhere naturalized or cultivated. D. alata is the most extensively cultivated of the edible yam with hundreds of cultivars worldwide. Plants tuberous; tubers 1-many, stalked and ± deeply buried, elongate (highly polymorphic ), often massive, weighing up to several kg , flesh starchy, white or variously colored . Stems twining clockwise, climbing up to 20 m, broadly winged, 4-angular, producing bulbils up to 4 cm in diam. in leaf axils, wings often purplish. Leaves alternate proximally, opposite and ultimately decussate distally, 6-16 × 4-13 cm; petiole ca. as long as blade, winged, base clasping, basal lobes stipulate, growing as extensions of wings, less than 1 mm wide; blade 5-7-veined, ovate, glabrous, base typically sagittate, margins entire, apex acute to acuminate.

Synonym(s):

Dioscorea rubella Roxb.

Dioscorea globosa Roxb.

Dioscorea javanica Queva

Dioscorea purpurea Roxb.

Dioscorea sapinii De Wild.

Dioscorea sativa Munro

Dioscorea vulgaris Miq.

and many more - see The Plant List www.theplantlist.org/tpl/record/kew-239747

Ref and suggested reading:

www.theplantlist.org/tpl/record/kew-239747

www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/taxon.pl?14175

zipcodezoo.com/Plants/D/Dioscorea_alata/

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dioscorea_alata

www.hear.org/species/dioscorea_alata/

anamorphic polymorphic ego's ruin.

Mixing different styles is amazing ^^,i need to do more works like this

My dear friend Jean-Michel loves to photograph dummies at the fashion stores, sometimes despair saleswomen-))

Lady Linn And Her Magnificent Seven - Cool Down

www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1l5le_-_es&feature=bf_prev&a...

The variable oystercatcher (Haematopus unicolor) is a species of wader in the Haematopodidae family. It is endemic to New Zealand. The Maori name is torea-pango. They are also known as 'red bills'.

"Variable" refers to the frontal plumage, which ranges from pied through mottled to all black. They are polymorphic meaning they have different genetic variants. Blacker birds are more common in the south. All Stewart Island variable oystercatchers are black. They have pink legs, an orange eye ring and red beaks. They are often seen in pairs on the coast all around New Zealand. During breeding, the pair will defend their territory, sometimes aggressively. Once mated pairs rarely divorce.

After breeding they may be seen within flocks, or on the edges of flocks, of black and white South Island pied oystercatcher (SIPO) which also have vivid orange beaks. After breeding they may even form small flocks of their own. Males are around 678 grams and females slightly larger at around 724 grams.

Variables can be identified as they are slightly larger than the SIPO - SIPO are around 550 grams. Occasionally totally black but if they are pied (black and white) they can be easily confused with SIPO. The variable species has less definition between the black and the white area, as well as a mottled band on the leading edges of the underwing. Variables also have a smaller white rump patch which is only a band across the base of the tail rather than a wide wedge shape reaching up to the middle of the back as in the SIPO.

When mottled they are sometimes called 'smudgies'. They feed on molluscs, crabs and marine worms. After heavy rain, they sometime go inland in search of earthworms. They can open a shellfish by either hammering a hole in it or getting the bill between the two shells (of a bivalve) and twisting them apart. They breed in North Island, South Island, Stewart Island, and Chatham Islands.

They do not breed inland or beside rivers although the SIPO does.They nest on the shore between rocks or on sand dunes by making a scrape out of the sand or shingle, sometimes lined with some seaweed. When in flight they make a high pitched 'kleep kleep' sound. They usually lay 2-3 eggs but they can lay up to 5. The eggs are typically stone coloured with small brown patches all over. Eggs hatch in 25–32 days. Chicks are well camouflaged by their colour and can fly in about 6 weeks. The bird lives up to about 27 years.

This mage was taken at Akaroa on the South Island of New Zealand

Morelia viridis

The green tree python, is a species of python found in New Guinea, islands in Indonesia, and Cape York Peninsula in Australia.

Adults average 120–200 cm (3.9–6.6 ft) in length, with a maximum growth (although rare) of about 7 feet. The supralabial scales have thermoreceptive pits.

A mostly arboreal species with a striking green or yellow color in adults. The color pattern on this species can vary dramatically from locality to locality. For example, the Aru local is a vivid green with a broken vertebral stripe of white or dull yellow scales, the Sorong local is a bright green with blue highlights and a solid vertical stripe, and the Kofiau local is mostly yellow with varying highlights in white or blue. Cyanomorphs (blue morphs) are also known to occur but are not considered common at this time. Juveniles are polymorphic, occurring in reddish, bright yellow and orange morphs.

Primarily arboreal, these snakes have a particular way of resting in the branches of trees; they loop a coil or two over the branches in a saddle position and place their head in the middle. This trait is shared with the emerald tree boa, Corallus caninus, of South America. This habit, along with their appearance, has caused people to confuse the two species when seen outside their natural habitat.

The diet consists mostly of small mammals, such as rodents, and sometimes reptiles. It was thought that this snake, like the Emerald Tree Boa, ate birds however, Switak conducted field work on this issue and in examining stomach contents of more than 1,000 animals he did not find any evidence of avian prey items. Prey is captured by holding onto a branch using the prehensile tail and striking out from an s-shape position and constricting the prey.

Oviparous, with 1-25 viable eggs per clutch. In the wild eggs are incubated and protected by the female, often in the hollow of a tree. Hatchlings are lemon yellow with broken stripes and spots of purple and brown, or golden or orange/red. Over time the color changes as the animal matures, color of the adult depends on the locality of the animal (some taking many years to finish color change).

Reptile House

Bronx Zoo New York

For extra detail View Large

Insect wings are adult outgrowths of the insect exoskeleton that enable insects to fly. They are found on the second and third thoracic segments (the mesothorax and metathorax), and the two pairs are often referred to as the forewings and hindwings, respectively, though a few insects lack hindwings, even rudiments. Insect wings do not constitute appendages in technical parlance, as insects only have one pair of appendages per segment. The wings are strengthened by a number of longitudinal veins, which often have cross-connections that form closed "cells" in the membrane (extreme examples include Odonata and Neuroptera). The patterns resulting from the fusion and cross-connection of the wing veins are often diagnostic for different evolutionary lineages and can be used for identification to the family or even genus level in many orders of insects.

Fully functional wings are present only in the adult stage, after the last moult. The one exception is the order Ephemeroptera, in which the penultimate instar (also called the subimago) possesses well-developed and functional wings, which are shed at the final moult. Wings are only present in the subclass Pterygota, with members of the archaic Apterygota being wingless. Wings may also be lost in some pterygote clades, such as the fleas and lice.

The wings may be present in only one sex (often the male) in some groups such as velvet ants and Strepsiptera, or selectively lost in "workers" of social insects such as ants and termites. Rarely, the female is winged but the male not, as in fig wasps. In some cases, wings are produced only at particular times in the life cycle, such as in the dispersal phase of aphids. Beyond the mere presence/absence of wings, the structure and colouration will often vary with morphs, such as in the aphids, migratory phases of locusts and in polymorphic butterflies.

At rest, the wings may be held flat, or folded a number of times along specific patterns; most typically, it is the hindwings which are folded, but in a very few groups such as vespid wasps, it is the forewings.

How and why insect wings evolved is not well understood. Three main theories on the origins of insect flight are that wings developed from paranotal lobes, extensions of the thoracic terga; that they are modifications of movable abdominal gills as found on aquatic naiads of mayflies and that insect wings arose from the fusion of pre-existing endite and exite structures each with pre-existing articulation and tracheation.

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