Nature
grrlscientist | August 29, 2009tags: birds, parrots, Quaker Parrot, Monk ParakeetGrey-Breasted parakeet, Myiopsitta monachus, NYC events, NYC Life, Brooklyn, Wild Parrot Safari
Monk Parakeet (Myiopsitta monachus) Old San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Image: Magnus Manske, 10 May 2008, Wikipedia [larger view]
Even though NYC is located in the armpit of hell where, during the summers, the air is a humid miasma of fetid human sweat and decomposing dog shit, and the winters possess the cold and wind of Antarctica with none of its natural charms, there is a brave group of illegal aliens who not only live here, but are actually thriving…
grrlscientist | August 29, 2009tags: art, statue, sculpture, mare and foal, Helsinki, Finland, cities, nature
Ãidinrakkaus (Maternal Love)
Bronze sculpture (1927) by sculptor Emil Cedercreutz (1879 - 1949).
Photographed at Varsapuistikko,
at the corner of Unioninkatu and Kaisaniemenkatu, Kluuvi,
in Helsinki, Finland.
Image: GrrlScientist, 23 July 2009 [larger view]. (raw image)
I love this sculpture. Does anyone know who the artist is, its name and anything else about this piece? (I can't find anything on the web to share with you).
grrlscientist | August 28, 2009tags: bumblebee, Helsinki, Finland, cities, nature
Bumblebee on my hand.
Photographed in Helsinki, Finland.
Image: GrrlScientist, 23 July 2009 [larger view]. (raw image)
I am sure I must have looked like I was insane when, walking down the sidewalk, I spied this bumblebee sitting on the concrete. I plopped myself down onto my hands and knees on the sidewalk and spent a few minutes nose-to-nose with her, trying to figure out if she was dying because she was hurt or old (or maybe she was just resting?). She looked to be in good repair, so I got her onto my hand to photograph her. It's not…
grrlscientist | August 28, 2009tags: birds, parrots, Quaker Parrot, Monk ParakeetGrey-Breasted parakeet, Myiopsitta monachus, NYC events, NYC Life, Brooklyn, Wild Parrot Safari
Monk Parakeet (Myiopsitta monachus) Old San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Image: Magnus Manske, 10 May 2008, Wikipedia [larger view]
Even though NYC is located in the armpit of hell where, during the summers, the air is a humid miasma of fetid human sweat and decomposing dog shit, and the winters possess the cold and wind of Antarctica with none of its natural charms, there is a brave group of illegal aliens who not only live here, but are actually thriving…
grrlscientist | August 27, 2009tags: Old Town, Tallinn, Estonia, cities
Sunset over the Baltic Sea.
Photographed in Old Town, Tallinn, Estonia.
Image: GrrlScientist, 22 July 2009 [larger view]. (raw image)
This is a look at the sun as it sets over the Baltic Sea. I was ensconced in front of a window under a stairway (since the boat ran out of places to sit .. I know, this was almost impossible for me to believe, too, given the overall size of the ferry). I sat there in front of that window for the duration of the journey, drinking beer, taking pictures (nearly all of which were ruined by glare from the window glass) and…
gregladen | August 27, 2009
There is a lot of evidence that nature is in balance. An invasive species throws off the balance of nature in a given region by out-competing some similar indigenous form. When something destructive happens there is a return to status quo, eventually. A few cold years are followed by a few warm years, or a few dry years are followed by a few wet years. So, why is "Nature maintains a balance" a falsehood?
Remember what makes a statement a falsehood (refer back to our earlier discussions on this issue). By now you realize that some falsehoods are better than others. "How can a falsehood…
awild | August 26, 2009
Pyramica clypeata
Urbana, Illinois
photo details: Canon mp-e 65mm 1-5x macro lens on a Canon EOS 50D
ISO 100, f/13, 1/250 sec, flash diffused through tracing paper
grrlscientist | August 12, 2009tags: Old Town, Tallinn, Estonia, cities
Flowers
Photographed in Old Town, Tallinn, Estonia.
Image: GrrlScientist, 22 July 2009 [larger view]. (raw image)
I showed you a picture of flowers that I photographed in Tallinn, Estonia. I lve that image because it seems as though the flowers and the light are leviating in midair. Here's a sideview, which shows how those flowers and the light fixture are affixed to the wall.
awild | August 10, 2009
Pogonomyrmex maricopa (at left) tussles with an Aphaenogaster albisetosa at the Aphaenogaster nest entrance.
While in Arizona, I chanced upon a set of ant fights that I'd observed several times previously. Single workers of the maricopa harvester ant Pogonomyrmex maricopa would approach a nest of their competitor, Aphaenogaster long-legged ants, and spend a few minutes drawing heat from the guards before wandering off.
Same thing, but different individuals (note differences in limb wounds from the previous photo)
The interaction is common enough that it really couldn't be just a chance…
awild | August 4, 2009Here's an image for the textbooks:
Ants, like butterflies, pass through egg, larva, and pupa phases on their way to adulthood. While in Florida earlier in this summer I found a nest of the twig ant Pseudomyrmex gracilis with brood present in all stages, providing the material to make these images.
The key was placing the developing ants on a glass slide. This provided distance between them and the cardboard background, so that the backdrop is blurred while the insects remain in sharp focus. These images are not what I'd call fine art, but I'm happy with them as solid illustrations of ant…
grrlscientist | August 1, 2009tags: Old Town, Tallinn, Estonia, cities, image of the day
Glass-Winged Butterfly.
Glass-Winged Butterfly (endemic to Ecuador) in the
Natural History Museum in Old Town, Tallinn, Estonia.
Yes, you are reading the actual specimen tag through
the butterfly's wings.
Image: GrrlScientist, 22 July 2009 [larger view]. (raw image)
grrlscientist | July 27, 2009tags: Old Town, Tallinn, Estonia, cities, image of the day
Loodus Muuseum.
Natural History Museum in Old Town, Tallinn, Estonia.
Image: GrrlScientist, 22 July 2009 [larger view]. (raw image)
Hang on, I thought I saw an owl up there!
Loodus Muuseum, close-up of the owl.
Natural History Museum in Old Town, Tallinn, Estonia.
Image: GrrlScientist, 22 July 2009 [larger view]. (raw image)
emjohnson | July 25, 2009On July 25, 1920 the English biophysicist Rosalind Franklin was born. She was instrumental in discovering the molecular structure of DNA, though her vital contributions were only posthumously acknowledged. After receiving her PhD from Cambridge in 1945 she worked as a research associate for John Randall at King's College in London. Beginning in early 1951 she took X-ray diffraction photographs of DNA that showed a helical form of the molecule, a finding confirmed by James Watson and Francis Crick who subsequently won the Nobel Prize for their DNA research. In lecture notes dated November…
grrlscientist | July 25, 2009tags: Suomenlinna, Helsinki, Finland, cities, image of the day
Looking out from the fortress.
Suomenlinna, Helsinki, Finland.
Image: GrrlScientist, 19 July 2009 [larger view]. (raw image)
grrlscientist | July 22, 2009tags: Suomenlinna, Helsinki, Finland, nature, image of the day
I expected to see hobbits running around this part of Suomenlinna,
but alas ..
Suomenlinna, Helsinki, Finland.
Image: GrrlScientist, 19 July 2009 [larger view]. (raw image)
I have returned to one of my two favorite haunts in Helsinki; Suomenlinna. This island fortress was built from stone by the Swedes to protect Finland (a part of Sweden in the 1700s) from invasion by sea.
grrlscientist | July 21, 2009tags: Suomenlinna, Helsinki, Finland, nature, image of the day
Suomenlinna in summer, 3 [the same place in the winter]
Suomenlinna, Helsinki, Finland.
Image: GrrlScientist, 19 July 2009 [larger view]. (raw image)
I have returned to one of my two favorite haunts in Helsinki; Suomenlinna. This island fortress was built from stone by the Swedes to protect Finland (a part of Sweden in the 1700s) from invasion by sea.
grrlscientist | July 20, 2009tags: Spot-Bellied Eagle-Owl, Forest Eagle-Owl, Malay Eagle-Owl, Bubo nipalensis, identify this bird, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Spot-Bellied Eagle-Owl, also known as the Forest Eagle-Owl or the Malay Eagle-Owl, Bubo nipalensis. This interesting bird, which is a pet, is endemic to Southeast Asia. [I will identify these birds for you in 48 hours]
Image: "juannasue."
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Review all mystery birds to date.
emjohnson | July 19, 2009Jorge Cham has just posted his latest PhD Comic, this one taking on the rivalry between Nature and Science. Look behind the scenes at how the science publishing industry REALLY works. It's enough to make you want to publish only in PLoS ONE!
grrlscientist | July 19, 2009tags: Suomenlinna, Helsinki, Finland, nature, image of the day
Suomenlinna in summer.
Image: GrrlScientist, 18 July 2009 [larger view]. (raw image)
I have returned to one of my two favorite haunts in Helsinki; Suomenlinna. This island fortress was built from stone by the Swedes to protect Finland (a part of Sweden in the 1700s) from invasion by sea.
grrlscientist | July 18, 2009tags: Tvärminne, zoological field research station, Finland, nature, image of the day
Wildflowers photographed at Tvärminnen eläintieteellinen asema
(Tvärminne Zoological field research station) in southwestern Finland.
[read more about it: English Suomeksi PÃ¥ Svenska]
Image: GrrlScientist, 16 July 2009 [larger view]. (raw image)
Can you name the species?