Nature
grrlscientist | May 30, 2009tags: NYC, Upper West Side, Manhattan, flowers, nature, image of the day
White Sweet Alyssum, Lobularia (Alyssum) maritima.
Photographed on Manhattan's Upper West Side
on West 83rd street, across from the post office.
Image: GrrlScientist, 27 May 2009 [larger view].
When I was a kid in Washington State, I saw Alyssum everywhere, so I never appreciated them until recently. Seeing these tiny flowers was like being reunited with a long-lost friend.
Lobularia is a genus comprising roughly 100-170 species of flowering plants in the family Brassicaceae. They are native to Europe, Asia, and…
grrlscientist | May 29, 2009tags: NYC, Upper West Side, Manhattan, flowers, nature, image of the day
Marigold, Tagetes patula, although this is likely a hybrid.
Photographed on Manhattan's Upper West Side
on West 83rd street, across from the post office.
Image: GrrlScientist, 27 May 2009 [larger view].
Marigolds are part of the genus, Tagetes, which comprises 52 species of annual and perennial herbaceous plants in the daisy family (Asteraceae or Compositae). Marigolds are native to the region stretching from southwestern United States to Mexico and south throughout South America.
awild | May 29, 2009Who says we can't have both beetles and Pheidole on Friday?
A South African Sap Beetle (Nitidulidae) reacts to a swarm of Pheidole megacephala by retracting its legs and antennae, leaving little exposed but smooth chitin. The ants have difficulty finding anything their mandibles can grab, even if they have the tank-like beetle surrounded.
photo details: Canon MP-E 65mm 1-5x macro lens on a Canon EOS 20D
ISO 100, 1/250 sec, f13, flash diffused through tracing paper
grrlscientist | May 28, 2009tags: NYC, Upper West Side, Manhattan, flowers, nature, image of the day
Pansy, Viola hybrid, blue cultivar.
Photographed on Manhattan's Upper West Side
on West 83rd street, across from the post office.
Image: GrrlScientist, 27 May 2009 [larger view].
razib | May 28, 2009A few weeks ago I was pointed to Scitable, part of the Nature media empire. Here's how it's introduced:
A free science library and personal learning tool brought to you by Nature Publishing Group, the world's leading publisher of science.
Scitable currently concentrates on genetics, the study of evolution, variation, and the rich complexity of living organisms. As you cultivate your understanding of modern genetics on Scitable, you will explore not only what we know about genetics and the ways it impacts our society, but also the data and evidence that supports our knowledge.
Due to the…
grrlscientist | May 27, 2009tags: NYC, Upper West Side, Manhattan, flowers, nature, image of the day
Dahlia, Dahlia hybrid.
Photographed on Manhattan's Upper West Side
on West 81st street as I was walking to the post office.
Image: GrrlScientist, 26 May 2009 [larger view].
Dahlias comprise a genus with at least 36 species of bushy plants that are native to the western regions of Central and South America. There are more than 20,000 named cultivars of these plants in captivity, which are the result of both hybridization and chromosomal duplication: Dahlias are octoploid -- possessing eight copies of each homologous…
grrlscientist | May 26, 2009tags: NYC, Upper West Side, Manhattan, flowers, nature, image of the day
Dahlia, Dahlia hybrid.
Photographed on Manhattan's Upper West Side
on West 81st street as I was walking to the post office.
Image: GrrlScientist, 26 May 2009 [larger view].
Dahlias comprise a genus with at least 36 species of bushy plants that are native to the western regions of Central and South America. There are more than 20,000 named cultivars of these plants in captivity, which are the result of both hybridization and chromosomal duplication: Dahlias are octoploid -- possessing eight copies of each homologous…
grrlscientist | May 25, 2009tags: NYC, Upper West Side, Manhattan, flowers, nature, image of the day
Purple petunia, (Petunia x hybrida).
Photographed while walking to the library along Amsterdam Avenue
on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, NYC.
Sorry, this isn't the best picture I've ever taken.
Image: GrrlScientist, 22 May 2009 [larger view].
Petunias are trumpet-shaped flowers produced by plant species in the genus, Petunia. Petunia species are native to South America. The precise relationships between and among petunias are still not clear, and the entire family, Solanaceae, is reclassified as new information…
grrlscientist | May 24, 2009tags: NYC, Upper West Side, Manhattan, flowers, nature, image of the day
Wild rose, Rosa acicularis.
Photographed while walking to the library along Amsterdam Avenue
on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, NYC.
Image: GrrlScientist, 22 May 2009 [larger view].
After I snapped this picture, an unnamed person approached me and yelled at me for photographing -- flowers! I know this sounds shocking, and I was certainly confused, but apparently no one -- NO ONE -- is allowed any joy, not even one second of joy, not one second, if they haven't paid for it. Not in NYC, anyway.
As one of tens of…
grrlscientist | May 23, 2009tags: NYC, Upper East Side, Manhattan, flowers, nature, image of the day
Pansy, Viola hybrid, purple and yellow cultivar.
Photographed while waiting for the bus on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, NYC.
Image: GrrlScientist, 18 May 2009 [larger view].
I really like the coloring of this particular cultivar, possibly because it closely resembles its wild ancestors (although its giant size dwarfs its wild ancestors). I also think the blue/purple veins on the middle petals (upper yellow colored petals) make an interesting contrast to the reddish-brown veins on the bottom petals (lower yellow…
grrlscientist | May 22, 2009tags: NYC, Upper East Side, Manhattan, flowers, nature, image of the day
White dahlia, Dahlia hybrid/cultivar, in the early morning sunshine.
Photographed while waiting for the bus on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, NYC.
Image: GrrlScientist, 18 May 2009 [larger view].
If you look closely, you'll see lots of black specks on those white petals .. this is genuine Manhattan air pollution -- soot -- the same crap that coats the insides of your lungs and tries to kill you with every breath you take.
awild | May 22, 2009
Astylus atromaculatus (Melyridae), Argentina
The spotted maize beetle Astylus atromaculatus is native to subtropical South America but has spread to warm regions in other parts of the world. In late summer, adults congregate on flowers to mate and feed on pollen.
photo details (all photos): Canon MP-E 65mm 1-5x macro lens on a Canon EOS 20D
ISO 100, 1/250 sec, f/11-f13, flash diffused through tracing paper
grrlscientist | May 21, 2009tags: NYC, Upper East Side, Manhattan, flowers, nature, image of the day
Flossflower, also known as Bluemink or Ageratum, Ageratum houstonianum.
Photographed while waiting for the bus on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, NYC.
Image: GrrlScientist, 18 May 2009 [larger view].
These tiny bushy plants are members of the sunflower family and are native to the west coast of Central and South America. It's amazing that something so small is related to something that is as large as a sunflower!
grrlscientist | May 20, 2009tags: NYC, Upper East Side, Manhattan, flowers, nature, image of the day
Pansy, orange cultivar, Viola hybrid.
Photographed while waiting for the bus on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, NYC.
Image: GrrlScientist, 18 May 2009 [larger view].
Isn't it amazing what selective breeding (artificial selection) can give rise to over a few thousand generations? How much more amazing is natural selection that gives rise to new forms over millions of years!
grrlscientist | May 19, 2009tags: NYC, Upper East Side, Manhattan, flowers, nature, image of the day
Pansy, purple cultivar, Viola hybrid.
Photographed while waiting for the bus on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, NYC.
Image: GrrlScientist, 18 May 2009 [larger view].
awild | May 19, 2009
The summer insect season is upon us here in temperate North America, and with it comes the need for good identification guides.
Before I begin, a cautionary note. We have so many species on our continent that were we to create a bird-type guide that listed all the insects, with their ranges and identifying characteristics, the full set would span at least 30 volumes.  Any book small enough to carry into the field necessarily omits more than 95% of the relevant animals. Insect guides are understandably neurotic and overwhelmed compared to the corresponding bird and plant guides, and it…
awild | May 19, 2009I took my shiny new Canon 50D out for a spin this weekend, and along the railroad tracks I found a worthy myrmecological subject: Crematogaster feeding at the swollen nectaries of an Ailanthus Tree of Heaven. Ailanthus is an introduced Asian tree that's gone weedy across much of North America. Our local ants don't seem to mind, though, it's extra snack food for them.
grrlscientist | May 18, 2009tags: NYC, Upper East Side, Manhattan, flowers, nature, image of the day
Yellow orchid, Oncidium species.
Photographed on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, NYC.
Image: GrrlScientist, 18 May 2009 [larger view].
There are several hundred recognized Oncidium species, but the experts reclassify plants in this group often, so I am not sure which species this is. Additionally, Oncidium species have been freely hybridized in captivity.
grrlscientist | May 17, 2009tags: NYC, Upper West Side, Manhattan, flowers, nature, image of the day
Treasure flower, also known as the South African daisy, Gazania rigens.
Photographed on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, NYC.
Image: GrrlScientist, 9 May 2009 [larger view].
grrlscientist | May 16, 2009tags: NYC, Upper West Side, Manhattan, flowers, nature, image of the day
Lantana, Lantana camera.
Photographed on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, NYC.
Image: GrrlScientist, 16 May 2009 [larger view].
I have always been fascinated with these flowers because, as the individual blossoms age, their color changes. So each plant can have flowers with many different colors, even on the same stem!