Thursday 30 April 2015

Nabiyotum Crater, in Lake Turkana, Kenya,

Nabiyotum Crater, in Lake Turkana, Kenya, is the world’s largest desert lake as well as the world’s largest alkaline lake. The crater is situated in the famous Great Rift Valley.

Friday 24 April 2015

Scientist Discovered Species Looks Exactly Like Kermit the Frog



Down in Costa Rica, researchers have discovered an attractive, acquainted looking new species. This transparent newfound amphibian is a frog identified as Diane’s Bare-hearted Glassfrog, since its underbelly is translucent and takes on the appearance of glass. Most astonishingly, this strange creature looks just like Kermit the Frog!  The frog has evaded discovery until now because it lives in an isolated location and also because it’s mating call is quite akin to an insect's call. Brian Kubicki, Stanley Salazar, and Robert Puschendorf are the inventors who discovered this beautiful Kermit look-alike between 400m and 800m up in the Talamanca Mountains, stating that its call sounds like “a single tonal long metallic whistle-like note.” Not only did Dr. Kubicki able to capture some vivid photos of the frog, he also decided to name it after his mom Janet Diana Kubicki, according to the Costa Rican Amphibian Research Center. Source: My Modernmet

Tuesday 14 April 2015

Bonsai is an art of taking a simple plant or tree and turning it into a reminder of nature's beauty within a confined space

bonsai is an art of taking a simple plant or tree and turning it into a reminder of nature's beauty within a confined space. 

In recent years Taxus cuspidata (Japanese yew, Ichi) have become popular as bonsai. These traditional garden trees have only recently caught the imagination of bonsai enthusiasts. They are suitable for most styles, but particularly for bonsai where there is lots of driftwood. Exquisite fins and sharis can be created from the superfluous branches. Yew has lovely, dark green foliage, and new shoots grow easily from old wood. Ready-trained plants can be found in most bonsai nurseries, and nursery material is easy to train into bonsai. Source: Herons Bonsai

Wonderful relax on the Maldives Islands- Tropical Paradise

The last paradise on earth is located in the Indian Ocean and bears the name “Maldives”: an archipelago of almost 1,200 coral islands, of which only about two hundred are inhabited. The total package of features of real Bounty Islands are plentiful: dazzling white beaches, endless blue skies, palm trees, coral reefs that the crystal clear water a turquoise color and cause sea-gardens full of colorful fish, shells and other life. 

Lake Garda, Italy Should Be On Your Bucket List

Lake Garda is a stunning lake located in Northern Italy, created during the Quaternary Ice Ages (1.5 million years ago). The lake was formed when a huge glacier ripped down and cut through the valley, carving out this now very old lake.

Friday 10 April 2015

Mother Nature’s Emotions

This lovable heart-shaped island can be found in the Republic of the Maldives, a country that is spread out over 35,000 square miles in the Indian Ocean,250 miles southwest of India. The nation is comprised of 1,190 coral islands formed around 26 natural atolls, each of which is made of a coral reef circling a lagoon. While the Maldives is one the world’s most geographically dispersed countries, it is the smallest Asian country in both land area and population; only 200 of those
islands are populated. Hello, deserted island paradise.

Thursday 9 April 2015

Stunning Tree House

Tree houses or tree forts are platforms or buildings constructed around, next to or among the trunk or branches of one or more mature trees while above ground level. Tree houses can be used for recreation, work space, habitation, obs.

Waterfalls Lakes Plitvice, Croatia

Is among the 20 most beautiful lakes in the world to 17th place. The park covers an area of 33,000 hectares and includes 16 lakes in succession, connected by waterfalls.Plitvice is the oldest national park in Southeast Europa.All'interno the park there are also many caves of which only a small part is agibile.I lakes are formed by two rivers: the White River and the Black River, which flow in the river Korana. The waters of these rivers are rich in calcareous salts (mostly calcium carbonate and magnesium carbonate), from the dissolution of carbonate rocks forming the geological structure of sito.Questi salts are precipitated by vegetation, forming layers of travertine , a sedimentary rock recently. Over time, these deposits forming real natural dams that act as barriers to water, growing by about a centimeter per year. At one point the water pressure breaks these natural levees, opening new paths in the ground. This mechanism, in fact common to all the calcareous water, in Plitvice has assumed a particular importance. The beauty of the National Park Plitvice, Croatia, is increased in the second round of the New Seven Wonders of Nature.

Bonsai" is a Japanese pronunciation of the earlier Chinese term penzai.

Bonsai" is a Japanese pronunciation of the earlier Chinese term penzai. A "bon" is a tray-like pot typically used in bonsai culture.The word bonsai is often used in English as an umbrella term for all miniature trees in containers or pots. This article focuses on bonsai as defined in the Japanese tradition. The main purposes of bonsai are primarily contemplation (for the viewer) and the pleasant exercise of effort and ingenuity (for the grower). By contrast with other plant cultivation practices, bonsai is not intended for production of food, for medicine, or for creating landscapes. Instead, bonsai practice focuses on long-term cultivation and shaping of one or more small trees growing in a container.

Wednesday 8 April 2015

The Northern Cardinal Bird, is a Songbird, Sing Variety of Different Melodies

The northern cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) is a beautiful North American bird in the genus Cardinalis. This is also famous as “colloquially” as the redbird or common cardinal. It can be found in the eastern United States from Maine to Texas, south through Mexico and southern Canada. The species can be found in woodlands, gardens, shrub lands, and swamps. The majestic red color bird is a mid-sized songbird with a body length of only 21 cm. The Northern Cardinal Bird has a distinctive crest on the head and a mask on the face which is black in the male and gray in the female. 
The northern cardinal is so attractive and extremely loved that it has been named the official bird of no fewer than seven United States. The bright red cardinals are effortlessly identified by even casual bird watchers, and are often seen frequenting backyards and bird feeders. After foraging elsewhere the birds eat insects, seeds, grain, fruit, and sap. Northern Cardinals are active songbirds and have ability to sing a variety of different melodies. 
The male bird is very vibrant red; however the female is a dull red-brown shade. The northern cardinal is mainly granivorous, and mainly he relies on feeds on insects and fruit. The male bird behaves territorially, marking out his territory with song. Therefore during courtship, the male specie feeds seed to the female beak-to-beak. A clutch of 3 to 4 eggs is laid, and 2 to 4 clutches are produced each year. It was once prized as a pet, but its sale as a cage bird is now banned in the United States by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918.

The bird is widespread and abundant, and having expanded its range over the last century or more. The bird current numbers perhaps stable and they’re naturally associated with open woodland. The sexes habitually have distinct appearances. The northern cardinal type species was named by colonists for the male's red crest, reminiscent of a Catholic cardinal's mitre. The stunning Northern Cardinals will eat almost anything offered at feeding stations.

However, it is observed, their favorite foods are black-oil sunflower seed, cracked corn, suet, suet mixes, nutmeats of all kinds, melon seeds and safflower seed. The birds' diet consists of 30 % insects, which makes cardinals extremely valuable to farmers and gardeners. They consume some of the worst agricultural pests, codling moths, cotton cutworms, scale insects, cotton bollworms, grasshoppers, aphids, snails and slugs. Cardinal nests might be compact and well-lined with fine grass or hair, or they might be fragile and barely lined. The birds habitually use grass, rootlets, weed stems, pliable twigs, vines and bark strips, interwoven with leaves and paper or plastic.

This is one of those birds that once you've seen this fellow you will have to admit he’s a looker. These red color birds are perpetual residents throughout their range. Though a slightly secretive bird while nesting, you may still be able to watch from a distance. It has been experience of several bird watchers that if she feels threatened, the female bird will abandon her nest building and find a new location. The bird can be always watched from a distance.

In John James Audubon's day (1785-1851), the Northern Cardinal was considered a southern bird and was rarely seen as far north as Philadelphia. By 1895, its range reached the Great Lakes, and by 1910, the cardinal was in southern Ontario and along the southern portions of the Hudson River. Some authorities believe the cardinal's push northward was due to more people feeding birds during the winter. Nowadays the Northern Cardinal is a year-round resident from the Dakotas, southern Ontario and Nova Scotia south to the Gulf Coast, and from southern Texas westward through Arizona and southward through Mexico as far as Guatemala and Honduras.

The history tells us, the Northern Cardinal was introduced in Hawaii in 1929 and now the bird is well established there and it also occurs sparingly in southeastern California and in Bermuda as an introduced species. Though non-migratory bird, cardinals often gather in large flocks of up to 70 birds during winter months and can be found in bushy thickets in the more sheltered areas of their range. Most peoples believe Northern Cardinals mate for life, but during winter season, the male bird does not allow his mate to feed with him.

When with the return of spring season, though, he regards her in a new light. Then we see the practice of mate-feeding when the male brings shucked sunflower seeds and other choice tidbits to the female. She waits with her wings all aflutter like a baby bird begging for food, and he places the seed in her bill as tenderly as a first kiss between lovers. Although cardinals prefer to eat on the ground, they will come to bird tables, trays on posts and trees, window trays, and hanging feeders with perches. 
Water for drinking and bathing is just as important for Northern Cardinals in winter as it is during hot months. Because wet cardinals cannot fly quickly to safety, place your birdbath near cover so the birds can escape from cats and other predators. When birdbaths are not available, cardinals bathe in shallow edges of ponds and streams, in snowmelt or in a puddle after rain. Just like most of children, cardinals relish bathing in the spray of lawn sprinklers.

Northern Cardinal from Lang Elliott on Vimeo.
Northern Cardinal from WildOhio on Vimeo.

Tuesday 7 April 2015

The Cocoa Island Maldives

The Maldives seem a bit like an over-the-top parody of an island holiday destination,not an Island or archipelago,but an atoll of a thhout Robinson Crusoe-sized islands,in the shallow water of a coral reef in the Indian Ocean. Cocoa Island is one of the these,just a ten minute walk from end to end(and two minutes across),with absolutely nothing on it but the hotel.All of *Cocoa Island's suite's and villas are over the water in the form of dhomi,a traditional fishing boat,with a short out the back door,leading from a tiny balcony straight down into the oceans shallow waters.The "boats" are firmly moored to the sea floor,as you can see at the low tide,but at night tide the gentle waters lap against the edge of the balcony. The view from the bed,through large french windows,is nothing but calm and unbroken Indian Ocean as far as the eye can see.

Flowering Bonsai



Flowering bonsai are very rare and fruits on miniature trees really fascinate almost everybody. But there’re a number of things you must pay attention to if you want to make sure these bonsai tree species will produce the desired flowers and fruits. In general, flowering and fruit bearing species are treated and styled using the same techniques as for other bonsai tree species. But if they don't get enough sunlight, are pruned at the wrong time or too often, grow too strongly due to high nitrogen fertilizer or the soil gets too dry you will be disappointed when no flowers or fruit grow on your bonsai tree.

Detian falls, China


Well, this is without any doubt a paradise with breathtaking views. From antiquity, the falls have a distinct fascination for humans, to be considered among the most striking natural beauty on the planet earth. This place is an Asian landscape of rocky outcrops towering over lush rice paddies; these falls produce a dreamy, silky mist over the tiers of this 300-foot-wide-plus cascade of the Guichun River. The Detian Falls (Also called Banyue Falls in Vietnam) are in the southwestern Chinese province of Guangxi, bordering Vietnam. June and July may be the most humid time of year to travel here, but it’s when the river is at its most dramatically rapid.


Ruby Falls ,Chattanooga ,Tennessee

The sheer beauty of Ruby Falls is named one of the ten most incredible cave waterfalls on earth. It is America's deepest commercial cave and largest underground waterfall. You must enjoy a guided tour through the fascinating cavern with its unique rock formations. The highlight of the tour is the sparkling 145-foot underground waterfall.  It's always 59 degrees inside of naturally wonderful Ruby Falls. See the panoramic view from the Lookout Mountain Tower.Source: Noor Kyani

Friday 3 April 2015

Indian Roller Bird



Three subspecies are generally recognized. However the nominate form can be found from West Asia (Iraq, Arabia) east across the Indian Subcontinent, and within India north of the Vindhyas mountain ranges. The subspecies “indicus” is mainly found in peninsular India and Sri Lanka. The southern bird form has a darker reddish collar on the hind neck which is missing in the nominate form. The race “affinis” of northeastern India and Southeast Asia (Thailand, Myanmar, Indo-china) is sometimes considered a full species, but within the Indian region, it is seen to intergrade with benghalensis. 

The form “affinis” is darker, larger and has a purplish brown and un-streaked face and breast. Moreover it has underwing coverts in a deeper shade of blue. The Indian roller is widely distributed across Asia, from West Asia (Iraq), through the Indian Subcontinent (including Pakistan, Sri Lanka and the islands of Lakshadweep and “Maldive Islands” into Southeast Asia. The bird main habitat is cultivation, thin forest and grassland. They’re frequently seen perched on roadside electric wires. These birds are usually seen perched on prominent bare trees or wires. 

They descend to the ground to capture their prey which may include insects, arachnids, little reptiles including “Calotes versicolor” & little snakes and amphibians. Therefore fires attract them and they’ll also follow tractors for disturbed invertebrates. In agricultural habitats in southern India, they have been seen at densities of about 50 birds per km2. They perch mainly on 3 to 10 meter high perches and feed mostly on ground insects. Approximately 50% of their prey is beetles and twenty five per cent made up by grasshoppers and crickets. 

The Indian Roller feeding behavior is habitat usage are very similar to that of the black “drongo”. During summer, they may also feed late in the evening and make use of artificial lights and feed on insects attracted to them. They’re attracted to swarms of winged termites and as many as 40 birds have been seen to perch on a 70 meter stretch of electric wires. Their habit of feeding near roadsides sometimes results in collisions with traffic. A decline in the numbers of these birds seen along roadsides in northern India has been noted.

This is an aerobatic display bird, with the twists and turns that give this species its English name. The breeding season starts from March to June, to some extent earlier in southern India. The bird displays when perched include bill-up displays, bowing, “allopreening”, wing drooping and tail fanning. The holes created by woodpeckers or wood boring insects in palms are favored for nesting in few areas. Moreover nest cavities may also be made by tearing open rotten tree trunks or in cavities in building. The cavity is typically unlined and is made up mostly of debris from the wood. The normal clutch contains 3 to 5 eggs, which is normally in white and broad oval or nearly spherical. 

The both male and female incubate the eggs for about 17 to 19 days. The young bird fledges and leaves the nest after near a month. Nearly 80% of the eggs hatch and fledge. The call of the Indian roller is a harsh crow-like “chack” sound. It also makes a variety of other sounds, including metallic “boink” calls. It is particularly vociferous during the breeding season and the bird bathes in open water by plunge-diving into it, a behavior often interpreted as fishing. But it may sporadically attempt fishing from water. Moreover adding its chopped feathers to grass and feeding them to cows was supposed to increase their milk yield. The Indian roller has been selected as the state bird by the Indian states of Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka and Odisha.