Saturday 1 November 2014
Yellow-Bibbled Lory; A Beautiful Parrot Endemic to the Solomon Islands
The yellow-bibbed lory (Lorius
chlorocercus) is a monotypic species of parrot in the Psittaculidae family.
This beautiful parrot is endemic to the Solomon Islands. The yellow-bibbed lory
is about 11 in, (28 cm) long. It is mostly red with black on top of head and
green wings. It has a yellow transverse band on upper chest and a
crescent-shaped black patch on each side of neck. It has vibrant blue-green
thighs and dark-grey legs. It has an orange-red beak, dark-grey eyerings, and
orange irises. Under its wings the bird has blue feathers. Currently there’re
only two breeding pairs in the United States. However, they are very sweet,
kind birds, and as they’re a type of parrot, they’ve a relatively large
vocabulary for an animal.
The striking Yellow-bibbed Lory natural habitats are subtropical or
tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montane
forests. The parrot calls are described as shrieking and harsh, while feeding
emits soft chattering. The bird is aptitude is Harder to breed than some other
lorikeets, can be good as a pet depending on the bird. The bird likes to eat
pollen, nectar, fruits, small seeds and caterpillars, apples, pears, grapes,
tangelos, kiwifruit, sultanas, banana, watermelon (no avocado), fresh veggies
(frozen bags of mixed veggies and frozen corn are ideal recorded. Numerous bird
species in the Solomon Islands are vulnerable just due to their small natural
ranges and forest clearing for agriculture is an ongoing threat.
The bird is listed on CITES II and is well considered a
Birdlife International "restricted-range" species, which means that,
while the species is abundant in numbers, the range of the species is very
limited and could be simply threatened. The Yellow-bibbed Lory is a gorgeously
bright-red parrot with a black forehead and yellow band on the chest. These
Lories can be found in Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands where they live
in tropical lowland forests. Yellow bibs can make good pets. Cheeky,
intelligent, loving and playful it’s like having four seasons in one day having
a bib as a pet.
Yellow bibs are habitually very active you’d quite easily be
able to notice if something was wrong.
If there’re general level of hygiene is maintained with feeders, cages
and aviaries normally you will encounter very few problems. Worm your lorry on
a regular basis every 6 months. This is for pets and aviary birds. It’d be
highly suggest yellow bibs would be more of a bird to try to keep if you are a
bird keeper with some experience in keeping Lories or lorikeets in the past. If
you’re a first timer think about it and get some advice first!
Friday 31 October 2014
Butterfly Classification How They’re Named
Most butterflies have an English
name and all have a Latin one, their scientific label which is derived from the
“Binomial” system which was first used by Carl Linnaeus (Properly written Carl
Von Linne) in 1753, in his book Species Plantarum. This was the starting point
for scientific nomenclature for botanists, and the same happened for zoologists
when Linnaeus published the tenth edition of Systema Naturae in 1758. What made
him unique amongst scientists of his time was that he was a very systematic
worker being very through and orderly. Can you imagine the mess we would be in
today if Linnaeus had tried to impose a naming system on over a million
different animal species without it being rigorous and methodical?
The Latin name has at least two
parts and may well have extra names tacked on the end. Sometimes they translate
into meaningful phrase especially those named back in Linnaeus’s time. For
instance, the Small Blue is well known scientifically as Cupido minimus, which
translates as “little Cupid”. This is because it is a beautiful little insect,
deserving of such a name this is typical
of the period when scientists liked to put a little romance into their work in
this case it was described for science in 1775 by Fuessly.
When the species in question has
various subspecies an addition is made to the name, for instance when the
English form of the Old world Swallowtail, Latin name Papilio machaon, is
considered, it has the word britannicus added, so it becomes Papilio machaon
Britannicus. Notice also that the first letter of the Latin name is spelled
with a capital. This is the generic name, whereas the first letter of the
second the specific name and any others are lower case.
You will often also see a name
and possibly a date at the end of the Latin name such as “Linnaeus, 1758” this
is the Descriptor the person who first described the species for science, and
the date is when this information was first published. However, if the name and
date are placed in parentheses, it means that the species has been moved from
genus where it was first placed into another one. This may all sound a bit
complicated, but it’s scientific convention it also helps to clarify the
situation if someone else mistakenly uses the same Latin name for a different
species.
One of the many confusing aspects
of naming any plant or animal is that as we discover more and more about which
species are related to which, we have to reclassify them that is, we have to
take them out of the place where we formerly thought they belonged in the
“giant family tree of life,” and put them in what we hope is the right place.
This means that we have to change their Latin name. To make matters even more
confusing a single species may have many different common names, even in the
same country. For instance the Peacock butterfly formerly had the scientific
name Vanessa io. This then became Nymphalis io, and then Inachis io. But the
Peacock butterfly or Europe is a very different species from that called the
Peacock in the United States.
Thursday 30 October 2014
The Aral Sea was the fourth largest lake in the world until the 1960s, Shrinking lake, central Asia
The Aral Sea was the fourth largest lake in the world
until the 1960s, when the Soviet Union diverted water from the rivers
that fed the lake so cotton and other crops could be grown in the arid
plains of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. The black outline
shows the approximate coastline of the lake in 1960. By the time of the
2000 image, the Northern Aral Sea had separated from the Southern Aral
Sea, which itself had split into eastern and western lobes. A dam built
in 2005 helped the northern sea recover much of its water level at the
expense of the southern sea. Dry conditions in 2014 caused the southern
sea’s eastern lobe to dry up completely for the first time in modern
times. The loss of the moderating influence of such a large body of
water has made the region’s winters colder and summers hotter and drier.
Monday 27 October 2014
Psychotria elata
This gorgeous pair of red, luscious lips belongs to a
plant known as Psychotria elata, a tropical tree found mainly in the
rain forests of Central and South American countries. Affectionately,
Psychotria elata is called Hooker’s Lips or the Hot Lips Plants. The
plant has evolved into its current shape to attract pollinators
including hummingbirds and butterflies. This specimen was blooming at
the botanical gardens here in tropical Queensland Australia.
The silk floss tree (Ceiba speciosa)
The silk floss tree (Ceiba speciosa) is a species
of deciduous tree native to the north-east of Argentina, east of
Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay and southern Brazil. It is resistant to
drought and moderate cold. It grows fast in spurts when water is
abundant, and sometimes reaches more than 82 ft in height. Its trunk is
bottle-shaped, generally bulging in its lower third, measuring up to 7
ft in girth.
Sunday 26 October 2014
What is the difference between a butterfly and a Moth?
One of the most common questions
any lepidopterist is asked by members of public concerns the difference between
a butterfly and a moth? The question is usually on the lines of surely, moths
are small brown things that fly at night, and eat clothes, however butterflies
fly during the day, and are nice pretty things? Unluckily it’s not nearly so
simple. There’re several other misunderstandings too, such as butterflies hold
their wings closed above their heads when they’re shut, but flat to the ground
when they’re open. Well this is patently not so. Many thousands of moth species
hold their wings closed above their backs, just like a butterfly.
Moreover another feature often
suggested as a structure to tell the two apart is the antennae, the common
perception is that on a butterfly they’re clubbed, and on a moth they are furry
but this is wrong again! Several thousands of moth species have antennae
similar like a butterfly and some butterfly species have moth like antennae.
One of the structures that is an
almost a distinguishing factor, is the frenulum the special wing-catch
used to keep the hind wings from riding up over the fore wings. In nearly all
butterflies it is of one type, and in most moths, it is another. Although
there’s an Australian skipper called Euschemon Rafflesia which cause this
distinction to fail, as the male has a moth type frenulum there’re also many
moth species which have a butterfly type wing catch.
As mentioned above, the idea that
butterflies are pretty and fly by day, but moths are dull and brown and fly by
night, is a common sentiment but it’s entirely erroneous. For example, the
Urania moth looking for a dull and brown night flyer, you couldn’t be more
wrong it’s obviously highly colored and it also flies by day.
The issue of day flying against
night flying is certainly not clear cut at all, as there’re great several moths
that are day fliers, however there’re very few butterflies that fly at night.
There’re species that will fly at night during migration while over the sea.
But it’s not their usual behavior given the choice they will rest at night.
When an animal is active by day,
it is said to be diumal and when it is active by night, it is said to be
nocturnal. There’re although myriad species that is active in the half light of
dusk and dawn. These species are said to be crepuscular, i.e. of diurnal moths
include many of tiger moths, which are often mistaken for butterflies, but
there’s a family of moths that are closely day fliers. These’re the Burnet
moths belongs to family Zygaenidae, which like so many diurnal moths are
chemically protected from the majority of predators. It has been noted that
some of them have traces of cyanide within their body tissues.
However there’re very few
nocturnal butterflies there’re a great several that are crepuscular, including
many of the Satyrs of the family Satyridae although the most impressive are the
“Owl” butterflies of the genus Caligo. There butterflies occur in South America
up through Central America and into the West Indies. Their larvae mostly feed
on banana plants, where they can become pests in commercial plantations. They
adults often like to feed on rotting fruit, which can be their downfall, as
collectors often use this weakness to set bait traps for them.
Friday 24 October 2014
Tillandsia Purple Flower
Lawrance jacob, you have an adventuring spirit and a very kind heart. I wanted to find something that'd remind you that even in times of worry or doubt that you're never alone and that there's a bright light that burns within you whenever you need it. I select for you the Tillandsia Purple Flower which is an epiphytes (also called aerophytes or air plants) i.e. they normally grow without soil while attached to other plants. This flower reminds me of your sky diving, water diving free spirit.
Thursday 23 October 2014
Mono Lake - California USA
Mono Lake is a large,
shallow lake USA, saline soda that is located in Mono County in the
state of California, formed at least 760,000 years ago as a terminal
lake in a closed basin (which has no outlet the sea). The absence of the
high level causes outfalls salts that accumulate on the lake. These
salts also make the lake water is alkaline. It also has high levels of
arsenic.
Sunday 19 October 2014
Nests of a Bald Eagle
When a young pair of Bald Eagles wants to build a brand new nest, their first work is to find a place for it. They most likely prefer a territory close to water, where they can catch fish for their babies without wasting time flying back and forth a long distance, but in some areas may nest more than a few miles from fishing areas. In many parts of Alaska & northern Canada where trees are very scarce and short, eagles habitually nest on the ground. Therefore in the forested areas, they habitually choose one of the tallest trees in the area. If this is a "super-canopy" tree one sticking up above nearby trees the eagles can see all around, and also can fly into the nest without bonking their massive wings into branches.
Moreover in Canada and the northern and western states, several eagles always opt to select a coniferous tree-usually a pine, spruce, or fir. However in the eastern states, where big conifers may not be accessible in otherwise good habitat, eagles are more expected to nest in an oak, hickory, cottonwood, or other large leafy tree. Pairs habitually start a new nest in a living tree, though there’re often dead trees ("snags") neighboring where they have a view all around when they're resting close the nest. The healthier the tree it is the better. Well, Eagles normally use and keep adding sticks to their nests for years and years. Like a one well-studied Ohio nest was used for 34 years, until the tree lastly blew down. At times a tree with an eagle nest dies after several years. If the tree remains standing, then the eagles habitually remain there as long as their nest is safe. But the healthier the tree is to start with, the longer it will last.
Moreover in Canada and the northern and western states, several eagles always opt to select a coniferous tree-usually a pine, spruce, or fir. However in the eastern states, where big conifers may not be accessible in otherwise good habitat, eagles are more expected to nest in an oak, hickory, cottonwood, or other large leafy tree. Pairs habitually start a new nest in a living tree, though there’re often dead trees ("snags") neighboring where they have a view all around when they're resting close the nest. The healthier the tree it is the better. Well, Eagles normally use and keep adding sticks to their nests for years and years. Like a one well-studied Ohio nest was used for 34 years, until the tree lastly blew down. At times a tree with an eagle nest dies after several years. If the tree remains standing, then the eagles habitually remain there as long as their nest is safe. But the healthier the tree is to start with, the longer it will last.
Pangong Tso is one of the largest brackish lakes in Asia.
It is located at a height of 4,250 meters, far away in
barren land in Ladakh India, Pangong Tso is one of the largest brackish lakes
in Asia. The beautiful crystal clear blue lake sprawls over an area of 1hundred kilometers across the borders of two countries in India and China. It is
one of the most charismatic lakes situated on the Changtang plateau in
eastern Ladakh region. Pangong Lake is also famous by the name of Hollow
Lake and appears as a clear symbol of nature craftsmanship. The brackish
water plays with sunlight to produce different effects of light.
One-third part of the lake lies in India while the remaining two-third
lies in Tibet, a region controlled by China.
Moraine Lake is a glacially-fed lake in Banff National Park, Alberta Canada
Moraine Lake is a glacially-fed lake
in Banff National Park, 14 kilometers (8.7 mi) outside the Village of
Lake Louise, Alberta, Canada. It is situated in the Valley of the Ten
Peaks, at an elevation of approximately 6,183 feet (1,885 m). The lake
has a surface area of 0.5 square kilometers (0.19 sq mi). The
lake, being glacially fed, does not reach its crest until mid to late
June. When it is full, it reflects a distinct shade of blue. The color
is due to the refraction of light off the rock flour deposited in the
lake on a continual basis.
Wednesday 15 October 2014
Namtso or Lake Nam China
Namtso or Lake Nam means “holy lake” in Tibetan
language, it’s a mountain lake located on the border between Damxung
County (Lhasa) and #Baigoin County (Nagqu) in China. It is a salt lake
that birthed from Himalayan tectonic plate movements in Paleogene age. The
lake’s water comes from rain, melted ice and snow of NyenchenTonglha
mountains and gives a rich blue color on the surface that makes sky and
lake one, thus making entire region mystical.
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