Random Thought of the Day

Fungal forests!

Here's some beautiful, up-close-and-personal time-lapse photography of fungal growth! It's so freaking beautiful!

These fungi appear to be typical bread molds in the fungal phylum Zygomycota.

Those tall stalks that create the Dr. Seuss-like trees are fruiting bodies and the balls on the tops are the sporangia which house hundreds of tiny spores.

Those spores will eventually be released into the air and will find their way to a tomato or loaf of bread in your kitchen to start a new mold

You're probably breathing in some of those spores right now, actually...



Did you see the fungus mites?! They're like the cattle of the microscopic world of mycelium and hyphae!

To learn more, check out our friends at The Artful Amoeba or you could always try Wikipedia!

Random Thought of the Day

To say this tree has had an epic life would be quite an understatement.

It's sad we had to end it. Probably could have lived another few hundred years!

Courtesy of our friends over at the Proceedings of the Ever So Strange.

Random Thought of the Day

Who knew mosquitoes could be so pretty?!

Sabethes mosquito is actually from the planet Pandora...

These guys are found in the forests of Central and South America.

Apparently, the furry parts on their legs and their shimmery complexion are sexually selected traits and the males perform complex dances to win over the ladies.

Random Thought of the Day

The Cassini mission was pretty kick-ass.

In the 80s, NASA and the ESA decided they wanted to take pretty pictures of Saturn.

So they did.

It was pretty bomb. And about $3.5 billion later, we have this sweet movie!

CASSINI MISSION from Chris Abbas on Vimeo.

Oh also, they made some major contributions to space science such as making the first landing in the outer solar system, developing the most complex interplanetary probe to date, and determining the composition of structure of Saturn's rings.

Science Rules.

Plant Porn!

It's that time of year again...

It's that time of year when millions of organisms begin exposing their sexual structures to the world, releasing trillions upon trillions of male gametes into the environment!

And yes, that means it's time for hay fever and terrible allergies!

Plants all around Washington are blooming like crazy!

And of course, I took plenty of photos!

Glacier Lilly (Erythronium grandiflorum)
Check out those dangling anthers! Scandalous!

Pacific Trillium (Trillium ovatum)

Ballhead Waterleaf (Hydrophyllum capitatum)
So many anthers!
That's why it's called a Ballhead...

Vanilla Leaf (Achyls triphylla)

Pacific Bleeding-Heart (Disentra formosa)

Calypso Orchid (Calypso bulbosa)

Common Vetch (Vicia sativa)

Tiny Vetch (Vicia hirsuta)
It's such a little vetch!

Bicolor Lupin (Lupinus bicolor)

Large-flowered Triteleia (Triteleia grandiflora)
They look like they're ready to explode!

Death Camas (Zigadenus venenosus)

Spotted Coralroot (Corallorhiza maculata)
It's an orchid!

Three-leaf Foamflower (Tiarella trifoliata)

Herbal Speedwell (Veronica officinalis)

Another Calypso Orchid (Calypso bulbosa)
Also known as a Fairy Slipper

Here's some Seashore Lupin (Lupinus littoralis)
and blooming Common Sheep Sorrel (Rumex acetocella)

Heart-leaf Twayblade (Listera cordata)
A very tiny orchid!

Seablush (Plectritis congesta)
So cute and tiny!

Back from San Juan!

So, I recently got back from San Juan Island where I counted all the birds living in the two National Parks located there.

I took a lot of photos...

Lots of Savannah Sparrows

Also plenty of White-Crowned Sparrows

And even more foxes...
Actually, these are probably the three most common vertebrates on the Island
(along with deer of course, but they're no fun to photograph).

Took these photos using my binoculars.

Yup. I'm a badass like that.

More photos to come!