Flickr user Hopefoote, Ambassador of the Wow has captured the most interesting photos of the Camouflaged Looper, a caterpillar that decorates its back with the petals of the flower it eats. The image above has three caterpillars, but if you look at her images below you can see single ones. I have never seen anything like this and if you look through the comments on each of the photos it’s just as fun to see her and everyone else geeking out over this great find. So impressive, amazing work!
[All images are the work of Hopefoote, Ambassador of the Wow, via The Conservation Report]
A lovely tunnel of trees lining a train track in Kleven, Ukraine (called the Tunnel of Love). I love how even the tracks are lined with a mossy carpet. I wonder how long it is.
[via LikeCool, Photo by Oleg Gordienko.]
The Cool Hunter has a great little feature on “Getting Back to Nature” that showcases some really beautiful autumn imagery but also touches on the latest movement that has cities around the world transforming under-used urban spaces into “green” escapes. (One great example is The High Line project in NYC.) I’m excited to see more and hope Seattle has some similar projects in store.
I wish I knew where each of these images were taken; they’re all breathtaking and remind me why this is my favorite time of year. Visit the article to see even more.
[Images via The Cool Hunter.]
It just so happened that yesterday I had the chance to join a friend for a fundraiser to benefit the Pollinator Pathway at The Corson Building. Now when I say join-a-friend I mean we stopped in briefly before I had to head to work, so…we missed the auction, the music, the food, and the booze. (Sigh.) But still, I had a lovely time taking everything in, and my first visit to The Corson Building was wonderful! The grounds, the restored building, the amazing kitchen, and all of the original vintage touches just made me really happy. I promise, I really did try to take some pictures, but if you could only see the state of my phone you’d understand there really is no way I could take anything that resembles much of a photo. I don’t have any proof of the awesomeness that the picnic was, but nevertheless, the cause is one that I think about often.
Here’s a little note about the Pollinator Pathway:
Pollinating insects are in crisis, with populations plummeting across the U.S. The work that these tiny animals do to sustain plants and food crops– usually working out-of-sight and out-of-mind– is critical to not just their survival but our own.
The Pollinator Pathway is a plan to provide an urban model of support to the foundation of the food web. With a mile-long series of gardens in planting strips along Seattle’s Columbia Street, the project establishes a corridor between the two green spaces bookending the project-Seattle University’s campus at 12th, and Nora’s Woods at 29th.
Awesome, right! I really miss the time I would spend at the SF Food Bank, so lately I’ve been looking for the right volunteer opportunity. I was really excited to see this sweet little project yesterday, even if for just a short while. If you’re interested in donating your time or some funds click here for more info.
[Image via]
Filed under: Nature
Image via
After nearly 170 years, a species of bioluminescent fungi has been rediscovered in Brazil. While these types of mushrooms aren’t uncommon, this particlular kind is one of the brightest known (see image below). It will be a surprise to no one to know that my first thoughts were if they were edible, and what they tasted like. Read the full article from USA Today.
The Conservation Report has pulled images of other forms of these glowing ‘shrooms, so if you’re interested check them out here.
Uncontacted Amazon Tribe: First ever aerial footage from Survival International on Vimeo.
I have been consumed by this video since I saw it last week, and it only becomes more haunting and sinking when you realize that it’s not a movie trailer, but an attempt to save some of the last uncontacted tribes in the world. This new footage was shot in an attempt to convince the Peruvian government that uncontacted tribes do, in fact, exist and are in danger of losing everything because of illegal logging and mining. Captured by a high-powered lens from 1 km away, Jose Carlos Meirelles hopes to use this footage to show Peru’s president that these tribes are not made up and are in need of preservation.
“They should be free to choose whether to make contact or not.”
Amazing work by Mr. Meirelles of FUNAI, a government agency that works to protect indigenous people of Brazil.
Visit http://www.uncontactedtribes.org
Looking for some interesting and meaningful accessories for around the house I came across these sweet little gems from VivaTerra.
The first is a self-sustaining ecosystem enclosed in a small blown glass globe. Living inside you’ll find algae, shrimp, plants, and micro-organisms. With indirect sunlight and moderate temperatures you can expect the life within to last anywhere from two to three years. Next day shipping is included in the price as the life inside needs sunlight to live. Buy here for $89.
The second is a fossil set with tillandsia plants. No two are alike, and maintenance is low. VivaTerra suggests using as a paper weight or general decor, but I must say the thought of one of these little guys on my desk would make me endlessly happy. Set of two, $35.
The last is a terrarium that comes with a recycled glass vase, sand, and four plants for you to arrange. Totally diggin’ the thought of playing with these. Buy here for $79.
So fun, so stylish…I love them all! Just looking at the pictures makes me happy.
[Images via Viva Terra]
At the end of this year there will meet and then exceed 7 billion people living on our planet. This three-minute, no nonsense typography video from National Geographic kick starts a seven part, year-long series on global population.
In this time of resolutions and crash diet beginnings it seems we often forget to think about the world outside of ourselves. If you take a second to think about it, I mean really think about it, the New Year is a very selfish time. Just on the heels of time when we’re all guilty of overindulging, it seems the meaning of resolutions has gone right out the window with the true holiday spirit. As much of a humbug as that makes me sound I really hope to use this time to think about my place in this world as 1 out of 7 billion and think about the message of balance.
Just taking a moment to appreciate the tiniest of things.
I’m captivated by these images from gifted macro photographer Andiyan Lufti. Hopefully there are more to come on his Flickr page.
caught – (c) Andiyan Lutfi
Ci-luk-Baaaaa – (c) Andiyan Lutfi
ration – (c) Andiyan Lutfi
And here’s an interesting clip capturing water drops on film at 10,000 frames per second. Kind of cool.
Filed under: Clean, Farmer's Market, Food, Green, Health, Movies, Nature
As much as I love and often refer to Food Inc. it was a really heavy movie; all the things I had already suspected were not only confirmed but the stories and images, though not as gruesome I had anticipated, had resonated in a strong way. I was mad and angry and I sort of carried it with me for a while; it wasn’t a terrible thing, just not the kind of feeling I want to handle often.
On the flip side of Food Inc. there’s a new, seemingly more joyful and uplifting movie that’s out called Fresh. My awesome co-worker passed it along yesterday and I’m already trying to see if I can get into a screening next week. I can’t find much more info than what’s listed on their site, but it looks as if it’s been making the rounds at small screenings here and there (since 2009!). It would be great to see it go nation-wide.
My favorite farmer Joel Salatin is back from Food Inc. too!
