Photography
sjurvetson | May 31, 2009The long exposure presents all kinds of interesting visuals, from simple Estes propellant grains showering down...
...to the errant path of an unstable rocket:
Here's another example of an unstable flight followed by the fiery forward spray of a motor closure failure under pressure:
And different propellant grains provide wonderful lighting:
And of course, all kinds of high jinks come out at night in the deep desert, like the washing machine tub full of scrap propellant:
Pyro bliss.
awild | May 31, 2009The following ants are all found in my yard here in suburban Illinois. What are they?
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
I'll post answers on Tuesday. If you're lost, try here.
grrlscientist | May 31, 2009tags: NYC, Upper West Side, Manhattan, flowers, nature, image of the day
Yellow flowers.
Photographed on Manhattan's Upper West Side
on West 83rd street, across from the post office.
Image: GrrlScientist, 27 May 2009 [larger view].
laelaps | May 31, 2009
A red fox (Vulpes vulpes), photographed at Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge.
I just got back from Delaware a few hours ago, and overall it was a pretty good trip. I did not see the swarms of mating horseshoe crabs I was looking for, but I did see a number of other cool critters. This mangy fox, for instance, came trotting out from behind the dunes right about sunset and appeared to be looking for a few tidbits. My only regret is that I did not have my more powerful flash with me, as most of the fox photos came out a bit blurry. I do like this one, though.
grrlscientist | May 31, 2009tags: Tennessee Warbler, Vermivora peregrina, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Tennessee Warbler, Vermivora peregrina, photographed at Lake Thompson in Kingsbury County, South Dakota. [I will identify this bird for you tomorrow]
Image: Terry Sohl, 2 May 2009 [larger view]
Photo taken with a Canon 50D, 400 5.6L.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Review all mystery birds to date.
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 30, 2009tags: Tri-Colored Heron, Egretta tricolor, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery birds] Tri-Colored Heron, Egretta tricolor, photographed at Quintana, Texas. [I will identify this bird for you tomorrow]
Image: Joseph Kennedy, 1 March 2009 [larger view].
Nikon D200, Kowa 883 telescope with tsn-pz camera eyepiece 1/250s f/8.0 at 1000.0mm iso400.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Review all mystery birds to date.
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.
laelaps | May 29, 2009
A horseshoe crab (Limulus polyphemus), photographed at Cape Henlopen State Park, Delaware.
This weekend I'm headed off to see the annual breeding explosion of horseshoe crabs (Limulus polyphemus) in Delaware Bay. During late May and early June, especially during the full and new moon, scores of the invertebrates with shield-shaped carapaces pile onto the beach to breed, and all those eggs provide a smorgasbord for migratory birds. I never would have guessed that such a natural spectacle occurred just a few hours away.
This will be my second attempt to see the horseshoe crab mating…
grrlscientist | May 29, 2009tags: Anna's Hummingbird, Calypte anna, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Anna's Hummingbird, Calypte anna, photographed in Arizona. [I will identify this bird for you tomorrow]
Image: Richard Ditch, 30 January 2005.
Date Time Original: 2005:01:30 07:51:30
Exposure Time: 1/159
F-Number: 8.00
ISO: 400
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Review all mystery birds to date.
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
laelaps | May 29, 2009
An Amur leopard (Panthera pardus orientalis), photographed at the Philadelphia Zoo.
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].
awild | May 28, 2009
A queen and worker Argentine ant, Linepithema humile, pose for a photograph near Córdoba, Argentina.
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: Thayer's Gull, Larus thayeri, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Thayer's Gull, Larus thayeri, photographed on the Pacific coastline of San Francisco, California. [I will identify this bird for you tomorrow]
Image: Terry Sohl, 18 December 2008 [larger view]
Photo taken with a Canon 50D, 400 5.6L.
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Review all mystery birds to date.
laelaps | May 28, 2009
A herring gull (Larus argentatus) takes off. Photographed at Spring Lake, New Jersey.
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 27, 2009tags: Wilson's Snipe, Gallinago delicata, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Wilson's Snipe, Gallinago delicata, photographed in San Bernard Refuge, Texas. [I will identify this bird for you tomorrow]
Image: Joseph Kennedy, 2 March 2009 [larger view].
Nikon D200, Kowa 883 telescope with TSN-PZ camera eyepiece 1/400s f/8.0 at 1000.0mm iso400
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
Review all mystery birds to date.
grrlscientist | May 27, 2009tags: photographers, photography, godlessness, birds, humor, funny, comedy, streaming video
Bird photographers: yes, we go to great lengths to get those speshul pictures! This video documents the extreme lengths that some photographers go to for that perfect shot. How far would you go? [1:38]
laelaps | May 27, 2009
A group of sandpipers fleeing from an incoming wave. Photographed at Spring Lake, New Jersey.