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GeneralThe Nature Thread

8th Jul 2011 13:59 UTCDavid Bernstein Expert

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Part of the fun of exploring the old sites that I'm obsessed with is finding non-mineral related things of interest. Whether it be snakes, wildflowers, frogs, fungi or birds, everything interests me. So I thought it would be fun to share some of the pictures of flora,fauna etc. that we encounter in our daily or weekend travels.


I'll start with two mushrooms that I encountered during a rough hike to an old mining site in Oxford, New Jersey yesterday. Bonus points if you can identify the species. Oh, and if your story has an unhappy ending, like, the snake rushed me and I beat it to death with a crowbar, please leave that out.:D Just thinking of prior threads.


8th Jul 2011 14:56 UTCPeter Andresen Expert

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Great topic David!


You are so right, part of the fun going out collecting at new sites is the surprices you may encounter. I add a rather old picture, from a trip to Persberg area, where I found this orchid growing next to an old iron mine, I don't know which mine, but it wasn't the one I was looking for - Harstigen...

Platanthera chlorantha


8th Jul 2011 16:06 UTCTom Bennett

When ever we are out we always look for birds. We have bald Eagles near us and love watching them. We saw a Great Horned Owl in the spring.

Our little group of rock hunters have a strong respect for old stuff - like that smokestack at the Golf course, David !

Great pic ! I have long thought about doing a pic filled tread about that spot.

Old buildings old train tracks old relics are always a plus.

Bugs dont bother me and I'm pretty much invulnerable to poison ivy - the only part of " Nature " that gets me is the heat.

-Tom

8th Jul 2011 16:20 UTCHarald Schillhammer Expert

David, your shrooms look very much like Amanita rubescens (an edible fly agaric).


Funny, when I go out collecting minerals in spring I always keep my eyes open for potentially good mushroom places to be re-visited in summer and fall :).


Peter, nice orchid!


Here's one of my best catches from Dunkelstein forest: Boletus pinophilus; cap diameter 15cm and in perfect condition.

http://www.pbase.com/rovebeetle/image/117821873/original.jpg


Cheers

8th Jul 2011 16:24 UTCDavid Bernstein Expert

07235370016015864156043.jpg
Beautiful picture, Peter! Long ago, when I grew Orchids I could probably have told you what species that was-it looks very familiar. No longer.


Here is a nice shroom that looks like a flounder.


8th Jul 2011 16:27 UTCDavid Bernstein Expert

Harold, that is an amazing shot. It almost looks like an extension of the rock, that is it looks like the shroom is made of rock. Keep em comin'.(:D

8th Jul 2011 16:52 UTCRoger Curry

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2006 Dunolly, Victoria. Gold detecting failure & resident of woodpile next to tent. A dusty Redback with two egg sacks.


Redback about to climb on lens.
09541110015996933352343.jpg


Not my nugget.
04943650015996933371871.jpg

8th Jul 2011 17:01 UTCMichael Wood

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David, that first 'shroom photo looks like Panther Cap (amanita pantherina).


Here's a critter I stumbled upon a few years ago, at Talisker Bay on the Isle of Skye, Scotland. I came round a boulder and there it was, no more than 12 FEET away (4m). I thought it was injured at first, as it was writhing about on the rocks; but it was merely drying it's fur after a dip in the sea! It then lay back and sunbathed and I kept on taking photo's until my battery died. Then I snuck away and left it to it. It made my day.


Cheers, Mike


8th Jul 2011 17:39 UTCJohn Truax

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That is a beautiful Boletus Harald, shroom collecting is as exciting as rock collecting for me!


Morels~!


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8th Jul 2011 17:43 UTCHarald Schillhammer Expert

Michael Wood Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> David, that first 'shroom photo looks like Panther

> Cap (amanita pantherina).

> Cheers, Mike


Mike, I am not so sure footed with N-American Amanita species - there are considerably more than in Europe - but that reddish tint on the cap is usually a good token for the Blusher (A. rubescens), Panthers almost always are conspicuously and uniformly brownish between the white velum remains even when young.

Funny thing is, here in Europe we have more edible Amanita species than poisonous ones, but one would be wise to only take them home and eat them when he is a mushroom expert :).


BTW - also nice catch of yours.


Cheers

8th Jul 2011 17:44 UTCHarald Schillhammer Expert

Wow, John! I am still waiting for the day I find morels.


Cheers

8th Jul 2011 17:46 UTCHarald Schillhammer Expert

David Bernstein Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Harold, that is an amazing shot. It almost looks

> like an extension of the rock, that is it looks

> like the shroom is made of rock. Keep em

> comin'.(:D


Thanks David. Here's more:
mushrooms

8th Jul 2011 19:43 UTCPaul Brandes 🌟 Manager

Michael,

Are you sure that critter was "only" sunbathing, or sleeping off a wee bit too much Talisker Scotch?? :)o


John,

As I'm sure you know, there is nothing finer than fresh morels sauteed in butter and garlic, then placed beside a nice steak; mmmmmmm!!!

8th Jul 2011 19:46 UTCAleš Tomek Expert

Pretty mushrooms!!


Those pictures are one of the reasons why is it good to self-collect. Last year I took a photo of this nice and big caterpillar (Deilephila elpenor, Linné 1758) crawling in the site in Valeč (famous opal-AN, hyalite site). The measure is my kids hammer...


regards,

Aleš.



http://www.mindat.org/photos/0463719001280789409.jpg

8th Jul 2011 19:52 UTCHarald Schillhammer Expert

Aleš Tomek Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Last year I took a photo of

> this nice and big caterpillar (Deilephila elpenor,

> Linné 1758) crawling in the site in Valeč

> (famous opal-AN, hyalite site). The measure is my

> kids hammer...

>

> regards,

> Aleš.


Aleš, what a beauty. I have found the moth but never the larva. Hawkmoth caterpillars can be quite spectacular, and yours is actually one of the "smaller" species :).


Cheers

8th Jul 2011 19:52 UTCDavid Bernstein Expert

Unfortunately, I never developed a taste for mushrooms, only the big hunk of rare beef that comes with it.


Cool picture, Mike. Would love to have scratched his belly.

8th Jul 2011 19:54 UTCHarald Schillhammer Expert

Paul Brandes Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> John,

> As I'm sure you know, there is nothing finer than

> fresh morels sauteed in butter and garlic, then

> placed beside a nice steak; mmmmmmm!!!

Mercy!!!

8th Jul 2011 20:07 UTCRowan Lytle

digging in one pegmatite in CT I found a 7in spotted salamander under a boulder. I put the boulder back, let the salamander crawl under it, and moved to a different spot.

-Rowan

8th Jul 2011 20:32 UTCPaul De Bondt Manager

Hi all,


Very interesting topic.

To be honest, when I go collecting, I always look for other things than minerals first because they can be found and observed without digging. Just look around before puting your nose into the ground. You will be amazed.


I was in Cornwall in May and found this very big firefly female ( Lampyris Noctiluca ) on the road.

Never saw a big one like this. I have some in my garden but are only the third of this giant.

My wife's hand for scale. Kenidjack valley.


I am fond on mushrooms and mostly the wild ones. I find often some but never dared to eat them.

I am looking for a natural guide who can help me identifying them.

Morels with butter and garlic are divine>:D<


Take care and best regards.


Paul.

8th Jul 2011 20:35 UTCGeorge Creighton

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This is a great thread.


On my way to explore the Koksnes prospect grimstad norway got distracted by the insect life in a wild ( vivendel ) honeysuckle bush that grow in the coastal regions here.


Took this image of a fly and many others, needless to say I never got to see the prospect, maybe this year.


Regards george


PS, camera canon powershot G11

8th Jul 2011 20:35 UTCPaul De Bondt Manager

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Oops, forgot the pic.


Zenjoy.




Paul

8th Jul 2011 21:15 UTCDavid Bernstein Expert

Seeing the insects reminded me of a moment at a mine in New York State. I was done exploring and came face to face with what looked like a dragonfly. I think dragonflies are amazing creatures and since we were face to face, I held out my hand to see if she would perch. It continued to hover in front of me. So, I stepped aside. It was then that I realized that I had extended an invitation to a solitary thread waisted wasp who was trying to retrieve prey that I was nearly standing on. As soon as I moved, she landed on the insect and dragged it down a burrow, presumably to lay an egg on it..

8th Jul 2011 21:16 UTCA. M.

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Found this little guy in our backyard, it froze completely in this position, when we put it down it played dead for about 2 minutes - and then got up and just walked away.


07226100015996933407591.jpg

08248700015996933407770.jpg

8th Jul 2011 21:54 UTCStephanie Martin

David, wonderful idea for a thread, proving to be very popular.


An now for a revisit with this vivid Carpathian Blue Slug:


http://www.mindat.org/photo-385443.html


(from previous thread: http://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,7,223137,223167#msg-223167)

8th Jul 2011 22:33 UTCJoseph Polityka Expert

David,


Great thread; fascinating.


John, nice mushrooms. What type of trees are in the area? Here in Pennsylvania they grow around ash, tulip and sycamore trees.


Best,


Joe

8th Jul 2011 22:51 UTCDavid Bernstein Expert

Thanks, folks. I knew there were a lot of like minded souls here.


Stephanie, I have that slug in my favorites and look at it often. My son and I just saw a large slug outside climbing up our stone wall. Pretty drab looking slug compared to Big Blue.

9th Jul 2011 01:24 UTCDr. Paul Bordovsky

Ran across this on the trail in the Organ Mountains, New Mexico. He kept trying to hide in the shadow of the boot.

http://diente.smugmug.com/Nature/Organ-Mountains-and-Hayner/i-Sj4XhkH/0/X2/P7035742xxa-X2.jpg

9th Jul 2011 01:52 UTCDavid Bernstein Expert

Hope there was no Tarantula Hawk around. Never seen one but I hear they are pretty ferocious.

9th Jul 2011 02:37 UTCCorie Mattar

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Hey, Paul. I think I met his cousin in Warner Springs California!




At least he didn't rush us... >:D<


Corie

9th Jul 2011 02:52 UTCDr. Paul Bordovsky

David, never seen the Tarantula hawk, but how about a caracara.......taken late afternoon at our family ranch.

http://diente.smugmug.com/Nature/Ranch-Photos-11252010/PB269907xxa/1133064060_FUZof-M.jpg


Corie, that must be the leggy cousin that left for fame and fortune in Cali.

9th Jul 2011 03:23 UTCJake Harper Expert

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Wow...everyone's photos are just awesome!

My treasure of the day in Southern Idaho, a tame juvenile Pituophis catenifer (Gopher Snake).




Jake

9th Jul 2011 03:26 UTCDavid Sheumack

08203240016015864173338.jpg
John, Those morels make my mouth water. For those of us that are mad enough to go wandering along sandstone ridges on moonless nights in Autumn/Winter west of Sydney, you may be lucky enough to encounter one of these beauties to brighten your path. Pleurotus nidiformis, about 20 cm diameter and when fresh, they are bright enough to read a book by. Photo was taken as a 150 second exposure.


9th Jul 2011 03:56 UTCStephen Rose Expert

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Great thread!


Here are a couple of shots of a tarantula hawk on a sage in our garden. It is about 4-5 cm long. They are not aggressive but are reported to have a stunning sting. Love the 'wulfenite' wings.


09112340015996933401861.jpg



Photos by Rosegraphics.


Steve

9th Jul 2011 05:04 UTCDouglas Merson 🌟 Expert

09529230016015864171979.jpg
Here is a columbine found at the Van Silver Property (Van Silver Mine; Van Silver Claims), Brandywine Creek, Vancouver Mining Division, British Columbia, Canada in June 2006.


9th Jul 2011 05:33 UTCDarren Court

Regarding Tarantula Hawks - we have had a ridiculous number of them at the White Sands Missile Range Museum this year - up to about 80 or so on the patio at a time. A co-worker was stung a few days ago and said it was the worst sting she has ever had! Obviously we try to stay away from them!!!


Darren

9th Jul 2011 10:41 UTCDavid Bernstein Expert

Stephen, great shot of the Taratula Hawk. If you google painful stings on the Internet, there is an article who subjected himself to stings from various creatures, including the Cow Killer(Velvet Ant), Bullet Ant, various wasps etc. And ranked the pain on a scale he created. I'm not exactly sure why someone would want to subject themselves to that.


Doug, that Columbine shot is gorgeous. There are two mines that I visit to see them along with Ladyslippers but I have never gotten a decent shot.


Paul, the Caracara is not yet on my life list. Amazing shot. Do you have Swallow Tailed Kites also?


David, if you have a moment, could you explain a little more about that seemingly phosphorescent plant. Never seen anything like that!

9th Jul 2011 11:35 UTCGreg Dainty

This bush turkey has been coming in for a feed for the last 5 years. He turns up about a dozen times a year , and can be hand feed......Greg

http://www.varockhounder.com/uploads/2011070903291181.jpg

9th Jul 2011 11:41 UTCMaggie Wilson Expert

Awesome thread! Thanks David, and all contributors!

9th Jul 2011 12:34 UTCDavid Bernstein Expert

00888410016015864183302.jpg
Nice Turkey, Greg!


Here are two favorite backyard shots of mine. The first are two Turkey Vultures warming their wings in the morning sun and the next is an adult Red Shouldered Hawk who wintered with us one year. I would throw him/her chicken or turkey parts every morning.


00072980015996933415187.jpg

9th Jul 2011 14:44 UTCMichael Wood

01634390016015864187036.jpg
Another time I was on the Isle of Skye I saw for the first time one of these things - a basking shark - must have been 20 - 25 feet long (~7m). It was just floating along in the calm sea with it's gob open, which can't be a bad way of life. I took the photo from the cliff top which was around 600' high at that point (~180m) so its a bit fuzzy - only 3x zoom on this, my old camera.


George - excellent fly on honeysuckle photo - looks very professional.




Regards, Mike

9th Jul 2011 14:54 UTCMichael Wood

02264810016015864183197.jpg
Also on this trip to Skye in June 2008 I snapped these burnet moths (?) hanging around on the upper part of the climb out of Sgurr nam Boc.




Mike

9th Jul 2011 15:25 UTCDr. Paul Bordovsky

Hi, David.


No kite pics......I just get the random bird shot when I'm out and about. How about these BIF shots.

http://diente.smugmug.com/Nature/Colorado-Bend-State-Park-2/i-LS7NNK3/0/M/P4104327xxs-M.jpg

http://diente.smugmug.com/Nature/Colorado-Bend-State-Park-2/i-T8Jkzm5/0/M/P4104329xxa-M.jpg


I was lucky to get his feathers backlit, when he was slowing to land on the tree.


Paul

9th Jul 2011 15:54 UTCUwe Ludwig

02763250016015864183013.jpg
Two years ago when I visited the famous Epidot-location Knappenwand/Austria I found some nice lilies (Lilium martagon) and I made some pictures. One year later this spot was cancelled by a big landslip of some million tons of rocks.




Uwe

9th Jul 2011 16:18 UTCDouglas Merson 🌟 Expert

03531780016015864188512.jpg
1. a trillium that is in our backyard

2. ladybug in our garden

3. wild bleeding heart in our yard


01763980015996933411167.jpg

03457330015996933437093.jpg

9th Jul 2011 16:33 UTCStephen Rose Expert

Another take on the tarantula hawk for those who might want to see it take down a tarantula. This link is to a Squidoo site Rosegraphics (my wife Teri) put together a couple of years ago:


http://www.squidoo.com/t_hawks


David, I'm with you. I can't imagine anyone letting one of these critters sting on purpose. I pretty much stop at watching a mosquito fill up. :o


Steve

9th Jul 2011 16:42 UTCDonald Slater

Great shots everyone. Nature's beauty whether in a mineral, bird, bug, or plant is amazing but stop talking about steak and mushrooms my stomach is growling and it is a long way to supper.

9th Jul 2011 16:45 UTCPaul De Bondt Manager

04331330016015864189064.jpg
Hi all,


Fantastic topic, I love it.

Gorgeous pics everybody, keep them coming.


In junuari 2009 it has frozen during the night. The day before it was quite warm but very misty.

This is what I discovered the next morning. A plant with a " mineral " growing on it.


A Chimonanthus Preacox knob, ready to pop open with ice crystal growing on them.

Just a few minutes to take the pic and everything was gone, how it came.


Zenjoy.




Take care and best regards.


Paul.

9th Jul 2011 16:55 UTCJohn M Stolz Expert

What a lot of interesting information and beautiful photography--thanks everyone!

9th Jul 2011 17:04 UTCStephanie Martin

05978780016015864184512.jpg
Hi All, Great photos and fun!


My husband has been away for a week caring for his ailing father, so there has been not much need to use the BBQ. A couple of weeks ago we had to remove a pesky wasp/hornet nest taking hold in the lid, not uncommon as they seem to be attracted to the smell of fat cooking (try french fries in august at a picnic, you will be swarmed!). Today my husband decided to start early to do some slow cook beef ribs (with Morels, sorry Donald). He was taken aback when he opened the lid. We've never seen anything like this on the BBQ! Obviously it is some type of small mammal, probably a rodent, like a chipmunk, that we have running around here. There is an aweful lot of moss and grassy stuff, with a deep impression in the centre. It only took a week or less to build! Anyone know what type of nest please let me know. Sorry the resolution is not that great after resizing the photo to post.


9th Jul 2011 17:13 UTCMichael Shaw Expert

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This fellow is content to rest motionless among some plants on our deck during the day, but every night he visits the window next to my favorite chair where he eagerly devours insects on the glass.


05090690015996933435810.jpg



Mike

9th Jul 2011 17:14 UTCDouglas Merson 🌟 Expert

08055020016015864186071.jpg
A crab spider with lunch


9th Jul 2011 18:25 UTCDr. Paul Bordovsky

This is a nice thread with great pics by everyone.


Douglas, I really like the trillium.


Paul, a timely capture of the ice crystals....very cool.....


Michael, love the colors in the congregation of the burnet moths.


A couple more. First, web construction.

http://diente.smugmug.com/Nature/Ranch-Photos-12222007/PC215430spidercrop/235373998_48ews-L.jpg


Next, a backside view of a backlit thistle.

http://diente.smugmug.com/Nature/Easter-Weekend-Wildflowers-2/P4035930b/838014606_kUT6Y-L.jpg



Paul

9th Jul 2011 18:47 UTCRob (The Rock Hunter) Shepard

Pretty pics

9th Jul 2011 19:27 UTCSteve Stuart Expert

00695070016015864197932.jpg
Found this in my back yard while mowing the lawn today. Neither I or my wife know what it is. Any ideas?




Steve

9th Jul 2011 19:51 UTCAnonymous User

Some sort of onion or camas (be careful, camas is very poisonous). Not certain, but looks similiar.

9th Jul 2011 20:49 UTCMatthew Kimball

01771970016015864198773.jpg
Here are a few pictures of a garden snail found in our back yard. They weren't taken during mineral collecting, but they are very cool!B)


00778770015996933465486.jpg

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9th Jul 2011 21:30 UTCRay Hill Expert

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Here is part of a stem of unopened lupen buds that we saw on a trail walk we went on last week in B.C. Canada.


9th Jul 2011 21:41 UTCStephen Rose Expert

09947730016015864196804.jpg
I took this photo at a barite mine in Elko County, Nevada, in 1984. The plover (killdeer) did the usual broken-wing-follow me dance as I approached and, even knowing where she started, it took me several minutes to find this nest. Every stone in the photo is massive barite. She has moved a significant mass to construct the shallow depression for her eggs.


As I recall, the eggs are about 3.5 cm long.




Cheers!


Steve

9th Jul 2011 22:24 UTCJoe Mulvey

Each March Bob Whittmore opens the gates to the Palermo #1 Mine in North Groton, NH to allow people to visit the mine to see the ice crystals. If the water is low enough one could venture a ways into the mine and, with the aid of a flashlight, find a hibernating bat or four.

Bats at Palermo #1


It's always nice to see winter pix in July!

Joe

9th Jul 2011 23:16 UTCDavid Bernstein Expert

Douglas, that Trillium is beautiful. My Dad has quite a collection of them, caged from the deer. He has managed to grow varieties with yellow and red blooms also. It is one of my favorite types of wildflower.

9th Jul 2011 23:25 UTCDennis Tryon

John Truax,


Dip those morels in egg yolk, roll in flour, and fry in butter. Brings back memories for me of growing up in Indiana with a dad who was really into mushroom hunting. Enjoy.


Envious I am,


Dennis

10th Jul 2011 00:09 UTCEdgars Endzelins

00692870016015864206679.jpg
Took this photo in Latvia. This is perhaps Mesocerus marginatus. I dont know for sure because this creature was hiding from me >:D<

10th Jul 2011 00:25 UTCColleen Thomson Expert

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Fantastic thread! wonderful photos and stories from everyone!


I came across this little tortoise crashing through the long grass in Bulgaria a few years ago - he was going faster up the slope than I was!::o


10th Jul 2011 01:27 UTCMaggie Wilson Expert

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Here's one for David and his dad - from the Rare Nature Preserve on Blair Road in Cambridge, Ontario


10th Jul 2011 02:06 UTCDavid Bernstein Expert

Wonderful shot, Maggie. Thanks!

10th Jul 2011 03:31 UTCClifford Trebilcock

02938170016015864206200.jpg
Enjoying this thread.Some great photos so far. I often take my camera along to catch photos of wildlife,plants,birds etc on collecting trips. Always looking for interesting things to photograph besides minerals. Here is a photo of a very large laetiporus sulphureus,sulphur polypore,sometimes called "Chicken of the Woods". I found this on a collecting trip near the Consolidated #1 Quarry in Topsham,Maine measured nearly 2 feet across. Very good edible mushroom,fried with butter "Tastes like Chicken" as the saying goes.


Cliff

10th Jul 2011 03:56 UTCDaniel Levesque

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My wife, Karla, who rarely accompanies me on my digs took these two nature photos. One of a toad at the Turner Quarry at Mt. Apatite and the other of a gopher in his hole at the Maine Feldspar mine. (or should I say, her favorite gopher,me.)


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10th Jul 2011 04:12 UTCRobert Meyer Manager

03765040016015864201332.jpg
An excellent thread. Most mineral collectors are fascinated by the flora and fauna that we encounter in our travels. Some of us are experts in the identity of the natural things we encounter outside. Many excellent photographs here. I especially like Doug's Trillium and Crab Spider!



This is a Sheep Moth on Paint Brush encountered near the Keystone Mine, near Coquihalla Pass, BC, Canada


09778670015996933513375.jpg


A Columbine from the Silica Bell Claim, near Chilliwack, B.C., Canada


03920000015996933541398.jpg


Pine Drops (a saprophyte) from near Washington Pass, Okanogan Co., Washington, USA


Bob Meyer

10th Jul 2011 04:20 UTCRobert Meyer Manager

05125800016015864202306.jpg
Some fungus:



Morels found near the Black Pine Mine, near Philipsburg, Montana, USA

08912740015996933545165.jpg


The rest of the "Harvest."

09450520015996933552003.jpg


Gelatinous fungi on wood in my backyard.


Bob

10th Jul 2011 08:03 UTCJohn M Stolz Expert

05836490016015864205594.jpg
Here's a family of bears that visited our man camp in the Canadian Rockies, We were driving tunnels for BC Rail. I took lots of pictures, but I wasn't very good.

10th Jul 2011 11:16 UTCDavid Bernstein Expert

03753360016015864213229.jpg
Thought I would add a picture of an unknown (to me) fungus I recently encountered. I love the colors.


10th Jul 2011 12:14 UTCSteve Sorrell Expert

04366440016015864213916.jpg
We're in the middle of winter here. In fact it's been snowing today. Scarlet Robins are a welcome neighbour at this time of year. This one seems to enjoy being a tightrope walker...




Regards

Steve

10th Jul 2011 13:20 UTCClifford Trebilcock

Hi David,


Think the mushroom in your photo is Hemlock varnish shelf mushroom, Ganodermus tsugae, non edible. Usually found on hemlock or conifers.


Cliff

10th Jul 2011 16:53 UTCMichael Otto

04754590016015864216977.jpg
This topic will cause me to keep my camera with me on my collecting trips more often, as I have missed some good opportunities. However here is one pic of a whale that surfaced right next to our boat on a tuna trip 80 miles out in the Atlantic. The other photo is of an invader (tomato horned worm) in my garden last year. The little cocoons on his back contain little preditary wasps that kill the worms.


00795180015996933596905.jpg

10th Jul 2011 21:31 UTCPaul De Bondt Manager

05209280016015864218479.jpg
Hi all,


Thank you Paul B that you enjoy the pic.


Here are some others from the same Kenidjack Valley that I took the same day.

The first is from a bunch of purple Irisses and the second, only a few feet apart, a Fazant hen ( yummy )


06929540015996933595011.jpg



Zenjoy.


Take care and best regards.


Paul.

10th Jul 2011 22:34 UTCMaggie Wilson Expert

06415380016015864211091.jpg
This is a repeat of a Facebook post - I was on the way to the compost pile and just about tromped on this fellow - I placed him on this branch and he/she/it obliged the photographer. Too bad I wasn't able to get a shot of it's thorax/abdomen - it was the same brilliant iridescent blue. Reiner, the butterfly and moth expert, says it's a milkweed moth.



00517850015996933622565.jpg

02067610015996933626872.jpg

11th Jul 2011 03:28 UTCRobert Meyer Manager

07153800016015864212083.jpg
Nice moth, Maggie. Moths have those feathery antennae. They're pretty cool.


Here are a few from a trip last July to Idaho and Montana:



A Mariposa Lily from the Bayhorse District, Custer Co., Idaho, USA



03235300015996933624065.jpg


A Rocky Mountain Iris, Iris Missouriensis, from the Quartz Hill District, Beaverhead Co., Montana


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"Strange Creature-Flora or Fauna ?" from the Algonquin Mine, near Philipsburg, Granite Co., Montana, USA


Bob

11th Jul 2011 13:48 UTCDavid Bernstein Expert

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Clifford, thanks for identifying. The picture was in fact taken in a grove of conifers.


Here is a feel good story I posted on Facebook. Involves the backyard and not an expedition but my friend deserves to be seen by a wider audience.


Two years ago, Baby as we call her, lost her mother to a car crash. She began hanging out in our backyard and following me around at a safe distance. Ultimately, I began to feed her whole wheat bread. She grew and was "adopted" by one of the other does. She now has fawns of her own but she still stops by for a snack and to relax in our yard.


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11th Jul 2011 20:35 UTCAnonymous User

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Copyright © mindat.org
Great thread.

How about this colorless jelly fungus?


11th Jul 2011 20:51 UTCAnonymous User

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Copyright © mindat.org
How about these?

As those of you familiar with the American South know, cypress (Taxodium spp.) trees grow to enormous proportions. In areas where they are more or less constantly shallowly inundated (which is where they usually grow), they develop characteristic "knees", and the lower trunks develop moderate buttresses.

However, where the water level is highly variable (very deep to dry), they do some weird things...... Like these - no knees, and extremely swollen bases. These are in a creekbed, but you'd never know during the dry season.


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11th Jul 2011 20:58 UTCPeter Andresen Expert

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All this talking about delicious mushroms, and reading a newspaper articel about the first mushroms have started to pop up in our forests as well, made me take a trip yesterday with my wife, and we found cantarells. Enough for a great dinner today! (:P)


But the pictures I took don't qualify for this great thread, with all the beauty, so I had to find an older pic from a trip in August 2009:


11th Jul 2011 21:16 UTCPeter Andresen Expert

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From another mushrom trip (no, not that kind of trip - was looking for cantarells and other yummies), in 2009:


12th Jul 2011 12:54 UTCPeter Nancarrow 🌟 Expert

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I was by the pond in my garden trying (not very successfully) to take some photos of my koi carp, when this dragonfly < Aeshna cyanea > landed on my hand. It didn't seem in any hurry to fly off, so when I had taken several photos of it, I put my hand next to some pond weed and let it crawl off. The last photo shows how good its camouflage is; if it had landed on the pond weed, I could have walked right by without noticing it.


Pete N


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Aeshna cyanea 005

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Aeshna cyanea 006

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Aeshna cyanea 009

12th Jul 2011 13:48 UTCPaul De Bondt Manager

Hi all,


Peter, that butterfly is an Aglais io, one of the beauties of Europe.

These where plentifull in Belgium but when our politics ordered to destroy the comon nettles, they disapeared.

Here, it's on the " nearly extinct " list of butterflies, like many other species.

Many caterpilars of our butterflies feed on nettles so when you destroy the food, you destroy the species feeding on them.

But you have to be a politician for not knowing that.


Take care and best regards.


Paul.

12th Jul 2011 22:21 UTCDavid Bernstein Expert

Love the dragonfly pics! We have many different species around our home even though there is no water source. I understand a new book was recently published on Dragonflies in New Jersey so maybe I'll have to order a copy.

13th Jul 2011 00:00 UTCModris Baum 🌟 Expert

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Serengeti in the Suburbs. A tale of three rabbits - and some others.


A couple of years ago, three rabbits decided they liked our garden.

Bold as brass, they would eat their fill and then stretch out luxuriously in the driveway to "catch some rays".

Not a care in the world. But not too smart- as you can see. One by one they disappeared.

This last one expired with a harrowing screech the previous night. Probably the victim of an owl or a fox.

The "undertakers" showed up bright an early and were finished in an hour.

Balance of nature.


Rock connection?

Well just out of sight to the left is a large glacial boulder left embedded in my lawn by the builder.

That’s where I used to “downsize” all the rocks I carted home.

Hope that counts ;)


13th Jul 2011 00:33 UTCMaggie Wilson Expert

Hi Modris - I have a soft spot for turkey "buzzers" as I like to call them - don't know why exactly - perhaps because they herald spring. And I am sad when they leave in the fall - I've always wanted to write a song - an ode to the ugly things called "I've got the Turkey Buzzard Blues."

13th Jul 2011 00:43 UTCModris Baum 🌟 Expert

Hi Maggie,


We also have a soft spot for the "uglies" - especially my son.

Bats, toads, vultures, star nosed moles - you name it. The "uglier" the better.

But of course they are not really ugly at all ...


Modris

13th Jul 2011 01:47 UTCDanny Jones Expert

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Took this one in Arizona several years ago. Rainbows, Butterflys and little girls, nothing more beautiful!


13th Jul 2011 05:44 UTCDean Allum Expert

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A few weeks ago while hiking near St Peters Dome (Colorado) it was amusing to see this little tree that wanted to go for ride in the counterweight of this 50-year-old home-made front-end-loader.

-Dean


14th Jul 2011 18:20 UTCClifford Trebilcock

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Some great photos on this thread. Here is a cute little Eastern Gray Tree Frog,(Hylidae versicolor) that I found in my garden one day. Seemed to like posing for my camera so I took some photos and then released him back to the wild. Enjoy!


Cliff

14th Jul 2011 21:27 UTCDavid Bernstein Expert

What a wonderful picture, Cliff. Those little guys are more often heard then seen!

15th Jul 2011 02:40 UTCWayne Corwin

Dragon flys are cool, some times you have to stop mining to video them

Dragonfly having lunch


Enjoy B)


Wayne Corwin

15th Jul 2011 03:25 UTCAndrew Johns

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Here is a pair of Bald eagles tending their young. Took this pic south of Norland, Ont on July 2. The nest is approx 6' wide. Not a great picture but, great to witness none the less..


15th Jul 2011 11:39 UTCDavid Bernstein Expert

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Hi Andrew,


Those are Osprey you have photographed. I think it's a great photo.


I just posted this photo on my Facebook page. As we were saying goodnight to a guest, this large Root Borer flew in and scared the ^###^# out of my wife and guest. I thought it was cool as did my son as the only one we had ever seen unfortunately, drowned in our birdbath.


15th Jul 2011 15:00 UTCWolfgang Hampel 🌟 Expert

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In the area where I am working since 2008 in NW Madagascar ( Ampasindava Peninsula ) we find plenty of insects, birds, reptiles, lemurs, fish and others. My favourite animals are chameleons; this colourful little fellow crossed my way a couple of weeks ago:

15th Jul 2011 16:29 UTCStephen Rose Expert

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That is a stunning chameleon photo, Wolfgang!


I went on a short dig and overnight with a couple of my grandsons this week. Beautiful, full moon with light showers and cool days. We found some good quartz crystals and then drove north, passing to the east of the famous mineral location, Majuba Mountain (Pershing County, Nevada.) There appears to be some current exploration or development activity there as we could see some faint light from our camp 10 miles south. We stopped at the north end of Rye Patch reservoir at a mine dump with lots of chrysocolla. Birds were enjoying the well-flooded shallows after a very wet winter. The kids found that the lizards were, if not smarter, at least a lot faster than they were.


Cheers,


Steve



Majuba Mountain from the east
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Majuba Mountain from northeast. Pelicans (white spot) on Rye Patch reservoir. Other wildlife: Jason confronting copper-rich boulder.
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collared lizard watching out for young boys.

15th Jul 2011 22:06 UTCRoger Curry

Wayne that is a brilliant video. You're a lucky man, hope you were similarly lucky with your mining. Where is that, +/- 100 miles?

16th Jul 2011 14:06 UTCWayne Corwin

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Roger


That was at the Tripp Mine in Alstead N.H., USA

It was a BIG Dragonfly and was busy eating a Bee, head first, and ate the whole thing,, even the stinger !

It's a bit hard to hear in the video, but you could hear it crunching that Bee as it ate it !

As you can see in the video, it didn't seem to mind or care that it was being filmed.

I love the "Paint Job" on the Dragonfly, so very colourful ! Like racing stripes on a race car !




KOR

Wayne Corwin

17th Jul 2011 12:55 UTCDavid Bernstein Expert

Wayne, that video is really amazing. You should think about submitting it to whatsthatbug.com for their food chain section. I know it would be quite a hit.

17th Jul 2011 16:39 UTCWayne Corwin

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David


You might like this video also (and photo's)


Watch the video >> 2 Luna Moths doing what they do




They also hide well in the weeds
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It can be hard working at the mine with all these distractions 8-)


Wayne Corwin

18th Jul 2011 04:01 UTCDean Allum Expert

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Today, Tom Henderson arranged a rock hunt near Georgia Pass, Colorado for Jim Hall and myself. While we didn't find the "abundant REE crystals" we expected, we found some nice sphalerites, and spotted this guy on our way back. Spring is just arriving in the Colorado mountains, so these mountain goats are shedding their wool.

19th Jul 2011 22:56 UTCJako Schonken