United States nature
Articles in ‘United States nature’
March 4th, 2011
In a sun-lit meadow on the mountainside, a large grove of curving plants grow close together in the marshy grass, which glistens with cool running spring water. Humans are struck by the resemblance of these pitcher plants to hooded cobras, poised to strike, and have christened them Cobra Lilies, but for an insect there is nothing threatening about them at all.
On the contrary, they are very enticing. The pitcher plant surface is covered in scattered nectar glands where insects can feed, and there are even more on a bright red appendage, forked like a snake’s tongue. The tongue hangs down from a mouth-like opening, and just inside there is a particularly copious supply of the tempting sweet stuff.
For us, the snake illusion is completed by the pattern on the domed leaves, giving the impression of scales. They are translucent aeroles that flood the pitcher with bright light. An insect might be reluctant to enter a dark interior, but is lulled into a false sense of security in this well-lit space.
Having gorged, rather than go back out the way it came in, the insect might head straight for one of these false exits. After all, the mouth is half hidden by its curling lip.
Disorientated and tired, like a fly that has been helplessly crashing into a glass window, the insect might try to settle on the slippery walls of the plant. Unable to get a grip, it goes plunging down the spiralling tube straight into the pool at the bottom, which is kept filled with water pumped up from the ground. The down-pointing hairs on the inner walls discourage any attempts of a soaked insect to climb back to freedom. By the end of the summer, these carnivorous pitcher plants will be half-filled with insect remains, the sign of a successful season.
Cobra Lilies (Darlingtonia californica) are native to northern California and southern Oregon in the United States.
Carnivorous plants, United States nature, Wild world of plants | Tags: carnivorous pitcher plants, carnivorous plants of the united states, cobra lily feeding strategy, Darlingtonia californica, how carnivorous plants trap insects, Insect nightmare, interesting plants of California, pitcher plant of the united states, plants that look like snakes, rare plants of the united states, why can't an insect escape from a pitcher plant|
July 22nd, 2010
Remarkable high-speed photographs by Scott Linstead, using fast shutter speeds and special flash gear to capture his unique images of wildlifeIn the photo a Leaping Roadrunner from here.
United States nature | |
September 21st, 2009
Over the last four years, some 500 kilometres of wetlands around New Orleans have been lost to the sea, leading some biologists to call these wetlands “the fastest disappearing land mass on the planet”. Much of the area has been lost due to hurricanes Rita and Katrina.
More here
North America nature, United States nature | Tags: Environmental effects of New Orleans, New Orleans wetlands|
September 19th, 2009
As many as two hundred dead walruses have been spotted on the shore of Chukchi Sea on Alaska’s northwest coast. Wildlife researchers from the U.S. Geological Survey report the dead walruses appeared to be mostly new calves or yearlings. They may have been crushed in a panic stampede triggered by a polar bear or a helicopter. Large numbers of walruses are gathering on Alaska’s northwest coast, a sign their Arctic sea ice environment has been altered by climate change, the second time in three years that this has happened. They cannot swim indefinitely and until recently used sea ice as a platform for diving in the Bering and Chukchi seas for clams and other food on the ocean floor. Now, sea ice has receded far beyond the outer continental shelf, forcing walruses to choose between riding the ice over waters too deep to reach clams or onto shore. More here
Meanwhile, Sea ice cover in the Arctic Ocean reached the third lowest level on record last year, according to the latest NASA statistics. Here
Photo by Thundafunda
Arctic nature and wildlife, Climate change, United States nature | Tags: Alaska wildlife, Chukchi Sea, Chukchi walrusues, Pacific walrus, Population of walrus in Alaska, Walruses and climate change, Walruses in Alaska|
August 23rd, 2009
Grizzly Bears feeding at Brooks Falls in the
Katmai National Park, Alaska. At times dozens of bears can be seen gorging on the sockeye salmon swimming upstream on their way to their spawning grounds. Photo by
Brian Ronda (CCL). See also this rather amusing video:
.
North America nature, United States nature | Tags: Alaska wildlife, Alaskan bears, Bear viewing at Brooks Falls, Bear watching at Brooks Falls, Bears on Brooks River, Katmai National Park, Nature tourism in Alaska, sockeye salmon, Watching bears eating salmon, Wildlife trips in Alaska|
August 20th, 2009
Desert tortoise by Tigerhawkvok
- The U.S. Army wants to expand training operations in the Mojave Desert, and to do so is requesting the transfer of more than 1000 endangered desert tortoises. “The Army relocated more than 600 of the animals last year but suspended the $8.7-million program after the first phase when officials noted high mortality rates among the tortoises, chiefly because of coyotes.” LA Times
- California to further restrict coastal fishing to help marine ecosystems. Conservationists see it as a chance to create a network of underwater state parks, while fishermen said it would threaten their businesses in a time of economic hardship.
- A recent study by the U.S Geological Survey has found a 24% decline in the number of large-diameter trees in Yellowstone National Park, causing significant changes in the habitats for many species. It may be due to warmer, drier conditions.
- The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration must notify a federal court next month whether it will do what is necessary to save endangered salmon in the Pacific Northwest. The decision will tell us a lot about how the administration sees its obligations under the Endangered Species Act. The Bush team evaded its responsibilities with amazing acts of legal casuistry. New York Times editorial
- The Fraser River, on Canada’s West Coast, used to serve as a spawning ground to about 10.6 million sockeye salmon every summer. But worryingly, the latest estimate puts the number of salmon to fewer than 1 million this year.
- Idaho plans to kill 25% of wolf population The Idaho Fish and Game Commission has approved a plan that would allow hunters to shoot up to 220 wolves — a quarter of the state’s population.
- Black bears find new territory in cities, on roads – Black bears are multiplying and on the move across North America, snooping around cities where they’ve been a rarity, becoming roadkill and leading states to start or expand hunting seasons.
Canada nature, United States nature | Tags: Desert tortoises, Idaho wolves, Mojave Desert, Yellowstone|
August 7th, 2009
You might think that black bears are black, and grizzly bears are easily to distinguish by their colour. But both bear species in Yellowstone can be black, brown, or even blonde. Another cliche is that black bears are much smaller than grizzlies, but although grizzlies are generally bigger, a big male black bear can easily outweigh a female grizzly or a young grizzly. Without colour or size as a guide, you have to look at other features. The best way to tell grizzlies and black bears apart at a distance is by their body shape. Unlike black bears, grizzlies have a distinct hump on their shoulders that is higher than their rump.
Watch this video to learn more. Or read
here.
United States nature | Tags: bears, Grizzily bear identification, Grizzily bears, Yellowstone, Yellowstone black bears|
August 7th, 2009
Photo: NPS/Peaco
A quick round of the latest news affecting wildlife and nature in North America. I picked up the idea from this site.
- Climate change could result in the catastrophic loss of wildlife in US’s National Parks. Service is called on to create a system to manage animals and plants. A new report calls on federal government to take decisive action to avoid “a potentially catastrophic loss of animal and plant life” in national parks” LA Times See also Yellowstone’s grizzly bears and other wildlife at risk from climate change “In Yellowstone, a tiny beetle may decide the fate of the kingly grizzly bear. Whitebark pine nuts provide a valuable food source for the bears. A beetle that destroys the whitebark pine tree has gained a considerable foothold in Yellowstone because of the effects of climate change. In some parts of the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem, beetles have destroyed up to 90 percent of the trees in whitebark pine forests. Removing this important component of the grizzly bears’ diet puts considerable stress on the species that could ultimately lead to extinction.”
- A report by the US geological survey indicates a steep rise in the melt rate of American glaciers over the last 10-15 years. The study looks at three “benchmark” glaciers- Wolverine and Gulkana in Alaska and South Cascade in Washington – as representative of thousands of other glaciers in North America. The Guardian
- Scientists In Alaska spot a bar-tailed godwit tagged in Australia near Victoria – more than 8,000 miles away.
- Pollution is icreasing in US beaches according to this article.
- A coalition of environmental groups is attempting to intervene in a lawsuit from snowmobilers challenging critical habitat designations for the Canada lynx. Here
- King salmon runs in Alaska have been closed this year as fewer fish have returned from the ocean. The decline could be down to changes in river conditions, ocean currents or the predator-prey balance.
- More bobcats sighted in Seattle area First it was bears, now it’s bobcats that seem to be popping up in Western Washington urban areas.
- Coyotes struggle as mange spreads “Every night it used to be quite a serenade,Rocky Hoffmann at the Nebraska Game and Parks office in North Platte said. But we’ve had a tremendous mange problem throughout the state, and the numbers are down”
- Sea Otter Population Rebounds in US Northwest The population began to recover in 1969, with a couple dozen survivors from a reintroduction effort. Today, there are well over 1,000 sea otters in the Pacific waters off Oregon, Washington and British Columbia.
- Rare wolverine spotted in the Pioneers
Canada nature, United States nature | Tags: Alaska bar-tailed godwit, Alaska wildlife, Bar-tailed godwit in Alsaka, Coyote mange, King salmon runs in Alaska, melt rate of American glaciers, Whitebark pine beetle, Whitebark pine nuts, Wildlife news about North America, Yellowstone|
July 29th, 2009
Scientists expect wildfires in the US to increase in number as global warming kicks in in the coming decades. And because smoke and other particles from fires adversely affect air quality, an increase in wildfires could have large impacts on human health. Eureka
Climate change, North America nature, United States nature | Tags: Wildfires in the US|
July 27th, 2009
That most potent symbol of the American West, the horse, was introduced from Iberia and like other non-native species, can cause seriuos environmental harm. Read the rest of this entry
North America nature, United States nature | Tags: Damage caused by Mustangs, History of mustangs, Mustangs environmental harm|
