The Nature Photography Thread

[ConcinusMan]

We have tons of elk here in the northwest. The May 18th, 1980 eruption (just that particular eruption alone) of Mt. St, Helens killed over 50,000 but within 5 years the numbers were back to normal.

[mikem]

That's a lot, good to see they can bounce back after such a disaster. They were hunted to extinction here in the late 1700s. I think we have approximately 150 now. They started with only 25 in 2001 and introduced another 27 in 2002.

[ConcinusMan]

Haven't seen these on my lawn in many years but got a bunch this year. Viola tricolor a.k.a. "Wild Pansy" and a million other common names. I've seen them in solid white and pink as well.





Also in bloom, Papaver somniferum. The fully double ones are sometimes called papaver paeoniflorum although I don't know why. They're still the same species, just a different flower form/cultivar. I imagine it's probably because the flower resembles peonies and to circumvent laws against growing them since that form is low in psychoactive alkaloids and obviously grown as an ornamental. I like 'em because they grow like weeds (no care needed, they just keep popping up year after year) and put on an impressive display. Also they grow well where the soil is poor and nothing but weeds will grow. Also, they cross-pollinate so I never know what color/form of flower will pop up next.

The green bush in the background here is an actual peony but it's not in bloom.

[Steveo]

Went on a tour of a new shortgrass prairie preserve today. Saw a lot of cool things... the K/T boundary, fossil records, lark buntings, orioles, swainson's hawks, kestrels, burrowing owls... but this guy takes the cake:

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[ConcinusMan]

One of my personal favorites... Blue Crown Passionflower. Passiflora caerulea. Native to South America and produces edible passionfruit. Edible perhaps but to me it tastes like dung LoL.

[ConcinusMan]

That's odd. Why does the "like" button randomly disappear? sometimes I cannot "like" a post or any posts at all because the option just isn't there.

[RedSidedSPR]

I don't know, all I know is my house is the worst, most boring house for nature photography or nature in general.

[ProXimuS]

Those Passionflowers are BEAUTIFUL, Richard!! Are they yours? If so, are they hard to take care of? (please excuse the fact that I can't create a new paragraph at the moment..) Lately I've been finding some awesome little slugs on the sidewalk outside my house. I used to see them a lot when I was younger, but haven't really seen them for quite a while. I finally was able to identify them as Black Velvet Leatherleaf Slugs. I've been taking pictures every time I see them now P6060328.jpg P4260291.jpg

[guidofatherof5]

Great looking slugs. Haven't seen one of those before. Thank for posting.

[ConcinusMan]

Those Passionflowers are BEAUTIFUL, Richard!! Are they yours? If so, are they hard to take care of?

Yes, no. As a matter of fact, in a few warm southern states they are an invasive species which easily escaped cultivation and thrives without care. The only critical requirement is that you NEVER let them dry out as that will kill it. It didn't do well at all in a whiskey barrel, barely hung on for several years and didn't bloom so I transplanted it in the ground where it could get sun only for the first half of the day and mulched around it to hold moisture. Once I did that it took off and is now covered in blooms. I don't even fertilize it. I just water it when the weather is dry. It's a clinging vine so it needs a trellis or fence and spreads/grows like a clematis. It blooms from about June-sept here and then sets fruit in the fall.