Photo credits : Wolcott Henry
A necklace sea star nestles among the C-shaped emerald tentacles of anchor coral in the western Pacific Ocean.
Saturday, 30 March 2013
Necklace Sea Star starfish of Pacific Ocean
Photo credits : Wolcott Henry
A necklace sea star nestles among the C-shaped emerald tentacles of anchor coral in the western Pacific Ocean.
Japanese dwarf flying squirrel, one of Japan's cutest.
The Japanese dwarf flying squirrel is a type of flying squirrel. Its body is 14–20 cm long and the tail length is 10–14 cm. It weighs 150–220 g. It is much smaller than the Japanese giant flying squirrel which can reach 1500 g.
Lake Baikal in Siberia
The peaks of Burkhan Rock rise like twin spires from Siberia’s Lake Baikal, the world’s largest body of fresh water. People across Asia believe that spirits associated with Baikal live in this rocky outcropping on Olkhon Island, destination of a steady stream of pilgrims.
Noisy Night Monkeys of Ecuador
The noisy night monkey (Aotus vociferans) is one of ten confirmed monkey species that live in Ecuador's Yasuní National Park, one of the world's wildest places.
Wild Lettuce flowers of North America
Lactuca virosa is a plant in the Lactuca (lettuce) genus, ingested often for its mild psychotropic (specifically hypnotic or sedative) effects which are often described as being similar to that of opium. It is related to common lettuce (L. sativa), and is often called Wild Lettuce, Bitter lettuce, Laitue vireuse, Opium Lettuce, Poisonous Lettuce, or Rakutu-Karyumu-So.
The Leafy Sundew Plants of Australia
Drosera stolonifera, sometimes referred to as the leafy sundew, is a tuberous perennial species in the genus Drosera that is endemic to Western Australia. It produces 2 to 3 semi-erect lateral stems that grow 10 to 15 cm long. It is most closely related to D. purpurascens, but differs by several characteristics including height and petiole length. It is native to a number of swampy locations around Perth south to Pinjarra. It grows in peaty water-logged soils in swamp heathland and flowers from September to October. After a bushfire it will flower en masse.
The Taimu Mountains in Fujian Province, China
The Taimu Mountains is one of the most famous tourist spots. It has lots of high mountains, clear rivers and amazing parks. It is known as the "Paradise at Sea" for its steep mountains, spectacular rock formations, secluded caves and foggy climate. Located in Fuding in northeastern Fujian Province, Taimu Mountain National Scenic Area stands on the bank of the East Sea, nestled at the foot of the mountain.
Great Argus Pheasant Bird, native of Indonesia
The Great Argus, Argusianus argus, is a brown-plumaged pheasant with a blue head and neck, rufous red upper breast, black hair-like feathers on crown and nape, and red legs. The male is among the largest of all pheasants.
Tillandsia Ionantha plants, native to Costa Rica
Tillandsia ionantha is a species of the genus Tillandsia. This species is native to Costa Rica.
The Poll Islet in Queensland, Australia
The Poll Islet is one among the three islands 100 km North East of Thursday Island, Queensland, Australia in the Vigilant Channel Torres Strait. These islands are some of the Torres Strait Islands. The islands are, from north to south, Bet Islet, Sue Islet and Poll Islet.
Corvin Castle in Romania
Corvin Castle, also known as Corvins' Castle, Hunyad Castle or Hunedoara Castle, is a Gothic-Renaissance castle in Hunedoara, Romania.
Rufous-crested Coquette Bird, found in Peru
The Rufous-Crested Coquette is a species of hummingbird in the Trochilidae family
Bulwer's Pheasant Bird, native to Indonesia
Bulwer's Pheasant (Lophura bulweri) is also known as Bulwer's Wattled Pheasant, the Wattled Pheasant, or the White-tailed Wattled Pheasant. It is a Southeast Asian bird in the Phasianidae family; endemic to the forests of Borneo.
Photo credits : Kenneth
Preachers Rock – Preikestolen, Norway
Preachers Rock in Preikestolen, Norway
The Pulpit or Pulpit Rock is a natural rock platform in Ryfylke in Norwegian Rogaland county, and a tourist destination with a wide view over the Lysefjord and the surrounding mountains.
The size of the rock plateau is approximately 25 by 25 meters. The Fjellkante falls 604 meters vertically from the nearly 40-kilometer-long fjord. The pulpit is hiked annually by about 100,000 people.
The Pulpit Rock is located in Rogaland, a western district in southern Norway. The distance to Stavanger, the fourth largest city of Norway is, as the crow flies about 25 kilometers.
The platform is accessible from the end of the road for just over a Preikestolhytta hiking and bridle path. The path leads steeply until a ridge up and then almost ground level through muddy forest paths through piles of Urskarhöhe and from there through a boulder field to Neverdalsskaretpass up. On a small lake over one finally reaches the platform through a secured unsecured with stairs and railings piece.
Greenery is a blessing!!
Paithalmala in kannur district of Kerala State, India
Photo courtesy : Ente Keralam
Tongkonan - Traditional houses of Sulawesi, Indonesia
Tongkonan is the traditional ancestral house, or rumah adat of the Torajan people, in Sulawesi, Indonesia. Tongkonan have a distinguishing boat-shaped and oversized saddleback roof. Like most of Indonesia’s Austronesian-based traditional architecture tongkonan are built on piles. The construction of tongkonan is laborious work and it is usually built with the help of all family members. In the original Toraja society, only nobles had the right to build tongkonan. Commoners live in smaller and less decorated homes called banua.
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Photo courtesy : dailytravelphotos.com
Cherry Blossoms in Japan
Zhuang women tend perfectly landscaped rice terraces in a valley in Longsheng, Guangxi, China. The terraces, called Longji, or Dragon Spine, cover steep slopes that drop some 3,000 feet. The Zhuang are China's largest minority, numbering 16 million.
Photo credits : Keren Su
Cherry Blossoms in Japan
In Japan the nighttime viewing of cherry blossoms in spring, like these at Kyoto’s Hirano Shrine, is a special event
Photo credits : Diane Cook, Len Jenshel
Temple of Haroeris and Sobek in Egypt
Photo credits : Kenneth Garrett
The Temple of Haroeris and Sobek in Kom Ombo, Egypt, is located on a bank of the Nile about 30 miles north of Aswan. A nighttime river cruise is one of the best ways to approach the temple, which was built during the Ptolemaic period.
An evening at Monaco
Photo credits : Hartmut Naegele
The tiny principality of Monaco tucked between France and Italy covers not quite a square mile of territory but is home to world-famous sights.
The Red-fan Parrot, native to Amazon forests of South America
The Red-fan Parrot (Deroptyus accipitrinus), also known as the Hawk-headed Parrot, is an unusual New World parrot hailing from the Amazon Rainforest. It is the only member of the genus Deroptyus.
The Red-fan Parrot possesses elongated neck feathers that can be raised to form an elaborate fan, which greatly increases the bird's apparent size, and is possibly used when threatened. It generally lives in undisturbed forest, feeding in the canopy on fruits.
Cobra Lily Plants of North America
Darlingtonia californica also called the California pitcher plant, cobra lily, or cobra plant, is a species of carnivorous plant, the sole member of the genus Darlingtonia in the family Sarraceniaceae. It is native to Northern California and Oregon, growing in bogs and seeps with cold running water. This plant is designated as uncommon due to its rarity in the field.
The name "cobra lily" stems from the resemblance of its tubular leaves to a rearing cobra, complete with a forked leaf - ranging from yellow to purplish-green - that resemble fangs or a serpent's tongue. The plant was discovered in 1841 by the botanist William D. Brackenridge at Mount Shasta. In 1853 it was described by John Torrey, who named the genus Darlingtonia after the Philadelphian botanist William Darlington.
The African Emerald Cuckoo, native to South Africa
The African Emerald Cuckoo (Chrysococcyx cupreus) is a species of cuckoo in the Cuculidae family. In Afrikaans, it is known as the mooimeisie, or "pretty girl".
Sailfish of Atlantic Ocean
Sailfish are two species of fish in the genus Istiophorus, living in warmer sections of all the oceans of the world. They are predominately blue to gray in colour and have a characteristic erectile dorsal fin known as a sail, which often stretches the entire length of the back. Another notable characteristic is the elongated bill, resembling that of the swordfish and other marlins. They are therefore described as billfish in sport fishing circles.
Sicily Island in Italy
Sicily is an attractive island on the southern part of Italy. It is separated from the mainland by the Straits of Messina. Sicily Island’s culture is a blend of different cultures resulting from its past periods of colonization by the Greeks, Romans, Catalans, Normans, and Arabs. Now, the language spoken by the locals is the Sicilian language.
Luzon Bleeding-heart birds, native to Philippines
The Luzon Bleeding-heart is one of a number of species of ground dove in the genus Gallicolumba that are called "bleeding-hearts". They get this name from a splash of vivid red colour at the centre of their white breasts.
Derinkuyu Underground City in Turkey
Derinkuyu Underground City is an ancient multi-level underground city of the Median Empire in the Derinkuyu district in Nevşehir Province, Turkey. Extending to a depth of approximately 60 m, it was large enough to shelter approximately 20,000 people together with their livestock and food stores. It is the largest excavated underground city in Turkey and is one of several underground complexes found across Cappadocia. It was opened to visitors in 1969 and to date, about half of the underground city is accessible to tourists. — with Seyed Mufeed Muhsin Jifri, Jincy George, Arun Janardhanan and Shores Of Ecstacy.
The Brown Wood Owl of Srilanka
The Brown Wood Owl (Strix leptogrammica) is an owl which is a resident breeder in south Asia. This species is a part of the family of owls known as typical owls (Strigidae), which contains most species of owl. It belongs to the earless owl genus Strix.
The Brown Wood Owl is medium large (45–57 cm), with upperparts uniformly dark brown, with faint white spotting on the shoulders. The underparts are buff with brown streaking. The facial disc is brown or rufous, edged with white and without concentric barring, and the eyes are dark brown. There is a white neckband.
Photo credits : My planet experience
Japanese flying squid
The Japanese flying squid, Japanese common squid or Pacific flying squid, scientific name Todarodes pacificus, is a squid of the family Ommastrephidae.
Gladiolus flowers, native to South Africa
Gladiolus is a genus of perennial bulbous flowering plants in the iris family (Iridaceae). It is sometimes called the 'Sword lily', but usually by its generic name. The genus is distributed in Mediterranean Europe, Asia, Tropical Africa and South Africa. The center of diversity of the genus is located in the Cape Floristic Region, where most species were discovered. The genera Oenostachys, Homoglossum, Anomalesia and Acidanthera, traditionally considered independent entities, currently are included in Gladiolus.
Ariel view of Ghadames Town in Libya
Tight clusters of traditional mud-brick-and-palm houses have stood for centuries in Ghadames, a pre-Roman oasis town in the Sahara. Rooftop walkways allowed women to move freely, concealed from men’s view.
Iskanderkul in Gissar Range Fann Mountains, Tajikistan
A mountain lake of glacial origin in Tajikistan's Sughd Province. Located at an altitude of 2,195 m on the northern slopes of Gissar Range in the Fann Mountains. Triangular in shape, it has a surface area of 3.4 km2 and is up to 72 m deep. One of the most beautiful mountain lakes in all of the former Soviet Union, a popular tourist attraction.The lake takes its name from Alexander the Great: Iskander is the Persian pronunciation of Alexander, and kul is lake in Tajik, which is of Turkic origin.
