Rainbow Spider Webs

About a two weeks ago, my family had just come back from a holiday (I wasn’t able to go) and with them came the Canon 600D my dad had bought just before they left. I was so excited to use it! One afternoon, I went outside into my backyard and scoured around for something cool to photograph. There was a spider web in the garden and it was perfectly angled on it so that it reflected the sunlight. It was a pretty cool experience as I couldn’t take photos like these with my digital camera. Here’s my best photo.

Source: Me

So a few days after I took the photo, I uploaded it onto facebook so all my friends and members of my uni’s photography society could give me some feedback. One particular guy in the photography society took interest telling me that he was studying the optics of spider webs for his PHD. He asked me whether he could use my photo for his research. I definitely agreed! Any chance I get to be a part of PHD or postgraduate studies is a definite yes. I get to help a fellow scientists, I’ll probably learn something new and I may get credit for it (which is a big plus). So a few days later we met up and transferred my photos to him. 
 

Anyway! The point to this story? I’ve decided to dedicate this post to featuring photos of rainbow spider webs! Or spider webs that are reflecting the sun’s rays because they can be some brilliant photos with an amazing array of colours. Enjoy reading and have a good day! And maybe leave me a comment telling me what you think. P.s. I hope this makes up for my absence :)

Facebook Page

So I've finally decided to create a facebook page for my blog. To all your readers out there! Go ahead and like it!

https://www.facebook.com/1000NaturalWonders

Sascha Bokelmann Feature - Photo Manipulation

A few days ago I had a look at the Daily Deviations on deviantart and came across this amazing photo manipulation. For those of you who aren't familiar with photo manipulation, on wikipedia it is defined as 'the application of image editing techniques to photographs in order to create an illusion or deception.' In other words, using several images (usually photos) and mash them together to create something that just doesn't even seem real and yet it could be.

The artist of this amazing work deserved the Daily deviation. His work is amazing! Especially the few works I'm about to showcase.

His first Daily Deviation: Dragonfly

Creatures I've Discovered Recently

I've been lucky enough to spot some really cool creatures in the past week. I have posted all these photos onto a website called Project Noah. A website that hopes to document all the world's organisms with the help of everyone on earth who are willing to share their captures. They hope that by making it easy for people to upload and share their encounters with nature, they can build a ecological data collection which will serve as an important educational tool for wildlife awareness and preservation. If you enjoy finding little creatures in your backyard or out in the 'wild', I greatly encourage you to join in and help us discover the great diversity of organisms that live on this Earth.

And here are the little guys I've discovered.

"Chris the Phototog" - Interview with Chris Hansen

I was on Google + when a photo caught my eye. It was a photo of a crawling spider silhouette in front of the sun. It was absolutely amazing! I HAD to look at the blog and find out who took the photo. I discovered that the blog belonged to an American man who blogs about his daily photography adventures. The writer of the blog is Chris Hansen and this is what I learnt about him and about photography.

Itsy Bitsy Spider

In the News - July 2012

So I just started uni this week and have been fully booked out with uni everyday. My posting will be quite delayed and not very often. I apologize for my inability to post heaps of exciting things for you guys to read! But, I'm glad that you have been reading my blog and continuously checking back for new things to read :) I hope you enjoy this post! I have some interesting news for you in the month of July.

Source: thestarphoenix.com

Now this is dedication. Above is a photo taken of zoo manager of the La Boissiere-du-Doree zoo in West France, Senastien Laurent feeding Major some cake for his 50th Birthday. Major is known as the world's oldest captive orangutan. Zoo keepers helped him celebrate the milestone with a strawberry cake with his own candles. Happy Birthday!

My Trip to the Zoo - 17th of July

On Tuesday (17th of July), I had a trip to Taronga zoo in Sydney with a uni friend of mine. We were luckily enough to have gone on tuesday because the weather was absolutely perfect. It wasn't too hot and because the weather is much cooler (since it's winter in Australia) a lot of the animals which are used to cold temperatures were up and running about. All my photos were taken with a 60D.

The first animals we visited were the koalas. Luckily enough, not all of them were sleeping. One of them was happily munching away on some eucalyptus leaves. It would place one leaf in it's mouth, and without using it's hands, munch continuously until the whole leaf was gone. It kinda looked like an old grandpa chewing without teeth.

#18 Manatee or Dugong?

I often get confused between Manatees and Dugongs. I have seen them at various zoos and aquariums and wonder why a creature is being called two different names when they look exactly the same? Well, today I'm going to fix up this mix up because, manatees and dugongs are different.

Dugong or Manatee? Find out by clicking the source link --> Source: wikipedia

So I've read that Manatees and dugongs are quite closely related, like cousins. So to be able to compare what's different and to be able to identify one from the other, I am going to write a list of 10 facts about each animal.

John De Bord Photography Feature - Spectacular Skyscapes

John De Bord is a professional photographer and his deviantart is filled with the most striking photographs of sunsets and sunrises. His gallery is full of evidence of his amazing photography skills however, he actually started off in illustration but always had a deep love for photography. Enjoy this feature as you learn more about this amazing photography.

One of his 4 Daily Deviations: The End of the Day

Even More Peacock Spiders

Back in February I interviewed the Peacock Spiderman: Jurgen Otto (can be read here). Today I'm going to revisit Peacock Spiders (Maratus sp.)and show you the photos of the many other species discovered in Australia. The majority of these spiders have only been recently discovered and photographed. Some species still don't have names.

Maratus volans

Source: Jurgen's Flickr

This was the first peacock spider which Jurgen captured it's courtship dance on video. 

This species is found in Sydney.

Alland Dharmawan Photography Feature

 Alland Dharmawan is an amateur photographer from Indonesia. He is currently still a student but takes joy in photography as a hobby. On Deviantart, he was able to capture the attention of a Daily Deviation with one of his amazing photos showing insights into the small world of ants and their daily dilemmas. Although he is an overall photographer, his macro photography it still intricate and shows the behaviors of a few insects. However, not all of his photography is showcased on his Deviantart page: allanddharmawan, most of his photography is stored on his online portfolio: www.allanddharmawanphotography.co.cc.

I hope you enjoy this feature.

Alland's Daily Deviation given this year: Trying Hard

#17 Transforming Owl

There is an owl in Africa that the Japanese are fascinated with. It is the Northern White Faced Owl.

Source: commons.wikimedia.org

This owl is fairly small and so, to ward off enemies (larger owls) it 'transforms' itself. This amazing ability was showcased in a Japanese tv show.

Tamyl91 Interview - Bugs Show a Playful Side

With 3 Daily Deviations (DD), Tamyl91 is doing pretty well as a amateur hobbyist photographer on Devintart. Tamyl91's real name is Kamil. He lives in Poland where he apparently has "easy access" to the little creatures he captures with his camera. Take a look at his photos and interview!

Dressage - Given a DD in 2010

The Schmidt Sting Pain Index - What Sting Hurts the Most?

Today when I was reading mX, I came across an interesting article about an entomologist from the University of Arizona. This man is Justin Schmidt. His area of expertise is Hymenoptera, the family of insects which includes wasps, bees and ants, so it's no surprised he's been stung over 100 times.

Throughout his career, he conducted personal research and "unintentionally" came up with the The Schmidt Sting Pain Index, a system developed to compare the relative intensity of Hymenoptera stings. This "research" involved provoking the insects to the point of rage, when they would attack/defend themselves. Each sting is on a rank between 1 to 4. Here is a sample from Wikipedia which includes their rank number and a description of the sting by Schmidt:

1.0 Sweat bee: 

Source: public-domain-photos.com

"Light, ephemeral, almost fruity. A tiny spark has singed a single hair on your arm."

#16 Sheriff Shrimp

Pistol shrimps may look like beautiful small helpless crustaceans, but they have a deadly weapon.

Source: piratefx.hubpages.com

 All Pistol shrimp have one oversized claw and with one snap of this oversized claw and a loud "pop", a supersonic bubble can be shot at the shrimp's enemy or prey. This bubble, can reach temperatures approaching that of the sun, about 4700 degrees Celsius. In the video below, the amazing skills of the pistol shrimp are displayed.

Kuma-x Photography Feature

So our next photographer lives in the a lovely small country in the middle of Europe - the Czech Republic. Her name is Kuma and she's into all types of photography but, I'm going to be featuring some of her landscapes. Enjoy :)

How did you get into photography? 

Why are you interested in taking photos?

Kuma: I always loved to travel and I wanted to keep my travel memories in some visual form so photography was a clear choice for me. The most I love landscapes and travel photography and also everything nature related.

And the most important thing in photography? LIGHT! That's my philosophy!

Just Before Sunrise: Prague City

In the News - April 2012

 Good News
Well I have some interesting stories for you today. :)
A few new and thought to be extinct species have been discovered. And some rare baby animals have come out to play.

The Bururi Long-fingered frog has been rediscovered in Africa after 62 years. Read more about their discovery here.

Source: news.nationalgeographic.com

#15 A Tree with Dragon's blood

Off the coast of Yemen, the island of Socotra has been isolated for about 10 million years after Arabia and Africa split apart. In this ruthless, prehistoric and scorched environment, a large amount of unique species can be found here and no where else. Even if the soil is thin, sandy and stony, the most remarkable trees can be found here.

The Socota Dragon tree or Dragon's-blood tree can stand up to 6m (20 feet) tall and is perfectly adapted to this brutal landscape. However, due to the harsh conditions of it's environment, the tree is slow growing and takes about 200 years to reach maturity. The tree gets its name due to the blood-red resin that oozes from it's bark.

Source: en.wikipedia.org

Mark-flammable Photography Feature

Mark Bridgwater is a professional photographer who owns a freelance graphic design and photography business, Marx. His Deviantart name, mark-flammable, is actually related to a clothing company he is setting up called Flammable.

When he was 11, his family moved from England to Christchurch, New Zealand where he grew up. He later became a member of the Alpine Ski Racing NZ National team for 5 years, allowing him to travel the world.

His photography began with landscapes, taken on his travels, mostly on overnight hikes. However, this is not all he photographs. Since he has a love for action sports, Mark also shoots a lot of skiing and mountain biking for various magazines and personal projects. See an example here. I Hope you enjoy these photos :)

Serenity

People's choice: Instructions to Vote

So I heard there was some confusion with the voting so I will post a step-by-step guide to voting.

Step 1: Click on this picture. It will redirect you to Best Australian Blogs 2012 competition people's choice page.
 
Step 2: Click on "Vote Here". This will take you to another website.
Step 3: Click next and it will take you to a list of blogs listed in alphabetical order.
Step 4: Tick the box next to 1000 Natural wonders. This is the third blog.
Step 5: After ticking the box, scroll down to the bottom of the page and click next. Keep clicking next until you get to the contact detail page.
Step 6: Enter you contact details. Make sure these are Correct as any fake emails will not be considered as votes. Then click next.
Step 7: Click done! and you're finished.

I hope this all makes sense. If you get confused, please don't hesitate to comment below and ask me questions. :)
Enjoy!

#14 The Australian Easter Bunny

Yesterday I went to the Sydney Royal Easter show and there was a tent for Featherdale Wildlife Park. There I learnt a horrible fact....that there was only about 400 Bilbies in the wild. This shocked me so much that it has inspired me to write about bilbies and how everyone can help with their conservation and protection from extinction.

Source: natureswonderland.com.au

The bilby is a native Australian animal which is endangered. There was once two species of bilbies but after the European colonisation of Australia, the lesser bilby became extinct by the 1950s. Now the greater bilby, the largest of the bandicoot family, is left but is still considered endangered. Of the six bandicoot species that once lived in Australia's arid lands, the blby is the only one left.

Best Australian Blogs 2012 People's Choice

About a month ago I heard about the "Best Australian Blogs 2012 Competition" and I thought, 'Wow! why not enter?'. And just last night they opened people's choice, allowing the public to vote for the blog/s which they thought deserved the honor.

By clicking on the image above, you will be taken to the People's choice page where you will be able to cast your vote on the blog you want to win or just vote for a blog that you like. Only Australian blogs were allowed to enter however, voting is open to everyone around the world!

So, if you have enjoyed reading my blog, if you believe that I write for a worthy cause, if you have found the photographers I've featured amazing or you just really like the photos of the animals and plants I've written about. Please vote for my blog 1000 natural wonders. :)

Voting will close Wednesday 9 May at 5.00 pm. All winners will be announced on Thursday 10 May at 10.00 am. The winner of the People's Choice Award will receive $1000 worth of courses (online or face-to-face) at the Sydney Writers' Centre in Milsons Point.

And just for fun, I'll add some of my own photos :) All of these photos and more can be found on my deviantart account: jennytheturtle. To learn more about my photos or to see a larger image, just click on the names of the photos.

Freedom isn't Free: Orange Lacewing Butterfly (Cethosia penthesilea)

Frozen Maple

Over the...traffic lights?

Sea the reflection

 

Happy reading!

Velian Jagev Photography Feature

There is a photographer on Deviantart who goes by the name of VJagev. Although a small collection, his gallery is full of amazing macro photos of insects, mainly covered by condensation and droplets of water. He has had one Daily deviation and is surely on his way to a second. I really did think that he could be a professional and had a great interest in insects. However, turned out to be someone who just spends a lot of time outdoors and wants to show extraordinary things to ordinary people.

I hope you enjoy our mini interview. :)

Autumn Beauty

In the News - March 2012

Good News
YAY! Heaps of cute baby animals born this month :) However, I have just 2 babies that I want to introduce to you. They are the cutest out of the whole pack! So I hope you really like them :D

March 20th: Meet Linford and Christie! A pair of orphaned Burrowing Owlets who are now under the 24-hour care of keeper, Jimmy Robinson, who works at Longleat Safari Park in Wiltshire.  Since they have to follow Jimmy around everywhere, they taken a liking to all the nooks and crannies of his apartment. 

Source: www.dailymail.co.uk/news

10 Most Interesting Looking Orchids

In the "The Private Life of Plants" series by David Attenborough, he talks about a whole range of orchids which have managed to mimic a female wasp or bee. Apart from these sexual deceptive orchids, there are a whole variety of them, all ranging from different sizes and colours. So, here is just a small collection from the 26,049 accepted species of Orchid.
1. Bee orchid

Source: thenaturalstone.blogspot.com.au

#13 Just For Her Eggs

There seems to be so many dedicated mothers out there. One of them lives in the deep sea of the pacific ocean, the Giant Pacific octopus. The male octopuses can weigh up to 40kg, but there was one record of a 182kg monster. The giant pacific octopus was thought to be the longest living octopus with a life expectancy of 3-5 years. However, this is still not a long time to live and so, a giant octopus has to grow quickly if it is to breed before it dies.

Source: zoo-animalplanet.blogspot.com.au

Gnato Architecture Photography feature

Even though this is a blog about nature and such, I couldn't help but incorporating photography. On Deviantart there is a photographer, Oleksandr Hnatenko and I really love his architecture photos. He is a professional photographer who has had his work published in several magazines and has been featured in various exhibitions and contests. So here is a little feature of his work.

y twist

In the News - February 2012

In the News - February 2012

Good News
WOW! There has been a Giraffe baby boom in February! As I mentioned in my last news edition (January 2012), Giraffe populations have dropped massively in the wild. So, this is really great news for the Giraffes and the people who care about them :)

So here is a list of Giraffe babies of February!

Busch Gardens Tampa Bay's Female Giraffe calf. Source: zooborns.com

Interview with Dark-Raptor from Deviantart

So if you missed out on what is happening today, take a look at my previous photography feature, which gave a sneak peak into some of Dark-raptor's work and also just some general info about them.
To recap, Dark-raptor is a deviantart account which contains photos taken by Dariusz Kucharski (who also does all the post-processing and uploading of photos) and his wife, Kornelia Kucharska.

So, without further ado, here is my interview Dariusz Kucharsk.

 This received a Daily Deviation in 2011: Calliteara pudibunda by Dark-Raptor

Photography Feature: Dark-Raptor

With 4 daily deviations on Deviantart, it is clear that Dark-raptor has some serious camera skills. For those who don't know about Deviantart, it is a website where artists of all kinds (such as painters, photographers, graphic designers and drawers to name a few) can upload their work, recieve crituques and share their artworks with a greater and global audience. 

I have been following (watching in Deviantart language) Dark-raptor for quite a while now and I've always enjoyed their photos so, I chose to get to know Dark-Raptor and learn about their camera equipment. In my interview with Dark-raptor, I learned that two biologists contributed to the Dark-raptor account, Dariusz Kucharski and his wife Kornelia Kucharska.

Later this week, I will post up the interview with Dariusz Kucharski, who publishes all the photos onto deviantart but, for now, here is a little taste of what's to come. Enjoy!! :)

The Larvae of a Wasp - Digger II

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch

I got the idea of writing this post after seeing the picture below. It is something greatly and very deeply hurts me.

This was made by and found on: ferdi-rizkiyanto.blogspot.com.au

Not many people actually realise how much rubbish and waste actually goes into the oceans. Countless amounts of animals die every day from this rubbish and waste which we let drift or fly away into waterways, drains and natural water systems like lakes and rivers. So many animals try to eat this plactic, thinking it's food, only to choke and die. Others get trapped and suffocate or drown. Turtles, seabirds, seals, dolphins, all die because of our silly mistakes.

#12 The Long Tail feathers of the Widowbird

Every man tries the most outrageous things in order to impress the girls. Well, for a widowbird, the most impressive thing is his tail feathers. There are only a few species of widowbirds and they all live in different parts of Africa. Having long tail feathers for a male widowbird is favoured by females as it suggests that their offspring will not only be good looking, but good looking enough that their offspring will also be able to mate and therefore carry on their genes. This is quite crucial as that is pretty much the basis of the life of any creature, plant or animal.

Source: ibc.lynxeds.com

#11 The Moonwalking Bird

In my post "The 10 Best Ways To Attract a Mate (Bird Style)", I talked about 10 different techniques birds use to court and attract mates. For the next few days, I will be writing about each bird I mentioned in the post. Since I have already written about the Lyrebird (#1 in the 'attract a mate' post), I will start with #2. The Moonwalking bird.

Source: holophusicon.blogspot.com.au

#10 The Dancing Peacock Spider - Interview With Jurgen Otto

In the bushlands of Sydney, lives an most unexpected resident. It is rarely ever seen but if you keep your eyes open, you may spot it. It's a 4mm long spider with the most spectacular array of colours and an even more spectacular dance. This tiny jumping spider is the peacock spider (Maratus volans).

Photo taken by Jurgen Otto Source: Jurgen's flickr

#9 Dedicated Frog Parents

These frogs may seem to have beautiful colours and patterns, but they are just warnings that they're poisonous. And what's that little black thing on it's back? Could it be!?.......Yes, they are tadpoles.

Golden Poison Dart Frog male carrying tadpole Source: nationalgeographicstock

The 10 Best Ways To Attract a Mate (Bird Style)

1.     Serenade them with a love song.

2.     Show her your dance moves. Every girl can’t help but fall for a guy with the smooth moves. Like this Bird. It can moonwalk.

Watch more about it here.

In The News - Janurary 2012

Yay! Something to spice up my blog :) I've come up with a few new ideas for my blog and this is one of them. At the end of every month, I will gather a few nature related articles (at most 5) showcasing the good and bad news happening around the world. So, here is my first edition for Janurary 2012. Enjoy!

Good news.

New baby jaguars were unveiled at Nicaragua's National Zoo. Only three weeks old, Bulni, is a cheeky little Jaguar. When she is fully grown, she will join the family tree of big cats, behind the tiger and lion.

Photo taken by: AFP, Source: torontosun 

#8 The Lying Lyrebird

This bird really knows how to copy other peoples sounds. The Lyrebird is native to Australia and it's name really suggests what it's capable of (sounding like a lyre/being a liar).

Male Lyre bird - Photo taken by Flagstaffotos Source: wikipedia

#7 Grandpa Galapogas Tortoise

They do seem to be grandpas, being the oldest living tortoise with the oldest known individual lived to be 152. It is also not surprising that they are also the largest tortoises in the world. However, their hatchlings are incredibly tiny compared to the full grown adults. I guess they have a lot of time to grow up.

Australia's first Galapagos Tortoise hatchling Source: zooborns.com

#6 A Master of Disguise

In the late 1990s, scientists discovered an octopus that could mimic the physical appearance and movements of up to 15 different species. It lives in southeast Asia around Indonesia.

Source: islandream

In the photos shown below, the mimic octopus impersonates a:

~ Sole Fish: The mimic octopus mimics this flat and posionous fish by pulling it's arms together and propelling itself along the ocean floor as if it was a swimming flat fish.

#5 The Damsel-fly in Distress

Okay so, they're not really in distress, I just like using puns but, the damselfly does seem to live a life full of distress as it doesn't live for very long as an adult. Imagine only having two years of your life growing from a baby till you reach sexual maturity (probably 12yrs for humans) and the moment you step out into the world as an adult, you have to quickly find a mate in the next few days or you wont have any children. Well! That's the dilemma of the damselfly.

Source: Nick Upton's Royalty Free Photos

#4 One Irresistable Trap

We all know about the Venus Fly Trap. If an insect flies into it, it's a goner. But, do you actually know how the trap works?

Silhouette of a Bee Source: animalseatinganimals

Even if a fly has a lightning fast reaction - 20 milliseconds from the moment it registers movement to take-off - it can still fall victim to this even faster plant. Venus flytraps live in waterlogged and acidic soil where nitrogen is hard to get. Therefore, it needs to adapt to find another way to get this nitrogen and this is where the trap becomes handy. The trap is actually an extension of it's leaves.

#3 A Black and White Bear

It's scientific name translates to "Black and White Cat-foot" and even the Chinese call it a cat! But, we all know that Giant Pandas are really bears.

Source: imageshack.us

The Giant Panda is native to China however, before humans intervened, they used to live in northern Vietnam, and almost the whole of China. Now they can only be found in a few mountain ranges in China. Take a look at what their living areas have dwindled to.

Source: worldwildlife.org

#2 One Keratin Armored Soldier

Have you ever heard of the Pangolin? Probably not. The Pangolin is a nocturnal anteater that lives in the tropical areas of Africa and Asia.

Source: pics-magazine

 The Pangolin is the only mammal with Keratin scales covering its skin. Keratin is the stuff that your nails and hair is made of. Now, imagine it becoming big enough and solid enough to form a hard layer of skin, almost like having your own armor! Well, for Pangolin, this is the purpose of it's scales.

#1 The Little Kiwi

My first Natural wonder is a national icon and native to New Zealand, the Kiwi Bird.

Photo taken by Chris McLennan Photography

The Kiwi bird is quite an amazing species, being able to lay the largest egg relative to their size of any species of bird in the world. That goes to show, how dedicated these birds are if their mother's are prepared to lay an egg, half their size, as seen in the photo below.