Tiny “New” Water Mites from South Korea and the Russian Far East

mypubliclands:

Spring is here and the flowers are in full bloom at one of Oregon’s natural gems.

Located on the western edge of Eugene, Oregon, the West Eugene Wetlands (WEW) is a beautiful and rare area of grassland habitats. Comprised of less than one percent of the original native wet prairie, the WEW is home to over 200 species of wildflowers, plants, birds, and animals, including four threatened and endangered species: Fender’s blue butterfly, Kincaid’s lupine, Bradshaw’s lomatium, and Willamette daisy.

The BLM’s Eugene District, in collaboration with other Rivers to Ridges partners, works to protect and restore this vital wetland ecosystem in the Southern Willamette Valley. This unique project involves federal, state, and local agencies, as well as non-profit organizations, working together to manage lands and resources in an urban area for multiple public benefits. Each year, Willamette Resources & Educational Network (WREN) provides hands-on, minds-on environmental education to over 1,500 local students.

Photo credits: Christine Williams, Mackenzie Cowan, Sandra Miles, Sally Villegas, and West Eugene Wetlands staff. 

realmonstrosities:

phoboskitty:

i call this series Hericium Cathedral… this was taken in the woods outside of Ottawa Ontario, its one of my fave mushrooms and one of my fave pics i have taken over the years, its neighbour was also a pretty big mushroom maybe someone can give me an idea of what it is? 

That’s fabulous! It’s like a natural cabinet of curiosities.

myfiddleisbroken:

markperrett:

This is insanity.

CREDS: architizer:

The mind-bending sculptures of Jonty Hurwirtz   

Rejuvenation

2008 | Copper and Chrome

Kiss of Chytrid

2009-2010 | Resin, Powder and Steel

WHAT. NO.

(Source: futurepredictor, via ichthyologist)

josefksays:

March 24, 1989 - 24 years ago, shortly after midnight, the oil tanker Exxon Valdez struck Bligh Reef in Prince William Sound, Alaska, spilling more than 11 million gallons of crude oil. The spill was the largest in U.S. history (until the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill) and tested the abilities of local, national, and industrial organizations to prepare for, and respond to, a disaster of such magnitude. Many factors complicated the cleanup efforts following the spill. The size of the spill and its remote location, accessible only by helicopter and boat, made government and industry efforts difficult and tested existing plans for dealing with such an event. The size of the spill is estimated at 40,900 to 120,000 m3 (10,800,000 to 32,000,000 US gal), or 257,000 to 750,000 barrels. Immediate effects included the deaths of, at the best estimates 100,000 to as many as 250,000 seabirds, at least 2,800 sea otters, approximately 12 river otters, 300 harbor seals, 247 Bald Eagles, and 22 orcas, and an unknown number of salmon and herring. The effects of the spill continued to be felt for many years afterwards.

(via ichthyologist)