Tag: Nature

Illusion of a ‘breathing forest’ in Canada

“The ground looks like it’s breathing in this Quebec forest,” wrote user Daniel Holland on twitter. According to the Forbes report, air is involved in this illusion, as strong wind plays a role in moving the trees and the topsoil. During a storm the ground becomes saturated with water, loosening the soil’s cohesion. As strong winds move the top of the tree, the force is transferred by the stem, acting as a lever, to the roots and the ground begins to move.

The wind caused the trees to sway, roots and all. In fact, the whole floor seems to rise and fall as if the earth itself was breathing. The phenomenon works best with spruce trees with their almost disc-shaped root system growing in the uppermost layers of the soil.

Advertisements

The Kaieteur Falls

Kaieteur Falls is a waterfall on the Potaro River in Kaieteur National Park, Guyana. The world’s largest single drop water falls measuring 741 feet. For comparison, Kaieteur is about five times taller than Niagara falls.

Kaieteur-Falls-2Image source

Continue reading The Kaieteur Falls

The Monkey Orchid

monkey orchid 1Image: Columbus GV Team

These rare primate-esque flowers are formally known as Dracula simia. They  only grow in the cloud forests of southeastern Ecuador and Peru at elevations of 1,000-2,000 meters on the side of mountains. In the scientific name, “simia” refers to the monkey face and “Dracula” refers to the two long spurs that hang down, almost like fangs.

Continue reading The Monkey Orchid

Photography: Wildlife Crossings

Wildlife crossings are structures that allow animals to cross human-made barriers safely. They may include: underpass tunnels, viaducts, and overpasses (mainly for large or herd-type animals), fish ladders and green roofs (for butterflies and birds). Wildlife crossings are a practice in habitat conservation, allowing connections or re-connections between habitats, combating habitat fragmentation. They also assist in avoiding collisions between vehicles and animals, which in addition to killing or injuring wildlife may cause injury to humans and property damage.

Wildlife Overpass, Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada. (Image source)

Continue reading Photography: Wildlife Crossings

Where two rivers meet

The confluence of the rivers Czâlin (clean water) and Yangtze River (brown waters) in Chongqing, China.

In geography, a confluence is the meeting of two or more bodies of water. It refers either to the point where a tributary joins a larger river, called the main stem, or where two streams meet to become the source of a river of a new name. The confluences in the photos below create dramatic visual contrasts.
Continue reading Where two rivers meet