Tag: plant

Diagonal

The African Stonechat males have a black head, a white half-collar, a black back, a white rump, and a black tail; the wings are black with a large white patch on the top side of the inner wing. The upper breast is usually dark orange-red, with a sharp or gradual transition to white or pale orange on the lower breast and belly depending on subspecies. In a few, black replaces the orange breast feathers in part or entirely. Females have brown rather than black above and on the head with an indistinct paler eyebrow line, chestnut-buff rather than orange below, and less white on the wings. Both sexes’ plumage is somewhat duller and streakier outside the breeding season.
Info source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_stonechat
=========
The photo was taken during November 2017 at Rietvlei Nature Reserve, Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa.

Diagonal

Picture of the day, Wildlife

Frond

Tree ferns are ferns that grow with a trunk elevating the fronds above ground level. Tree ferns are found growing in tropical and subtropical areas, including cool to temperate rainforests. Like all ferns, tree ferns reproduce by means of spores formed on the undersides of the fronds. The fronds of tree ferns are usually very large and multiple-pinnate. Their trunk is actually a vertical and modified rhizome and woody tissue is absent. To add strength, there are deposits of lignin in the cell walls and the lower part of the stem is reinforced with thick, interlocking mats of tiny roots. Tree ferns often fall over in the wild, yet manage to re-root from this new prostrate position and begin new vertical growth. It is not certain the exact number of species of tree ferns there are, but it may be closer to 600-700 species. Many species have become extinct in the last century as forest habitats have come under pressure from human intervention. Info source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tree_fern

Frond

Nature, Picture of the day

Slumber

A crocodile’s physical traits allow it to be a successful predator. Its external morphology is a sign of its aquatic and predatory lifestyle. Its streamlined body enables it to swim swiftly; it also tucks its feet to the side while swimming, making it faster by decreasing water resistance. Crocodiles have webbed feet which, though not used to propel them through the water, allow them to make fast turns and sudden moves in the water or initiate swimming. Webbed feet are an advantage in shallow water, where the animals sometimes move around by walking. Crocodiles have a palatal flap, a rigid tissue at the back of the mouth that blocks the entry of water. The palate has a special path from the nostril to the glottis that bypasses the mouth. The nostrils are closed during submergence. Crocodiles have acute senses, an evolutionary advantage that makes them successful predators. The eyes, ears and nostrils are located on top of the head, allowing the crocodile to lie low in the water, almost totally submerged and hidden from prey. Info source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crocodile ========= The photo was taken during May 2018 in Kruger National Park, Mpumalanga, South Africa.

Slumber

Picture of the day, Wildlife