Fleur du jour

Aquilegia. Click for full size.

© C. Ford

© C. Ford

Columbines have been important in the study of evolution. It was found that Sierra Columbine (A. pubescens) and Crimson Columbine (A. formosa) each have adapted specifically to a pollinator. Bees and hummingbirds are the visitors to A. formosa, while hawkmoths would only visit A. pubescens when given a choice. Such a “pollination syndrome”, being due to flower color and orientation controlled by their genetics, ensures reproductive isolation and can be a cause of speciation.

Aquilegia petals show an enormous range of petal spur length diversity ranging from a centimeter to the 15 cm spurs of Aquilegia longissima. Selection from pollinator shifts is suggested to have driven these changes in nectar spur length. Interestingly, it was shown that this amazing spur length diversity is achieved solely through changing cell shape, not cell number or cell size. This suggests that a simple microscopic change can result in a dramatic evolutionarily relevant morphological change. Source.

Snow on the Pyrenees

Thanks to Giliell for these beautiful photos! Click for full size.

On the way home, taken from the moving car at 100km/h. Not too bad...On the way home, taken from the moving car at 100km/h. Not too bad...On the way home, taken from the moving car at 100km/h. Not too bad...

On the way home, taken from the moving car at 100km/h. Not too bad…On the way home, taken from the moving car at 100km/h. Not too bad… © Giliell

And water, two ways. I love photographing water and photos of water, and here, Giliell has water soft and dreamy, and clear and crispy:

© Giliell

© Giliell

 

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© Giliell

Black Wattle & Venerable Fence Post

From Lofty.

Black Wattle Firewood.

Black Wattle Firewood. © Lofty.

Never heard of Black Wattle before. It’s a very beautiful and striking wood. It’s an Acacia, but there are so many Black Wattles!

Venerable fence post. © Lofty.

Venerable fence post. © Lofty.

I have a thing for fence posts myself, they have been frequent subjects – some of them have such character. I really like this shot. Thanks, Lofty!

Cool Stuff Friday

wasp-3

Photo © Mattia Menchetti

When Given Colored Construction Paper, Wasps Build Rainbow Colored Nests.

It’s unnerving to discover a wasp’s nest dangling outside your house, but perhaps it would be a tad less so with the help of biology student Mattia Menchetti who cleverly realized he could give colored construction paper to a colony of European paper wasps. By gradually providing different paper shades, the wasps turned their homes into a functional rainbow of different colors.

peacock-10

© Waldo Nell

The Extraordinary Iridescent Details of Peacock Feathers Captured Under a Microscope.

In this series of photographs featuring the delicate details of peacock feathers, photographer Waldo Nell relied on an Olympus BX 53 microscope to take hundreds of individual shots that were combined to create each image seen here. The process, called photo stacking, blends dozens or even hundreds of photos taken at different focal points and then stitches them together to extend the depth of field. At this level of detail the feathers look more like ornate jewelry, thick braids of iridescent necklaces or bracelets, rather than something that grows organically from the wings of a bird.

By day Nell is a software engineer in Port Moody, BC, Canada, but is fascinated by technology, science, and nature, all of which he merges in his photography practice. You can see more of his work on Flickr.