Sunset at Lower Lewis River Falls, WA
Photograph by Scottyboipdx Weber, My Shot
The sun sets over Lower Lewis River Falls in Washington State’s Gifford Pinchot National Forest. The falls mark a wild and scenic stretch of the river, but other sections of the Lewis, which drains the state’s mighty Cascade Range, boast large dam and reservoir systems.
Hydroelectric plants produce power, but they’ve changed the river’s natural character—to the special detriment of migratory fish like salmon. Utilities have agreed to begin trucking fish around the dams along the Lewis River, moving them from below these looming barriers to prime habitat upstream, above the dams.
The Beginning Of Time (by Stuck in Customs)
(Source : scinerds)
10 Most Incredible Cave Waterfalls On Earth
→ Pictured here: Ruby Falls, Tennessee, USA. Gaping Gill, UK. Waiahuakua Sea Cave, Hawaii, USA. Natural Bridge, Springbrook Park, Australia.
(Source : geologise)
The Exotic Beauty of Colonial Fungi
Earlier this week we encountered a rather, um, phallic fungus. I marveled at its unique biological splendor and one-of-a-kind “fruiting body”. I also called it weird.
But that fungus has nothing on the beauty of these colony-growing species, captured in stunning microphotography. Included: Aspergillus fumigatus, and genera Botrytis, Mucor, Trichoderma, and Cladosporium
b l u e by Jo Hammond
Aurora & Milkyway above Australia
by Alex Cherney
Easter Island Milky Way
Stunning view of Milky Way as seen from the Easter Island in the south Pacific Ocean. Its a bizarre experience to stand besides the giant statues of the island.
They are locally called Moais and date back to 13th to 15th century from the lost ancient civilization of this isolated island.
Lunar Corona
The light from the nearly full moon interacts with the cloud droplets and high ice crystals in the desert sky to create the colorful scene of a lunar corona. This atmospheric phenomena have an intensely bright central aureole which is almost white and fringed with yellows and reds
As we rocket past 7 billion people on Earth and race toward an ever-more-crowded home, many other species are being kicked in the opposite direction.
Biodiversity is about more than saving species for the sake of nobility or honor. It is about preserving the balance of ecosystems that have taken millions of years to evolve, dependent on each of their innumerable living and non-living parts.
Joel Sartore believes that by cataloguing species in danger, we can be reminded that time is running out for many of them. If we are forced to look at them (and in stunning beauty), then we will be forced to see.
A beautiful project, for biology and for our appreciation of life. Check out his ongoing collection, 1,800 and counting. Awesome.
(via Joel Sartore)
Solar-Storm-Fueled Auroras Make for Awesome Backyard Photography
A relatively powerful flare burst from the sun’s surface on Jan. 19, throwing off charged particles that reached our planet on Jan. 22. But this was nothing compared to the enormous flare that erupted the next day. The biggest solar flare in six years, this impressive event propelled a gigantic, fast-moving storm that reached Earth on Jan. 24.
