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Rick-Rack Cactus : Selenicereus anthonyanus

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"The rick rack cactus (Selenicereus anthonyanus) is a rare epiphyte from the rainforests of southern Mexico. Its stunning flowers open at dusk, to be visited by moths and bats."

 

Red Rock Fire, Wyoming

"Fire is as much a part of the northern Rocky Mountain ecosystem as lodgepole pine trees or mule deer. It creates a mosaic of landscapes with plants of varying ages and a variety of habitats for wildlife. It clears out dead plant matter and returns nutrients to the soil. Fire’s renewing role is so important in the Intermountain West that land managers allow wildfires to burn in areas where fire won’t threaten life or property. The Red Rock fire, shown here ( August 23, 2011), is one such natural wildfire."  

 

A Japanese Maple Tree In Portland, Oregon

 

Life Hacks : Hints, Tricks and Advice...

 

Pencil Drawings or Blurry Vintage Photos ?

Paul Chiappe, Untitled 44, 2010. Pencil on paper, {2.5 x 2cm !}

"...These are miniature, pencil-drawn reproductions of black and white photographs by Edinburgh-based artist Paul Chiappe .... A large part of that has to do with his interesting choice of subject matter — a mixture of old class photos and yearbook portraits. ...what makes his work even more interesting is the fact that each of the tiny pieces, while incredibly detailed and photorealistic, looks faded and slightly out of focus. “I tend to work very slowly, to try not to breathe too much when I’m producing the piece so my hand’s not shaking all over the place,” he told The Scotsman in 2008. “It’s a very long process. The tiny single heads, you do need a magnifying glass to look at them. Some of them are so small that people can’t even see them using a magnifying glass, but they are actually there.” Click through for a slide show of our favorites."

 

Fox on Stilts ?

"No, it’s not a fox at all, but a maned wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus), the largest canid in South America. The maned wolf is actually neither a wolf nor a fox, but is a canid with its own genus. With those long legs, this dog can grow to be three feet tall !"  

 

Reach for the Sky ! Sunflower or Beanstalk ?

Healthy height: Keen gardener Eve Fielding, of Kent, was shocked to see her sunflower grow to 23ft