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Scattered white stilbite and heulandite crystals. This specimen, was recently discovered in the Pune District, Pune Division, Maharashtra, India.

Photo by: (László Kupi) collection.

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Discover Khao Hin Phap Pha, the cliff known as 'Pancake Rock' for its strikingly layered rock formations, located along the scenic coast of Nakhon Si Thammarat, Thailand.

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A least Bell’s vireo (Vireo bellii pusillus) sings at Taylor Yard on March 22. California placed this songbird on its endangered species list in 1980, but this rare vireo has recently returned to central L.A. thanks to habitat restoration and the return of the natural riparian ecosystem along a section of the Los Angeles River. Alecia Smith / Audubon California

Excerpt from this story from the Smithsonian Magazine:

Along a gentle bend of the Los Angeles River, in a stretch of land called Taylor Yard, a sound like a high-pitched record scratch can just be heard above the cacophony of city life. This is the call of the least Bell’s vireo, an olive-gray songbird that is only five inches from tip to tail. The riparian species native to Southern California has lived an endangered existence for more than 40 years. Now, the small bird’s return here symbolizes a new future for one of the country’s most maligned waterways.

Before the concrete tide of urbanization washed over the Los Angeles River Basin, the river-fed wetland that was here represented the perfect habitat for this rare species. But for the past century, this area was one of the largest rail yards in the region, and as an expanding city grew right up to the river’s now concrete-laden banks, the vireo all but disappeared.

Until, suddenly, it returned. The 2007 creation of Rio de Los Angeles State Park, which is itself part of the sprawling rail yard, set the stage. In the early 2010s someone reported hearing the vireo’s memorable call. A few years later, a photo captured a vireo mid-song, and in 2022 a nesting pair took refuge in a tree. This year, the news was even better.

“We actually saw fledglings,” says Evelyn Serrano, the director of the Audubon Center at Debs Park in Los Angeles. “We saw the nest and we saw the babies, so we were very excited. It’s tough to survive in an urban environment when you’re a little bird like that, but it’s definitely possible.”

The return of the least Bell’s vireo shows what’s possible along a more natural Los Angeles River, and Taylor Yard represents the city’s largest opportunity to create vital habitat for many of its vulnerable endemic species. For years, a partnership of government groups and nonprofits has pushed to make the remaining 100 acres of the abandoned rail yard the “crown jewel” of L.A.’s river restoration project. The resulting collective, known as the 100 Acre Partnership, hopes to complete the restoration by 2028, which is just in time for the L.A. Olympic Games. The project is just the latest effort to create a new vision of Los Angeles that’s been in the works for nearly a century.

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Yippie! I'm so excited to finally announce this!

So, like it says, for the holidays I'm offer a BOGO type deal on my commissions. Withe every order, no matter what, you get an additional free sketch to go with it. You can make a request for the sketch or leave it up to me to surprise you!

This deal is specifically from now (11/26/24) to the end of January of next year (01/31/25)

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I haven't purchased a HP item in close to a decade - I use the books I already had as doorstops or to prop a laptop up for meetings nowadays.

There is NO "death of the author" with JK Rowling - she controls and continues to profit from her IP, and uses that money to fund hate groups.

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Mark the electrician has been here for five minutes and he’s already said “well that’s…weird” twice from the other room and frankly I’m afraid to ask.

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Kilduncan Pictish and Early Medieval Cross Slab, St Andrews Museum, Fife, Scotland

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Cheese Melt Week 2025

1. Newborn

What if Vlad didn't have a way to age up the clones and he simply didn't think this far? What if it only hits him that this is an actual child once he is holding a screaming baby and being completely out of his depth?

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We should use this image whenever we see poor reading comprehension on a post

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A few shots from the animatic I’m working on, debating which ones to colour for the thumbnail X3

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If Cell were to turn good, how cute would it be if he were to interact with animals and appreciate nature like Android 16?

It's more of a tolerance than appreciation lol

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Calcite from the Elmwood Mine in Carthage, Tennessee

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HMMmmm......there are four upcoming short story contests, and I'd like to enter all of them. but my brain is so empty. maybe I should do one of those 'build an animal' polls, but for building a story???

if people want to comment with story elements (ex. troll, homoeroticism, tesla, buried alive, NoFrills) I will happily use them for a poll!

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"Appearances can be deceiving. 👀 Though it may look like a close relative of rabbits or mice, the bush hyrax (Heterohyrax brucei) is actually more closely related to manatees and elephants! All three animals are members of the clade Paenungulata. And just as in elephants, the hyrax’s front incisors grow continuously to form tusks. Unlike its larger cousins, this small mammal only weighs about 10 lbs (4.5 kg). It inhabits rocky areas, and can be found in parts of Africa including Egypt and Angola."

Photo: Anita Gould, CC BY-NC 2.0, flickr

credit: American Museum of Natural History

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URGENT. PLEASE SIGN THIS PETITION

Marion Bowman needs about 2k more signatures by the end of this month! Please help save his life!

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