#Alabama flowers

[seraphicsapphics]

I love love LOVE this Miku in your culture trend, so I decided to draw Miku as a trail maid in Alabama!

Ko-fi|Insta

[lizardsaredinosaurs]

We're not your momma's backyard white clover. Psst, kid, come be wild with us.

Leafy Prairie Clover (Dalea foliosa)

Illinois, Tennessee, and Alabama, USA

Status: Endangered

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Admittedly I don't draw plants in equal proportion to animals, but I guess I should throw one in now and then. 🙃

Most people might suggest to be concerned if the plants start talking to you but, I dunno, I feel like I could go for the "everything has a soul" kind of belief.

[cambcorder]

talladega national forest, al usa, march 2024

[xiaq]

Valentine's Day Pro Tip

Take your sweetheart to the grocery store.

Go to the card aisle.

Set an alarm for a predetermined time.

Select cards (keep your selection a secret).

When time is up, trade cards.

Make the proper noises: Oooh, ahhh, so sweet, so thoughtful.

Put the cards back.

Spend the $10 you've just saved on pizza.

Play footsie while eating the pizza.

(The most romantic valentines celebrations give obligatory consumerism the finger)

[thomaswaynewolf]

[bama-blue-moon]

Fall in Alabama

[aangphotography]

Birmingham 🏙️

[rabbitcruiser]

National Butterfly and Hummingbird Day

National Butterfly and Hummingbird Day celebrates these small, flying beings, and is for appreciating them, learning about them, spreading awareness about them, and viewing them in person.

There are about 20,000 species of butterflies—some sources say there are 17,500, while some say there are as many 24,000.  There are about 750 species found in the United States, where the white cabbage butterfly is the most prevalent. The life cycle of a butterfly begins when eggs are laid on leaves, which hatch into larvae known as caterpillars. They eat the leaves and flowers of the plant they are on, and grow in size while shedding their skin multiple times. They then turn into a pupa, or chrysalis, and then into a butterfly.

When they come out of their cocoon to a new world as a butterfly, they have to pump fluid into the veins in their wings in order to expand them.  They then have to rest for a few hours before taking flight for the first time. Butterflies are cold blooded, and the air around them affects their ability to function. If the air temperature gets below 55 degrees, their body temperature may drop too low to be able to fly. To remedy this, they may warm up their muscles by shivering or by lounging in the sun. They fly best in air temperatures between 82 and 100 degrees and are most comfortable when their body temperature is at about 85 degrees.

Their wings have thousands of scales that reflect light, giving them color. But underneath their scales, their wings are actually transparent. To protect themselves from predators, some butterflies fold their wings in to help camouflage themselves, or, conversely, some have bright colors that reveal to others their presence. Some predators are aware that many bright-colored insects are toxic when eaten, so they avoid these butterflies, even though, unbeknownst to them, they aren't poisonous. The common buckeye butterfly uses its colors to scare off birds.

Butterflies have receptors on their feet, which help them find host plants and food. Female butterflies tap on leaves until juices come out, and chemoreceptors on their legs tell them if the plants have the right type of chemicals to lay eggs on. Butterflies also step on their food to taste it. Adult butterflies only eat liquid, which is usually nectar, although they occasionally drink from mud puddles as well, to gain minerals and salts. They eat with a proboscis, which is like a straw; it is curled up under their chins and unfurls when they eat.

Butterflies generally have short lives, with most only living for two to four weeks, during which they mainly eat and mate. Some butterflies only live a few days, while some that migrate, like monarchs and morning cloaks, may live about nine months. Monarchs may travel over 2,500 miles to find warmth during the colder months.

The second flying creature celebrated today is the hummingbird.   There are about 325 species of hummingbirds, but only eight of them regularly breed in the United States. Although, up to two dozen species can be found there at various times. Most species of hummingbirds can be found in South America, Central America, and the Caribbean, and there are no hummingbirds outside of the Western Hemisphere. Many species can breed together, which creates hybrid species.

Hummingbirds are very small—many weigh less than the weight of a nickel. The calliope hummingbird is 3 inches long, and the bee hummingbird, native to Cuba, is the smallest bird species in the world, at 2.25 inches in length. Hummingbirds have such small feet that they can't walk or hop properly. They can shuffle a bit, though, but their feet are mainly used for preening. The small size of their feet also allows them to fly quicker. They can fly up to 30 miles per hour when going forward, and up to 60 miles per hour when diving.

Each species of hummingbird makes a different humming sound because the wings of each species beats at a different rate. Generally, a hummingbird's wings beat somewhere between 50 and 200 times a second. Wings aren't the only things that beat quickly when it comes to hummingbirds: their hearts beat more than 1,200 times a minute. They also take a breath about 250 times a minute, and that number is even higher when they are flying.

Like butterflies, hummingbirds may fly hundreds or even thousands of miles to migrate. They mainly eat nectar, but also eat small insects, spiders, tree sap, and juice from fruit. Their lifespan ranges from 3 to 12 years and is contingent on factors such as their species, habitat, and vulnerability due to predators and other threats. On National Butterfly and Hummingbird Day, we remember and celebrate both of these animals.

National Butterfly and Hummingbird Day is being observed today! It has always been observed annually on October 3rd.

Source

[terrainofheartfelt]

okay the real bee in my bonnet about this hart of dixie mayoral race, is that lavon had a really great argument he never used??

ruby says repeatedly that if she loses she's just gonna leave, and as a voter, I say that is some bullshit! oh, so you'll just leave? because you don't actually care about the place the office is supposed to be serving you only care about the title???? ruby! you don't deserve to be a mayor if you give fuck all about the good of the town?

lavon had a top notch rhetorical argument that would have destroyed his opponent's claim for the seat and he just? never said it? except as a romantic hindrance?

and that is why lavon is excellent at governing but horrible at politics

[angelx1992]

[gltff]

[lizardsaredinosaurs]

I'm so excited you're here, I just can't plantain myself!

Kral's Water Plantain (Sagittaria secundifolia)

Little River in Alabama and Georgia, USA

Status: Endangered

[cambcorder]

talladega national forest, al usa, march 2024

[joy-haver]

Via the Louisiana Iris Conservation Initiative.

Louisiana irises are not the only irises native to the area. I am in lower alabama, and the species present here are:

Iris Virginica / southern blue flag iris is recorded in much of lower alabama.

Iris Verna /coastal plain iris is present seemingly throughout the state in long leaf pine forests and other ecosystems.

Iris Crista / crested iris is recorded in Monroe and Wilcox county, and may be in other lower Alabama counties.

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For more information about Louisiana irises,

[lawofcollage]

Based on where I graduated Undergrad, the Avenue of the Oaks.

[boltedgarlic]

09/2008