#alpsdake

[sitting-on-me-bum]

A Japanese serow (Capricornis crispus).

© Alpsdake / Wikimedia Commons

[mammalianmammals]

Japanese Badger (Meles anakuma), family Mustelidae, Japan

photograph by Alpsdake

[crazyfox-archives]

The front gate (仁王門 “niōmon”) to Matsunoodera (松尾寺) in Maizuru, Kyoto Prefecture, founded in 708 according to temple lore, with the gate itself dating to a 1730 reconstruction sponsored by the daimyō lord Makino Hideshige (牧野英成)

Photo by Alpsdake on April 4, 2020

[vr-trakowski]

--Sandra Boynton

1 - By Marrabbio2 - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0

2 - By Toni Barros from São Paulo, Brasil - Hello, Dolly!, CC BY-SA 2.0

3 - By Little Miss Muffit - Lovely Little Girl, CC BY-SA 2.0

4 - By Alpsdake - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0

5 - By USDA Forest Service - Public Domain

6 - By J. Patrick Fischer - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0

7 - By Muhammad Mahdi Karim - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0

8 - By Muhammad Mahdi Karim - Own work, GFDL 1.2

9 - By Alastair Rae from London, United Kingdom - Chital, CC BY-SA 2.0

[scientificinquirer-blog]

The Big Picture: Autumn’s Palette And The Science Behind Fall Foliage Colors

Autumn leaf color and Mount Fuji with snow seen from Lake Kawaguchi in Fujikawaguchiko, Yamanashi prefecture, Japan. (CREDIT: Alpsdake) This stunning scene of autumn foliage set against snow-capped Mount Fuji provides a perfect backdrop to explore the science of leaf color changes in fall. The shift from green to vibrant reds, oranges, and yellows in leaves is primarily due to the breakdown of…

[yardenercom]

Problems of Daphne

Is your daphne plant developing curled leaves, brown spots, sudden wilting? These shrubs are delicate and prone to care issues. Identify problems by symptoms. Get tips to treat diseases, improve conditions, and prevent future problems. Our guide covers solutions to revive daphne.

📸 Alpsdake

[wafact]

Do You Know These Weird Hoofed Mammals?

Serow Capricornis sp. A Japanese serow (Capricornis crispus). © Alpsdake / Wikimedia Commons Even in its native range, the serow is often mistaken for a goat, a pig or a deer, and it looks just enough like any of those to make this understandable. There are seven species of serow. They live in the Himalayas and on the forested slopes of Thailand and Sumatra. One secretive species even lives in…

[frogs-from-bogs]

Zhangixalus arboreus by Alpsdake

[sternentaucher]

Zoothera salimalii by Craig Brelsford, CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Zoothera aurea by Alpsdake, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Zoothera aurea by Alpsdake, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

[animalfacthub]

A Happy Success Story!

The Japanese Serow is a type of Bovine endemic to Japan

In the early 20th century they were almost hunted to extinction 

So in 1955 the Japanese government passed a law making it a “Special National Monument”

Since then there numbers have boomed and there are now roughly 100000 of them!

Makes me so happy that this worked so well!

If you have read this far why not follow us @animalfacthub for daily animal facts and pics!

-

📷1: “Nihonkamoshika-akita.JPG” by Kei hashi on Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

📷2: “Capricornis crispus in Mount Sanpoiwa.JPG” by Alpsdake on Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

📷3: “Nihonkamoshika2.JPG” by ヤン提督  on Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

[cool-critters]

Warbling white-eye (Zosterops japonicus)

The warbling white-eye is a small passerine bird in the white-eye family. Its native range includes much of east Asia, including Japan, Indonesia, Korea, and the Philippines. It has been intentionally introduced to other parts of the world as a pet and as pest control, with mixed results. This bird species is rarely found on the ground. It is a very sociable species that may form flocks with other species, in which the birds form groups to forage during flight; white-eyes only flock with birds of other species outside of the breeding season. While sociable, however, the white-eye typically forms monogamous relationships with mates – it has only one mate at any one time. Social hierarchy in a flock is established through physical displays. The species is omnivorous, living on a diet of fruit from several species of flowering plants, various types of insects, and nectar at all levels of foliage.

photo credits: Laitche, Alpsdake, DickDaniels

[what-bug-is-this]

What Bug Is This? 43: Cabbage White Butterflies

Image source: egg: Alpsdake, license; larva: James K. Lindsey, license; pupa: etisergieva, license ; adult: Sandy Wolkenberg, license

Common name(s): cabbage white, cabbage white butterfly, cabbage moth (note, not a moth), white butterfly, imported cabbage worm (caterpillar), small white, small cabbage white, cabbage butterfly

Scientific name:  Pieris rapae

Can it hurt me?: No

Can it hurt my plants?: Oh, yes. They are notorious eaters of cruciferous vegetables (ex. cabbage, broccoli, radish, etc.). Adults are pollinators, but this benefit doesn't really outweigh the damage they do as caterpillars.

Should I kill it?: Yes, especially in the Americas where they are invasive. They're also considered a pest species in Europe and Asia as well. Some folks use parasitic wasps to control their populations. You can also envelope your crop in fine netting or physically pluck off caterpillars by hand. Pesticides work on them, but if you use them be certain to pick one that works on caterpillars and to follow the directions exactly and only apply them to your endangered vegetables. Also take care since you're applying them to food items to make sure that whatever pesticide you pick is ok for edible plants.

Anything else I should know?: They're one of the first butterflies to emerge in spring, at least in the Midwest.

[arisaacart171posts]

Midori. “Lake Kawaguchiko Sakura Mount Fuji 4.” Wikimedia, Wikimedia, 18 April 2010, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lake_Kawaguchiko_Sakura_Mount_Fuji_4.JPG.

Mount Fuji with lake reflection

Alpsdake. “Mount Fuji from Mount Ashiwada.” Wikimedia, Wikimedia, 13 December 2014, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mount_Fuji_from_Mount_Ashiwada.jpg.

Mount Fuji with clouds

Alpsdake, “Numazu and Mount Fuji.” Wikimedia, Wikimedia, 1 March 2016, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Numazu_and_Mount_Fuji.jpg.

Mount Fuji and city

XIIIfromTOKYO. “Mount Fuji – aerial view – 1394.” Wikimedia, Wikimedia, 28 December 2015, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mount_Fuji_-_aerial_view_-_1394.JPG.

Mount Fuji aerial view + steps

I also plan to use the following site to study Mount Fuji’s many myths and facts:

x. “The Myths and Facts about Mount Fuji.” Guidable, 24 Apr. 2019, https://guidable.co/culture/the-myths-and-facts-about-mount-fuji/.

Mount Fuji info

[judchuks1]

What are Asian giant hornets, and are they really dangerous? 5 questions answered

What are Asian giant hornets, and are they really dangerous? 5 questions answered

Asian giant hornets (Vespa mandarinia japonica) drinking sap from tree bark in Japan. Alpsdake/Wikipedia, CC BY-SA

Akito Y Kawahara, University of Florida

Editor’s note: According to recent press reports, two Asian giant hornets – a species not known to occur in North America – were found in northwest Washington state in late 2019, and a hornet colony was found and eliminated in British Columbia.…

[sitting-on-me-bum]

The Japanese badger is endemic to the Japanese islands of Honshu, Kyushu, Shikoku and Shodoshima.

(Photo: Alpsdake/Wikipedia)

Badgers

Honey badgers are famous for their ferocity and their feasting.

(Photo: Erwin Niemand/Shutterstock)

A young female European badger (Meles meles) comes in for a close-up. 

(Photo: Jiri Balek/Shutterstock)

This small large-tooted ferret-badger resembles a skunk or ferret as much as it resembles its larger badger cousins.

(Photo: Sainam51/Shutterstock)

[yahoo-travel-editor]

讓世界驚呆  全球12大「誤入」科幻場景的建築

你是否曾在出國旅行時，意外發現某些非常奇特的建築？又或者曾在電影場景中，看到讓你分不清是真實存在、或出自電腦繪圖的成果？隨著建築技術的日新月異，許多過去被認為天馬行空的設計，不再只是夢想，紛紛跳脫藍圖的框架，出現在你我身邊。現在就跟著Iris的腳步，看看地表上究竟有哪些長的像外星基地、或是扭曲到讓人難以想像的建築？想像一下自己是的科幻片主角吧！v(*_*)y

文字：Iris PENG

(Photo by Jorge Láscar from Australia, License: CC BY 2.0, 圖片來源 )

1. 芬蘭．聖殿廣場教堂 位於赫爾辛基(Helsinki)近郊Töölö的聖殿廣場教堂(Temppeliaukio Church)，出自芬蘭建築師蘇奧馬里安兄弟檔 (Timo and Tuomo Suomalainen)之手。直接鑿開一塊巨大的岩石，並在上方增建玻璃頂篷，因而產生如此獨特的面貌！

(Photo by Jorge Láscar from Australia, License: CC BY 2.0, 圖片來源：www.flickr.com/photos/jlascar/4549343556)

光看這外觀，是不是很像停在岩石瓦礫堆中的飛碟呢？

(Photo by Matthew Duncan, License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons提供)

1969年正式啟用，以岩石為外牆，被暱稱為「岩石教堂」的它，擁有絕佳的音響效果，此外，玻璃罩不但增添自然採光，也能一窺美麗的城市風光，讓這座路德派教堂不只是處宗教地點，也成為當地的知名景點喔。 想知道置身飛碟中是什麼的感覺嗎？聖殿廣場教堂或許能提供你一些想法～～

(Photo by Rosino, License: CC BY 2.0, 圖片來源：www.flickr.com/photos/rosino/6100185548/in/photostream)

2. 巴西．尼泰羅伊當代藝術美術館 「UFO」不僅出現在芬蘭，也降落在巴西！ 位於里約熱內盧(Rio de Janeiro)的尼泰羅伊當代藝術美術館(Museu de Arte Contemporânea de Niterói)，坐落於峭壁上，伴隨周遭起伏的山城和海灣景觀，猶如漂浮在水面上的飛碟，營造出一種奇幻的味道。

(Photo by Phx de, License: CC BY-SA 2.5, Wikimedia Commons提供)

簡稱「MAC」，由巴西現代主義建築師奧斯卡．尼邁耶(Oscar Niemeyer)設計，一道寬敞的斜坡通往中央高16公尺的建築主體，這座直徑長50公尺的穹狀物，內部共分為三層，其中容納多座展覽廳。

(Photo by Carlos1silva, Wikimedia Commons提供)

除欣賞外觀，也別錯過內部的觀景廊，繞行一圈，就能將里約熱內盧的城市風光，以及瓜那巴拉灣(Guanabara Bay)和糖麵包山(Sugarloaf Mountain) 等知名景點盡收眼底。雖然不知道從飛碟中看到的世界是否正是如此，但絕對會是一場非常棒的體驗～～

(Photo by Paweu88, Wikimedia Commons提供)

3. 比利時．原子球塔 如果你和Iris一樣，小時候化學不太好，沒關係，現在有一個「征服」它的方法：登上布魯塞爾的原子球塔(Atomium)吧！ 工程師瓦特凱恩(André Waterkeyn)將鐵結晶放大1650億倍，在建築師博拉克兄弟(André and Jean Polak)的協助下，打造出這麼一個高102公尺的立方呢。

(Photo by Filharmoniker, License: CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons提供)

由九顆直徑長18公尺的球體組成，原子塔本來是1958年布魯塞爾世界博覽會的臨時建築之一，後來因為造型討喜，深受當地居民喜愛而被保留下來（雖然美國有線電視曾說它是「全歐洲最怪的建築」），從此成為地標。

(Photo by Harald Hoyer from Schwerin, Germany, License: CC BY 2.0, 圖片來源：www.flickr.com/photos/hhoyer/4340484714)

中央球體以八條管道連結其他球體，加上其他球體間彼此相通的管道，總共多達12 條，每個管道內都有電扶梯或電梯，讓遊客可以往來於開放參觀的球體間。其中，位於頂部的球體是一座觀景台，可以欣賞到美麗的布魯塞爾全景，裡頭還附設了一間餐廳，如果想到此大啖美食，可別忘了先預約啦。

(© Raimond Spekking / CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)，圖片來源：commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:DITIB-Zentralmoschee_K%C3%B6ln_-_April_2015-7489.jpg)

4. 德國．科隆中央清真寺 你是科幻迷嗎？是否覺得這建築有點未來頭盔的fu呢？不過你應該怎麼也猜不到，它居然是座清真寺！ 占地4500平方公尺的科隆中央清真寺( Cologne Central Mosque)，是擅長設計教堂的建築師Paul Böhm的傑作，造型看來現代前衛，靈感卻是來自鄂圖曼土耳其的建築風格，擁有混凝土和玻璃打造的圓頂，以及兩座高55公尺的喚拜塔，室內除祈禱空間外，還規劃了市集、閱讀室和圖書館…如此跳tone的感覺，是不是很想一探究竟呢？

(Photo by Rubalt, License: CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons提供)

5. 白俄羅斯．白俄羅斯國家圖書館 看完了科幻頭盔，來拜訪一下「外星基地」吧！ 以馬戲團和美女聞名的遙遠國度白俄羅斯，首都明斯克(Minsk)擁有一棟72公尺高的建築，多邊形厚實底部建築的上方，頂著一個巨大的多面體，暗夜發出的光芒，彷彿召喚著遠方…讓白俄羅斯國家圖書館(National Library of Belarus)看起來，反倒比較像某種未來總部。不過，人家可是繼莫斯科的俄羅斯國立圖書館(Russian State Library)，以及聖彼得堡的俄羅斯國家圖書館(Russian State Library)之後，第三大俄語系圖書館哩。（當然也其中造型最酷滴～～）

(Photo by A.Savin, 圖片來源：© A.Savin, Wikimedia Commons)

6. 俄羅斯．統治塔 喜歡疊疊樂嗎？那你應該會喜歡位於莫斯科無軌電車Dubrovka站旁的統治塔(Dominion Tower)。 國際知名女建築師札哈．哈蒂(Zaha Hadid)，為莫斯科東南區新興創意科技園區，打造了這座嶄新的建築，一塊塊看似不規則的層板，堆疊出大樓有稜有角、卻又隱藏曲線的造型。外觀或許有些「一板一眼」，但這位以弧形設計著稱的建築師，以圍繞天井的環狀階梯引進大量自然光，也舒緩了空間冰冷僵硬的感覺喔。

(Photo by Bjmullan, License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons提供)

7. 英國．河濱博物館 長得像疊疊樂不稀奇，那如果長得像心電圖呢？札哈．哈蒂建築團隊每次出手，都讓人充滿驚喜。 位於蘇格蘭格拉斯哥(Glasgow)的河濱博物館(Riverside Museum)，屬於當地交通博物館(Glasgow Museum of Transport)的擴建延伸，正面不規則的起伏造型，讓人聯想起心律的波動。如果從它的左側瞧，怪怪，你可以能會誤以為它是個「紙片屋」，薄得像是片看板般哪！(⊙＿⊙)

(Photo by Editor5991t, License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons提供)

換一面看，你會發現自己被這塊「蛋糕」的魔術戲法給騙囉！甚至透過不同角度，它的模樣也不斷變化，難怪這座博物館2013年開放時，就湧入74萬名訪客，一躍成為當地的熱門景點和地標，也在同年獲選為「歐洲年度博物館」。（當然，其中橫跨帆船、蒸汽火車到雙層巴士等交通工具館藏，也同樣功不可沒啦。）

(Photo by Kyle Hasegawa, License: CC BY 2.0, 圖片來源：www.flickr.com/photos/kylehase/28485059256)

8. 泰國．大京都大廈 在科幻片中，為了表現外星人或邪惡勢力對地球窮凶惡極的破壞，最喜歡將知名的建築或地標炸個千瘡百孔。不過大京都大廈(MahaNakhon)，倒是能替片商省下不少後製費用… 曾參與北京央視總部大樓設計的德國知名建築師奧雷．舍人(Ole Scheeren)，以層次錯落、內縮的玻璃帷幕，為這座曼谷最高建築，創造出馬賽克般的效果，讓人遠看誤以為314公尺高的它，中間和頂部都因遭受攻擊而毀損。老實說，當地豪華地產商PACE Development願意大膽嘗試這樣的建築，實在是挺酷的呢！ 大廈在2016年8月對外開放，結合住宅、百貨商場、酒店、咖啡館和餐廳等，晚上還能欣賞炫目的燈光秀喔。

(Photo by Alpsdake, License: CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons提供)

9. 日本．Mode學園螺旋塔 你想過長了翅膀的大樓，會是什麼模樣嗎？名古屋的Mode學園螺旋塔(Mode Gakuen Spiral Towers)，將高170公尺的39層建築，蓋得像是即將展翅、飛天的模樣，也像是一個披著斗篷的巨人。（「斗篷」還貌似隨風飄捏…）

(Photo by Emran Kassim from Nagoya, Aichi, Japan, License: CC BY 2.0, 圖片來源：www.flickr.com/photos/15622795@N05/3918273350)

這棟建築在2008年落成且對外開放，以螺旋狀交織而成，主要當作三所專修學院使用。就算無緣在這麼漂亮的摩天大樓裡上課，下次到名古屋，還是可以到一樓和地下兩層的「螺旋塔商店和餐廳」(Spiral Towers Shop & Restaurants)，喝杯咖啡或吃碗烏龍麵哪。

(Photo by Ninaras, License: CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons提供)

10. 俄羅斯．進化大樓 不過在旋轉大廈的「江湖」，可是一山還比一山高呢。 2014年時，俄羅斯的國際商業中心(Moscow International Business Center)出現了一棟新未來主義風格的進化大樓(Evolution Tower)，55層樓的它，以每層偏移3度攀升，最後這座高246公尺的摩天大樓，總共扭轉了135度。 看來就像兩條相纏的絲帶，據說進化大樓的設計靈感來自法國雕刻家羅丹的知名作品《吻》，以及莫斯科紅場旁的聖瓦西里主教座堂(Cathedral of St. Vasily the Blessed)，是不是太神奇了呢！？

(Photo by n.karim, License: CC BY 2.0, 圖片來源：www.flickr.com/photos/nkarim/6940331548)

11. 加拿大．純粹世界 如果你以為進化大樓已經夠「扭曲」的話，安大略省米西沙加市(Mississauga)的純粹世界(Absolute World)，可就要大聲抗議了，因為它將為你定義：「什麼叫做曲線」。 兩座分別高161、179公尺的高樓住宅，從上到下總共扭轉了209度，沙漏般的玲瓏造型，出自北京建築師馬岩松之手，令人聯想起凹凸有致的女性身材，閃閃發光的銀色外觀，更像穿著華麗銀色禮服的女明星，也因此被暱稱為「夢露大廈」。瞧它「扭腰擺臀」的模樣，的確是「艷」旋轉大廈無誤啊～～

(Photo by Rubydiazmendezt, License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons提供)

12. 巴拿馬．F&F塔 但是說到最「瘋狂」的旋轉大廈，非F&F塔(F&F Tower)莫屬了，高「不過」242公尺，甚至擠不進全球200大最高摩天樓之列，卻居然整體扭轉了360度！（沒錯，是360度！）（O口O!） 位於巴拿馬市的金融中心，這座2011年竣工的鋼筋混凝土建築，是一棟現代化商辦大樓，被德國全球房地產調查機構「安波利斯」(Emporis)評選為當年的「全球十大最佳摩天樓建築」（Top 10 Best Skyscrapers of the Year）之一。雖然F&F塔看來氣勢很是驚人，但不知有沒有人和Iris一樣，腦中第一個浮現的念頭，竟然是小時候的零嘴「卡里卡里」呢？（大誤！）

【Info】 聖殿廣場教堂：www.helsinginkirkot.fi/en/churches/rock-church-temppeliaukio 尼泰羅伊當代藝術美術館：www.rio.com/places/museum-contemporary-art 原子球塔：atomium.be 科隆中央清真寺：www.zentralmoschee-koeln.de 白俄羅斯國家圖書館：www.belarus.by/en/about-belarus/architecture/national-library 統治塔：dominiontower.ru 河濱博物館：www.glasgowlife.org.uk/museums/riverside 大京都大廈：www.mahanakhon.com Mode學園螺旋塔：www.mode.ac.jp/nagoya/facilities 進化大樓：skyscrapercenter.com/building/evolution-tower/19725 純粹世界：www.absoluteworld.ca F&F塔：skyscrapercenter.com/building/ff-tower/953