#savanna biome

[fallensapphires]

Nature: Biomes - Savanna

That is certainly the point: when the human species was born, on the African savanna, life was pretty good; we could live in harmony with the rest of nature, and that's what I've been calling Eden. The only technologies that humans devised for some 2 million years were fire and the hand ax. That's all. Eden didn't need anything more.

[the-normal-connaisseuse]

Chapter 4: Special Catch

Delcatty and I sit on the deck of the boat, huddled together and eyes shut as the vast ocean surrounds us. Honestly, I’d lie down if I could, but I know that Delcatty would take it as an opportunity to curl up on my face and suffocate me for comfort. At least I’m not nauseous.

“Didn’t expect you to be afraid of the ocean,” Neil shouts over the sounds of the motor and the waves. “It’s so beautiful out here, too. Blue skies, calm waters, lots of sun—”

“Yeah, and an endless abyss below us,” I manage to say. “When you said we were going to get a Pokémon for a someone, you said nothing about a boat or the ocean. What’s even out here?”

“A special school. Most of its campus is underwater, and it’s the closest place where we can find the Pokémon we’re looking for. Otherwise, we’d be up to our necks in paperwork and out a few thousand to get a breeder to send one to us or go somewhere else to catch one.”

I guess I can’t argue with that. “Just let me know when we get there. I’ll be here, imagining I’m somewhere else.”

The ride continues in relative silence. Neil must’ve gone to speak to the captain, since I can’t hear him anymore. All I can really think about is where we’re going. What benefit could a school have to be in the middle of the ocean? I mean, I’m sure it’s cool for the kids who go there, but it’s got to be a hassle to get to and from campus when you want to see people. And what kind of Pokémon could an underwater school even have? I can’t imagine the selection being that diverse. What’s out here that we can’t find along the coast?

The motor quiets, and the wind that’s blown past my ears dies down. Delcatty and I peek over the boat and see a long path leading to a building arching out of the water. Students in blue and white uniforms mill around alongside their Pokémon, all of various types and environments. I guess there might be more than water-types at this school.

“Come on, you two,” Neil says as he walks down the boat’s ramp. “This is it.”

He walks onto the school’s pier and salutes the ship’s captain, while Delcatty and I carefully shuffle down. As the boat takes off, a man in a white suit waves at us near the base of the pier. We walk towards him, and the battle court comes into full view, although none of the students are using it at the moment.

“Good to see you, Neil!” The man says, tipping his brimmed hat and shaking Neil’s hand. “How long has it been since I last saw you? Six or seven months?”

“Not that long, Cyrano,” Neil laughs. “I was here only a month ago.”

“Hm, I suppose you’re right. Can’t say I pay too much attention to calendars. Far too busy these days.” He nods thoughtfully, then catches sight of me. “And who is this young lady? I guess you took an apprentice after all.”

“Yeah, I did. This is Nettie.” Neil turns to me. “This is Cyrano, the founder and headmaster of Blueberry Academy.”

“Hello.” I take a good look at his light, which zips around him in electric blue. I turn it off before I get a headache.

“Pleasure to meet you, miss. Tell me: what do you think of our school so far? Isn’t the view up here breathtaking?”

I keep my eyes on him, to avoid the view. “Terrifying, actually, but the students seem to like it well enough.”

Cyrano looks from me to Neil. “Now don’t tell me you’re afraid of the water, miss? But don’t worry too much about that. The underwater section of the school has screens that block out the ocean view.”

“This is only the entrance to the school,” Neil explains. “Like I said, most of the school is underwater. The school is connected to an underwater plant that develops resources for this place, so the majority of the school has to be underwater to reach it.”

Despite Cyrano and Neil’s explanations, my stomach still flips at the thought of being underwater. I may not want to look out over the vast ocean, but at least there’s light and fresh air up here. I doubt being below the water’s surface would be any better.

Cheering starts on the battle court. Two trainers stand opposite from each other with their Pokémon, an Oranguru and Cinccino on one side, and an Excadrill and Galvantula on the other. The other students, who had been standing around and talking, cheer for either side from the bleachers circling the court. I catch Cyrano smiling as the battle begins.

“This is what Blueberry Academy is all about,” he says, as the Excadrill uses Protect to block Cinccino’s Triple Axel. “This is a school for battlers, Miss, a place like no other in the region, maybe in the world. We specialize in double battles, building capable trainers who go out and make a difference.”

Galvantula fires off a Discharge, hitting the other Pokémon except his ground-type partner. Oranguru and Cinccino are both paralyzed, but the latter pulls out and eats a lum berry to cure itself. The battle continues with a Rock Blast from Cinccino. Oranguru—surprisingly fast for its species, and in spite of the paralysis—uses Instruct on her partner, knocking the Focus-Sashed Galvantula out with another Rock Blast.

“Do the students bring their own Pokémon?” I ask.

“Some do,” Cyrano says. “That student’s from… Well, I don’t remember where he’s from, but I know he brought his Oranguru. She stole my hat the first day of school. As for the other Pokémon, they can be found here at the school.”

I turn to look at Cyrano—just catching Excadrill’s Rock Slide flinch his opponents. “But how? We’re in the ocean.”

Cyrano smiles like a kid with a big secret. “Perhaps the inside of the school will shed some light on the subject.”

--

I can’t do anything but gape at the Terarium. Who would’ve thought that such a massive facility would be attached to a school in the ocean? A savanna stretches out before us, golden grass swaying in a manmade breeze. A group of Doduo run through the field, and a pride of Pyroar lay huddled in the light. Further out, mountains and icebergs reach for the domed roof, which displays a sunny sky, rather than the water that I know surrounds us. I guess that’s the work of the screens Cyrano was talking about.

“Quite the place, isn’t it?” Cyrano asks. “Took a fortune to build it, but I think it’s the star of the school. Over two hundred Pokémon can be found here, spread out across the four biomes.”

I’ve said this before, Cyrano, and I’ll say it again: this is an amazing achievement. How do the kids like it? I know the school has made some updates since I last visited.” Neil nudges me, pulling me out of my awe.

“The students, as far as I know, enjoy it. The Terarium is home to their own League, and it’s a better classroom than the traditional rooms we have on the upper floors. Much more interactive.”

A little flock of Rufflet flies over our heads, calling out towards a grouping of large nests in the distance. While looking up, a large ball gleams at the center of the dome. I point at it.

“What’s that?” I ask.

“That, Miss, is the key to terastilization here at the school,” Cyrano explains. “Perhaps your mentor would be willing to explain.”

“Putting all the work on me, I see,” Neil smirks. “Do you know what terastilization is, Nettie?”

“I know that the phenomenon is found in Paldea,” I reply. “I also know that it changes the typing of Pokémon when in battle, and sometimes outside of it.”

“Those are the basics. You see, Blueberry Academy has a sister school in Paldea, so there’s been a healthy collaboration between there and Unova. One of the teachers here used soil gathered during a visit to Paldea to bring terastilization to the Terarium.”

“Ms. Briar’s also gone and strengthened the phenomenon here,” Cyrano jumps in. “She recently went to…now, what’s that place called? Ah, it’s slipped my mind, but she’s been going all over learning about terastilization. Our tera core’s even stronger than it was the last time you visited, Neil. There’s even a new type, but it’ll probably be better to speak to Briar herself at some point.”

“We can always come back to talk to her. We’re on a mission, after all. “Neil looks back over the savanna, then around our feet. “Where’s Delcatty? I thought he was right here.”

I look around. “Maybe he walked off while we weren’t looking. He could be hiding out in the grass or over with those students.”

Neil and Cyrano’s eyes follow mine to the modular hangout spot, not far from the Terarium’s entrance. A group of students stand huddled together. We head over to them, but our hope drops just as we reach them when we see the Happiny they’re cooing over. As Neil looks back over the area, I feel someone tugging at my waistcoat. A Smeargle—a good foot shorter than the average—stares up at me.

“Hi there,” I say, crouching down to be level with the little Pokémon. A familiar lilac color outlines her head. I sit up straighter as the image of a large nest flashes in my mind. The Smeargle flinches along with me, then shakes herself.

“Did you see that, too?” I ask, lowering my voice to make sure Neil and Cyrano can’t hear.

Smeargle nods, then tugs at my waistcoat and points further into the Terarium.

“Looks like this Smeargle knows something,” Neil says. “We should follow it and see if Delcatty’s around.”

“I have a meeting to attend, unfortunately,” Cyrano jumps in as he taps at his Rotom Phone, “or I’d join you three. I’m going to reach out to the BB League Elite Four and let them know of the problem. The closest member, Crispin, will hopefully join you soon. He’s a capable trainer, and he should be able to take on any dangers you find. Despite the fact that we brought these Pokémon to Blueberry Academy, they’re still wild and will act accordingly. Good luck, my friend. I hope your partner is found safe and sound.”

As Cyrano heads up the ramp to the school above, Neil and I follow Smeargle through the tall yellow grass. I try to stay focused on the task at hand, to keep an eye out for purple ears, but the deeper into the biome we get, the more my mind wanders across the hills and dips in the ground, the Scythers hovering along the shores of shallow ponds where Sobbles and Totodiles play in the muddy waters. Rhyhorn walk the plateaus in small herds, and in the distance, A pride of Pyroars dot the horizon of the biome. As I wonder what it’s like to go to school in a place like this, Neil calling me snaps me out of my question and makes me turn—just in time to avoid walking face-first into a tree. The sounds of screeching and yowling above me catch my attention.

At the top of the tree is a large nest, and two Mandibuzz circle and swoop towards it, climbing back into the sky as the yowling continues. I take a look at their lights, burning fuchsia and radiating rage. The nest faintly glows the same color. This is their nest, but a deep purple leaks out between the branches.

“Delcatty’s in the nest!” I call to Neil. Smeargle yanks my arm and pulls me out of the way before one of the Mandibuzz hits me with a Sky Attack, barreling into the ground where I was standing only seconds before. A deep crater takes my place.

“Look alive out there, Nettie!” Neil yells. “You and Smeargle are too close to the action to get distracted. Delcatty, use Protect!”

Delcatty stops yowling and puts up a bubble around himself. It won’t last forever, though. The Mandibuzz who attacked lays dazed on the ground from the impact, but the other one climbs higher in the sky, preparing herself to use the same move as her partner. Before I can come up with a plan, Smeargle scrambles up to the nest. Looking down at the dazed Mandibuzz, she holds out the brush-like tip of her tail and swishes it around. As it glows, I notice that there’s no paint dripping from her tail.

“Hey, Smeargle,” Neil shouts, before throwing something at her.

She grabs hold of the item—a Choice Band—and takes off into the sky, passing the Mandibuzz at the peak of her ascent. As she turns to watch Smeargle, the Bone Vulture flails in the air, realizing what’s going to happen next. Smeargle dives straight into her, and the two come crashing down amongst the swaying savanna grass in the distance. I steady myself on the tree as a crater three times the size the other Mandibuzz made forms in the distance.

“Delcatty!” Neil shouts. Before I can stand up straight, I feel a set of paws on my shoulders as Delcatty hops down from the nest, knocking me back into the tree. Other than a wounded ego and a few scrapes, he isn’t hurt too badly. Neil bends down to comfort his partner. I sigh in relief.

A distant bark catches my attention. The little Smeargle pops up from the grass and shakes herself off, a cloud of dust forming around her. The lilac light that mingles with it reminds me of my own light. I open my backpack and leave a Revive for the dazed Mandibuzz at my feet, then cross the field to Smeargle. The little Pokémon wags her tail as I get closer.

“That was Sketch, wasn’t it?” I ask. “That’s how you were able to copy the Mandibuzz’s Sky Attack. I’ve seen videos, but seeing it up close is a much better way to examine it. Thank you for your help, Smeargle? If you hadn’t come along, we really would’ve been in trouble.”

 Smeargle barks proudly. Delcatty rubs himself on my legs, purring before going to sniff at our new friend.

“That was a close one,” Neil says as he joins us. “Being in the city nowadays, I almost forgot how much trouble he gets into when out in wilder areas—well, as wild as this place can be. Thanks for all the hard work, Smeargle.”

She barks again. I find myself smiling at her.

“Why don’t you catch her, Nettie?”

The question startles me. I turn to see Neil holding out a Premier Ball, waiting for me to take it.

“Is that something I should do right now?” I ask. “You said that we’re here to catch a special Pokémon for a client. Wouldn’t it be better to hold onto our Poké Balls until after we catch that one?”

“You’re right, we’re here to catch a Pokémon. I didn’t say that it was for a client, though.” Neil reaches out again with the Premier Ball.

I turn from him to Smeargle. “Would that be okay? Would you like to come with me?”

Smeargle barks and wags her tail. I nod, feeling my heart race. I’m going to be a Pokémon trainer! I take the Premier Ball from Neil and toss it at Smeargle, who disappears inside of it. The ball only shakes for a second before going still. I pick up the ball, a big smile spreading across my face.

“Congrats, Nettie,” Neil says.

I let Smeargle back out, and as she scampers around my feet, a red-haired kid in a chef’s jacket runs up to us. A Blaziken follows after him.

“Aw, don’t tell me I missed all the excitement already!”

------------------------------------------------------------------

Hi, all! Chapter 4 is finally out! It took longer than I originally planned, and that's because I left my first full-time job after three years there. It was my time to go out and find something else, something that I had a real passion for. With luck, that means that the next chapter will be out sooner while I look for a new job. Until then, let me know what you think about this chapter. I'm thinking about putting together a master poster where all of the chapters are kept together in chronological order, but I think that'll happen after the next chapter. So long for now!

[harpagornis]

The Fern Prarie: fact or myth?

Moschorhinus and Lystrosaurus by DiBgd. Notably, the small plants in this picture are not true ferns but the extinct seed fern Dicrodium. To help illustrate my point.

In paleoart, “fern praries” are a type of biome frequently depicted. After all, if there was no grass in the Mesozoic (until the very end, at least), what else carpetted the ground?

A lot, actually. Seed-ferns, horsetails, moss…

The idea that ferns specifically formed the Jurassic savannas is not without merit. Modern ferns are the most common carpetting plants after grass, dominating forest undergrowth and even forming small plains in clearings. Some species can live in desert environments, so even places with little moisture could hypothetically boast seasonal fern steppes.

But the thing is, why ferns when there were so many other plant groups that could fill the grass niche? Notably, seed-ferns and small gymnosperms would be equally if not more fitting in more arid conditions. Perhaps some areas were carpetted by herb-like early angiosperms, not quite grass but almost there.

Remember that most fossil assemblages are biased towards riparian environments, where ferns surely excell. But there is little evidence for small flora in drier pre-Cenozoic environments, and as such the fern prairie must be questioned as an environment. It most likely existed, but I doubt it dominated the Mesozoic open spaces.

[piizunn]

petrolia - oak savanna (2023)

oil pastel

it was such an honour to make this piece for my friend tys’ upcoming documentary titled petrolia!! as i worked i thought a lot about the presence of oil in my life, about the industry of extraction and export but also it’s precolonial uses. the pastels i used are likely petrolium based, as are many things we don’t think about we just consume.

[littleminecraftblogidk]

3601144812017415532

Pretty cool savanna. Two villages close together, pillager outpost, and some badass caves :D

[inaris-mage-of-storms]

Farmboy AU Part 3. Jimmy and Scott get to know one another better while foraging.

First | Prev | Next

"You've really never been into town before?" asked Scott, taking Jimmy's hand for balance as they stepped across the low spot where the river dwindled into a creek. "But it's so close."

"Never," said Jimmy. "Granddad always goes when we need supplies or have extra crops to sell. I mean, I'm sure I must have gone with him when I was small. But I don't remember it."

"Seems a shame," said Scott, kneeling down and inspecting the ground cover around their feet. They had followed the river to the northeast, still in the midst of the grasslands but far enough away from the mesa that there were more trees and a greater variety of plants. Jimmy carried a basket against his hip and it had a variety of leaves, roots, and flowers in it that they had gathered along the way. "To think you've never wrapped up a hard week of work with a night at the nearest tavern, drinking a cold beer and dancing with someone pretty."

"Never had beer before either," Jimmy admitted reluctantly, suddenly feeling very small and sheltered next to this man who must see more new things in an average week than Jimmy had seen in his whole life. "Or danced much. I've had wine though!"

"I see." Scott touched a small leaf thoughtfully. "This looks like clover, but not quite."

Jimmy peered over Scott's shoulder. "Wood sorrel," he said. "It's safe as long as you don't eat too much of it. Bit sour, though."

Scott nodded and took a leather-bound book from an inner pocket of his coat, sketching out the plant with a pencil tucked inside. Not for the first time that afternoon, Jimmy watched in fascination as Scott captured all the unique details in what seemed like a matter of seconds before making notes about the location and Jimmy's information in the margins.

"I think I'd like to check out Tumble Town soon," said Scott after a few minutes, closing his sketchbook and putting it back in its pocket. He stood and glanced at Jimmy out of the corner of his eye, lips quirking into a coy smile. "You've taught me a lot today. Maybe I can return the favor and teach you something new." He brushed his fingertips across Jimmy's, not quite taking his hand.

"Oh! Yeah, I'd - I'd like that," Jimmy managed to stammer out, swallowing against the sudden dryness of his mouth. "Sounds fun."

Scott laughed softly, then his eyes widened in delight as he looked over Jimmy's shoulder toward where the trees thickened. "Honeysuckle!" He made a beeline for the bushes and Jimmy followed. Scott trailed his fingers over the delicate yellow blossoms before plucking one and holding it to his nose, then pinched off the very end. He carefully pulled the stamen down until he saw a drop of nectar well up, then put the end of the flower in his mouth and closed his eyes with a happy hum.

He opened his eyes again to see Jimmy staring at him, and he looked down at the blossom in his hands to avoid his gaze. "Oh! There's a little more," he said, tugging on the stamen again. He held the flower up to Jimmy carefully. "Here, taste," he said. "Isn't it heavenly?"

Jimmy hadn't eaten honeysuckle since he was a child, too impatient to pick flowers for only one or two drops of nectar in each one, but now he eagerly parted his lips for the sweet treat and sucked it from the offered flower. "It is," he said in response to Scott's question. "Better than I remember. But that could be 'cause of the company I'm in, too."

Scott laughed and tapped the blossom on Jimmy's nose. "Well, aren't you a smooth talker," he said. He put a hand on the back of Jimmy's neck and pulled him down into a kiss. Time came to a stop, and in that moment nothing else mattered to Jimmy more than petal-soft lips and the taste of honeysuckle.

[yo9urt]

in hindsight i realize i may not have been clear about minecraft last night. let me be clear (<- obama voice): I Have It

[southernsolarpunk]

Planted some Liatris (Blazing star aka Gayfeather) bulbs in the yard a few weeks ago! (Native to both my area & the habitat we have on my parents property) And they’ve started growing!!

I couldn’t find much about the beginning stages of Liatris online, so I wanted to post about them as they grow here! Hopefully I will actually remember to update their growth :)

I also have some Liatris seeds that I plan to mix with other species native to this specific habitat, I’ll probably seed bomb in the fall because they require cold stratification.

[ethoslut]

okay cool the bamboo is nice as fuck the bookshelves are cool the signs are pretty we get new preset skins. sniffer won. whatever couldnt care less abt any of that we get a fuckign CAMEL BABEY A DESERT MOB AFTER ALL THIS TIME

[swagferret]

I JUST FOUND OUT ABOUT SOME OF THE PAST MOB VOTES AND BIOME UPDATES THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN

YOU MEAN TO TELL ME THAT WE COULD'VE HAD MEERKATS?

AND OSTRICHES??

AND MULTIPLE SAVANNA TREES???

YEARS AGO????????

CRYING SCREAMING THROWING UP

[tiktoksinspo]

Your Biome based on your Zodiac Sign:

Aquarius: Jungle

Virgo: Forest

Sagittarius: Savanna

[cornbread-but-cringey]

damn i really need to update y'all it's fall. these savannas are literally fucking red - they look like someone poured hot cheetoes all over them. but even just thinking about tweaking the colors more than i have is just so fucking exhausting.

i tried starting on a second overhaul to the colors about a year ago, never finished it. i was hoping i'd be able to finish it this year but i really don't want to look at a colormap ever again tbh.

if i were to make any more color tweaks, i genuinely can't tell if i'd want to start over using the current release version as a base or try to continue on the previous overhaul i never finished and didn't really like the birch leaves in.

i mean, this pack is almost five years old, it makes sense i'd be tired of it, i just wish i'd managed to leave it in a better state than this.

i'm going to make a small update just so it's compatible with 1.20, at least.

[headspace-hotel]

I am so perplexed at why all the books I had growing up characterized the Southeastern USA as a "temperate" climate when the standard classification lists even Kentucky as humid subtropical. It seems like sources that assume a USA perspective are more likely to describe the climate as temperate.

I have endless frustration with how our environment has been shoved into boxes it doesn't really fit into. Parts of the ecosystem that don't fit the familiar categorization have been forgotten.

Large areas of the USA were oak savannas, but everyone thinks savannas are exotic environments somewhere else. The Southeastern USA had BAMBOO FORESTS and almost no one knows they existed.

Webpages sometimes describe Arundinaria gigantea as a "bamboo-like plant." But it is a true bamboo! The Southeast has bamboo, passion fruits, pawpaws, and lots of broad-leaved evergreens. Just from wandering around on Google Earth and seeing comparisons, Savannah, Georgia LOOKS way more similar to tropical nations than it does to like. Vermont. Or anywhere in Europe.

I'm not imagining this, am I? And I feel so sure it has to do with colonialism. I don't have any hard evidence but when I read texts about post-colonial thought as well as primary sources from the colonial era, I definitely see that there is a way Europeans thought of tropical biomes as savage and barbaric, and temperate biomes as good and Normal, and there was definitely an attempt to force the land to conform to European expectations and agricultural practices, like they very much did try to make this continent into another Europe in terms of plant and animal life.

I just know that I was so boggled to learn that the whole southeast is technically humid subtropical because i distinctly remember books telling that the subtropical area was like. half of Florida. And then I was like "wait. of course it is. Even up here in Kentucky winter daytime temperatures are mostly above freezing. Alabama is in the same latitude as Iran."

It's like, something about making the climate and ecosystem seem Normal in comparison to something else

[tumbler-polls]