pasque flower: botanical identification

I hike quite frequently, so I will start a botanicals feature today to learn more and to share with you what I find. I saw this gorgeous furry blossom a week or so ago, a Pasque Flower.

From Wikipedia, "the Pasque Flower is a deciduous perennial that is found in short clumps in meadows and prairies of North America and Eurasia. The genus Pulsatilla includes about 30 species, many of which are valued for their finely-dissected leaves, solitary bell-shaped flowers, and plumed seed heads. The anthers are bright yellow and the purple bell consists of sepals.
In its tallgrass prairie habitat, it is one of the first plants to bloom in the spring, often before the late winter snows have thawed.

This genus is sometimes included as part of genus Anemone as subgenus Pulsatilla, and is also commonly known as the prairie crocus, wind flower, Easter Flower and meadow anemone. It also grows in limestone pastures in central and northern Europe and parts of Russia. It is found rarely and locally in southern England from where the Pasque / Parsk / Pask family takes its name.
Different varieties of the Pasque flower are the floral emblems of various territories. Pulsatilla vulgaris is the county flower for both Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire. Pulsatilla hirsutissima is the state flower of South Dakota and the provincial flower of Manitoba.
Pasque refers to Easter (Passover) as the flower blooms around that time of year. "

happy earth day!

Happy Earth Day!

Make an effort to unplug today somehow--use less energy, buy locally, take a walk, ride your bike, do some gardening & clean up! But then try doing that more often all year long!

There is an endless list of ways you can help: Today you could recycle, plant a tree, give to an environmental non-profit program, spring clean and donate to a Salvation Army, start a compost pile, take the bus, change to energy efficient light bulbs, adopt a road and remove the trash, cook a vegetarian meal, make a call to a solar company to install photovoltaics on your home or buy a carbon offset if you are flying.

Become Vegetarian: meat production is responsible for around 18% of global CO2 emissions. 5,214 gallons of water are required to produce a single pound of beef, and the EPA estimates that more than 27,000 miles of US rivers have been polluted by livestock waste.

Stop using plastic from now on! Americans dispose of 10.5 million tons of plastic garbage every year, and about 8% of the world's annual oil production is used toward the creation of plastic products. A single plastic bottle can spend anywhere from 100 to 1000 years in a landfill.

But remember, earth day is everyday-this is our home.
Check out the EarthDay.org action center rallies, campaigns, arts & more!

botany factory terrariums: kate goldman macdonald

Botany Factory is a San Francisco based studio whose mission is to bring greenery to small, indoor spaces. Much like creating a ship in a bottle, terrarium building takes a small, dexterous hand, a collection of minute tools and a keen interest in petite plant life and clever composition.

A plant enthusiast from the start, Katie Goldman Macdonald began her early days accompanying her banjo playing, botanist father on wildflower classification walks through the woods. Ever after, she has nurtured a growing desire to have dirt on her hands and flowers in her hair. She is the creator, designer and owner of Botany Factory. She works with Oakland based glass artist, Evan Kolker, to have her designs brought to life. All of her hand blown forms are organically shaped, playful and one of a kind.

Katie is obsessed with succulents and has turned her apartment into a living, breathing life sized terrarium. She likes nothing better than to pore over her succulent and cactus encyclopedia researching which specimens she will next seek out. Straight from her little Mission based studio to you, her creations are the perfect way to bring a little of the great outdoors inside.

dunton hotsprings: colorado

Colorado has many hidden gems, and the tiny ghost town of Dunton that was transformed into a world class hotsprings spa and resort is near the top of that list. Dunton Hot Springs was lovingly restored and transformed into a dream vacation destination with the original rustic cabin architecture intact. There are 12 different cabins to choose from, each offering rustic decor plus other unique features like outdoor showers, a tee-pees or a private hot spring with a cold plunge tub. At least one even has a full kitchen. Other resort amenities include a spa, yoga and pilates classes, a bath house and chef prepared meals using local ingredients. Open year round, activities range from hiking to snowshoeing and even Heli-skiing! Wish I was packing my bags today to take a little road trip south near Telluride!

aqua pod: floating fish farm

Ocean Farm Tech
The Aquapod® farmed fish cage is an unmoored, maneuverable container with its own built-in thrusters. Designed by a team led by Cliff Goudey, the director of the MIT Sea Grant's Offshore Aquaculture Engineering Center, a prototype was constructed for a technical feasibility test this summer in the waters off of Puerto Rico. This method is both healthier and less polluting.

The project is funded by NOAA’s Marine Aquaculture Program, aimed at demonstrating the technology needed to raise fish in the vast portions of the U.S. that are too deep for conventional anchored fish cages. There are many locations both in U.S. waters and around the world where oceanic currents and gyres offer useful frameworks for such mobile operations. Though futuristic compared to today’s near-shore fish farming practices, the concept avoids the user conflicts and compromised water quality of coastal waters.

The concentrated nature of aquaculture often leads to higher than normal levels of fish waste in the water. Fish waste is organic and composed of nutrients necessary in all components of aquatic food webs. In some instances such as nearshore, high-intensity operations, increased waste can adversely affect the environment by decreasing dissolved oxygen levels in the water column. Not only is the quality of the water affected but that of the food as well. Many hatcheries can be found near urban areas and sometimes get exposed to stormwater and industrial runoffs.

Off-shore aquaculture, as envisioned by Goudey and others, would resolve these problems, as this approach would 1) take the operation away from the foul waters of the coasts and 2) utilize strong ocean currents to flush away fish wastes. Should the cages enter a less than pristine area, it would simply move again. And if the currents aren't moving fast enough, the propellers would create the necessary turbulence.

jenni tieaho: environmental artist

Jenni Tieaho

tofino botanical garden: sculpture art

RonGrn

wonder cabinet: nature's oddities: deep ocean creatures

Both beautiful and bizarre these unusual critters are part of our planetary network of life.

asif khan: flower furniture

London designer Asif Khan's Harvest furniture installation using freeze dried Gypsophilia flowers for the Designers in Residence program at the Design Museum London.

stone forest: dreaming of stone bathtubs

Stone Forest knows the way to my heart! These tubs almost make you believe you are at a hotsprings.

new zealand trip: pt 4

the last new zealand photo post....

new zealand trip: pt3

taking a long time to settle back into non-vacation mode....






photos by me.

yellowstone national park splendor

They say the last time the caldera of Yellowstone erupted, it left the entire continent of North America covered in a foot of ash. I say perfect summer road trip for photography! Haven't been there in 14 years- yippee!! Read more on Yellowstone here & here.

chris drury: natural art

Chris Drury of UK, creates extraordinary nature inspired art. Shown in order are: Medicine Wheel, Pine Circle, Boletus Circle & Spore Grid

new zealand trip: pt 2

photos by me