Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: interestingness#450

This is one of my favourite tropical butterflies - I love the pattern on the underside of the wings. Taken on 8 September 2011 in the ENMAX Conservatory at the Calgary Zoo. This one had landed on a rather dirty window. This species, known as the Mosaic or Zebra Mosaic, (Colobura dirce) is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It is found in Central America and northern South America. "The butterflies habitually sit on the tree trunks in a head downwards posture, at a height of about 2 metres, to imbibe sap and moisture from crevices in the bark. If approached they sometimes try to evade the intruder by running around to the opposite side of the tree, and if followed will run back to their original position - quite literally forcing the observer to run around in circles after them. They are extremely reluctant to take flight when feeding, and if they are forced to do so they quickly return to resume feeding." www.learnaboutbutterflies.com/Amazon%20-%20Colobura%20dir...

I was so thrilled to get the chance to visit the Grand Tetons on the 5th day of our week's trip to Wyoming. Unfortunately, we arrived at this well-known location at just the "wrong" time of day, when you had to more or less look into the sun to photograph the jagged peaks of the mountain range and the few scattered barns. The herd of wild Bison in the area was a treat, too. Taken on 15 September 2012 at Mormon Row. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mormon_Row_Historic_District www.jacksonholenet.com/history_museums/mormon_row.php "The bison (Bison bison) is the largest land mammal in North America. In a typical year, more than 3,000 bison roam the grasslands of Yellowstone National Park. Bulls are more massive in appearance than cows, and more bearded. For their size, bison are agile and quick, capable of speeds in excess of 30 mph. Each year, bison injure park visitors who approach too closely. Most animals in Yellowstone are subject to different management goals when they leave the park. Bison require special attention because many have been exposed to the bacteria that causes brucellosis, a disease that also infects domestic cattle. Yellowstone has worked with the state of Montana and other federal agencies to develop a plan for managing the bison population in a way that protects both its wild and free-roaming characteristics and the health of Montana cattle. Yellowstone is the only place in the lower 48 states where a population of wild bison has persisted since prehistoric times, although fewer than 50 native bison remained here in 1902. Fearing extinction, the park imported 21 bison from two privately-owned herds, as foundation stock for a bison ranching project that spanned 50 years at the Buffalo Ranch in Yellowstone's Lamar Valley. Activities there included irrigation, hay-feeding, roundups, culling, and predator control, to artificially ensure herd survival. By the 1920s, some intermingling of the introduced and wild bison had begun. With protection from poaching, the native and transplanted populations increased. In 1936, bison were transplanted to historic habitats in the Firehole River and Hayden Valley. In 1954, the entire population numbered 1,477. Bison were trapped and herds periodically reduced until 1967, when only 397 bison were counted park wide. All bison herd reduction activities were phased out after 1966, again allowing natural ecological processes to determine bison numbers and distribution. Although winterkill takes a toll, by 1996 bison numbers had increased to about 3,500." www.nps.gov/yell/naturescience/bison.htm

I'm uploading another photo of a Three-toed Woodpecker, as these are seen so rarely, and I usually can't get even half-decent photos when I do actually see one. Saw this one at Brown-Lowery Provincial Park. These birds look so similar to the Black-backed Woodpecker, but the latter does not have the white "ladder" markings down its back. I love the little splash of deep yellow on the male's forehead. Not the best quality, as image was taken in dense forest, so low light.

Thanks for everyone's patience as I post a photo of yet another Rose!! June is the wettest month of the year for us here, so I might just have to resort to buying another bunch or two of flowers if we continue to get rain. Yesterday, Calgary had dreadful flooding. Our average total precipitation for the month of June is something like 76 mm and yesterday 98.6 mm fell in just 18 hours!! Felt a little too much like the major flooding of June 2005 for everyone's liking.

It was a bit windy this afternoon, ruffling a few feathers. Thought this little guy/gal looked kind of cute.