The Beauty of Pollination from TED

This is an absolutely beautiful video that my friend Alan shared with me. It is a must see for everyone because not only is it beautiful to the eye but it also shows the intricate connectedness that all life shares. Without all cogs of the wheel the web of life will fall apart.  Protect and cherish all life.

Tags: beauty of pollination bees hummingbird flower bat nectar pollen honey cactus passion flower life connectedness interdependence

Another amazing video from the International Space Station!

Tags: ISS aroura eaast coast USA north america

Winter at the Earthshine Nature Center

Take a look at a few of the most recent photos of a few of the inhabitants of the Earthshine Nature Center waiting out the winter.

The first one is of Indi the Blue Tongue Skink basking under her new full spectrum sun lamp that was donated by Nature Center volunteer Amy Lord–THANK YOU Amy!  I cannot think of a better way to spend the winter than flat out like a lizard basking.

Now check out Hayward the Gray ratsnake resting in one of the Ratsnake Skyway tubes–isn’t he a beautiful snake!

Take a look at Fiona–our newest snake–a beautiful Royal Python (aka Ball Python).  She was donated to us by Savannah from the WNC Nature Center in Asheville, NC.  THANK YOU Savannah!

And here is Gandalf the Canebrake rattlesnake resting under his log.  (sorry about the dirty glass.)

Check out Penny the Copperhead in her cave.

Finally there is Gollum the Eastern Hellbender who is squeezed into his favorite notch in the rocks.  It looks like his is uncomfortable but Hellbenders love to jam themselves in tight crevices–it makes them feel secure.

If you would like to visit all of the animals in the Earthshine Nature Center please drop me an email and we can schedule a time for a visit.   –Steve

Tags: canebrake timber rattlesnake royal ball python gray ratsnake rat snake northern copperhead, eastern hellbender ozark snot otter amphibian, reptiles

Digital Detox at Earthshine Mountain Lodge…and Earthshine Nature Programs

Check it out!  WLOS TV recently did a story called Digital Detox that featured Earthshine Lodge and the Earthshine Nature Center!  Potter the Opossum and Fiona the Ball Python were the lucky Nature Center critters who got short spots in the story–watch the entire story here.

Tags: digital detox opossum ball python earthshine mountain lodge nature programs, WLOS TV 13

Bamboo Shark Hatched in Hendersonville!!

My friend Brenda Ramer operates the Team E.C.C.O. Center for Ocean Awareness in Hendersonville, NC.  She is now the proud parent of a baby Bamboo Shark!! Read all about it and then go check it out for yourself at Team E.C.C.O. in downtown Hendersonville!

 

 

 

Tags: bamboo shark team e.c.c.o. center for ocean awareness hendersonville, Brenda BJ Ramer

Beautiful Aurora Video!

Check out this beautiful Aurora video shot in Norway recently!

For the full effect view the video full screen.

Aurora 2012 from Christian Mülhauser on Vimeo.

Tags: northern lights, norway aurora

Spotted Salamanders!

Check out this photo of Earthshine Nature’s spotted salamanders–aren’t they wonderful!

Spotted Salamanders are fairly common in the forests of Western North Carolina but they are seldom seen because of their nocturnal underground lifestyle.  They spend most of their lives in underground burrows searching for invertebrates to feed on such as worms and insects.   They come to the surface in the late winter when the first warm rains of spring lure them onto the surface in search of mates and their egg laying sites–predator free vernal ponds and pools hidden in the forest.  Once they find their pools–sites they return to yearly–they mate and then the females lay large masses of eggs.  The eggs of the spotted salamander are contained within a rather firm yet jellylike mass that protects the developing embryos within.  The egg mass is often covered with a specialized algae that shares a symbiotic relationship with the developing salamander larva.  The larva exhale carbon dioxide which directly benefit the algae and the algae photosynthesize the suns energy creating an oxygen rich environment which gives the embryos the perfect environment for growth.  Amazing!

Count yourself lucky if you are in the right place at the right time to see Spotted Salamanders in the wild–they are a true treasure to behold.

If you have temporary ponds on your property that often fill up in the late winter and spring then dry up in the summer then you may have Spotted Salamanders!  Please consider leaving the ponds intact for the benefit of wildlife that need them such as the Spotted Salamander.

For more information and beautiful photos of Spotted Salamanders and their egg masses check out my friend Alan’s posting on the Wandering Herpetologist Blog.

If you would like to meet our salamanders just email me and I will gladly arrange a visit.

Tags: amphibian, spotted salamander

Amazing Gorilla Encounter!

I just saw this video on Youtube of an amazing Gorilla encounter that everyone must watch–it is incredible!

Watch it now before the internet is censored next week and Youtube is shut down.  If you care about keeping the internet FREE and not a crime to use then please fight the SOPA and PIPA act.  Follow this link to read more about SOPA and PIPA and then do all you can to help stop the censorship of the internet.  If the bill becomes a law then educational websites like Earthshine Nature and this blog could be censored and shut down even though we are an educational resource site.  Shortly after I post this article Earthshine Nature Programs will be joining in on the blackout in protest of the SOPA and PIPA act.  Our freedom of speech and information is being targeted so we must stand up and fight for the right to share quality information with each other for the greater good.  If you host a website please consider blacking it out today to join in on the protest.

Tags: freedom, internet, mountain gorilla encounter touching grooming silverback baby SOPA PIPA censorship act primate africa, youtube

“New” Tiny Frog Discovered Living Inside Carnivorous Plants

This is an amazing new species of frog that was re-discovered in Borneo.  Read more about it in the original article below.

“Scientists in Borneo have discovered a new species of frog, and think that it may be one of the world’s smallest.

Although the frog, (the Matang Narrow-mouthed Frog) Microhyla nepenthicola, is no bigger than the size of pea when fully grown, it lives fearlessly inside and around carnivorous pitcher plants in Malaysian rain forests.

“The tiny amphibian was officially introduced to the world on Wednesday, but researchers say that they have been hiding in plain view for more than a century.

“I saw some specimens in museum collections that are over a hundred years old,” co-discoverer Indraneil Das said in a statement.

Originally, many scientists thought that the frogs were simply juveniles of other species, but now realize they are actually adults of this newly discovered microspecies.

Despite its tiny size, the frog produces a loud, distinct croak, which is why scientists were finally able to locate it.

“You often get tiny frogs making quite a noise,” said Robin Moore, a herpetologist who was not involved in the discovery told NationalGeographic.

Moore is heading a Conservation International project to rediscover a hundred species of “lost” amphibians that have been declared extinct within the past decade.

Original Article: http://www.care2.com/causes/tiny-frog-discovered-living-inside-carnivorous-plants.html#ixzz1jLTVz9Nc“

The tadpoles live in the pools of water and digestive enzymes inside the pitchers of Nepenthes ampullaria as seen in the below photos.

When we discover amazing species such as Microhyla nepenthicola that have developed incredible adaptations for survival such as living inside carnivorous plants we are astounded and marvel at its beauty and complexities.

However, amphibians such as this tiny frog are vanishing all over the world due to pathogens such as the Chytrid fungus–a terrible frog plague that is responsible for wiping out entire species of frogs in the last few decades. Frog farming for frog legs and moving species around the planet for the pet trade have spread the Chytrid fungus and other pathogens around the globe.  Toxins created and applied to our farms, gardens, yards, homes and bodies by us such as Triclosan (found in many household chemicals) and Atrazine (a common herbicide) are mutating and killing amphibians and other wildlife all over the world.

Why do we allow this to continue?

A tiny creature such as this frog could vanish in an instant and we would never know. Now that we know of its existence it is up to us to preserve it and its habitat and to protect it from us.

Please do all you can to help Save the Frogs.   Some simple things you can do to help frogs is not eating frog legs, not using any products that contain Triclosan and working to ban the use of Triclosan and Atrazine from production and use all over the world.  Also please consider making a donation to non profit conservation organizations such as Save the Frogs and Earthshine Nature who are working to spread awareness of the value of amphibians and nature conservation to all.

Thank You

Tags: atrazine amphibians save the frogs herbicide, carnivorous plant, Matang Narrow-mouthed Frog, Microhyla nepenthicola, Nepenthes ampullaria, snake tracks timber rattlesnake earthshine nature programs mountain lodge lake toxaway nc brevard nature wildlife study conservation education, triclosan

Lions, Tigers and Bears…Oh My!

This is  GREAT story about tolerance, forgetting your differences and living together in peace.  We so called “civilized and superior” humans should take a lesson from this story and learn from the animals how to better relate to one another!  Thanks Alan for sending it to me.

They make an unlikely trio, but Baloo the bear, Leo the lion and Shere Khan
the tiger have forged an unusually strong bond.

Considering that they would be mortal enemies if they ever were to meet in the
wild, it is stunning to see their unique and genuine friendship in these intimate
pictures.

Rescued eight years ago during a police drugs raid in Atlanta ,Georgia,
the three friends were only cubs at the time, barely two months old.

 

They had been kept as status symbol pets by the drug barons.

Delivered to the Noah’s Ark Animal Rescue Center in Locust Grove, Georgia,
the decision was made to keep the youngsters together because of their
budding rapport.

‘We could have separated them, but since they came as a kind of family,
the zoo decided to keep them together,’ said Diane Smith, assistant
Director of Noah’s Ark.

‘To our knowledge, this is the only place where you’ll find this combination
of animals together.’

Living with the zoo’s founders for the past eight years, Shere Khan, Baloo
and Leo have now moved to a purpose-built habitat where the US public
can now witness first hand their touching relationships.

‘We didn’t have the money to move them at first,’ said Diane.

‘Now their habitat is sorted and they have been moved away from the children’s
zoo areas where the public couldn’t really get a good look.

‘It is possible to see Baloo, who is a 1000lb bear, Shere Khan, a 350lb tiger
and Leo, who is also 350lbs, messing around like brothers.

‘They are totally oblivious to the fact that in any other circumstance they would
not be friends.’

Handled by Charles and Jama Hedgecoth, the zoo’s owners and founders,
the three friendly giants appear to have no comprehension of their animal
differences.

‘Baloo and Shere Khan are very close,’ says Diane.

‘That is because they rise early, and as Leo is a lion, he likes to spend most
of the day sleeping.

‘It’s wonderful and magical to see a giant American Black Bear put his arm
around a Bengal Tiger and then to see the tiger nuzzle up to the bear like a
domestic cat.

‘When Leo wakes up, the three of them mess around for most of the day
before they settle down to some food.’

Surprisingly, for three apex predators with the power to kill with a single bite
or swipe of their paw, they are very relaxed around each other.

‘They eat, sleep and play together,’ said Jama.

‘As they treat each other as siblings, they will lie on top of each other for heat
and simply for affection.

‘At the moment they are getting use to their new habitat.

‘Shere Khan is being quite reticent about the move, but Baloo, the bear, is very
good at leading him on and making him feel comfortable and safe.’
Explaining that the three ‘brothers’ have always seemed to share a unique
bond, Charles said: ‘Noah’s Ark is their home and they could not possibly be
separated from each other.

‘You just have to remember who you’re dealing with when you are with them,
though.

‘It’s when you forget that these fellows are wild animals that you get yourself
in trouble.’

The trio’s new habitat had to be constructed carefully, in order to accommodate
its occupants.

Jama said: ‘The clubhouse had to be very sturdy for the guys, because they all
sleep in it together,’  She added: ‘We had to include a creek, because the tiger
and the bear both like to be in water.’

Learn more about Noah’s Ark Animal Rescue and Children’s Center on their website.

Tags: lions tigers bears big cats nohas ark animal rescue center