Nature

[Kitsa]

I'm aaaaaallllllmost certain this is a carolina mantis, but not 100%.

[Kitsa]

My mantis pictures made whatsthatbug.com

Went to a nature preserve last night and saw a doe and two fawns.



See her? She's looking right at you.



The doe crossed the trail first, followed by both fawns. Very close...they feel safe there and aren't afraid of humans.

[Zhukov]

Very awesome. Two creatures I have never seen and would very much like to.

[Kitsa]

I always figured kangaroo were pretty much Australia's equivalent of deer.

[Zhukov]

We don't have kangaroos here, only wallabies. I've only seen kangaroos on holiday or in zoos, rather than just walking around.

Wallabies are smaller, furrier, cuter and taste a lot better.

[Zhukov]

I guess our equivalent of the mantis is the Australian Mantis.

[Kitsa]

The mantises look about the same. This is the first time I've seen a carolina mantis around here, although one might argue that it's just because she was probably so well-camouflaged. I typically see the familiar green version several times a year, because I have butterfly bushes that attract an easy lunch.

[Pentegarn]

The mantis pic reminds me of that thread WhiteRat had where he made various exotic bugs fight

[Babs]

jesus tits this is some really intense LSD

my jaw has its own atmosphere

[Kitsa]

i'll teach your grandmother to suck eggs

[Zhukov]

Piss off babs.




This is a tree.

[Kitsa]

very cool, the branches on the left look like legs with very baggy tights on

[Aaarg]

the right looks like a loooong torso. mostly for the naval, and the upward arms and leaning neck at the top.

[Kitsa]

I went here yesterday.

On the way there, there was this eerie wind farm that had hundreds of turbines, as far as the eye could see, for 11 miles. They were just all silently turning, some at different rates, and something about them freaks me out a little.



This is the view between the parking lot and beach...acres and acres of beautiful dunes anchored by grasses and trees.







This is the staircase that's part of the Succession trail. The college where I did my Bio undergrad is very near this, and during one of my field botany classes I had to hike this damned thing at least twice a week, rain or shine, charting the locations of sand cherry trees and jack pines. My calves got huge.



More beautiful dunes shots:



Some of the flora and fauna here are completely unique and can't be found anywhere else in the world.





They discourage going off-trail because disturbing the grasses causes the dunes to shift, covering paths and structures. People do it, though.







Between the dunes and beach there's a bath house. There are usually rangers there to discourage all fuckery literal and figurative. Walking through the bath house, the beach opens up before you with this amazing view:



Look to your left, and there's Gary and Chicago off in the distance.



See Chicago? That hazy group of skyscrapers out there?



The path to the right leads to various trails.





continued...

[Kitsa]

Kite we flew to entertain the baby...

[Zhukov]

My internet is running slow, so it's going to take me a month to see all of those

But what I can see looks interesting, as usual.

[Aaarg]

beautiful pictures.

i wish i hadn't forgotten this thread for so long, and i wish i'd take advantage of my surroundings. ffffff.

[MLE]

I want the lens of my camera to be fixed. It's about to be fall in the new england area again.

[Kitsa]

That reminds me...if anyone has a good idea for how to get sand out of a DSLR lens without accidentally abrading it, please, I'm all ears.

[The Leader]

You're fucked.

[Zhukov]

Vacuume cleaner.

[Kitsa]

I'm afraid of dragging the grains across the lens as I get them out, however they go.

Got some more Enormous Spider Pics for you, Zhukov. This is an orb weaver found in our garden. She could have comfortably fit in the palm of my hand.

[executioneer]

well having no experience whatsoever with that sort of thing i'd say put unflavored gelatin in it, let it set in the refrigerator and then suspend it upside down from something so that when the lens reaches room temperature the gelatin will fall out taking the sand with it :completelyretardedidea :don'tdoit :i'mprobablydrunk

[The Doctor]

Apple Picking

[elx]

Originally Posted by Kitsa

also i like that you're not one of the lazy people like me that just names files ajfoklfae because i can easily identify which of your image codes i want to diret my commentary towards which saves me like 14.6 seconds of my life.