September goulash

In this posting, a diverse collection of this month’s leftovers are used in a goulash.

The only home of painted turtles near Nelson has long been the pond at Grohman Narrows Park (see loafing time). Yet, in late September, this turtle was seen in a pond at south Taghum about four kilometres away.

Here is an oddity. It might well be a Mucronella sp., one of a group known as icicle fungi. This one seems to have fallen over as the icicles are normally vertical. It was there one day, and gone the next.

A fawn steps out of the bush. Its spots help it blend into sun-flecked surroundings. Although looking at me, only one ear is directed my way; the other is monitoring its intended pathway.

Neither predators nor prey wish to be seen, so many animals have evolved an appearance that allows them to blend in. Blend, that is, when viewed in the visible portion of the electrodynamic spectrum. But, animals cannot hide the fact that they metabolize and so will have a temperature above that of their environment. If viewed in the thermal infrared (~ 8 to 14 µm, or 20 times a visible wavelength), a visually cryptic animal stands out from its surroundings merely because it has a higher temperature. The fawn’s mother glows in the thermal infrared. 

This raven was lethargic after gorging on kokanee salmon. Its reticence to fly allowed this portrait.