10th March 2023
In
Biodiversity, Climate conditions, Iceberg, Photography
Icebergs
Icebergs, by Jan Erik Waider.
Daniel Ingvartsen for The inspiration. March 2023.
24th February 2023
In
Animals, Biodiversity, Flamingo, Lake, Migration, Photography
Aerial photos showcase the annual flamingo migration
Aerial photos showcase the annual flamingo migration that transforms India’s Pulicat Lake into a vibrant spectacle.
Each January, Pulicat Lake in Tamil Nadu, India, harbours tens of thousands of lanky, pink-feathered birds that gather in the warm waters during their annual migration.
Approximately 20 flocks of flamingo’s land in the region in early November and stay until May, transforming the 750-square kilometres of brackish lagoons into breeding grounds for the long-legged creatures.
Photographer Raj Mohan documented these temporary settlements in a series of aerial images that capture the birds’ sprawling, even bizarre formations. The avian dot the landscape, congregate in heart-shaped groups, and align in long, perfect diagonals, seemingly choreographed arrangements visible only from above.
Mohan’s images were taken during what’s known as the annual flamingo festival, which “promote(s) tourism at Pulicat. Several bird photography contests, environment education sensitization programs, school excursions, etc., are organized to increase awareness,” he shares on Petra Pixel.
“This attracts a large number of bird watchers and photographers from different places.” In addition to the spectacle they create, the flamingos also help to control the otherwise rampant algae growth in the lake and prevent the need for human intervention.
Grace Ebert, for ThisisColossal. December 2022.
15th February 2023
In
Biodiversity, Climate conditions, Climate crisis, Pictures
The climate crisis in pictures
NY Times- The climate crisis in pictures.
Daniel Ingvartsen for The Inspiration. November 2022.
9th January 2023
In
Animals, Biodiversity, Birds, Insects, Nature, Photography, Wild Life
2022 Close-up Photographer of the Year
Nature’s diversity is captured in minuscule detail in the 2022 Close-up Photographer of the Year Competition.
Among the winning images of the Close-Up Photographer of the Year contest, frilly slime mold stems from leaves, elegant insects splay colourful wings, and microscopic patterns create vivid abstractions. Now in its fourth year, the competition attracted more than 9,000 entries from 54 countries.
The overall winner of this year’s competition was captured by Samantha Stephens and glimpses two tiny amphibians trapped inside a carnivorous plant. She explains, “Typically, these plants feast on invertebrates such as moths and flies, but recently, researchers at the Algonquin Wildlife Research Station discovered a surprising new item on the plant’s menu: juvenile Spotted Salamanders (Ambystoma maculatum).” It was a timely capture; by the following day, the creatures had sunk to the bottom of the pitcher.
Visit the contest’s website to view the Top 100 photographs of the year.
Kate Mothes for ThisisColossal.com. January 2023.
26th September 2022
In
Animals, Architecture, Bee, Biodiversity, Climate conditions, Pollinator
Miniature homes for solitary Bees
Tiny holes drilled into bricks provide miniature homes for solitary bees
An innovative creation of Cornwall-based Green&Blue, Bee Bricks are designed to establish homes within homes.
The architectural building blocks can be layered with more typical materials and feature holes of various sizes that allow the fuzzy, winged insects a space for nesting. These multi-purpose bricks are especially crucial as bee populations dwindle due to habitat loss and a changing climate.
Burrowing inches into the blocks made of reclaimed concrete, the narrow openings are targeted at red masons, leafcutters, and other cavity-nesters that live outside of colonies. It’s estimated that the U.K. alone boasts 250 solitary species, which tend to be better pollinators than their social counterparts because they gather the sticky substance from multiple sources, which improves biodiversity.
Bee Bricks have made headlines in recent days after the city of Brighton and Hove announced that all new buildings more than five-meters-tall must include some form of housing for the solitary creatures. The council’s move follows similar policies in Dorset and Cornwall, in addition to guidelines that establish homes for swifts in new buildings, as well.
Thisiscolossal.com, Grace Ebert. January 2022. All images © Green&Blue.
