Corallorhiza maculata (Spotted Coralroot)

It’s been quite a while since I updated this blog, so I guess we’ve got a lot to catch up on.

On a recent visit to Vancouver Island, I stumbled across a beautiful patch of Corallorhiza maculata, a weirdo orchid that has abandoned chlorophyll and instead specializes in parasitizing fungi to get the resources it needs to for growth and reproduction.

Reading

• A Treasure Trove of Cambrian Fossils Rewrites the Story of Early Life
• Dead Internet Theory Is 17% of the Way to Becoming Reality, Study Finds
• Think AI “knows” what it’s doing? Scientists say think again
• Scientists discover “cleaner ants” that groom giant ants in Arizona desert
• Mammal ancestors laid eggs, and this 250-million-year-old fossil finally proves it

Listening

Last week I finished finished listening to the last episode of Jad Abumrad’s podcast series Fela Kuti: Fear No Man. It was stunningly good – he’s one of the best podcast producers around and the depth and insight of this series is breathtaking. Highly recommended, especially if you’ve never heard of Fela Kuti.

Photos

Marchantia polymorpha (Common Liverwort)

A friend of mine got me looking around for this liverwort. I was getting frustrated that I couldn’t find it anywhere, but then found two patches in one day. Now I’m frequently finding it – the secret is to look in irrigated planters, especially in horrid condo landscaping.

Feeding the gulls

A few months back I met this lovely woman who regularity feeds the gulls in downtown Vancouver. I spoke with her for a while, commending her on paying attention to birds that usually don’t get much love. She also showed me the fold-out scissors she carries to cut off string caught on pigeon’s feet. A hero to me.

Hemigrapsus oregonensis (Yellow Shore Crab)

I saw so many of these yellow shore crabs in tide-pools out on Vancouver Island.

Car vs bike path

A spectacle along the False Creek sea wall. I’ve no idea how this happened.

Early spring at Beaver Lake

The view at Beaver Lake in Stanley Park a few months back.

Until next time.

PS: I’ll be switching hosting providers in the next month, so my site may temporarily vanish as numbers shift around behind the scenes.

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