For no obvious reason (not to me anyway - maybe a psychologist could assist!) the thought came to me to offer some pictures featuring organisms being very white. It's nothing to do with an approaching White Christmas - it's 33 degrees C here today, with 36 degrees looming for Christmas Eve. Once I started looking, I found far more candidates than I could use today. I find white hard to photograph satisfactorily (I've mentioned before that I make no claims to being a Photographer), so bear with me...
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| Great Egret Ardea modesta, Canberra. |
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| White Tern Gygis alba, Lord Howe Island. This really is one of the whitest animals I know! |
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| Coscoroba Swan Coscoroba coscoroba, Puerto Natales, southern Chile. |
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Unidentified moth, Manu National Park, Peru.
Probably family Geometridae, but any suggestions welcomed! |
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| Featherheads, Ptilotis macrocephala, Murchison River, Western Australia. |
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| Alpine Mint-bush Prostanthera cuneata, Kosciuszko National Park, New South Wales. |
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| Eucalyptus victrix, Nallan Station, inland Western Australia. |
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| Orchid, Stegostyla ustulata, Gungahlin Hill, Canberra. |
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Fungi, Korup National Park, western Cameroon.
Perhaps genus Mycena, the parasol and bonnet genus? |
There is plenty of scope to continue this theme, with white and with other colours.
If that's all white with you....
The fungi look like they could be Marasmiaceae (Parachute Mushrooms) and the moth Geometridae (Geometers) -- but I'm talking from a European perspective these days, so not to be relied upon.
ReplyDeleteIn beautiful downtown Carwoola we get a White Christmas (regardless of temperature) as all the Kunzea ericoides flowers at this time!
ReplyDeleteMartin
Thanks for taking the trouble Susan - I appreciate it. With groups as old as moths and fungi, I'm sure that a European perspective is a useful as any other. You prompted me to do what I ought to have done earlier, and at least looked for similar species in my Australian books. I agree with you on the Geometrid, but am inclined to see the Korup fungi as genus Mycena (family Tricholomataceae), or something close to it. Again my thanks for your interest.
ReplyDeleteThe Kunzea ericoides would have made another good subject thanks Martin, but I don't really have a decent pic of it for some reason.
Your response led me to review my Burgan images and they are none of them really of publishable quality! Not that this has stopped me from publishing them elsewhere!
ReplyDeleteMartin
Ian: You could well be right. I just checked my photos from an outing to my local forest in central France, where we collected both Marasmius and Mycena. Marasmius really are tiny and fine. Mycena are small, but a bit more robust looking. As you can tell, I'm no expert, but I belong to my local myco club and learn a little bit more every outing.
ReplyDeleteEnjoying your posts & this 'All White' is no exception. I keep seeing snippets here & there on the Murchison River. It's fairly certain that we're headed there in 2013. Can't wait!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for your kind comments Leanne. Make sure you get in touch before you head off to the wonderful Murchison; I may be able to offer some suggestions.
ReplyDelete