Click the image above to go to the video:
Scientists in Australia have discovered bees have a remarkable ability to distinguish different types of paintings.
The experiments, carried out at the University of Queensland, showed the bees could pick a Monet over a Picasso.
The aim of the research is to discover more about how bees search for food and help us understand how humans learn.
The Margaret Merril Rose is pearly white with a delicate blush of pink and brown stamens. The delicate double cup-shaped flowers are grown world wide due to their famously strong scent. In Kerala these roses are most common in the High Ranges, seen in gardens and parks.
Photo Credit: Mr. Vijay Mampilly
Banarji Road, Ernakulam; Photo Credit: Ben Barkley
Watch also for our 2PM eBird story with final predictions and strategy recommendations for birding Sandy.
If there is a silver lining to every cloud–even the most unwanted clouds–birders will always find them. We appreciate the “safety first” approach as much as the sense of dedication to the craft. Click the image above to go to the story:
Our never-ending commitment to demonstrate the value of public libraries–not just the institution as a great idea but all its phenomenal specific examples– led us to the Portland, Maine Public Library. Â We wish it were as simple as walking down the street to visit this exhibit…
Click the image to the right to go to its website, highlighting the roles of Maine College of Art and Portland Public Library. And major thanks to The Bank of Maine, mainly for funding generously provided to support your public library, but also for doing it with a master of illustrated story-telling.
If you happen, like many of us on this site, to be a devoted fan of Mr. Gorey, you might find this profile of him in Harvard Magazine to be of interest. Â And for that matter, if you happen to be in Portland, Maine then you are relatively not so far from the Gorey home, which is open to visitors.
Uda Walawe, Sri Lanka
Marigold is a long lasting bloomer bearing numerous single, yellow to orange flowers on each stem. It is commonly found in the high ranges of Kerala, but grows throughout India. These flowers are mainly used for garlands, Temple offerings and medicinal purposes.
In India systematic forest management was begun about forty years ago, under difficulties—presented by the character of the country, the prevalence of running fires, opposition from lumbermen, settlers, etc.—not unlike those which confront us now. Of the total area of government forests, perhaps 70,000,000 acres, 55,000,000 acres have been brought under the control of the forestry department,—a larger area than that of all our national parks and reservations. Continue reading
Ithaca, NY
An ongoing exhibition at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art asks visitors to consider the connections between art and science — and how they each attempt to explore the why, when and how of our existence. “African Cosmos: Stellar Arts” illustrates how the stars and planets we see in the sky have been influencing African art and ritual for generations. Continue reading
Photo credit: Ramesh Kidangoor
Common Indian Crow is one of most common butterflies in and around the Periyar Tiger Reserve. The wings of the butterfly are brown in color with two lines of white spots on the lower sides. Continue reading
Trivandrum
I’m on patrol with the forest rangers of Gola rainforest national park. I’m spending two days with them, gathering data and hopefully preventing poaching as well as illegal mining and subsistence farming within the park. My aim is to get to know the rangers and experience a day in their life. I want to know what challenges they face as well as what gives them the most satisfaction at the end of each day.
Uda Walawe, Sri Lanka
Yarek Waszul
From the New York Times (click the image to the left to go to the source), a recent story covered a topic that one of our contributors would likely post on, if he was not on the road, toting his mobile device around in that cute sleeping bag.  As an aside, Neema was quoted in a story related indirectly to this one:
Speed, instant gratification, accessibility — these are a few of the appealing hallmarks of digital technology. It’s no coincidence that we love our smart wireless devices: Humans are a notoriously impatient species, born with a preference for immediate rewards.
Periyar Tiger Reserve is one of the richest biodiversity hot spot in the Western Ghats. In fact, of the nearly 252 species of orchids found in Kerala, 145 are seen in this region. Foxtail Orchid belongs to the Vanda family, a species widely growing above 800 meters of semi-evergeen and moist deciduous forests. Foxtail Orchid is the state flower of both Arunachal Pradesh and Assam.
Periyar Tiger Reserve, Kerala
