Basking Ridge, NJ
Bird of the Day: Song Sparrow
Basking Ridge, NJ
Greater galangal (Alpinia galanga)
This perennial tropical plant with an aromatic rhizome grows up to 5-6 feet tall. The plant belongs to the ginger family where the rhizomes are used for medicinal purpose. It has oblong, smooth leaves and fragrant, greenish white flowers.
Bird of the Day: Sri Lankan Frogmouth
Photo: Deepthi Pullanikattil Suresh
Periyar Tiger Reserve, Kerala
Funny Macaques (Bonnet Macaque)
Bonnet macaques are found only in South India, occupying wet lowland to dry deciduous forest, up to a height of 2100 m. They are usually quite sociable and are seen mostly in groups.
This photograph was taken near Kumily close to the lower Camp road side by Mr. Shaji. Bonnet macaques of this area mostly seem to be waiting for travelers passing by in hopes of getting some food or fruits from them. Visitors usually feed them to watch the macaques eat and their funny facial expressions, but actually this is a mistake for both animals and people, and should be discouraged.
Selective Pantheon
The Guardian, more than most newspapers, investigates and reports stories of historical-scientific “cabinet of curiosities” value that match our interests on this site. This slide show below is an example, and is worth a visit.
It is a side show, actually, from a story the paper covered titled “How a book about fish nearly sank Isaac Newton’s Principia” (also worth a visit) and had the subtitle “Poor sales of lavishly illustrated book forced Royal Society to go back on promise to finance publication of Newton’s Principia;” so if pictures intrigue you visit their site and read the captions for each image.
Carbon Emissions Series: Scope 3 for Hospitality
If someone asks you to measure your property’s scope 3 emissions, you should tell them that it’s basically impossible. Because it is. That’s the gist of this post. But before we despair over the endless range of scope 3 emissions for a hotel property, let’s toss in the GHG Protocol’s definition:
Scope 3: Other indirect emissions, such as the extraction and production of purchased materials and fuels, transport-related activities in vehicles not owned or controlled by the reporting entity, electricity-related activities (e.g. T&D losses) not covered in Scope 2, outsourced activities, waste disposal, etc.
How far does your supply chain reach? The vast scope, depth, and complexity of hotels' supply chains and customer interactions make scope 3 measurement a daunting task.
Bird of the Day: Cactus Wren (Palm Desert, CA)
Malabar Plum (syzygium jambos)
This flower is the white variety of the Malabar Plum (Rose Apple) which is medium sized, tropical flowering tree that grows up to 15 meters high. This is the flowering season (March to May) for this tropical plant which yields white colored rose apple fruit.
Scherman-Hoffman Audubon Sanctuary
Northern Goshawk (Above) and Red-tailed Hawk (below) from Scherman-Hoffman
I would be surprised if any of you had heard of the small birding spot in Bernardsville, New Jersey. However, Scherman-Hoffman Audubon Sanctuary is my favorite place to bird in the world. This location is not very widely birded, but it was my avian home for the past four years. From hawk watching, to spring migration counting, to leading bird walks I had a tremendous number of opportunities to bird there and I have a special place in my heart for the staff and the birds that can be seen from season to season and year to year.
Bird of the Day: American Goldfinch
Hyper Humus, NJ
Periyar Sightings: April 29, 2012
Mr. Manu from Cochin was a recent guest at Cardamom County from 28 April 2012 to 29 April 2012. He has shared some of his excellent photography with us from his visit to the Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary.
Bird of the Day: Northern Fulmar
Monterey, CA
Queen Flower (Lagerstroemia speciosa)
The Queen flower is a small to medium sized tropical flowering tree growing to a height of 20mts, native to southern India and the Philippines. It has smooth rounded leaves and beautiful lavender flowers which will add beauty to any landscape.
Bird of the Day: Lotens Sunbird (Periyar Tiger Reserve, Thekkady, India)
Photo: Mr. Manoj Vasudevan
Backwater Fishing
Kerala is a land of rivers, lakes, lagoons, rivulets and beautiful canals filled with rich and diversified fish fauna, many of which are rare and endemic species. Fisherman ply the Vemabanad Lake, Ashtamudi Lake and Kayamkulam Lake as well as the backwaters still using using traditional methods, including Chinese fishing nets as well as small nets that are cast by hand.
Food Play
In the best of cases food both nourishes and inspires. Who’s to say that it can’t amuse as well.
Bird of the Day: Northern Parula
Laguna Atascosa, TX
If You Happen to Be In Connecticut
Still Life with Peeler II, 2011; Mia Brownell; Akus Gallery
Anyone who has spent time at our site can vouch for our commitment to community and the power of the liberal arts to sustain and develop each of us both individually and collectively.
The Akus Gallery at Eastern Connecticut State University is bound by their own mission statement to provide a fertile environment for interchange among the diverse disciplinary perspectives of the university’s liberal arts community. Continue reading
Gulmohar Tree
The Gulmohar tree (Royal Poinciana) is an ornamental shady tree that blooms all over the south Indian roadsides between April and June.
Bird of the Day: Wild Turkey
Basking Ridge, NJ
Organikos 