A few nice animal rights images I found:
2006-09-24 - VisitingLollypopFarm-0035
Image by smiteme
2002-11-10 - RalphieWalk022
Image by smiteme
Nice Animal Rights photos
Nice Free Animals photos
Check out these free animals images:
DSC00839
Image by BethanyWeeks
Lion (Panthera leo)
The lion is one of the four big cats in the genus Panthera, and a member of the family Felidae. With some males exceeding 250 kg (550 lb) in weight, it is the second-largest living cat after the tiger. Wild lions currently exist in Sub-Saharan Africa and in Asia with an endangered remnant population in Gir Forest National Park in India, having disappeared from North Africa and Southwest Asia in historic times. Until the late Pleistocene, about 10,000 years ago, the lion was the most widespread large land mammal after humans. They were found in most of Africa, across Eurasia from western Europe to India, and in the Americas from the Yukon to Peru. The lion is a vulnerable species, having seen a possibly irreversible population decline of thirty to fifty percent over the past two decades in its African range. Lion populations are untenable outside designated reserves and national parks. Although the cause of the decline is not fully understood, habitat loss and conflicts with humans are currently the greatest causes of concern. - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lion
Henry Vilas Free Zoo
Madison, Wisconsin
June 15, 2011
DSC00837
Image by BethanyWeeks
Lion (Panthera leo)
The lion is one of the four big cats in the genus Panthera, and a member of the family Felidae. With some males exceeding 250 kg (550 lb) in weight, it is the second-largest living cat after the tiger. Wild lions currently exist in Sub-Saharan Africa and in Asia with an endangered remnant population in Gir Forest National Park in India, having disappeared from North Africa and Southwest Asia in historic times. Until the late Pleistocene, about 10,000 years ago, the lion was the most widespread large land mammal after humans. They were found in most of Africa, across Eurasia from western Europe to India, and in the Americas from the Yukon to Peru. The lion is a vulnerable species, having seen a possibly irreversible population decline of thirty to fifty percent over the past two decades in its African range. Lion populations are untenable outside designated reserves and national parks. Although the cause of the decline is not fully understood, habitat loss and conflicts with humans are currently the greatest causes of concern. - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lion
Henry Vilas Free Zoo
Madison, Wisconsin
June 15, 2011
Vodka
Some cool names for animals images:
Vodka
Image by Elrenia_Greenleaf
We’d seen a poster outside the butchers in Castle Douglas (which, incidentally has the nicest sausages this side of the border so if you’re ever in the area, pay it a visit :D) for an ‘open day’ to raise money for a local donkey sanctuary and it had a photograph of a lovely fuzzy donkey who went by the name of Vodka on it.
It transpired that all three were rescues. Vodka, who had been imported to France from somewhere else, had been rescued from the meat trade, scared and unconfident, with her long shaggy coat all matted and muddy. A bar in Glasgow has sponsored her, I can’t remember the name of it right now, only that it had ‘Vodka’ in the title but I’m sure I’d seen her in an ad campaign once before, so it was extra nice to meet her. She was by far one of the friendliest donkeys I have ever had the pleasure of meeting and was VERY interested in Nigel. Her flag like ears pricked as she sniffed him and she was utterly transfixed.
Then there was Fergus, a tiny little jack who got very jealous when he was ignored for more than a minute. (remind you of anyone?) I can’t remember his history but regardless of what it was, he was adorable, if a little grumpy.
Aimee, I think was the name of the other jenny, a gorgeous little pinto who I only really saw the head and legs of as the rest of her was covered in a rug to help ease her sweet itch. She had been a racing donkey and had competed in several ‘Donkey Derbys’ before coming here. The cobs, who I never ‘met’ were grazing the muddy paddock in the background, blatantly ignoring everyone else
I picked up a leaflet with pictures of all the donkeys at this other sanctuary and their stories. There was also a section with some of the horses that would be going to the slaughterhouse in France shortly with prices and details about them. It was heartbreaking, seeing all these animals with such potential looking at their own demise. There were even two mares and foals, one was in foal at the same time as well. It said that they’d be going to Italy where it is legal to kill pregnant mares for meat.
I can’t even begin to put into words how wrong that is, I just can’t.
If I had the money, god, if only I had money.
#spanishrevolution
Check out these animal rights images:
#spanishrevolution
Image by Brocco Lee
El 22/05/11 en Sol.
#acampadasol
Image by Brocco Lee
El 22/05/11 en Sol.
MOBY CLIFTON
Some cool all about animals images:
MOBY CLIFTON
Image by roberthuffstutter
A SHORT ESSAY ABOUT OUR DOGS AND CATS IN THIS LIFETIME AND THE NEXT LIFETIME
Having had cats and dogs since I was a small lad, they have been real blessings and taught me many lessons about love and understanding. As I grow older, I reflect on all of the cats and dogs that have entered my life and left my life throughout the years.
There are many great memories. It is my belief that in our final lifetime, we shall not only be reunited with loved ones but the dogs and cats we have loved so much. Perhaps not all, but some of those who thought we were truly good keepers.
It might well be left to the choice of our cats and dogs. Robert L. Huffstutter
when squirrels attack
Image by jonoakley
Taken at the botanic garden in Durham.
I was sat in the bird hide and three squirrels were running about, and probably scaring all the birds away, which Is why I only saw one or two!
Nice Plush Stuffed Animals photos
Some cool plush stuffed animals images:
Day 748. Suzanne.
Image by cdedbdme
www.elegantees.com
"Founder Katie Behnke was 23 years old when she felt a burning desire to start her 10-year dream to make fashion for women just like herself. As this desire was growing to the point she couldn't do anything but pursue it, she took the risk. Katie gathered all her knowledge and resources from working in the fashion industry for 5 years in New York City to start Elegantees."
100% of the net profits are donated to History Starts Now. The goal is to fight sex trafficking and to empower women to fulfill their dreams.
I've known Katie since high school. The tops and dresses she's created are absolutely fabulous! Today I'm wearing, Suzanne (click the link on the top of this to view her shop by size).
Please support Katie! She's a great girl with a big heart!
------
I love this Rex plushie. He's quite soft and very adorable.
Monday - White Rock
Image by chicgeekuk
Tuesday - Granville Island
Image by chicgeekuk
Awesome.
Cool Animal Rescue images
Some cool animal rescue images:
baby wombat (Chloe)
Image by Denis Fox
Rescued by a neighbour from a pouch after mother was hit by a car. Approx 3 month old. About a quarter the size of the other one. A handful. They move about at night and don't give away to anthing, hense the high accident rate.
Nice Animal photos
A few nice animal images I found:
these papparazzi can be so irritating
Image by monkeyc.net
The expression says it all to me, a kind of hurry up and get it over with
Wallaby by the roadside at Mount Cotton - The concept of building an animal friendly housing estate must have been an interesting one to sell and yet it works.
Exacatly what people think of having wallabies eating their flowers in their front yard however I do wonder.
If i had to guess (and im not an expert by any stretch I'd say hes a Swamp Wallaby - Wallabia bicolor - common here in SE Queensland.
POP FACT : Australia is the only country in the world apparently where we eat our coat of arms which is the Emu and Kangaroo - Emu meat isnt bad actually, I dont much care for Kangaroo - as a country boy I shot a lot growing up, not with a camera.
And thats our fault - we killed off their predators, the dingo, because they like to eat sheep (which is fine with me - you couldnt imagine a dumber animal) so the Kangaroos are now in plague proportions and we cull them - but you dont eat wild ones, not unless you want to get some nasty parasites in your body.
We farm these and export them now - all over the world - apparently the meat is very lean, I just dont much care for the taste.
Christmas mice
Image by Natasha Fadeeva
See more of my animals at www.fadeeva.com/
Christmas mice
Image by Natasha Fadeeva
See more of my animals at www.fadeeva.com/
Cool Animal Cruelty images
Check out these animal cruelty images:
Cat as Cat
Image by mousetrout
Cat as Cat
Image by mousetrout
Cat as Cat
Image by mousetrout
Nice Animal Health photos
Check out these animal health images:
Herbert 3, 21 Jun 12
Image by Castaway in Scotland
Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.
When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge.
There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.
All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor; those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by.
The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.
They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent; His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.
You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.
Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together....
Animal checkup
Image by The U.S. Army
Members of Kentucky Agricultural Development Team II get to know their patient as they conduct a health inspection of local animals in Panjshir province, Afghanistan Feb. 9. The team inspected more than 40 sheep over the course of the day. Photo by Panjshir Provincial Reconstruction Team
ginger tom
Check out these pet animals images:
ginger tom
Image by Leo Reynolds
Cromer, Norfolk, England, UK
Augenblicke - round-eyed
Image by Jorbasa
Oktober 2009
Bryce Canyon National Park, southwestern Utah
Some cool names for animals images:
Bryce Canyon National Park, southwestern Utah
Image by james_gordon_losangeles
Bryce Canyon National Park is a national park located in southwestern Utah in the United States. The major feature of the park is Bryce Canyon, which despite its name, is not a canyon but a collection of giant natural amphitheaters along the eastern side of the Paunsaugunt Plateau. Bryce is distinctive due to geological structures called hoodoos, formed by frost weathering and stream erosion of the river and lake bed sedimentary rocks. The red, orange, and white colors of the rocks provide spectacular views for park visitors. Bryce sits at a much higher elevation than nearby Zion National Park. The rim at Bryce varies from 8,000 to 9,000 feet (2,400 to 2,700 m).
The Bryce Canyon area was settled by Mormon pioneers in the 1850s and was named after Ebenezer Bryce, who homesteaded in the area in 1874. The area around Bryce Canyon became a National Monument in 1923 and was designated as a National Park in 1928. The park covers 35,835 acres (55.99 sq mi; 145.02 km2) and receives relatively few visitors compared to Zion National Park and the Grand Canyon, largely due to its remote location.
Geography and climate
Bryce Canyon National Park is located in southwestern Utah about 50 miles (80 km) northeast of and 1,000 feet (300 m) higher than Zion National Park. The weather in Bryce Canyon is therefore cooler, and the park receives more precipitation: a total of 15 to 18 inches (38 to 46 cm) per year.
Yearly temperatures vary from an average minimum of 9 °F (−13 °C) in January to an average maximum of 83 °F (28 °C) in July, but extreme temperatures can range from −30 °F to 97 °F (−34 °C to 36 °C). The record high temperature in the park was 98 °F (37 °C) on July 14, 2002. The record low temperature was −28 °F (−33 °C) on December 10, 1972.
The national park lies within the Colorado Plateau geographic province of North America and straddles the southeastern edge of the Paunsagunt Plateau west of the Paunsagunt Fault (Paunsagunt is Paiute for "home of the beaver").[9] Park visitors arrive from the plateau part of the park and look over the plateau's edge toward a valley containing the fault and the Paria River just beyond it (Paria is Paiute for "muddy or elk water"). The edge of the Kaiparowits Plateau bounds the opposite side of the valley.
Bryce PointBryce Canyon was not formed from erosion initiated from a central stream, meaning it technically is not a canyon. Instead headward erosion has excavated large amphitheater-shaped features in the Cenozoic-aged rocks of the Paunsagunt Plateau. This erosion exposed delicate and colorful pinnacles called hoodoos that are up to 200 feet (61 m) high. A series of amphitheaters extends more than 20 miles (32 km) north-to-south within the park. The largest is Bryce Amphitheater, which is 12 miles (19 km) long, 3 miles (4.8 km) wide and 800 feet (240 m) deep. A nearby example of amphitheaters with hoodoos in the same formation but at a higher elevation, is in Cedar Breaks National Monument, which is 25 miles (40 km) to the west on the Markagunt Plateau.
Rainbow Point, the highest part of the park at 9,105 feet (2,775 m), is at the end of the 18-mile (29 km) scenic drive. From there, Aquarius Plateau, Bryce Amphitheater, the Henry Mountains, the Vermilion Cliffs and the White Cliffs can be seen. Yellow Creek, where it exits the park in the north-east section, is the lowest part of the park at 6,620 feet (2,020 m).
[edit] Human history[edit] Native American habitationLittle is known about early human habitation in the Bryce Canyon area. Archaeological surveys of Bryce Canyon National Park and the Paunsaugunt Plateau show that people have been in the area for at least 10,000 years. Basketmaker Anasazi artifacts several thousand years old have been found south of the park. Other artifacts from the Pueblo-period Anasazi and the Fremont culture (up to the mid-12th century) have also been found.
The Paiute Indians moved into the surrounding valleys and plateaus in the area around the same time that the other cultures left. These Native Americans hunted and gathered for most of their food, but also supplemented their diet with some cultivated products. The Paiute in the area developed a mythology surrounding the hoodoos (pinnacles) in Bryce Canyon. They believed that hoodoos were the Legend People whom the trickster Coyote turned to stone. At least one older Paiute said his culture called the hoodoos Anka-ku-was-a-wits, which is Paiute for "red painted faces".
European American exploration and settlementIt was not until the late 18th and the early 19th century that the first European Americans explored the remote and hard-to-reach area. Mormon scouts visited the area in the 1850s to gauge its potential for agricultural development, use for grazing, and settlement.
Ebenezer Bryce and his family lived in Bryce Canyon, in this cabin, here photographed c. 1881.The first major scientific expedition to the area was led by U.S. Army Major John Wesley Powell in 1872. Powell, along with a team of mapmakers and geologists, surveyed the Sevier and Virgin River area as part of a larger survey of the Colorado Plateaus. His mapmakers kept many of the Paiute place names.
Small groups of Mormon pioneers followed and attempted to settle east of Bryce Canyon along the Paria River. In 1873, the Kanarra Cattle Company started to use the area for cattle grazing.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints sent Scottish immigrant Ebenezer Bryce and his wife Mary to settle land in the Paria Valley because they thought his carpentry skills would be useful in the area. The Bryce family chose to live right below Bryce Canyon Amphitheater. Bryce grazed his cattle inside what are now park borders, and reputedly thought that the amphitheaters were a "helluva place to lose a cow." He also built a road to the plateau to retrieve firewood and timber, and a canal to irrigate his crops and water his animals. Other settlers soon started to call the unusual place "Bryce's canyon", which was later formalized into Bryce Canyon.
A combination of drought, overgrazing and flooding eventually drove the remaining Paiutes from the area and prompted the settlers to attempt construction of a water diversion channel from the Sevier River drainage. When that effort failed, most of the settlers, including the Bryce family, left the area.
Bryce moved his family to Arizona in 1880. The remaining settlers dug a 10 miles (16 km) ditch from the Sevier's east fork into Tropic Valley.
Creation of the park
Bryce Canyon Lodge was built between 1924 and 1925 from local materials.These scenic areas were first described for the public in magazine articles published by Union Pacific and Santa Fe railroads in 1916. People like Forest Supervisor J. W. Humphrey promoted the scenic wonders of Bryce Canyon's amphitheaters, and by 1918 nationally distributed articles also helped to spark interest. However, poor access to the remote area and the lack of accommodations kept visitation to a bare minimum.
Ruby Syrett, Harold Bowman and the Perry brothers later built modest lodging, and set up "touring services" in the area. Syrett later served as the first postmaster of Bryce Canyon. Visitation steadily increased, and by the early 1920s the Union Pacific Railroad became interested in expanding rail service into southwestern Utah to accommodate more tourists.
In 1928 the canyon became a National Park. It now has this visitors' center.At the same time, conservationists became alarmed by the damage overgrazing and logging on the plateau, along with unregulated visitation, were having on the fragile features of Bryce Canyon. A movement to have the area protected was soon started, and National Park Service Director Stephen Mather responded by proposing that Bryce Canyon be made into a state park. The governor of Utah and the Utah Legislature, however, lobbied for national protection of the area. Mather relented and sent his recommendation to President Warren G. Harding, who on June 8, 1923 declared Bryce Canyon National Monument into existence.
A road was built the same year on the plateau to provide easy access to outlooks over the amphitheaters. From 1924 to 1925, Bryce Canyon Lodge was built from local timber and stone.
Members of U.S. Congress started work in 1924 on upgrading Bryce Canyon's protection status from a U.S. National Monument to a National Park in order to establish Utah National Park.
A process led by the Utah Parks Company for transferring ownership of private and state-held land in the monument to the federal government started in 1923. The last of the land in the proposed park's borders was sold to the federal government four years later, and on February 25, 1928, the renamed Bryce Canyon National Park was established.
In 1931, President Herbert Hoover annexed an adjoining area south of the park, and in 1942 an additional 635 acres (2.57 km2) was added.[11] This brought the park's total area to the current figure of 35,835 acres (145.02 km2). Rim Road, the scenic drive that is still used today, was completed in 1934 by the Civilian Conservation Corps. Administration of the park was conducted from neighboring Zion Canyon National Park until 1956, when Bryce Canyon's first superintendent started work.
More recent history
The USS Bryce Canyon was named for the park and served as a supply and repair ship in the U.S. Pacific Fleet from September 15, 1950, to June 30, 1981.
Bryce Canyon Natural History Association (BCNHA) was established in 1961. It runs the bookstore inside the park visitor center and is a non-profit organization created to aid the interpretive, educational and scientific activities of the National Park Service at Bryce Canyon National Park. A portion of the profits from all bookstore sales are donated to public land units.
Responding to increased visitation and traffic congestion, the National Park Service implemented a voluntary, summer-only, in-park shuttle system in June 2000. In 2004, reconstruction began on the aging and inadequate road system in the park.
Geology of the Bryce Canyon area
Erosion of sedimentary rocks has created natural arches.
Thor's Hammer.The Bryce Canyon area shows a record of deposition that spans from the last part of the Cretaceous period and the first half of the Cenozoic era. The ancient depositional environment of the region around what is now the park varied. The Dakota Sandstone and the Tropic Shale were deposited in the warm, shallow waters of the advancing and retreating Cretaceous Seaway (outcrops of these rocks are found just outside park borders). The colorful Claron Formation, from which the park's delicate hoodoos are carved, was laid down as sediments in a system of cool streams and lakes that existed from 63 to about 40 million years ago (from the Paleocene to the Eocene epochs). Different sediment types were laid down as the lakes deepened and became shallow and as the shoreline and river deltas migrated.
Several other formations were also created but were mostly eroded away following two major periods of uplift. The Laramide orogeny affected the entire western part of what would become North America starting about 70 million to 50 million years ago. This event helped to build the Rocky Mountains and in the process closed the Cretaceous Seaway. The Straight Cliffs, Wahweap, and Kaiparowits formations were victims of this uplift. The Colorado Plateaus were uplifted 16 million years ago and were segmented into different plateaus, each separated from its neighbors by faults and each having its own uplift rate. The Boat Mesa Conglomerate and the Sevier River Formation were removed by erosion following this uplift.
Vertical joints were created by this uplift, which were eventually (and still are) preferentially eroded. The easily eroded Pink Cliffs of the Claron Formation responded by forming freestanding pinnacles in badlands called hoodoos, while the more resistant White Cliffs formed monoliths. The brown, pink and red colors are from hematite (iron oxide; Fe2O3); the yellows from limonite (FeO(OH)·nH2O); and the purples are from pyrolusite (MnO2). Also created were arches, natural bridges, walls, and windows. Hoodoos are composed of soft sedimentary rock and are topped by a piece of harder, less easily eroded stone that protects the column from the elements. Bryce Canyon has one of the highest concentrations of hoodoos of any place on Earth.
The formations exposed in the area of the park are part of the Grand Staircase. The oldest members of this supersequence of rock units are exposed in the Grand Canyon, the intermediate ones in Zion National Park, and its youngest parts are laid bare in Bryce Canyon area. A small amount of overlap occurs in and around each park.
Biology
Mule deer are the most common large animals found in the park.More than 400 native plant species live in the park. There are three life zones in the park based on elevation: The lowest areas of the park are dominated by dwarf forests of pinyon pine and juniper with manzanita, serviceberry, and antelope bitterbrush in between. Aspen, cottonwood, Water Birch, and Willow grow along streams. Ponderosa Pine forests cover the mid-elevations with Blue Spruce and Douglas-fir in water-rich areas and manzanita and bitterbrush as underbrush. Douglas-fir and White Fir, along with Aspen and Engelmann Spruce, make up the forests on the Paunsaugunt Plateau. The harshest areas have Limber Pine and ancient Great Basin Bristlecone Pine, some more than 1,600 years old, holding on.
Bryce Canyon has extensive fir forests.The forests and meadows of Bryce Canyon provide the habitat to support diverse animal life, from birds and small mammals to foxes and occasional bobcats, mountain lions, and black bears. Mule deer are the most common large mammals in the park. Elk and pronghorn, which have been reintroduced nearby, sometimes venture into the park.
Bryce Canyon National Park forms part of the habitat of three wildlife species that are listed under the Endangered Species Act: the Utah Prairie Dog, the California Condor, and the Southwestern Willow Flycatcher. The Utah Prairie Dog is a threatened species that was reintroduced to the park for conservation, and the largest protected population is found within the park's boundaries.
About 170 species of birds visit the park each year, including swifts and swallows. Most species migrate to warmer regions in winter, although jays, ravens, nuthatches, eagles, and owls stay. In winter, the mule deer, mountain lion, and coyotes migrate to lower elevations.
Ground squirrels and marmots pass the winter in hibernation.
Eleven species of reptiles and four species of amphibians have been found at in the park. Reptiles include the Great Basin Rattlesnake, Short-horned Lizard, Side-blotched Lizard, Striped Whipsnake, and the Tiger Salamander.
Also in the park are the black, lumpy, very slow-growing colonies of cryptobiotic soil, which are a mix of lichens, algae, fungi, and cyanobacteria. Together these organisms slow erosion, add nitrogen to soil, and help it to retain moisture.
While humans have greatly reduced the amount of habitat that is available to wildlife in most parts of the United States, the relative scarcity of water in southern Utah restricts human development and helps account for the region's greatly enhanced diversity of wildlife.
Activities
There are marked trails for hiking, for which snowshoes are required in winter.
Navajo Trail. Trees are Pseudotsuga menziesii and Pinus ponderosa.Most park visitors sightsee using the scenic drive, which provides access to 13 viewpoints over the amphitheaters. Bryce Canyon has eight marked and maintained hiking trails that can be hiked in less than a day (round trip time, trailhead): Mossy Cave (one hour, State Route 12 northwest of Tropic), Rim Trail (5–6 hours, anywhere on rim), Bristlecone Loop (one hour, Rainbow Point), and Queens Garden (1–2 hours, Sunrise Point) are easy to moderate hikes. Navajo Loop (1–2 hours, Sunset Point) and Tower Bridge (2–3 hours, north of Sunrise Point) are moderate hikes. Fairyland Loop (4–5 hours, Fairyland Point) and Peekaboo Loop (3–4 hours, Bryce Point) are strenuous hikes. Several of these trails intersect, allowing hikers to combine routes for more challenging hikes.
The park also has two trails designated for overnight hiking: the 9-mile (14 km) Riggs Spring Loop Trail and the 23-mile (37 km) Under-the-Rim Trail. Both require a backcountry camping permit. In total there are 50 miles (80 km) of trails in the park.
Horse riding is available in the park from April through October.More than 10 miles (16 km) of marked but ungroomed skiing trails are available off of Fairyland, Paria, and Rim trails in the park. Twenty miles (32 km) of connecting groomed ski trails are in nearby Dixie National Forest and Ruby's Inn.
The air in the area is so clear that on most days from Yovimpa and Rainbow points, Navajo Mountain and the Kaibab Plateau can be seen 90 miles (140 km) away in Arizona. On extremely clear days, the Black Mesas of eastern Arizona and western New Mexico can be seen some 160 miles (260 km) away.
The park also has a 7.4 magnitude night sky, making it one of the darkest in North America. Stargazers can therefore see 7,500 stars with the naked eye, while in most places fewer than 2,000 can be seen due to light pollution (in many large cities only a few dozen can be seen). Park rangers host public stargazing events and evening programs on astronomy, nocturnal animals, and night sky protection. The Bryce Canyon Astronomy Festival, typically held in June, attracts thousands of visitors. In honor of this astronomy festival, Asteroid 49272 was named after the national park.
There are two campgrounds in the park, North Campground and Sunset Campground. Loop A in North Campground is open year-round. Additional loops and Sunset Campground are open from late spring to early autumn. The 114-room Bryce Canyon Lodge is another way to overnight in the park.
A favorite activity of most visitors is landscape photography. With Bryce Canyon's high altitude and clean air, the sunrise and sunset photographs can be spectacular.
Clouded Leopard (Neofelis Nebulosa), Santago
Some cool animal picture images:
Clouded Leopard (Neofelis Nebulosa), Santago
Image by spencer77
Many thanks to Wild Arena (www.wildarena.com/)
This picture is available to use for free, under the creative commons licence. All I ask is that I'm given a photo credit & a courtesy email to let me know how it's being used.
169 cross processed with "bruised ego"
Image by HeedingtheMuses
GhostWorks Texture Comp #20
Texture with thanks to Skeletal Mess
I took this cool picture of a sheep yesterday when the light was so good in the morning. After adding some fill light I placed a copy of the texture over my image. I then cross processed the edges with a curves layer
Cool Pictures Of Animals images
A few nice pictures of animals images I found:
Naperville Ribfest 317
Image by Michael Kappel
Naperville Ribfest 2012
The Exchange Club of Naperville and the 2012 Ribfest was presented by the Exchange Club of Naperville, in cooperation with the City of Naperville and the Naperville Park District, Ribfest was held Friday, June 29 through Tuesday, July 3, 2012 in Knoch Park in Naperville. The Park was open on Friday, June 29 from 4 to 10 p.m. and from Saturday, June 30 through Tuesday, July 3 from noon to 10 p.m.
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Photoblog.MichaelKappel.com/
Photograph taken by Michael Kappel at Ribfest in Naperville
View the high resolution photo on my picture website
Pictures.MichaelKappel.com
Naperville Ribfest 148
Image by Michael Kappel
Naperville Ribfest 2012
The Exchange Club of Naperville and the 2012 Ribfest was presented by the Exchange Club of Naperville, in cooperation with the City of Naperville and the Naperville Park District, Ribfest was held Friday, June 29 through Tuesday, July 3, 2012 in Knoch Park in Naperville. The Park was open on Friday, June 29 from 4 to 10 p.m. and from Saturday, June 30 through Tuesday, July 3 from noon to 10 p.m.
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Photoblog.MichaelKappel.com/
Photograph taken by Michael Kappel at Ribfest in Naperville
View the high resolution photo on my picture website
Pictures.MichaelKappel.com
Naperville Ribfest Petting Zoo
Image by Michael Kappel
Naperville Ribfest 2012
The Exchange Club of Naperville and the 2012 Ribfest was presented by the Exchange Club of Naperville, in cooperation with the City of Naperville and the Naperville Park District, Ribfest was held Friday, June 29 through Tuesday, July 3, 2012 in Knoch Park in Naperville. The Park was open on Friday, June 29 from 4 to 10 p.m. and from Saturday, June 30 through Tuesday, July 3 from noon to 10 p.m.
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Photoblog.MichaelKappel.com/
Photograph taken by Michael Kappel at Ribfest in Naperville
View the high resolution photo on my picture website
Pictures.MichaelKappel.com
Vicksburg National Military Park (51)
A few nice animals facts images I found:
Vicksburg National Military Park (51)
Image by Ken Lund
Vicksburg National Military Park preserves the site of the American Civil War Battle of Vicksburg, waged from May 18 to July 4, 1863. The park, in Vicksburg, Mississippi, and Delta, Louisiana, also commemorates the greater Vicksburg Campaign, which preceded the battle. Reconstructed forts and trenches evoke memories of the 47-day siege that ended in the surrender of the city. Victory here and at Port Hudson gave the United States control of the Mississippi River.
A little known fact about the Vicksburg National Military Park is that, because it was paid for by the Federal Government, all of the Union Monuments were paid for by the US Government. The Confederate states however, were not Federally funded and their representation in the park is the direct result of years of fund raising and multiple benefits. Though the park is located in the South, the Federal Government did not give equal monetary donations to the Union and Confederacy, thus leaving the South to their own devices as far as money was concerned.
The park includes 1,325 historic monuments and markers, 20 miles (32 km) of historic trenches and earthworks, a 16-mile (26 km) tour road, two antebellum homes, 144 emplaced cannons, restored gunboat USS Cairo (sunk on December 12, 1862, on the Yazoo River, recovered successfully in 1964), and the Grant's Canal site, where the Union army attempted to build a canal to let their ships bypass Confederate artillery fire. The Cairo, also known as the "Hardluck Ironclad," was the first U.S. ship in history to be sunk by a torpedo/mine. It was raised in 1964. The Illinois State Memorial has 47 steps, one for every day Vicksburg was besieged.
The remnants of Grant's Canal, a detached section of the military park, are located across from Vicksburg near Delta, Louisiana. Union Army Major General Ulysses S. Grant ordered the project, started on June 27, 1862, as part of his Vicksburg Campaign, with two goals in mind. The first was to alter the course of the Mississippi River in order to bypass the Confederate guns at Vicksburg. For various technical reasons the project failed to meet this goal. The river did change course by itself on April 26, 1876. The project met its second goal, keeping troops occupied during the laborious maneuvering required to begin the Battle of Vicksburg.
The national military park was established on February 21, 1899, to commemorate the siege and defense of Vicksburg. The park sprawls over 1,800 acres (7.3 km2) of land. The park and cemetery were transferred from the War Department to the National Park Service (NPS) on August 10, 1933. Of the park's 1,736.47 acres (not including the cemetery), 1,729.63 acres (6.9996 km2) are federally owned.
In the late 1950s, a portion of the park was transferred to the city as a local park in exchange for closing local roads running through the remainder of the park. It also allowed for the construction of Interstate 20. The monuments in land transferred to the city are still maintained by the NPS. As with all historic areas administered by the NPS, the park was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 15, 1966. Over a million visitors visit the park every year.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vicksburg_National_Military_Park
The Siege of Vicksburg was the final major military action in the Vicksburg Campaign of the American Civil War. In a series of maneuvers, Union Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and his Army of the Tennessee crossed the Mississippi River and drove the Confederate army of Lt. Gen. John C. Pemberton into the defensive lines surrounding the fortress city of Vicksburg, Mississippi.
When two major assaults (May 19 and May 22, 1863) against the Confederate fortifications were repulsed with heavy casualties, Grant decided to besiege the city beginning on May 25. With no re-enforcement, supplies nearly gone, and after holding out for more than forty days, the garrison finally surrendered on July 4. This action (combined with the capitulation of Port Hudson on July 9) yielded command of the Mississippi River to the Union forces, which would hold it for the rest of the conflict.
The Confederate surrender following the siege at Vicksburg is sometimes considered, when combined with Gen. Robert E. Lee's defeat at Gettysburg the previous day, the turning point of the war. It also cut off communication with Confederate forces in the Trans-Mississippi Department for the remainder of the war. The city of Vicksburg would not celebrate Independence Day for about eighty years as a result of the siege and surrender as well.
After crossing the Mississippi River south of Vicksburg at Bruinsburg and driving northeast, Grant won battles at Port Gibson and Raymond and captured Jackson, the Mississippi state capital, in mid-May 1863, forcing Pemberton to withdraw westward. Attempts to stop the Union advance at Champion Hill and Big Black River Bridge were unsuccessful. Pemberton knew that the corps under Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman was preparing to flank him from the north; he had no choice but to withdraw or be outflanked. Pemberton burned the bridges over the Big Black River and took everything edible in his path, both animal and plant, as he retreated to the well-fortified city of Vicksburg.
The Confederates evacuated Hayne's Bluff, which was occupied by Sherman's cavalry on May 19, and Union steamboats no longer had to run the guns of Vicksburg, now being able to dock by the dozens up the Yazoo River. Grant could now receive supplies more directly than the previous route, which ran through Louisiana, over the river crossing at Grand Gulf and Bruinsburg, then back up north.
Over three quarters of Pemberton's army had been lost in the two preceding battles and many in Vicksburg expected General Joseph E. Johnston, in command of the Confederate Department of the West, to relieve the city—which he never did. Large masses of Union troops were on the march to invest the city, repairing the burnt bridges over the Big Black River; which Grant's forces crossed on May 18. Johnston sent a note to his general, Pemberton, asking him to sacrifice the city and save his troops, something Pemberton would not do. (Pemberton, a Northerner by birth, was probably influenced by his fear of public condemnation if he abandoned Vicksburg).
As the Union forces approached Vicksburg, Pemberton could put only 18,500 troops in his lines. Grant had over 35,000, with more on the way. However, Pemberton had the advantage of terrain and fortifications that made his defense nearly impregnable. The defensive line around Vicksburg ran approximately 6.5 miles, based on terrain of varying elevations that included hills and knobs with steep angles for an attacker to ascend under fire. The perimeter included many gun pits, forts, trenches, redoubts, and lunettes. The major fortifications of the line included Fort Hill, on a high bluff north of the city; the Stockade Redan, dominating the approach to the city on Graveyard Road from the northeast; the 3rd Louisiana Redan; the Great Redoubt; the Railroad Redoubt, protecting the gap for the railroad line entering the city; the Square Fort (Fort Garrott); a salient along the Hall's Ferry Road; and the South Fort.
Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's Union Army of the Tennessee brought three corps to the battle: the XIII Corps, under Maj. Gen. John A. McClernand; the XV Corps, under Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman; and the XVII Corps, under Maj. Gen. James B. McPherson.
Lt. Gen. John C. Pemberton's Confederate Army of Mississippi inside the Vicksburg line consisted of four divisions, under Maj. Gens. Carter L. Stevenson, John H. Forney, Martin L. Smith, and John S. Bowen.
Grant wanted to overwhelm the Confederates before they could fully organize their defenses and ordered an immediate assault against Stockade Redan for May 19. Troops from Sherman's corps had a difficult time approaching the position under rifle and artillery fire from the 36th Mississippi Infantry, Brig. Gen. Louis Hébert's brigade—they had to negotiate a steep ravine protected by abatis and cross a six-foot deep, eight-foot wide ditch before attacking the 17-foot high walls of the redan. This first attempt was easily repulsed. Grant ordered an artillery bombardment to soften the defenses and at about 2 p.m., Sherman's division under Maj. Gen. Francis P. Blair tried again, but only a small number of men were able to advance even as far as the ditch below the redan. The assault collapsed in a melee of rifle fire and hand grenades lobbing back and forth.
The failed Federal assaults of May 19 damaged Union morale, deflating the confidence the soldiers felt after their string of victories across Mississippi. They were also costly, with casualties of 157 killed, 777 wounded, and 8 missing, versus Confederate casualties of 8 killed and 62 wounded. The Confederates, assumed to be demoralized, had regained their fighting edge.
Grant planned another assault for May 22, but this time with greater care; they would first reconnoiter thoroughly and soften up the defenses with artillery and naval gunfire. The lead units were supplied with ladders to ascend the fortification walls. Grant did not want a long siege, and this attack was to be by the entire army across a wide front.
Despite their bloody repulse on May 19, Union troops were in high spirits, now well-fed with provisions they had foraged. On seeing Grant pass by, a soldier commented, "Hardtack." Soon all Union troops in the vicinity were yelling, "Hardtack! Hardtack!" The Union served hardtack, beans, and coffee the night of May 21. Everyone expected that Vicksburg would fall the next day.
Union forces bombarded the city all night, from 220 artillery pieces and naval gunfire from Rear Adm. David D. Porter's fleet in the river, and while causing little property damage, they damaged Confederate civilian morale. On the morning of May 22, the defenders were bombarded again for four hours before the Union attacked once more along a three-mile front at 10 a.m.
Sherman attacked once again down the Graveyard Road, with 150 volunteers (nicknamed the Forlorn Hope detachment) leading the way with ladders and planks, followed by the divisions of Blair and Brig. Gen. James M. Tuttle, arranged in a long column of regiments, hoping to achieve a breakthrough by concentrating their mass on a narrow front. They were driven back in the face of heavy rifle fire. Blair's brigades under Cols. Giles A. Smith and T. Kilby Smith made it as far as a ridge 100 yards from Green's Redan, the southern edge of the Stockade Redan, from where they poured heavy fire into the Confederate position, but to no avail. Tuttle's division, waiting its turn to advance, did not have an opportunity to move forward. On Sherman's far right, the division of Brig. Gen. Frederick Steele spent the morning attempting to get into position through a ravine of the Mint Spring Bayou.
McPherson's corps was assigned to attack the center along the Jackson Road. On their right flank, the brigade of Brig. Gen. Thomas E. G. Ransom advanced to within 100 yards of the Confederate line, but halted to avoid dangerous flanking fire from Green's Redan. On McPherson's left flank, the division of Maj. Gen. John A. Logan was assigned to assault the 3rd Louisiana Redan and the Great Redoubt. The brigade of Brig. Gen. John E. Smith made it as far as the slope of the redan, but huddled there, dodging grenades until dark before they were recalled. Brig. Gen. John D. Stevenson's brigade advanced well in two columns against the redoubt, but their attack also failed when they found their ladders were too short to scale the fortification. Brig. Gen. Isaac F. Quinby's division advanced a few hundred yards, but halted for hours while its generals engaged in confused discussions.
On the Union left, McClernand's corps moved along the Baldwin Ferry Road and astride the Southern Railroad of Mississippi. The division of Brig. Gen. Eugene A. Carr was assigned to capture the Railroad Redoubt and the 2nd Texas Lunette; the division of Brig. Gen. Peter J. Osterhaus was assigned the Square Fort. Carr's men achieved a small breakthrough at the 2nd Texas Lunette and requested reinforcements.
By 11 a.m., it was clear that a breakthrough was not forthcoming and the advances by Sherman and McPherson were failures. Just then, Grant received a message from McClernand, which stated that he was heavily engaged, the Confederates were being reinforced, and he requested a diversion on his right from McPherson's corps. Grant initially refused the request, telling McClernand to use his own reserve forces for assistance; Grant was mistakenly under the impression that McClernand had been lightly engaged and McPherson heavily, although the reverse was true. McClernand followed up with a message that was partially misleading, implying that he had captured two forts—"The Stars and Stripes are flying over them."—and that another push along the line would achieve victory for the Union Army. Although Grant once again demurred, he showed the dispatch to Sherman, who ordered his own corps to advance again. Grant, reconsidering, then ordered McPherson to send Quinby's division to aid McClernand.
Sherman ordered two more assaults. At 2:15 p.m., Giles Smith and Ransom moved out and were repulsed immediately. At 3 p.m., Tuttle's division suffered so many casualties in their aborted advance that Sherman told Tuttle, "This is murder; order those troops back." By this time, Steele's division had finally maneuvered into position on Sherman's right, and at 4 p.m., Steele gave the order to charge against the 26th Louisiana Redoubt. They had no more success than any of Sherman's other assaults.
In McPherson's sector, Logan's division made another thrust down the Jackson Road at about 2 p.m., but met with heavy losses and the attack was called off. McClernand attacked again, reinforced by Quinby's division, but with no success. Union casualties were 502 killed, 2,550 wounded, and 147 missing, about evenly divided across the three corps. Confederate casualties were not reported directly, but are estimated to be under 500. Grant blamed McClernand's misleading dispatches for part of the poor results of the day, storing up another grievance against the political general who had caused him so many aggravations during the campaign.
Historian Shelby Foote wrote that Grant "did not regret having made the assaults; he only regretted that they had failed."[21] Grant reluctantly settled into a siege. On May 25, Lt. Col. John A. Rawlins issued Special Orders No. 140 for Grant: "Corps Commanders will immediately commence the work of reducing the enemy by regular approaches. It is desirable that no more loss of life shall be sustained in the reduction of Vicksburg, and the capture of the Garrison. Every advantage will be taken of the natural inequalities of the ground to gain positions from which to start mines, trenches, or advance batteries. ..." Grant wrote in his memoirs, "I now determined upon a regular siege—to 'out-camp the enemy,' as it were, and to incur no more losses."
Federal troops began to dig in, constructing elaborate entrenchments (the soldiers of the time referred to them as "ditches") that surrounded the city and moved closer and closer to the Confederate fortifications. With their backs against the Mississippi and Union gunboats firing from the river, Confederate soldiers and citizens alike were trapped. Pemberton was determined to hold his few miles of the Mississippi as long as possible, hoping for relief from Johnston or elsewhere.
A new problem confronted the Confederates. The dead and wounded of Grant's army lay in the heat of Mississippi summer, the odor of the deceased men and horses fouling the air, the wounded crying for medical help and water. Grant first refused a request of truce, thinking it a show of weakness. Finally he relented, and the Confederates held their fire while the Union recovered the wounded and dead, soldiers from both sides mingling and trading as if no hostilities existed for the moment.
Subsequent to this truce, Grant's army began to fill the 12 mile ring around Vicksburg. In short time it became clear that even 50,000 Union soldiers would not be able to effect a complete encirclement of the Confederate defenses. Pemberton's outlook on escape was pessimistic, but there were still roads leading south out of Vicksburg unguarded by Federal troops. Grant found help from Maj. Gen. Henry W. Halleck, the Union general-in-chief. Halleck quickly began to shift Union troops in the West to meet Grant's needs. The first of these reinforcements to arrive along the siege lines was a 5,000 man division from the Department of the Missouri under Maj. Gen. Francis J. Herron on June 11. Herron's troops, remnants of the Army of the Frontier, were attached to McPherson's corps and took up position on the far south. Next came a three division detachment from the XVI Corps led by Brig. Gen. Cadwallader C. Washburn on June 12, assembled from troops at nearby posts of Corinth, Memphis, and LaGrange. The final significant group of reinforcements to join was the 8,000 man strong IX Corps from the Department of the Ohio, led by Maj. Gen. John G. Parke, arriving on June 14. With the arrival of Parke, Grant had 77,000 men around Vicksburg.
In an effort to cut Grant's supply line, Confederates in Louisiana under Maj. Gen. John G. Walker attacked Milliken's Bend up the Mississippi on June 7. This was mainly defended by untrained colored troops, who fought bravely with inferior weaponry and finally fought off the rebels with help from gunboats, although at horrible cost; the defenders lost 652 to the Confederate 185. The loss at Milliken's Bend left the Confederates with no hope for relief but from the cautious Johnston.
Pemberton was boxed in with lots of inedible munitions and little food. The poor diet was showing on the Confederate soldiers. By the end of June, half were out sick or hospitalized. Scurvy, malaria, dysentery, diarrhea, and other diseases cut their ranks. At least one city resident had to stay up at night to keep starving soldiers out of his vegetable garden. The constant shelling did not bother him as much as the loss of his food. As the siege wore on, fewer and fewer horses, mules, and dogs were seen wandering about Vicksburg. Shoe leather became a last resort of sustenance for many adults.
During the siege, Union gunboats lobbed over 22,000 shells into the town and army artillery fire was even heavier. As the barrages continued, suitable housing in Vicksburg was reduced to a minimum. A ridge, located between the main town and the rebel defense line, provided a diverse citizenry with lodging for the duration. Over 500 caves were dug into the yellow clay hills of Vicksburg. Whether houses were structurally sound or not, it was deemed safer to occupy these dugouts. People did their best to make them comfortable, with rugs, furniture, and pictures. They tried to time their movements and foraging with the rhythm of the cannonade, sometimes unsuccessfully. Because of these dugouts or caves, the Union soldiers gave the town the nickname of "Prairie Dog Village." Despite the ferocity of the Union fire against the town, fewer than a dozen civilians were known to have been killed during the entire siege.
One of Grant's actions during the siege was to settle a lingering rivalry. On May 30, General McClernand wrote a self-adulatory note to his troops, claiming much of the credit for the soon-to-be victory. Grant had been waiting six months for him to slip, ever since they clashed early in the campaign, around the Battle of Arkansas Post. He had received permission to relieve McClernand in January 1863 but waited for a unequivocal provocation. Grant finally relieved McClernand on June 18. He so diligently prepared his action that McClernand was left without recourse. McClernand's XIII Corps was turned over to Maj. Gen. Edward Ord, recovered from a wound sustained at Hatchie's Bridge. In May 1864, McClernand was restored to a command in remote Texas.
Another command change occurred on June 22. In addition to Pemberton at his front, Grant had to be concerned with Confederate forces in his rear under the command of Joseph E. Johnston. He stationed one division in the vicinity of the Big Black River bridge and another reconnoitered as far north as Mechanicsburg, both to act as a covering force. By June 10, the IX Corps, under Maj. Gen. John G. Parke, was transferred to Grant's command. This corps became the nucleus of a special task force whose mission was to prevent Johnston, gathering his forces at Canton, from interfering with the siege. Sherman was given command of this task force and Brig. Gen. Frederick Steele replaced him at the XV Corps. Johnston eventually began moving to relieve Pemberton and reached the Big Black River on July 1, but he delayed a potentially difficult encounter with Sherman until it was too late for the Vicksburg garrison, and then fell back to Jackson.
Late in the siege, Union troops tunneled under the 3rd Louisiana Redan and packed the mine with 2,200 pounds of gunpowder. The explosion blew apart the Confederate lines on June 25, while an infantry attack made by troops from Logan's XVII Corps division, followed the blast. The 45th Illinois Regiment (known as the "Lead Mine Regiment"), under Col. Jasper A. Maltby, charged into the 40-foot (12 m) diameter, 12-foot (3.7 m) deep crater with ease, but were stopped by recovering Confederate infantry. The Union soldiers became pinned down while the defenders also rolled artillery shells with short fuses into the pit with deadly results. Union engineers worked to set up a casemate in the crater in order to extricate the infantry, and soon the soldiers fell back to a new defensive line. From the crater left by the explosion on June 25, Union miners worked to dig a new mine to the south. On July 1, this mine was detonated but no infantry attack followed. Pioneers worked throughout July 2 and July 3 to widen the initial crater large enough for an infantry column of four to pass through for future anticipated assaults. However, events the following day negated the need for any further assaults.
On July 3, Pemberton sent a note to Grant, who, as at Fort Donelson, first demanded unconditional surrender. But Grant reconsidered, not wanting to feed 30,000 hungry Confederates in Union prison camps, and offered to parole all prisoners. Considering their destitute state, dejected and starving, he never expected them to fight again; he hoped they would carry home the stigma of defeat to the rest of the Confederacy. In any event, it would have occupied his army and taken months to ship that many troops north.[34]
Surrender was formalized by an old oak tree, "made historical by the event." In his Personal Memoirs, Grant described the fate of this luckless tree:
It was but a short time before the last vestige of its body, root and limb had disappeared, the fragments taken as trophies. Since then the same tree has furnished as many cords of wood, in the shape of trophies, as the 'True Cross'.
The surrender was finalized on July 4, Independence Day, a day Pemberton had hoped would bring more sympathetic terms from the United States. Although the Vicksburg Campaign continued with some minor actions, the fortress city had fallen and, with the surrender of Port Hudson on July 9, the Mississippi River was firmly in Union hands and the Confederacy split in two. President Lincoln famously announced, "The Father of Waters again goes unvexed to the sea."
Union casualties for the battle and siege of Vicksburg were 4,835; Confederate were 32,697 (29,495 surrendered). The full campaign, since March 29, claimed 10,142 Union and 9,091 Confederate killed and wounded. In addition to his surrendered men, Pemberton turned over to Grant 172 cannons and 50,000 rifles.
Tradition holds that the Fourth of July holiday was not celebrated by Vicksburg until World War II, because of the surrender of the city on July 4.
The works around Vicksburg are now maintained by the National Park Service as part of Vicksburg National Military Park.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Vicksburg
Why Look at Animals, by Amy Youngs
A few nice animals video images I found:
Why Look at Animals, by Amy Youngs
Image by amymyou
Why Look at Animals, by Amy Youngs
Image by amymyou
Merry Christmas to all my flickr friends! Many thanks for a great year on Flickr with all your kind comments! Have a wonderful Christmas and a happy and healthy New Year.
Some cool pet animals images:
Merry Christmas to all my flickr friends! Many thanks for a great year on Flickr with all your kind comments! Have a wonderful Christmas and a happy and healthy New Year.
Image by Jorbasa
Dezember 2010
♥❤♥ Little tiger Lucy ♥❤♥
Image by Viola & Cats / Sorry absent (broken pc)
ALL RIGHT RESERVED ©
Do not use my images without my permission .
© TUTTI I DIRITTI RISERVATI ©
Non utilizzare le mie immagini senza il mio consenso .
°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°
My sweet kitty Lucy ..
La mia dolcissima gattina Lusy ..
Shelter Snapshots: Callie
A few nice animal shelters images I found:
Shelter Snapshots: Callie
Image by LollypopFarm
Shelter Snapshots: Daisy
Image by LollypopFarm
Photo: Suzanne Kenyon
Shelter Snapshots: Jessie
Image by LollypopFarm
Nice Animals photos
Some cool animals images:
Blondie
Image by ucumari
A switch from wild animals for a day!
Sunning Tiger
Image by meshmar2
An Asian Tiger on the Maharajah Jungle Trek at Walt Disney World Animal Kingdom sunning on a cool morning.
Nice Animals For Free photos
Check out these animals for free images:
Bird Nest
Image by E_Journeys
The summer of 2003 was our first in Florida, but the heat and humidity were not so brutal as I had expected. We had greenery rather than heat islands. We learned to make sweat our friend.
We had come down in March. When our rental van had pulled up the driveway I marveled at a hedge garlanded with deep pink azalea blossoms. I had visited the house when my parents were still alive, but the season had been wrong each time and I had never noticed anything but holly.
Now I noticed holly and more. Seeds dropped over the years by visiting birds had caused trees to sprout within the hedge. For much of the year those trees poked through its trimmed exterior, straining to break free. They made me think of Daphne, the nymph transformed into a laurel so that she might escape Apollo's advances. With a sigh I wielded the hedge trimmer, kept the trees subdued. Until the nest.
Mary had noticed it first, or perhaps the cats did. We heard cheeps. We saw, close up, the mockingbird parents tend their young, soaring to and from a territory we only presumed to be ours. We kept the cats inside, much to their chagrin.
I promised I wouldn't trim the hedge until after the chicks had fledged. If anyone complained we'd point out that mockingbirds are protected here. But no one objected, and the trees grew. I waited until the cheeps stopped and we were sure the nest had emptied before I resumed that part of my yard work. Reluctantly.
We don't know who built the nest that remains. Other birds have explored the hedge since the summer of '03 -- sparrows, cardinals -- though we haven't heard the piping of young.
Mary tells me, "Don't trim the hedge too closely near there. Let it grow."
Grand Canyon National Park, Redwall Limestone_0294
Check out these facts about animals images:
Grand Canyon National Park, Redwall Limestone_0294
Image by Grand Canyon NPS
One of many caves found in the Redwall Limestone in Grand Canyon.
NPS Photo by Kristen M. Caldon
Redwall Limestone - thickness: 500-800 ft.
The Redwall Limestone forms distinct red cliffs about mid-level in the canyon. It was deposited 340 million years ago, during the Paleozoic Era - Late Early to Middle Mississippian Period.
The Redwall Limestone was deposited in a shallow to deep sea environment. A variety of fossilized sea life is preserved within the formation, including brachiopods and crinoids.
Although its name implies that the Redwall Limestone is a red rock, it is in fact a gray stone. It gains its reddish appearance from the rocks above.
Both the Supai Group and the Hermit Formation are red in color due to their high iron oxide content. Over time, rain has continually washed these eroding red sediments over the Redwall, staining it red.
The Redwall Limestone contains thousands of caves. Limestone is a water soluble rock, meaning that it can be slowly dissolved by water, eventually resulting in caves of various sizes.
Many animals, such as the California condor, now make these caves their homes, just as giant Shasta ground sloths made them their homes 11,000 to 20,000 years ago.
The Redwall Limestone also serves as a regional and local aquifer. An aquifer is a permeable body of rock capable of yielding water to wells and springs.
Baby Gator
Image by FlyinPhotography
People in Florida are in an uproar over three fatal alligator attacks in the last few weeks. I find it interesting how authorities will hunt down the offending animal after an attack as if it is a murderer. It is an animal, doing what comes natural. No disrespect to those attacked or their families, but it is us that is encroaching on their environment. Growing up on the lakes and rivers in Florida, you learn to take basic precautions. Something I see few people doing now days. In fact, this photo is an example. It was taken at Cape Canaveral. Just down shore was the mother gator. About 6 foot long and laying in the water with her nose inches from shore. A family with small children were standing feet away from her and throwing rocks to provoke her to move... I assume so they could be entertained.
P1020718-LR01
A few nice animals photos images I found:
P1020718-LR01
Image by suneko
See where this picture was taken. [?]
Masai Mara - African buffalos with Ox pickers
Some cool african animals images:
Masai Mara - African buffalos with Ox pickers
Image by Marcel Oosterwijk
Dallas Zoo-2008-10-30-121
Image by pquan
African penguin, Spheniscus demerus
African wild cat
Image by Shauns Wildlife & Nature
Thought to be the original descendent of the domestic feline. Photo taken from a camera trap survey in Namibia
Cool Animals Photos images
Some cool animals photos images:
Nature Calls Everybody :)
Image by VinothChandar
Looks Beautiful in Large!
Press L to see in Large & Black
Press F to Fave :)
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Cool Animal Names images
Some cool animal names images:
Rustic views, goats and a nanny
Image by Boston Public Library
File name: 08_06_000988
Title: Rustic views, goats and a nanny
Creator/Contributor: Jones, Leslie, 1886-1967 (photographer)
Date created: 1917 - 1934 (approximate)
Physical description: 1 negative : glass, black & white ; 4 x 5 in.
Genre: Glass negatives
Subjects: Goats; Dogs
Notes: Title from information provided by Leslie Jones or the Boston Public Library on the negative or negative sleeve.; Date supplied by cataloger.
Collection: Leslie Jones Collection
Location: Boston Public Library, Print Department
Rights: Copyright © Leslie Jones.
Preferred citation: Courtesy of the Boston Public Library, Leslie Jones Collection.
