I have spent quite a bit of time trying to find information about slugs in Bolivia, and I didn’t exactly find a wealth of information. I found some basic stuff about slugs in
Showing posts with label English. Show all posts
Showing posts with label English. Show all posts
Slimy Slippery Slithering Slugs
What comes to your mind when you hear the word “slug”? Something slimy and disgusting? An enemy to your garden? Did the phrase ‘monthly mystery macro’ come to mind? Well it should have, because that is the answer to this month’s mystery macro. Here are the guesses that were made: (1) part of a big snake, (2) a fungus, and (3) a lizard. Two people guessed ‘lizard’, with one guess being a bit comical: “This is the under belly of a Fastiousa Lizard, of the Imaginarious genus. They are almost extinct.” That ‘sj’ has quite an imagination. Sorry everyone, but nobody guessed it. As you now know, the correct answer is “Slug”. Here is the full photo from which the mystery macro was taken:
I have spent quite a bit of time trying to find information about slugs in Bolivia, and I didn’t exactly find a wealth of information. I found some basic stuff about slugs in
I have spent quite a bit of time trying to find information about slugs in Bolivia, and I didn’t exactly find a wealth of information. I found some basic stuff about slugs in
Vicuñas – Just Wild Llamas?
Last October my husband and I went on a trip to the Altiplano of Bolivia. It was an incredible journey and we had opportunities to see many hundreds of llamas. But we also observed something more unique: the vicuña in its natural habitat. Can you see them?
What exactly are vicuñas and how are they different from llamas?
How to Eat Achacha
Acha-what? Achacha! What’s an achacha? It is the answer to the monthly mystery macro from March. There were two guesses about this mysterious photo, and they were both very close. Here is the full view from which the mystery macro was taken:
One guess is that it was the blossom end of a delicious piece of fruit. Correct. The additional thought that it was not a volcano is also correct! The second guess was
The Millennial Plant
Have you ever looked carefully at carpet? I mean very carefully? Like, right up close, nose-in-the-carpet carefully? It doesn’t look the same does it? What appears from a distance to be a single smooth covering ends up being just many small tufts of fabric bunched up together. That’s basically what we have with this month’s mystery macro.
Of course the photo had the added mystery of a rounded glob of something shiny. There were some good guesses. (1) Ice formed on a small variety of succulent, (2) The abdomen of a flying insect over a plant similar to hens and chicks, with two guesses about hens and chicks, (3) A plant that grows green leaves like flowers and has small red flowers, and (4) someone that had no idea, but hoped to find out soon. Sadly nobody guessed correctly. Here’s another view of the photo from which the mystery macro was taken:
With my finger in the frame, you can tell that the leaves are extremely tiny. But what
Don’t Worry, The Beast is Dead
I should start off this post by saying, ‘Please don’t be frightened by the beast you are about to see.’ Why? Well, he’s dead. And he’s been dead for a very long time. Behold! The Giant Sloth!
Why am I showing you just a bunch of bones? Well, like I said, he’s been dead for a
Little balls of juicy goodness
Flora and fauna don’t necessarily have to strictly be an intellectual topic. They can be cute, scary, or gorgeous. But they can also be quite delicious! This month’s mystery macro was a perfect example.
There were some interesting guesses: (1) A vegetable, something to eat, (2) Brussels sprouts, just starting to grow, (3) The head of a flower that will eventually have little white bells, and (4) Some type of animal that lives in the water and has egg sacks attached to its body. Anyone correct guesses? Well, #4 was a very imaginative guess, but it is flora, not fauna, so we have to cross it off. It isn’t a flower, so scratch #3. It’s not Brussels sprouts so #2 is out. And although it is edible, it is a fruit instead of vegetable so #1 is only half-correct. Sorry! No winners this time. Do you want to see the whole picture from which we took this month’s mystery macro?
What do you think now? Of course there is a clue in the title of this entry. But here’s
The Andean Camel
As mentioned in a previous blog post, llamas are not only an iconic symbol of Bolivia, they are also an indispensable part of the life of Bolivians living in the Andean Mountains. The llama (Lama glama) is a domesticated South American camelid, of the family Camelidae. This means it is related to camels although it does not have a hump. For this reason, it is sometimes referred to as ‘the Andean camel’. However the llama is more closely related to the
How Did the Passion Flower Get Its Name?
You may recall an earlier entry we posted about the Passionflower. It is an incredibly beautiful flower. But then I got a little curious. Where did that name come from? To what passion does the name refer? Romantic passion?Well, no. The story goes like this: The flower was named by Roman Catholic priests about 500 years ago when they discovered it growing in what is now called Latin America. Apparently some parts of the flower reminded them of the passion, or suffering, and death of Jesus Christ. Check out the photo
The Wannabe Pine Tree
Not everything is as it appears to be. This post will provide the answer to this month’s mystery macro. Sadly, no one guessed the correct answer. And to tell you the truth, I am embarrassed to say that until just a few days ago, I had the wrong answer, too... and I took the picture! Here is a look at the entire photo from which the mystery macro photo was taken:
Do you have a better idea now of what it may be? Part of a tree, right? Well, for the next picture let’s take a step way back and look at the whole ‘forest’.
Flowers – A Photo Essay
Tarija, Bolivia, is known as “La ciudad florida” which means ‘the city of flowers’ or ‘the flowered city’. And it lives up to its name. Not only are all the public plazas bursting with colorful flowers, but many families also plant flowers around their homes. The assault on the senses, with such a variety of colors and aromas, is truly a delight.
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| Plaza Luis de Fuentes - Tarija, Bolivia |
Up till now, we have dealt with only one particular plant or animal in each blog entry. However, while preparing a post on a certain flower, it occurred to me that there is a
Face-to-Face with an iconic mammal
Nothing is more iconic to Bolivia than the omnipresent llama (pronounced “YAH-mah” in Spanish). When most people think of Bolivia (if they’ve even heard of the country), they often think of the llama. This is understandable since two-thirds of the world’s llamas (or about 2.5 million) live in Bolivia! In fact, the llama is Bolivia’s National Animal and is the only mammal depicted on their flag, located inside the Coat of Arms, as seen to the right. (To make it larger click on the picture.) According to the Bolivian Constitution, the llama “symbolizes the richness of the fauna of the Republic.”Another interesting fact that shows the importance of the llama in Bolivia is in their Sign Language. The sign for the country of Bolivia is a combination of the sign for llama and for flag.
So it was inevitable that we would come face-to-face with llamas in Bolivia. And what
The Anonymous Climbing Vine
The earth is full of mysterious flora and fauna. And some mysteries are harder to solve than others. There were some nice guesses for this month’s mystery macro, but no winners. A common opinion was that the photo looked like an underwater sea creature. To be honest, if I hadn’t known, that would have been my guess. But it is not fauna. (And for the record, Bolivia is landlocked with no ocean coast.) The guesses then shifted to flower petals. That’s closer since it is flora; but it is not a flower. Here I present the entire photo from which the mystery macro was taken:
For size perspective, that is the tip of my thumb on the left of the picture. So, what is it? Here’s the flip side of the same object:
The Not-so-rare Great Kiskadee
The thing about birds is that what may appear exotic and rare depends on your perspective. We spent a morning in Coimata, just 20 minutes from Tarija by vehicle. The area has plant covered cliffs and beautiful cascading falls. We enjoyed seeing the native flora and fauna up close. Then, as we are leaving the park, we hear a loud, unusual bird call. We look around quickly and finally spot a large bird in a tree. Due to the distance and the shaded light only one shot came out good enough to see details. Here’s what we got.
The bird in the center has his back to us and head turned to the right. We were really excited about this rare sighting and when we got home we carefully examined
The Smiling Cactus
Recently we enjoyed a rare treat. We watched the sunrise from Fish Island, in the great Bolivian Salt Flats of Uyuni. There is no water around for miles, but it is surrounded by a ‘sea’ of salt. The ‘Salar de Uyuni’ is the world’s largest salt flat covering over 10,000 sq. km. (4,000 square miles). And what is the predominant thing to be seen on Fish Island? I’m not actually sure why it is even called Fish Island because the answer is not fish. The answer is about this month’s mystery macro.
Below is the entire photo from which the mystery macro was cropped (by the way, as with any photo in this blog, if you click on it it grows to full size):
Still not clear? This next pictures gives some perspective on the actual size:
The Squirrel Bunny?
There is an animal in this picture. Can you see it?
You saw it? Well, just in case, here’s a close up of the same view:
Warning: Do Not Climb This Tree!
I don’t know what it is about boys, but they love to climb trees. I have fond childhood memories of trying to get to the very top of trees in our neighborhood and local parks. But listen up boys! ... Do NOT try to climb this tree!
Here is the answer to this month’s Mystery Macro. There were some nice tries at guessing, but... It isn’t a lizard or a toad, or an animal of any kind. The guesses of ‘chocolate chip mountains’ and ‘little mountains of sand’ were certainly clever, but also incorrect. The guess of ‘beet, carrot or squash’ at least landed in the correct category: flora. However the closest guess would have to be “I think it is a prehistoric rose vine.” But since that is also not correct, no one wins the prize dinner. Sorry folks. Maybe next time.
Here is the full size picture from which the Mysterey Macro was taken:
Still need some explaining? Well you probably picked up on the clue: “Don’t climb
Is the Cuckoo Bird really cuckoo?
What comes to your mind when you think of a “Cuckoo Bird”? How about a cuckoo clock? Or the book “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”? Or perhaps the phrase ‘out of cloud cuckoo land’? I have to say that I always imagined the cuckoo bird to be a small, cute, innocent-looking, albeit slightly crazy, bird.
Well Bolivia is full of surprises, so I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised when we saw a real-life cuckoo bird.
We first saw these birds in Santa Cruz while visiting Bolivia two years ago and at the
Those pesky blood-sucking bugs
Someday I hope to find the answer to one of life’s most troubling questions: Why the mosquito? But until then we have to put up with the inevitable peskiness of these blood-sucking insects. And because some species of mosquitoes transmit extremely harmful diseases, some would argue that mosquitoes are the most dangerous animals on Earth.
We are in South America and within the tropical zone, that is, we are between the equator and the tropic of Capricorn. So you might think that we are plagued with mosquitoes. However here in Tarija, Bolivia, at an elevation of almost 6,000 feet, the situation isn’t too bad. But are there mosquitoes? Well...
Do you remember the recent Monthly Mystery Macro? There were some interesting guesses as to what was shown in the photo, and thanks for participating. (Next time
Honey Filled Spider?
It seems that around every corner there is something new and interesting to see here in Bolivia. And this is a good example. As you have already found out, I’m not exactly what you would call a fan of spiders. However I can respect them when they are in their proper environment. Here is a spider we found in the garden of a friend.
I don’t have any idea what kind this is. But don’t you think that his colors are
The Canary Bird Vine
We found this beautiful flower growing up the trunk of a large tree.
This is the Canary Bird Vine.
It is grown as an ornamental plant in various parts of the world, but it is believed to
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