It's Back: The Natural World Forum

[Ryan Jordan]

I’m glad to bring this forum back! It was probably my favorite forum from BPL-pre-Nov15. Here’s my first post to it. (thx @here for the push).

I’m probably most inspired by rock. Granite, sandstone, limestone, I’m enamored by it all. I suppose it comes from entering the “natural world” from a mountaineering background.

Here’s a pic from the closest “high alpine granite” to my home, Wyoming’s Snowy Mountains. I’m grateful for the minimal (35 minute) drive from my house to this view, which offers some of my favorite things in the natural world: sky, rock, water, and wildflowers.

[Kattt]

Thank you Ryan!

That photo has a beautiful composition.

I am fascinated by rocks as well. From studying horticulture and soil science I learned enough for me to want to know more. One basic bit is that boulders, cobbles, pebbles, gravel, sand, silt and clay are just definitions of size. Clay is the most fascinating to me; so small and flat with a big surface to volume ratio that is has a (negative) charge which is how and why Calcium and Potassium ( and other cations)  stick to it. The polarity of water also makes it stick to clay, which explains what clay does to soil and why we get it stuck on our boots . Really cool stuff :)

[DAN-Y]

Awesome forum :-) Thank you!

A week ago I found out about the Frost Flower and got some photos of it. Frost formations on some of the stems are 12″ in length. Since I got the photo, the weather has been too warm to see if they will occur again on the same plant stems.

https://www.google.com/search?q=frost+flowers&rlz=1C1CHZL_enUS721US721&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjC7auen5vYAhWpl-AKHcPDB74Q_AUICigB&biw=1245&bih=556&dpr=1.1

 

[Matthew / BPL]

Gorgeous photo, Ryan!

Also, interesting to learn about how clay works and that frost flowers are a thing. This topic delivers!

[Ian]

Thanks for bringing this back.

[bradmacmt]

Nice shot of Medicine Bow Peak.

[jscott]

Dan, I was wondering why you showed pictures of a feather, when I realized…

Andy Goldsworthy does stuff with natural materials that then break down in the environment. But really, we see natural formations that rival art, or surpass it, and sometimes only last until the morning sun strikes, or a season–or for aeons.

[DAN-Y]

It was amazing to see the curvature of the ice formation. I was there at the right time. A couple hours later they were gone. Have not had freezing temps since then to witness the little miracles again.

[Bruce Tolley]

Great to see this forum back.

Here is a GREAT TED talk about how forest ecosystems exchange information by a Canadian scientist
<p class=”p2″><span class=”s2″>https://www.ted.com/talks/suzanne_simard_how_trees_talk_to_each_other/up-next</span></p>
Watch it and learn something new.

[Ken Thompson]

Glad to see it back. Thanks Ethan for having the idea.

[jscott]

Also: The Hidden Life of Trees is a remarkable book that also details the sophisticated forms of communication that trees use between themselves in a forest. Who knew? Lots of other tree related stuff as well.

[Author]

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