Autumn gold

Autumn gold, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

Another spectacular view of Chestnut Ridge Metro Park in its autumn splendor. We visited the park just a day or so after I returned from China. The refreshing and clear air was such a welcome respite from the persistent smog I experienced during my trip. It makes me ever so thankful for the Clean Air Act that was passed in the 1970's in the USA. China could learn a thing or two about government regulation for environmental pollution control....

Autumn at Chestnut Ridge

Autumn at Chestnut Ridge, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

Central Ohio has many lovely metro parks - areas set aside for preserving some of Ohio's biodiversity, and for giving city dwellers a chance to get out and experience nature.

This photo is from Chestnut Ridge Metro Park - about an hour's drive from Columbus, but with a view of the distant skyline. We had not visited the park before this excursion, and we were pleasantly surprised by the the beech forest here. The maples and beeches were a nice combination for an autumn landscape.

Vervet Monkey

Vervet Monkey, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

Happy Thanksgiving to my American friends....

This little critter is not invited to dinner. However, vervet monkeys make themselves quite at home at campsites in the Richtersveld, and this one was no exception. The previous campers had left some corn trash - a boon for hungry monkeys.

Euphorbia virosa

Euphorbia virosa, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

The Richtersveld is an arid region in the extreme northwest corner of South Africa and southwest corner of Namibia. There is a transnational park flanking the Orange River.

I visited in September, 2013, while doing my field work in South Africa to search for species of Hyobanche. There were a couple of sightings of Hyobanche from the Richtersveld, so this was a prospecting trip for the area.

The side benefit for me was the opportunity to experience this amazing landscape. The aridity of the region is mind-boggling. The geology is laid bare to the eye since there is such a sparse covering of plants that can survive here. One of those that does well is Euphorbia virosa. Superficially, this resembles a North American cactus, but, cut a slice from a stem and you'll find a very sticky white sap.

I made this photo while doing a climb up into a kloof (ravine) that had a bit of moisture. I was hoping to find Hyobanche glabrata. No luck with that, but I did end up with a souvenir which still shows a scar today. I had a run-in with gravity and collided with a dead branch of a gnarled shrub. Huge contusion, huge abrasion and slice in my thigh. Not a pretty image to think about, but it's one of the things I will remember about the Richtersveld. Of course, I remember so many other wonderful things about this area - the night sky, the birds, the geology, the plants, etc. I would love to visit again....

A Reminder of Spring

A Reminder of Spring, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

We're still nearly a month away from the start of winter, but we are definitely having winter weather this week. The temperatures have been well below freezing and we have snow on the ground. I don't mind winter weather, but this year I'm not mentally prepared for it. That's what happens when one spends August and September in the southern hemisphere - two springs in one year spoils the mind for facing gray and dreary days. So, here's my reminder that spring will return - say about April here in Ohio....

Penstemon payettensis

Penstemon payettensis, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

A gem from this past summer, as I attended the American Penstemon Society meeting in Boise, Idaho. The day before the meeting started, Paul Blischak (one of my graduate students) and I did a short field trip up into the Boise Mountains. There we found four species of Penstemon in just a short while, including this lovely species.

For more information about it, check out the blog post I wrote: http://wolfelab.wordpress.com/2013/07/17/penstemon-payettensis-todays-featured-beardtongue/

Northern Cardinal

Northern Cardinal, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

The bright plumage of our northern cardinals always brings a smile to my face during the advent of winter. I love watching these birds in my yard and in the metro parks around Columbus, Ohio.

My 2014 Ohio State University Calendar

For the past few years I've been making custom Ohio State University calendars for people in my lab group, and as gifts for friends.  After people saw the calendar for this year I had requests for orders for my 2014 calendar.  So, I am making my 2014 calendar available for purchase (not a profit-making venture - costs cover printing and shipping).  I have three versions. The first is a generic calendar that has no OSU-specific dates marked on it. The second one has OSU-specific dates (e.g., first day of the semester, final exams, graduation, football games, men's home basketball, etc.).  The third version includes everything in the second version, but is specifically for EEOB folks who might be interested in some history of biology trivia (e.g., birthdays of famous biologists).

Here is an overview of the calendar:

Here are some examples of specific months, comparing the generic with the EEOB-specific versions.

Generic for January and September:

EEOB-specific for January and September:

Cost of the calendar is $15.  Add $3 for shipping.  Calendars will be shipped for arrival by the end of December.  You can order below (deadline is December 6, 2013).

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Generic calendar (no OSU dates) - $15 + $3 shipping:

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OSU-specific calendar (OSU dates included) - $15 + $3 shipping:

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OSU EEOB-specific calendar (OSU dates and biology trivia included) - $15 + $3 shipping:

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Dublin Irish Festival 2013

Dublin Irish Festival 2013, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

Jon Pilatzke was part of Carlos Nuñez's band for Dublin Irish Festival 2013. I made this photo during the finale.

If you've never attended the Dublin Irish Festival - what are you waiting for? This is one of the best festivals in the world - great music, great performers, great cultural activities, great craic.... A bargain all around.

Bar-throated Apalis

Bar-throated Apalis, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

This is a bird with attitude. As Jessica Rabbit (Who framed Roger Rabbit) would say, "I can't help it, I was made this way...." The markings and intense stare of this bird really give it a huge personality - especially for such a diminutive bird.

Photographed 13 Sep 2013 - DeHoop Nature Reserve, South Africa.

Bokmakierie

Bokmakierie, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

I love the diversity of birds in South Africa, and I'm very lucky to be able to combine my interest in birding with my field seasons focused on Hyobanche.

The first time I was introduced to this species was in 2004 - a solo field season where I had traveled to the Eastern Cape to work with Hyobanche robusta. On the way back to Cape Town, I stopped at Andrew's Field, near Cape Agulhas. At the time, there was guest accommodation at Tsaba-Tsaba - small self-catering cottages.

The first morning I was there I heard a lovely song just outside the window, just after dawn. I saw a bokmakierie, but didn't know what it was. I bought a bird book in Cape Town and figured it out. Its markings are so striking. I didn't expect this to be in amongst the shrikes and butcher birds based on that lovely song.

This photo is from September 13, 2013 - DeHoop Nature Reserve, the last bit of camping from the 2013 field season. DeHoop is a magical place for plant and animal diversity, and I really enjoyed the early morning birding opportunities.

Cape Shovelers in flight

Cape Shovelers in flight, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

DeHoop Nature Reserve, just east of Cape Agulhas in South Africa, is a wonderful place to camp and to see a wide variety of birds. The place is magical for animal and plant diversity, in general, but especially great for birders.

You can camp right along the vlei, which is sometimes very calm in the early morning. This pair of Cape Shovelers flew low across the water, right below our campsite. The calm water made a mirror reflection, allowing all of the details of the wings to be seen.

Richtersveld landscape

Richtersveld landscape, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

This area of South Africa is a wonderful place to visit, but one needs a sturdy 4X4 to travel here. An excursion to the Richtersveld needs careful planning. Water, food, fuel, and shelter, plus spare parts are required to have a comfortable trip through this arid region.

It looks like a barren landscape, but there is an incredible amount of diversity in plants, insects, reptiles, birds, and mammals here.

Kokerboom

Kokerboom, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

A remote and arid landscape describes Richtersveld National Park, but that is such an understatement of the sheer beauty of this area. The magnitude of such beauty is hard to describe in words, and photos barely do it justice.

Portland Head Lighthouse

Portland Head Lighthouse, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

This morning I needed to find my August, 2011 photos, which were buried in my old Aperture libraries. I imported all of my raw files into Lightroom to manage them, and found that most of them needed tweaking with some reprocessing. Here's the first one of the new series.

Photo from 21 August 2011.