Working on a fantasy webcomic is rad, but one day I'll go back to my true passion: drawing useless cables everywhere.
Lovely fernery on this fallen tree over the River Lemon near Newton Abbot.
As a side note, the name of the river is apparently a derivative of ‘elm’ in Celtic languages (I’m sure Scottish, Welsh & Irish friends can confirm if this is correct!). I always wondered as there are not many lemon trees growing around here!
In #JapaneseFolklore wani are sea dragons who rule the oceans. These gods of the sea live in coral palaces on the ocean floor. The most well-known dragon king in Japan is Ryujin who controls the tides using two magical jewels. Wani can also shapeshift into humans. In one tale Toyotama hime (daughter of the Dragon King Owatatsumi) married Hoori (grandson of Amaterasu). Their grandson was Jimmu, who became the first emperor of Japan.
#folklore #dragons #DailyFolklore #yokai #ukiyoe #JapaneseArt
Here’s the final version of this lovely translucent Porcelain Fungus from last autumn - I’m just getting this one printed. This was taken near Bagley Combe, Exmoor. #Exmoor #ExmoorNationalPark #fungus #porcelainfungus #BagleyCombe #photography #naturephotography
Saw this guy while shooting at #MultnomahFalls
There is a programme about moss at 21:00 hrs. this evening on BBC4 and thereafter on BBCiPlayer.
‘The Magical World of Moss’: Documentary that explores the vital role that mosses played in the earth’s evolution and how science is only beginning to unlock the secrets and potential of these amazing plants. (Made by Zadig for Arte France)
The ferny greenwoods near Dunvegan Castle are home to many fallen moss covered trees and branches like these.
"The Tooth Worm as Hell's Demon,” 18th century. Carved from ivory, the two halves open up to reveal a scene about the infernal torments of a tooth worms which people believed caused cavities in the past. Complete with mini skulls, hellfire, and naked people wielding clubs.
#histodons #mastodon #introduction #histmed #histsci #museumobject #medhist #MedMastodon
River otter at dawn in a 7000ft elevation alpine lake in the Sierra Nevada range of California. This moment quite literally took my breath away and is easily the most incredible one I’ve had photographing wildlife! #photography #WildlifePhotography #otter #naturephotography #sierra
In #JapaneseFolklore, chochin obake (lantern ghost) is a paper or silk lantern that has transformed into a #yokai after many years of service. It has one or two eyes and a long tongue protruding from a split in the lantern that forms a mouth. Like other tsukumogami, it is believed that after 100 years of service (which may just mean a very long time) objects can develop supernatural powers and gain their own spirit. Chochin obake...
#FolkloreFriday #folklore #DailyFolklore @folklore
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A lichen buffet, todays twig of the day has Xanthoria parietina (yellow), Lecanora chlarotera (pale green circles) and Physcia tenella (green frills). If you zoom in you can see each has tiny jam tart like fruiting cups #lichensubscribe #lichen #TwigOfTheDay
The names of some places ring with the echoes of birds of the past.
https://aeon.co/essays/british-place-names-resonate-with-the-song-of-missing-birds
Ulcombe, Ulgham, Outchester, Oldberrow, Ullenhall, Ullenwood, all derive from 'ule,' the Old English word for owl. These places were named after the owls that medieval people associated with the landscapes:
"The onomatopoeic potency of 'ule' implies not only how owls themselves materialised and existed as sound for our ancestors, but that this also affected how people experienced the places in which they heard these sounds. On some level, those places named after owls ... were identified as soundscapes as much as landscapes, imagined and responded to through sonic texture and colour. It was sound that reified and situated place."
A friend who is a historian sent me a link to this fascinating essay which reflects upon the symbolic role that birds and bird sounds played in the naming of English places before landscapes were altered by 19th century industrialization, as well as the traces that still linger after those landscapes have been transformed. I have owls on the mind this week.
Biologist working in science publishing for 20+ years. Favourite reads: weird fiction; favourite walks: fern-clad lanes in Cornwall; favourite bands: currently King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard. Interested in terrariums, park runs, natural world and fiction writing.