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vandaliatraveler · 10 months

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Part 2: Early Summer Wildflower Palooza, Cranberry Glades. During the first week of July, as the orchids are peaking in the bogs and seeps, the first wave of summer wildflowers, including the milkweeds and beebalms, arrives in earnest, bringing a blaze of color to open meadows and bog and forest margins. In the old growth woods of the adjacent Cranberry Wilderness, an array of strange and beautiful fungi sprout from moss-covered logs and the forest floor.

From top: tall meadow rue (Thalictrum pubescens), also known as king of the meadow, a wetlands-loving perennial whose distinctive, cream-colored flowers are composed of thread-like stamens only; meadow phlox (Phlox maculata), also known as wild sweet William and spotted phlox, easily distinguished from other phlox species by its red-spotted stems; mountain wood sorrel (Oxalis montana); a ramp (Allium tricoccum) flower, which emerges in early summer on a leafless stalk, after the foliage has died back; a shiny hemlock varnish shelf (Ganoderma tsugae) assailed by pleasing fungus beetles (Megalodacne), rarely seen because they hide under leaf litter during the day and feed on Ganoderma fungi at night; a lovely colony of crown-tipped corals (Artomyces pyxidatus); the beguiling fringed loosestrife (Lysimachia ciliata), an aggressively-colonizing perennial that makes for a shady ground cover in native wildflower gardens; and that blazingly-beautiful mint, scarlet beebalm (Monarda didyma), whose storied history as a medicinal herb stems from its antiseptic and stimulant properties.

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thorsenmark · 1 year

Video

flickr

Wild Blue Phlox Caught in the Morning Light of a New Day (New River Gorge National Park & Preserve) by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: While walking the Stone Cliff Trail in New River Gorge National Park & Preserve. I came across this small meadow of Wild Blue Phlox and got down low, using LiveView with my Nikon SLR camera to compose this image of wildflowers caught in the mid-morning sunlight.

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sixteenseveredhands · 1 year

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Hummingbird Hawk Moths: as a result of their hummingbird-like behavior and appearance, these moths are often mistaken for actual hummingbirds

The Eurasian hummingbird hawk moth: Macroglossum stellatarum

Like an actual hummingbird, the hummingbird hawk moth uses a flight maneuver called "swing-hovering" (rapidly swinging from side-to-side while hovering in mid-air), has a wing-speed of up to 85 beats-per-second, produces a humming noise when flying, and feeds on the nectar from flowers; the hairs on its body even resemble the tail-feathers and wings of a hummingbird.

These moths are also able to maintain a stable position in mid-air by relying on the same flight patterns that are found among hummingbirds -- the moth rapidly rotates its wings in a "figure-8" motion, generating lift on both the forward and backward strokes, which effectively allows the moth to hover in place. The flight maneuvers (and other adaptations) of the Eurasian hummingbird hawk moth are so similar to the characteristic traits found in hummingbirds that this little moth is often mistaken for a real hummingbird, despite the fact that it is found exclusively in habitats that do not contain any wild/native hummingbirds. Though this species can be found in various ecosystems throughout the British Isles, mainland Europe, Central Eurasia, and even some parts of North Africa, there are no actual hummingbirds in any of these regions, as wild hummingbirds are found only in the Americas.

These moths (M. stellatarum) have a wing-speed of up to 85 beats-per-second. For comparison, the amethyst woodstar hummingbird, which is one of the smallest and fastest hummingbirds in the world, has a similar wing-speed of up to 80 beats-per-second.

While most other moths are nocturnal, the hummingbird hawk moth is active only during the day. It uses a specialized proboscis to feed on the nectar from various flowers, including honeysuckle, jasmine, tulip, red valerian, lilac, and phlox. This species also differs from other moths due to its lack of auditory organs, meaning that it has no sense of hearing. Among most moths, auditory organs have evolved as a defense mechanism to detect the ultra-sonic chirps that are emitted by predatory bats at night, but because the hummingbird hawk moth is only active during the day, when bats are largely inactive, that particular defense mechanism was not developed.

Experts generally believe that the similarities shared by hummingbirds and hummingbird hawk moths actually arose through convergent evolution; this means that the hummingbirds and the moths both experienced a similar set of needs, pressures, and circumstances within their respective environments, and they simply developed similar adaptations in response to those circumstances. Their uncanny resemblance therefore does not qualify as a form of animal mimicry -- the moths may look and act a lot like hummingbirds, but the resemblance is viewed as a product of incidental factors, and it is unlikely that those similarities were developed for the purpose of providing camouflage.

This is not the only type of moth that is commonly referred to as a "hummingbird moth." The genus Macroglossum contains several moth species that have hummingbird-like characteristics, and the term "hummingbird moth" can be applied to many of them; there are also at least five "hummingbird moths" in the genus Hemaris, although they belong to a separate clade and their resemblance to hummingbirds is somewhat less convincing. They include H. thysbe (also known as the hummingbird clearwing moth), H. diffinis (the snowberry clearwing moth), H. thetis (the Rocky Mountain clearwing moth), H. aethra (the Diervilla clearwing moth), and H. gracilis (the slender clearwing moth), all of which are found in North America.

Moths of the genus Hemaris: these moths may sometimes be identified as "hummingbird moths;" the genus Hemaris also contains a variety of moths that are popularly referred to as "bee hawk moths" or "bee moths" because they bear a resemblance to bumble-bees.

The Eurasian hummingbird hawk moth is not closely related to any of the "hummingbird moths" from the genus Hemaris, however, as it belongs to a completely different genus and occupies a separate habitat on the other side of the Atlantic. Still, it's interesting to note the presence of similar hummingbird-like traits within these different genuses.

Sources & Addition Info:

PBS Nature: Featured Creature, the Hummingbird Hawk Moth

The Wildlife Trusts: Hummingbird Hawk Moth

Royal Society for the Protection of Birds: Article about Hummingbird Hawk Moths

Journal of Comparative Physiology: Fuelling on the Wing: the sensory ecology of hawk moth foraging

Country Life: The Confusingly Enormous Hummingbird Hawk Moth that Looks Set to Become a Regular Fixture in British Gardens

#moths #cute moth #tw bugs #hummingbird #hummingbird hawk moth #insect #entomology #evolution #science #nature #lepidoptera #biology #I spend way too much time reading about moths #but they are just wildly underrated

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mired-in-halloween · 2 days

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The full moon in April is known as the pink moon, named after the herb moss pink, also known as creeping phlox, moss phlox or mountain phlox. This is a plant native to the eastern United States that is one of the earliest widespread flowers of spring. [x]

Goddess Moon Print by HolgaJen

#full moon #Pink moon #silhouette #photography

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sabyfangirl16 · 9 months

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Chris' Birthday

Summary: For his brother's birthday, Martin decided to take Chris mountaineering on Mount Fuji, only for a little incident to occur...

Note: A little something I've worked on for the green cinnamon roll's birthday.

On a special day, in a special place in Japan, southwest of Tokyo, the sun rose and shone on the Tortuga, the ship looking out on a beautfiful and famous mountain: Mount Fuji.

Knock. Knock.

Chris groaned, the sound bringing him back from the dead of sleep. He started to wriggle and stretch within his cozy, warm haven - his bed.

By the time his eyes were half-opened, he heard the door open, followed by gentle footsteps.

"Mornin' bro," a soft, familiar voice said. Chris sat up, stretching and stifling a yawn.

He looked up to find his brother smiling down at him, a tray in his hands.

"Uh, what's that?" He raised an eyebrow, still feeling groggy.

Martin seemed amused. "What, this?" With a toothy grin, he lowered the tray; a plate full of pancakes put together in a paw shape, syrup running down the sides of the middle tower, accompanied by a glass of juice.

Chris couldn't help but lick the corners of his mouth, eyes widening from unanticipation. "Wow!" He reached out to grap the tray... but paused. "Hey, wait a minute..." He shot Martin a look of suspicion. "This isn't another one of your pranks, is it?" He crossed his arms.

Martin almost burt into laughter. "Heck no!" he chuckled.

"Then, why else would you give yourself the pain to make all this?" Chris asked, wearing a prudent attitude.

"The answer is right behind you." Martin motioned his brother to the calender behind him.

Chris' eyes widened as he realized what day it was. "I can't believe I forgot it's my birthday today!"

"Well, it's a good thing I didn't forget," Martin laughed. "And you say I'm always forgetful."

Chris just rolled his eyes, gladly taking the tray. "Breakfast in bed? Not bad." He wore a smug look on his face.

Martin laughed and made his way out of the room. "Get ready when you're done, I've got something special planned for the day."

Chris nodded quickly, mouth already stuffed with pancake goodness.

Martin walked into the control room, where he found the crew gathering supply for the birthday party.

"Hey, MK," Aviva greeted, arranging a layer of boxes. "I hope Chris is ready for what you have in store for him."

"Oh, he's gonna love it, you'll see," Martin said with confidence and vigour.

"I'm sure he will," Aviva chuckled.

"You're lucky," Koki came up to them, "I've checked the weather; the skies are clear, and you should be able to climb that mountain without problem."

At that moment, they heard the door open.

"Did I just hear the word climb?" Chris walked in, a gleam of eagerness in his eyes.

"Yes, you did!" Martin threw at him a bag full of climbing equipment. "We're gonna climb Mount Fuji!"

"Really?" Chris seemed more excited than ever.

"Yeah, it'll be fun!" Martin grabbed his own bag. "And in the meantime, the gang will be putting together your party."

Chris turned to look at Aviva and Koki, both nodding to confirm Martin's words.

"Yep, you guys go ahead and have fun, we'll take care of the rest," Aviva affirmed, Chris' smile wide and bright.

"We better get going," Martin dragged his brother by the hand, without warning, the younger Kratt almost tripping over his feet.

"Whoa!" Chris yelped, picking up the pace.

And just like that, the brothers disappeared out of sight, leaving the girls sharing amused looks.

"Now, how about this party."

As they walked by the lake of Kawaguchiko, the creature adventurers looked around in astonishment at the beauty of their surroundings; a perfect pink carpet of moss phlox covering the ground, the water glimmering from the sunlight reflecting off its surface, birds whistling and singing all around them. A pulchritudinous sight to see.

Chris took a deep breath, filling his lungs with fresh, clean air before exhaling, seeming content.

"This is nice," he smiled, Martin looking at him with a pleased expression. "I can't wait to reach the top of that mountain, I bet the view is amazing!"

"I'm sure it is," the blue Kratt let out with certainty, giving him a friendly pat on the back.

At that moment, a blurry, small form dashed in front of their eyes, catching them by total surprise.

"What was that?!" Chris wore a defensive attitude.

"Hmm," Martin looked up at a tree branch when he heard the sound of chirping. "Chris, look up." He nudged his brother, then motioned at what looked like-

"A yellow bunting!" Chris exclaimed.

The bird had a yellow-green head, brown wings, a yellow belly, narrow white wingbars, and a white eyering. The petit creature looked down at the brothers with curious eyes.

"You can tell it's a male, because the male is brighter in plumage, with a small black patch between the eye and bill," Martin said knowledgeably.

The bird took off, leaving them alone once again.

"Aw, I didn't even get to name him," Martin whined.

"I think it's about time you took a break from naming animals," Chris said teasingly while patting a slightly disappointed Martin on the back, a light chuckle escaping him.

"Oh, you think?" Martin gave him the'very funny' look, yet couldn't help but let out a chuckle of his own.

"I wonder what other creatures we'll stumble upon," Chris said as they carried on marching.

But what they didn't know, however, was that they were being followed...

Back at the Tortuga, the crew was busy preparing for Chris' birthday party. While Aviva was taking care of the decorations, Jimmy was in the middle of making an exceptional cake, being the best out of everyone when it came to baking.

"How's the cake coming along, Jimmy?" Aviva asked, after blowing another balloon.

"Great! Just adding the finishing touches," the ginger guy let out quickly, not taking his eyes off of his "masterpiece" as he handled the frosting, his tongue sticking out of the corner his mouth being a sign of his full concentration.

Aviva couldn't help but admire the effort Jimmy was putting into his task.

Just then, Koki walked up to her, her expression somewhere between worried and skeptical.

"Hey, Aviva, don't you think we should call the bros? You know, to see how they're holding up," she suggested.

Aviva gave her a puzzled look. "Why, what's the matter?"

"Nothing, I just think we should check on them, I mean you and I know better than anyone what kind of trouble those two can get into," Koki insisted.

Aviva finished tying another balloon, before turning her full attention to her.

"Oh, come on, Koki. Mount Fuji is one of the easiest mountains to climb, even Jimmy can make it to the top!" She paused and turned to find an offended expression on the guy's face. "No offense."

"None taken," the redhead sighed as he returned to frosting.

"I know, it's just-" Koki hesitated for a moment, "I have a bad feeling."

"Like something bad's gonna happen to them?" Aviva raised an eyebrow, her voice softer than before.

Koki nodded her head with a frown.

But before Aviva could say anything else, a sudden roar pierced the area, startling everyone in the room.

Jimmy screetched as he dropped the frosting bag. "What was that?!" he stammered, his body already trembling something fierce.

As quick as a flash, Aviva made her way to the top of the ship, from there she scanned their surroundings; nothing but trees and plants and rocks. A few bugs and birds then and there, but no sign of any creature that could possess a roar of such.

"Do you see anything?" Koki yelled from the control room, still in her same spot, not having moved one muscle.

"No, that creature must've gotten away by now," Aviva made sure that her voice reached her teammates, a hint of frustration hidden in it. "But whatever it was, it didn't sound very friendly," she added to herself, mumbling, eyes narrowing at the unpleasant sinking feeling in her stomach.

After having finally reached the tip of the mountain, the brothers were already ascending the steep inclines, putting their climbing skills to the test.

A couple of hours of mountaineering were enough to suck all the energy out of any person, even with proper conditioning and physical preparation, including the Kratts, despite being known for spending hours, even MONTHS out in the wild; that one time when they joined millions of monorch butterflies in their migration all the way to southwestern Mexico, where they later on decided to hybernate alongside them. That alone would make anybody doubt that a pair of tired Kratts was a possibility, and yet there they were, sweating and panting with each and every rough step, tiny stones rolling down their preceding paths.

At some point, Chris had to stop to catch his breath, squatting with both hands on his lap for support. He looked like he was having anything but fun, while in reality, that was exactly what he was experiencing. Fun. Sure, tiredness and thirstiness, but mostly fun. After all, he was climbing one of the most famous mountains in the world with his brother. He had dreamed of doing so ever since he was a kid, and now that dream was becoming a reality.

"Hey, you good?" Martin came over to him when he noticed he had stopped.

Chris lifted his head to meet his brother's concerned eyes, his expression alleviated with a half-smile.

"I'm fine," the green brother brushed off with a laugh. "In fact, I've never been better."

He straightened up and carefully turned around, getting a breath taking view of the natural scenery, the oldest's eyes following his gaze. Two low whistles escaped both, Chris and Martin, simultaneously, combining into one symbol of pure admiration and awe. Despite being nowhere near the top, the sensation of having made it that far filled them with celebratory satisfaction.

Little did they know, this was only the calm before the storm.

Still contemplating, Chris fished his water bottle out of his bag. As the cool water quenched his thirst, he suddenly heard a heavy, terrifying growl from behind him, Martin too.

They both looked over their shoulders to find...

"MAR-..." Chris gasped, almost crying his brother's name if this one hadn't slammed his hand against his mouth.

"Shh," the older brother signaled, gaining a shaky nod from the youngest, before finally letting go.

Standing a few meters away from them, was a medium-sized black bear; fur the color of a raven's wing, a distinct whitish, creamy patch on the chest, its ears were bell shaped, sticking out sideways from the head, and with a fairly short tail.

The brothers swallowed hard. Normally bears weren't supposed to pose a threat to humans, in addition to the fact that polar bears and grizzlies were by far the most aggressive bears on earth, but the way that black-furry mammal's deep, obscure eyes remained fixated on them, as if seeing right through their souls, told them she wasn't planning on being "nice" to them.

Chris slowly lowered his arm, water bottle still in hand, being the only movement of his frozen body.

They looked at each other from the corners of their eyes, not daring to move their heads, not even one inch.

"Did you bring food?" was the first thing that came out from the corner of Martin's mouth, it felt forced and sounded like a whisper.

Chris panically shook his head, "No."

The beast moved one paw closer, huffing loudly.

"Gah, what does she want from us?" Martin shrieked.

At that, Chris suddenly had the idea of sniffing himself, much to Martin's confusion.

"What are you-"

"I smell like pancake," Chris blurred out under his breath.

Martin turned pale. "Uh oh."

The bear threw another paw, then another...

The brothers took one step back, then another...

Soon, a deadly chase commenced. The bear sharged at them as they both ran different directions, Chris dropping his bottle in the process, but she decided to go after the green Kratt, being the one with the syrup scent.

Martin stopped and turned to find, to his horror, his brother being chased by the ferocious creature.

"MARTIN! HELP!" Chris cried out as he ducked and dodged every attack, the beast hot on his tail.

With panic overwhelming him, the blue Kratt tried to think of a solution for this disaster when he accidentally stepped too close to an edge... He looked down; an idea lit up in his head.

"Chris!"

Chris stole a quick glance at his brother, gesturing to run over to him. Part of him felt unsure, but he trusted his brother. So, he made another swift turn, barely escaping the jaws of the animal, before sprinting at full speed toward his brother, like his life depended on it... which was the case.

With one final jump, he landed in his brother's arms, the pressure of the bump sending them sliding down a very steep incline, so steep that it almost felt like sliding down a wall, before coming to a stop on a platform, only a few centimeters long, stone crumbling beneath them and falling into the abyss.

Baffled and in a total daze, Chris looked up and searched his brother's eyes; he was very shaken.

They both looked up with petrified eyes, only being able to spot a light brown muzzle sniffing around for any sign of life, before it disappeared out of sight.

Just as they thought they were out of trouble, another sound broke the silence, this one of a huge, rolling... BOULDER!

"Quick, take your bag off!" Martin earged, his tone being the definition of trepidation, and Chris didn't hesitate one second, doing as he was told.

They had to make sure all chances of being hit were eradicated, so taking their bags off was the right thing to do at that moment. They had to act fast. It was as though time had stopped, both of them taking their bags off as fast as possible, throwing them into the void before sinking in their forms as much as they could, holding their breaths as if to prepare for a deep dive. And with that, the boulder came falling down, missing their faces by inches; they saw their whole lives flashing before their eyes during those couple of seconds of praubable death.

They breathed heavy sighs as the boulder crashed at the bottom, the sound echoing in their ears. Their heads slowly turned toward each other, fear painting their faces, their lungs heaving badly.

"You okay?" Martin managed, a huge lump in his throat nearly suffocating him.

Chris nodded weakly, "Yeah."

They cautiously slid down to a sitting position, knees reaching their chests, toes at the edge of the platform.

"...What now?" Martin looked out on the same scene from before, only from a lower point of view.

Instead of an answer, Chris held up an object in his hand, waving it with a winning grin.

Martin let out a soft gasp. "You have your creature pod?!"

"Yep."

However, when he took one look at it, his confidence melted away, fear and hopelessness reigning once again.

"Dang it, it's busted!" he complained. It was easy to tell thanks to the huge crack on the screen.

"But we have to try, anyway," Martin encouraged.

Having no other options, Chris went for it. After taking a deep sigh, he decided to leave a message for the team, "Guys, help! We're stuck in the middle of Mount Fuji and we can't go anywhere, please come get us!"

He recorded himself, but at the last sentence, the device died on them.

"Agh," he let out, throwing it from irritation.

"Let's hope they got the message," Martin placed a hand on his brother's shoulders.

"But what if they don't?" Chris spat out, not meaning to sound aggravated. His eyes were intense.

"Chris-"

"I'm climbing out of here!" He stood up swiftly, completely surprising Martin, before throwing a hand in search of anything his fingers could hold onto.

"Chris, no!"

But before Martin could stop him, a loud cry escaped the green Kratt's throat. He quickly held his brother and pulled him back down, Chris holding his right hand tightly, gritting his teeth badly as he fought tears building in his eyes.

Martin then looked down to find the platform they were sitting on rattling from Chris' sudden movement... before quieting down.

He breathed a sigh of relief before turning his attention to his brother, whose eyes were closed shut from visible pain, breathing shakily. His eyes slid down when they landed on his hand; blood. Red crimson was flowing out of a fresh wound in the center of his palm.

If his brother weren't injured, he would've scolded him big time for his reckless choice of action.

"Lemme see," he offered, the youngest reluctantly extending his shaky, hurt hand.

Martin gently took it in his own hands, examining the wound. "Hmm, it's nothing serious..." He sounded reassuring, his voice uncharacteristically calm and gentle.

And with his teeth, he ripped off a piece of cloth from his sleeve, his brother watching with wide eyes, almost forgetting about the pain. Then, he used the fabric as a bandage for the wound, delicately wrapping it around his little brother's hand as he let out a prolonged hiss through his clenched teeth, fingers clawing at his shorts. Finally, he tied it to a knot.

"There."

Chris looked down at his hand, a small smile creeping on his face. He managed a small "thanks" before leaning on his back, sighing heavily.

"I'm sorry," he finally said.

"Hey, don't worry about it," Martin wrapped a gentle arm around him, tone soft and forgiving. "I gotcha."

Chris rested his head on his shoulder, closing his eyes as he allowed himself to relax in his brother's warm embrace, his hurt hand close to his chest. He felt safe, despite the dangerous situation they were in.

"And that's the last of them," Koki let out after hanging the last piece of decoration on the wall, preening herself for her achievement.

Beep. Beep.

She turned on her heels at the sudden noise coming from her computer.

"Hmm."

She walked over before taking her seat, her eyes widening as she realized what was on her screen.

"Aviva?" she called, her voice cracking.

The girl walked up to her. "Yeah, what is it, Koki?"

"I got a message from the bros, and I have a feeling it's not a good one," she sounded too serious for Aviva to question her paranoia.

"Well, let's hear it," she shrugged, not expecting what came next.

"...-help-... -stuck-... -Mount Fuji-... -can't go-... -anywhere-... -get us-..."

The audio cracked as Chris could be seen talking, the screen lagging then and there.

Aviva put her hands to her mouth, both girls gasping in horror.

"And... voila!" Jimmy cheered, finally having finished working on the cake, before jumping at the sudden and unexpected-

"Jimmy, the bros are in trouble, fly the ship over Mount Fuji!" Aviva yelled at him, scaring him half to death.

"I-I'm on it!" He hurried his clumsy self to the pilot room.

"Hang on, bros."

Utter silence, broken only by Martin's melodical whisteling. Even in the middle of a predicament, his enthusiastic nature always took the best of him.

Chris couldn't help but smile at that, still trapped in the same exact embrace from before.

Martin suddenly stopped. "So..."

Chris glanced at him.

"How did you manage to smell like pancake?" Martin laughed. "Did you pour it on yourself or something?"

Chris turned a little red from embarrassment.

"I- uh... Let's just say I'm not the best when it comes to eating manners," he laughed sheepishly.

He heard his brother scoff at the statement.

"...Perhaps a side effect from using the suit too much?" Chris added nervously.

"Nah, pretty sure it's all you," Martin said without hesitance, earning an offended "hey!" from the yougest.

"Okay, I'll admit I did get most of it all over my face," Chris let out admitingly, Martin bursting into laughter.

"Of course, you did."

The sun was slowly disappearing behind the tip of the mountain, alarming them of the fact that it was getting dark soon.

Feeling uneasy at the thought, the brothers hadn't noticed the platform below them starting to crack a bit. They looked down panically.

"Oh, no no no..." Chris muttered, his brother pulling him closer in a protective way.

Just when they thought things were about to get painful for them, the sudden loud sound of a ship pierced the air.

They looked up to find-

"The Tortuga!" they cried at the same time.

"We're saved!" Chris added from overwhelming relief.

The hatch opened and next thing they knew, a ladder was being thrown at them.

"Grab on!" Aviva yelled out.

She didn't need to say it twice.

With his brother's arm wrapped around his shoulder, Martin made a jump for it, one arm around Chris' waist, the other holding onto the ladder for dear life.

In the very last second, the platform fell apart. It was a close one.

That was exactly what happened a few hours ago.

The brother's were back at the HQ, safe and in one piece.

Martin had another sweater on, while Chris got a brand new bandage for his hand.

All four of them - Martin, Chris, Aviva and Koki - were sitting on the edge of the open hatch, gazing at a spectacular sunlight, the sky slowly turning into a majestic sea of lavender and pink, illuminating the nearly perfectly symmetrical mountain, rendering it impossible to get one's eyes off of.

"It sure is beautiful," Martin sighed, everyone humming at his words.

"Make room for me!" Jimmy came over with plates full of cake; two plates in each hand, and the fifth on his head.

The crew laughed as he distributed each plate.

"Thanks, JZ," Koki smiled, the ginger guy sitting right next to her.

"Hey, Chris, how's your hand?" Jimmy tilted his head to see Chris' face.

"It's alright," he gave a thumb up with his good hand, before shoving a spoonful of cake in his mouth.

"Don't choke," Martin teased, receiving a hard nudge, both laughing at the matter.

In an atmosphere full of delight and peace, the sun dove behind the horizon, stuck somewhere between day and night.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHRIS!!!

#wild kratts #kratt brothers #chris kratt #martin kratt #aviva corcovado #koki #jimmy z #wk fanfic #fanfiction #birthday fic #hurt/comfort #brotherly fluff #fandom #fangirl power!

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lilypadlys · 4 months

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Domestic December Day 23 - I Got You Flowers

Mountain grows some special flowers as a surprise for you

Notes: Prompt list by comp-lady. See prompt list here

Flowers below the cut or on AO3

As you work on repotting the mint plants you notice Mountain staring from across the green house. You smile a little at his sheepish wave when he realizes he’s been caught. You don’t mind. In fact you blush at the attention. You’d be lying if you said you didn't have a crush.

You’ve liked Mountain since you first met him, shortly after joining the ministry as a sibling of sin. The gentle giant had helped you when you’d gotten lost and since then you’d become friendly with each other. Once you joined the garden crew you spent the vast majority of your time dancing around each other.

You’ve become good friends, always chatting about this or that, sometimes getting lunch together and hanging out in your free time. You can’t bring yourself to admit your feelings though. What if he doesn’t feel the same. You’re a human after all and he’s a literal hell creature.

As a result, you bite your tongue when he comes over and try to offer a friendly rather than love struck smile.

“Hey Mounty. What’s up?”

“Hello Y/N. The mints are doing amazing.”

“Aww thanks. They just needed some love.”

“Is the antifungal rub working for the tomatoes?”

“Like a charm.”

You both busy yourselves with important but surface level chatter about the various plants and upcoming tasks but you can tell Mountain wants to say more. To your dismay, your conversation begins to peter out before he works up the courage.

“Okay, well I’ll see you then.” You wave.

He gulps.

“Uh wait.”

You pause and turn back to him.

“Would you, I mean, uh.” He fidgets with his gardening gloves. “There’s something I’ve been meaning to show you. Uh but it has to be at night. Are you free tonight? Around dusk?”

“Yeah! Sure.” You play it cool but inside you're squealing. “Meet here in the green house?”

“Yeah. See you then?”

“Totally!”

You can barely wait until Mountain is out of eye and ear shot to pump your fists and giggle excitedly. You can hardly wait.

When dusk finally arrives, you run to the greenhouse to find the earth ghoul already waiting outside.

“Hi Y/N. Thanks for coming.”

“Of course Mounty. What did you want to show me?”

He motions for you to follow as he leads you around the side of the building to the open air flower beds in the back.

“I remember you mentioning that you thought it was cool that certain flowers only bloom at night, but that you also haven't had a chance to see any other than in pictures. So I thought, why not.” He stops before you round the corner. “I hope you like it.”

You poke your head around the corner and gasp. Bathed in moonlight is a sea of night blooming flowers. Moonflowers, night phlox, gardenias, night blooming jasmine, evening primrose, lilies, orchids, and more. They all glow; seeming to reflect the moon and star light.

You run among the flowerbeds giddy.

“It’s gorgeous! I love it!” I love you, sits on the tip of your tongue. You turn back to him. “Thank you for doing all of this.”

“Of course Y/N.”

Even in the low light you can see the blush that decorates his cheeks. You run forward to hug him.

“I’ve got a surprise for you too.”

“Hmm?”

You gently pull him down by his shirt collar so your faces are level. Then you give him a chaste peck on the cheek. Somehow his blush grows deeper.

“I think I like you.” You say shyly, looking down.

Mountain answers with a kiss to your forehead. “I think I like you too.”

#the band ghost #ghost fanfiction #mountain ghoul #mountain/reader #fluff #flowers #domestic december 2023 #lys writes

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everydayesterday · 7 months

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new to the backyard as part of an autumn planting: american witch hazel, narrow-leaf mountain mint, and (trying for the 99th time) phlox (it will last half a season before dying on me).

I lost so many flowering perennials during the unseasonably frigid conditions back in december, so hopefully this rejuvenates things and helps the pollinator species recover. these are all native plants, so they should be well-suited to typical weather patterns, and I'm using plugs instead of seed for the flowers which gives everything a headstart.

#garden #me

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kimberly40 · 1 year

Text

“Mountain Woman in Four Seasons”

Watching the purple horizon lift upward

like a cathedral blessing in the loveliest

time of the year, I have seen my sister

standing regal in her green summer dress,

country girl with Smoky Mountain eyes,

who fingers the delicate flowers that stick

to her skin like Monet impressions

as she swims seas of woodland phlox.

And often, when in this cool valley,

I tilt my head upward to the mountains

and feel still the fervent comfort

of Mama’s golden-leaf arm

as I look deeply into the autumn

fury of her protective gazes,

angry at the hidebound ones who jeer

at her hillbilly girl.

There are times too that Mamaw

is quite near me, living on borrowed time

in the Appalachian woodlands,

with her winter-white chill and fallen hair,

shaking me with grandmotherly urgency,

calling me away from diamond dreams.

In her bare-tree limbs, I notice

a strength more forceful than iron.

I’ve watched these—my women kin,

these stalwart mountains—as I’ve walked

down dirt paths, seeking my bearings.

But right now I see myself, as I stand

where the spring stream gleams,

my reflection looming wider and taller

than it ever is without the hills behind me.

Of course, the city mirrors catch me too,

but they just don’t seem to recognize

the magnitude of a Mountain Woman.

(Beautiful poem by Danita Dodson shared from The Mountain Times)

#appalachian #appalachian mountains #north carolina #appalachian culture #appalachia #north carolina mountains #nc mountains #western north carolina #mcdowell county #the south #southern living

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vandaliatraveler · 1 year

Photo

Part 2: After the Rain - Life in an Appalachian Temperate Forest.

From top: Wild ginger (Asarum canadense), also known as Canadian snakeroot; Philadelphia fleabane (Erigeron philadelphicus), a lovely spring aster deserving of a more dignified name; white wood violet (Viola sororia albiflora), a white variation of the common blue violet; woodland phlox (Phlox divaricata), also called wild blue phlox; creeping phlox (Phlox stolonifera), a mountain native and the most delicate and beautiful of Appalachia’s many wonderful phlox species; and Allegheny blackberry (Rubus allegheniensis).

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thorsenmark · 1 year

Video

flickr

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noxilous-art · 1 year

Text

Finnian Phlox - Mountain Hare

#art #artist #digital art #drawing #oc #original character #mountain hare #hare #ring master #circus

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almalvo · 1 year

Text

STAR TREK: ENTERPRISE S4E1 "Stormfront Part 1"

oh my god season 4.

star trek and nazis bro.

"coloured music"? k.

HUG HIM TRIP, HUG YOUR CAPTAIN

aw man all the vessels welcoming enterprise home is so beautiful

whats it with starship captains loving mountain climbing.

the fact phlox can become pufferfish at any time bruh

listening to t'pol talking to her about the yet dubious hypothetical of a human and vulcan having a future together……. UGHGHHGUHGGGHFJFGYUckkCK … who is t'pol the mother of…..? dont tell me… no idea.

#t'pol #vulcan #star trek #star trek enterprise #enterprise #thoughts #reaction #text #almalvo #phlox

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random-cryptid · 1 year

Note

ok so the light brown one with pink spots on its wings is an achemon sphinx moth is a species of hawkmoth and eat nectar from flowers like phlox and japanese hineysuckle. apparently their wings can beat so fast that they can sometimes be mistaken for hummingbirds (which is making me lose my mind over it cuz now im imagining either mary or winnie freaking out ciz they thought they were being attacked by a bird but its really just a big moth tryna hamg out on their head)

the little greenish blue one is a blackberry looper. theyre super small and like eating flower petals, and the leaves of blackberries and strawberries. theyre also found in most of the u.s. except for california, washington, oregon, alaska and hawaii, which im sad about cuz they look so cute and tiny and i wanna see one up close! (cant have shit in cali djdhdj)

the last on vibing on sarah's head is a cecropia silk moth! the catsrpillars like sugar maple, dogwood, apple and plums while the adults dont seem to really eat. their found anywhere from nova scotia down to florida as well as southern canada all the way to the rocky mountains (which means i cant fuckin see these guys either! why are all the cool moths found onthe other side of the country?!)

im honestly having so much fun learning about moths! ive always loved learning about different insects, and getting to learn more about moths was so much fun!

Boy do I love moths they’re so cool 😭😭😭😭 look at all these funky fellas!!! I love learning about moths and beetles so much

My fave from all of these has to be the Cecropia Silk Moth like look at those colors!!!! It’s so pretty 🥹🥹🥹 and idk but I find the Blackberry Looper eating flower petals and strawberry and blackberry leaves so cute I JUST LOVE MOTHS

Well at least you get to see moths, here where I live I barely see any 😭😭😭😭😭 (the perks of living on a tropical island amirite)

Thank you for showing me these!!!! I love them they’re so cool looking

#I do love me some insects sometimes #asking the ghost #moths

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strelles-universe · 1 year

Note

Sentences for translation: "Thistlestar! We found a kitten in the big heather and gorse patches!" "Okay, show me a hunter's crouch." "There's been an avalanche near ThunderClan..." "Remember to get herbs for the medicine den. Sorrel, tansy, and yarrow!" "Mama, Swallowkit's been stung by a wasp!" "This cave has such a spooky echo." "Don't snarl at me Stoatpaw! Wrenpaw, Thriftpaw, you need to get better at controlling your sister!" "You wouldn't be shivering if you didn't jump into the moon pool."

I'm assuming these are meant to be in the clan's language, Nuyate?

---

Tamrayama-isu! Ukhe awarteyen en ba wena dokaria o girayama dohaanla!

Thistle-star! We(excl) found (pst. perf) a kit in the big heather and gorse patch-pl. "Thistlestar! We found a kit in the big heather and gorse patches!"

Khri, seun erayen ba hahaku-za laro.

"Okay, show me a hunter's crouch."

Pi ewte an nahusela enva Tudaamowo…

"There has be(pst. pft) a landslide near ThunderClan…" "There's been an landslide near ThunderClan…"

Laruwin suweruse ba donukera ir ba imisi danyan - surahelo, pohimuyama o ganhednor

Remember aqurire(fut.) the herb-pl for the medicine den - sorrel, tansy and yarrow. "Remember to get herbs for the medicine den. Sorrel, tansy, and yarrow!"

Mam, Vesuasamayen-mes hew ewte tempate bi an suratempa

Mama, Swallow.acc.-kit has be(pst. perf.) sting (pst. perf.) by a wasp "Mama, Swallowkit's been stung by a wasp!"

6.) Tin wira selemete an wasewama kainwa

Proximal Art. possesses such/like-form indef. spook-y echo "This cave has such a spooky echo."

7.) Degut narewen erayen Harin-akh! Rindi-nakh, Sennayama-akh, ser nayu suweru satura yatu sorikh amusayen!

Do not snarl at me, Stoat-paw! Wren-paw, Phlox-paw, you need to get better at control- your sister! "Don't snarl at me Stoatpaw! Wrenpaw, Thriftpaw, you need to get better at controlling your sister!"

8.) Ser nuln ut ew veragen her ser degat ut deyu enno ba emuvuhel

You would not be shiver-progressive if you do-pst not jump into the moon-pool "You wouldn't be shivering if you didn't jump into the moon pool."

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Fun Notes

-> Avalanche was changed to "landslide" because the forest clans live at the base of a mountain with very little snow or ice

-> A leader's title is appended to the end of a name

-> The words for the herbs are; sour-leaf (sorrel), undying-plant (tansy) and many-blooms (yarrow).

-> Choosing to make the declined forms of pronouns (me, him etc.) just be the base pronoun w/ the accusative declination -(a)yen

-> Apparently the word "such" is a long since eroded contraction for "like formed"

-> Gotta say, the animal names were probably the hardest of this list - demonstratives non-withstanding

-> Thriftpaw is modified to Phloxpaw since that's the kind of plant grows in North America that has a mildly confusing name lol

-> Trying to figure out how to make contractions work is hard tbh XD Kinda just left them unfolded - might try to merge a few words together

-> Allative case -(a)wen is being used to be mean, "at" or "near" so it basically means "snarl-ward to me"

-> Satura is now the clan word for "better" so I'm amused that the english Saturday would sound like, "day of betterment" to the clans

#answering asks #a proper anon #strelles translations

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