If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 618

 

 

 

 

 

 

Giant Pacific Octopus

 

This unused postcard comes from the Seattle Aquarium and was shared by Bob’s son who, with his wife and children, visited us this summer.  The Aquarium was one of several places they enjoyed while they were here. 

 

The blurb at the upper left corner on the reverse of the card says:  “Giant Pacific octopus:  The world’s largest octopus species is found throughout the Salish Sea—and even directly below our pier!  Learn about these fascinating, intelligent animals at SeattleAquarium.org/octopus.” 

 

The Salish Sea is comprised of Puget Sound (Seattle), the Strait of Juan de Fuca (San Juan Islands), and the Georgia Strait (Vancouver Island).  These animals are found in the North Pacific Ocean from Baja California (Mexico) up along the coastline from California to Alaska and across to Russia, Eastern China, Japan, and the Korean Peninsula.  They are best adapted to the cold, oxygen rich water found from the inter-tidal zone to depths up to 6,600 ft or 2,000 m.  The average large adult octopuses typically weigh about 33 lbs or 15 kg.  The arm span can reach to 14 ft or 4.3 m. Very large ones have been weighed at 110 lbs or 50 kg with an arm span of 20 ft or 6 m. 

 

Their diet consists of a variety of sea creatures, such as, shrimp, crabs, scallops, abalone, cockles, snails, clams, lobsters, fish, squid, and even other octopuses.  Their long tentacles or arms with suckers snare the food and the tough beak is used to bite into the prey. 

 

Astonishingly, the female lays between 120,000 and 400,000 eggs!  After mating, she can hold the spermatheca in her own body for several months until she is ready to fertilize them.  One of the female octopuses at the Seattle Aquarium waited seven months before laying her eggs.  The eggs are preyed upon by many other sea creatures and require the female to constantly watch over and tend the eggs until they hatch.  Unlike the males, the females only breed a single time in their life.  While she is tending and watching over the eggs and fighting off predators she does not eat and is believed to eventually die of starvation shortly after the eggs hatch. 

 

Ranked as the most intelligent of invertebrates, the Giant Pacific octopuses are often on display in aquariums.  It has been observed that they can recognize humans with whom they frequently have contact.  Sometimes they will respond by jetting water or changing body texture when they see a person they know.  They can solve simple puzzles, open childproof bottles, and use tools.  According the the Wikipedia article, “…they have been known to open tank valves, disassemble expensive equipment, and generally wreak havoc in labs and aquaria.  Some researchers even claim they are capable of motor play and having personalities.” 

 

Thanks R for sharing the postcard!

 

For additional information, see:

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_Pacific_octopus

 

If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 426

 American Bobcat (Lynx rufus)

[photo:  James T. Jones]

This unused Lantern Press postcard has the image  #33703 with a photograph of a handsome Bobcat in a tree by James T. Jones.  The card was purchased at the Verlot Ranger Station.  I confess to be partial to felines in general so it should not be a surprise that this card caught my eye. 

Bobcats are found throughout North America and are medium sized, ranging from 14 to 40 lbs. or between 6.4 to 18.3 kg, and stand between 12 and 24 inches or 30 to 60 cm at the shoulders.  As a comparison, my house cat weighs about 12 lbs. (5.4 kg) and stands approximately 11 inches  (27 cm) tall at the shoulder.  As the picture shows, the bobcat has a gray to brown coat with spots, tufted ears, a whiskered face and yellow eyes with black pupils.  Like many wild animals the coloring helps the cat blend in with its surroundings.  Not visible in the picture is the very short tail.  Unlike some other animals that are born with spots that they lose or those that acquire spots as they get older, the bobcat kittens have spotted fur when they are born and do not lose the spots.  Bobcats are identified as Lynx rufus.   Although I know they are there in the woods when we are hiking, we have never seen one in the wild.  

The bobcats we have here in the Pacific Northwest have a territory that spans from northwestern California to southwestern British Columbia, Canada.  Their ancestors are thought to have evolved from the Eurasian lynx that crossed the Bering Land Bridge into North America perhaps as much as more than 2 million years ago.  These early cats evolved into the modern bobcat about 20,000 years ago. 

When prey is abundant the bobcat will eat often but it can go for long periods without food.  Typically it prefers to hunt rabbits, hares, chickens, geese, other birds, small rodents, and even deer depending on the season and the location.  They are normally most active during twilight until about midnight and also in the early morning hours around dawn and shortly thereafter.  They are territorial and mostly solitary.  They can swim but do so out of necessity not choice.  They are excellent climbers, have a good sense of smell, and sharp hearing and vision.

Bobcats are adaptable and resilient.  They prefers woodlands but do not depend exclusively on the deep forest.  Unfortunately, it is hunted for its fur and as trophies, therefore, in some areas the numbers are declining.  The gestation period is between 60 and 70 days with normally 2 to 4 kittens in a litter born in April or May.  Sometimes the female will have a second litter as late as September.  

For additional information, see:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobcat

If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 195

When we arranged a trip to Austin, Texas for a nephew’s wedding it included a little extra time to see a few things.  One of the places on the list to visit was the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.  At first I wasn’t going to do this as a postcard Thursday but I did buy postcards at the gift shop, an example is shown above, hence it did become one after all.  The card is a Texas Production publication with the photo credit given as TX DOT.

The entry into the grounds

This waterfall has an entrance so children (and adults) can go behind it.  The walls of these short tunnels are decorated with primitive rock art.

Dinosaur footprints decorated the sandstone pathway by the waterfall cave.

In one area of the courtyard we found this small door leading into a children's activity room.

The central part of the park houses formal gardens, a play area for children, a gallery, gift shop, and small café, the remainder is really more like a preserve filled with countless wildflowers, butterflies, birds, and animals.  Although we did see butterflies and a few birds we did not see snakes or other animals; however, there were signs with pictures and information about the animals that live in the park.  One of the helpers in the gift shop asked if we had seen the owl nesting with three baby owlets above the entrance arch.  We had to go out and take pictures hoping we got something as the owls blended in so completely with the foliage and stone.  With over 175,000 native plants and four miles of winding trails throughout the park we visited twice and enjoyed several hours of pleasant strolling with lots of things to look at. 

Two of the three baby owls in the nest above the entryway

Much of the wildflower center is open meadow with scattered trees and a profusion of different colored flowers mixed in the grass.  The park grounds are kept as natural as possible.  We did see gardeners removing invasive plants and pruning out the deadwood.

This Live Oak was one of several in the park.  Live Oaks propagate by a series of connecting roots so there are often several trees forming a group. 

Our tour map and information brochure told us that the former First Lady, Lady Bird Johnson, and actress Helen Hayes founded the Wildflower Center in 1982 to preserve and protect native plants and natural landscapes.  The park has evolved into a renowned garden and research institution.  Originally called the National Wildflower Research Center the name was changed in 1998 to honor Mrs. Johnson.  In 2006 it became a research unit of the University of Texas.  Lady Bird Lake in the heart of Austin is also named in her honor for her efforts and achievements in beautifying the city. 

We did purchase a Texas wildflower book and fold out charts for birds, trees and butterflies so some of these are identifiable.  I must have taken hundreds of photos, way too many to share but here are a few--

Bluebonnet, the Texas State flower

Evening Primrose

Iris

Columbine

Indian Blanketflower 

Cacti

Texas Paintbrush

 Red Yucca

Spider Milkweed with bees

Northern Mockingbird

Prairie Pleatleaf

Common Buckeye Butterfly

Winecup

Black-eyed Susan

Also according to the booklet provided at the gate “the Wildflower Center is a national leader in plant conservation, sustainable landscaping, and ecology-based design.”  Quotes from Lady Bird Johnson: “Wildflowers and native plants are as much a part of our national heritage as Old Faithful or the Capitol Building.”  On a stone placed along one of the pathways had this quote: “My personal hope—that Americans will intensify their commitment to conservation.”  On a large display by the entrance to the park:  “My special cause, and the one that alerts my interest and quickens the pace of my life, is to preserve the wildflowers and native plants that define the regions of our land—to encourage and promote their use in appropriate areas and thus help pass on to generations in waiting the quiet joys and satisfactions I have known since my childhood.”

For more, see:

https://www.wildflower.org/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lady_Bird_Johnson_Wildflower_Center

Antelope Island

One of the places we visited on a recent trip to Salt Lake City, Utah was Antelope Island located in the Great Salt Lake.  The lake is too salty to support much beyond brine shrimp, no fish or other sea life.  The island is a State Park, game refuge and sanctuary.  It is 28, 800 acres, connected to the mainland by a man-made causeway and is open year round. We did not see any but the information pamphlet said there are several freshwater streams on the island.

Named for the pronghorn antelope seen first by the original explorers in the 1840s the island also supports a variety of migrating birds, a large herd of American bison (buffalo), mule deer, jackrabbits, bobcats, coyotes, small rodents and bighorn sheep.   The bison were introduced to the island in 1893 and now comprise one of the largest herds in the United States.  When I asked the Ranger how many bison were currently on the island she said at the recent annual roundup they counted 700 but since the island can only support 500 the other 200 would be leaving for new homes within a few days.   Bighorn sheep were brought to the island about 100 years later in the 1990s.   They have also adjusted well to the island.

Although we did not see the sheep or the antelope for which the island is named we did see at least 200 bison traveling in long strings of approximately 20 to 40 animals in each group including babies.  We got close, almost uncomfortably close, to several including this one who crossed the road right in front of us.  The photo below was taken through the windshield of the car, as I was not going to get out to take it.  There was a group of bicyclists coming along from the opposite direction and we watched as a large van acted as shield for the biker who remained hidden from the bison until safely past the animal.  I don’t know if they would actually attack or harm a human but they are very large wild animals and do have horns so caution is certainly advised.

The picture above shows a string of bison on the grassy hillside, the salt flats, the lake, the mainland and mountains.  The city is just barely visible at the foot of the mountains at the upper right.

We also saw this mule deer and a fawn hidden in the grass nearby.

The island made up of wetlands, mountains and grasslands is incredibly beautiful in part because it is in a pristine state with minimal trails, roads, the remains of an original farm and a visitor center being the only evidence of men.  We were getting ready to leave and had just stopped at the visitor center for a quick look when the Ranger said, “Stay a few more minutes and you will see the most spectacular sunset.  I never get tired of it.”  So we stayed and were not disappointed, the Ranger was right it was beautiful.

From the visitor center looking down on the causeway that connects the island to the mainland.  The setting sun making the hills turn pink.

The sky turned a blaze of glory the clouds adding drama to the setting sun.

There were a few Black-eyed Susan daisies still in bloom and several different sagebrush-like plants that I could not identify without a proper plant book.

For more about Antelope Island State Park, please see:
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antelope_Island_State_Park