The Lahaina Banyan Tree in 2017. (Photo: richlonardo/Depositphotos)

In August 2023, Maui was struck by a devastating fire. Over 100 people died and thousands of homes and buildings around the island were destroyed by the flames. Lahaina, a historic town in the western part of the island, saw the worst of it. Not only did a large part of the city turn to rubble, but even the natural history of the area was at risk. Parts of the famed Lahaina Banyan Tree, which had just turned 150, got burned. Although it was unclear whether the tree would survive, things are looking better now.

Once arborists were able to to return to the area, the work to save the tree began. Sadly, about half of the tree’s branches died. Specifically, the tree’s northeast corner sustained the most damage in the fire and never recovered. Aiming to redirect the energy to the healthy parts, the dead branches were removed and the soil was soaked with 5,000 to 10,000 gallons of water a day. The team also fed it with a special compost to nourish it back to health.

The first good sign happened in October 2023, when the tree sprouted its first new leaves since the fire. “In my opinion the tree is still in a coma. I relate it to people” arborist Steve Nimz, part of the Lahaina Treescape Restoration Project, said then in a news release. “They’re in a coma and all of a sudden they blink an eye or move a finger. This tree needs to put out enough foliage and green to be able to feed itself.”

To better understand the tree’s behavior, 14 sensors were screwed into it. These devices will track flows of cambium, or sap, through its branches. “It’s basically a heart monitor,” Duane Sparkman, chair of the Maui County Arborist Committee told AP. “As we’ve been treating the tree, the heart beat’s getting stronger and stronger and stronger.”

Today, the tree has made some significant progress, but it's still in a fragile condition. “It’s not out of the woods,” Timothy Griffith Jr., chief arborist for Maui County, told USA Today. “But the fact that it continues to put out new growth, we remain optimistic—cautiously optimistic—that we will have something to work with in the decades to come.”

The banyan fig was planted back in 1873 by the sheriff to mark the 5oth anniversary of the arrival of the first protestant mission. Although it now stands at over 60 feet tall, it was only an 8-foot-tall sapling when it was planted. The banyan Tree or Ficus benghalensis is not a species native to Hawai'i. It was shipped from India, becoming a symbol of Hawai'i's burgeoning multicultural exchange.

Although the outlook is promising, the work is far from done. There are plans to install some features to continue to care for the tree. The first is a system of vertical tubes that will feed nutrient-rich compost to the tree’s aerial roots, vertical branches that grow down toward the ground, ensuring they have key nutrients when they take root in the soil. The other is an irrigation system that will also provide small doses of water into the tubes and irrigate the surrounding land and the tree’s canopy.

Ultimately, the Lahaina Banyan Tree had a better fate than the 25,000 trees that burned down in the area, like the two neighboring monkeypod trees that protected the tree from further damage. A symbol of the history of the town, its recovery will continue to inspire the locals as they rebuild their own lives.

“You see a lot of long, long branches with hundreds of leaves back on the tree,” Sparkman said, adding that some branches are even producing fruit. “It’s pretty amazing to see that much of the tree come back.”

The Lahaina Banyan Tree, which was damaged by the wildfire that hit Maui a year ago, is healing and work is being done to bring it back to health.

Embed from Getty Images

“The fact that it continues to put out new growth, we remain optimistic—cautiously optimistic—that we will have something to work with in the decades to come,” said Timothy Griffith Jr., chief arborist for Maui County.

Embed from Getty Images

“You see a lot of long, long branches with hundreds of leaves back on the tree,” Duane Sparkman, chair of the Maui County Arborist Committee said. “It’s pretty amazing to see that much of the tree come back.”

Embed from Getty Images

h/t: [Smithsonian Magazine]

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READ: Here’s How Lahaina’s 151-Year-Old Banyan Tree Is Doing a Year After the Devastating Fire

Photo: lightpoet/Depositphotos

The harmful particles and gases in wildfire smoke are just as bad for trees as they are for humans and animals. And while we may stay indoors or wear masks to protect ourselves, trees also have a clever system to withstand the aftermath of forest fires. A study conducted by MJ Riches and Delphine Farmer from Colorado State University found that trees pretty much “hold their breath” to avoid damage from the smoke.

Riches and Farmer explain that plants have stomata, which are pores on the surface of their leaves. While these pores are like a plant's equivalent to a human mouth, instead of inhaling oxygen and exhaling carbon dioxide like we do, they do the opposite—they inhale carbon dioxide and exhale oxygen. But unlike humans, leaves breathe in and out atmospheric gases at the same time.

While the scientists were originally aiming to study how plants emit the chemicals that make forests smell like a forest, known as volatile organic compounds, a thick smoke came through the field site where they were working in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. After the first morning of heavy smoke, they measured the leaf-level photosynthesis of Ponderosa pines, but were shocked to find that the tree’s pores were completely shut.

“We also measured the leaves’ emissions of their usual volatile organic compounds and found very low readings,” write the study authors for The Conversation. “This meant that the leaves weren’t ‘breathing'—they weren’t inhaling the carbon dioxide they need to grow and weren’t exhaling the chemicals they usually release.”

Once they noticed this unexpected phenomenon, Riches and Farmer tried to reset a leaf to its normal rhythm. To do so, they altered the leaf’s temperature and humidity, clearing its “airways.” With this, the leaf suddenly improved, restarted photosynthesis and began emitting volatile organic compounds.

“What our months of data told us is that some plants respond to heavy bouts of wildfire smoke by shutting down their exchange with outside air,” the researchers say. “They are effectively holding their breath, but not before they have been exposed to the smoke.”

While this discovery was completely accidental, Riches and Farmer's findings may help scientists and environmentalists better understand and help nature in the face of increasingly intense wildfire seasons.

“The jury is still out on exactly how long the effects of wildfire smoke last and how repeated smoke events will affect plants—including trees and crops—over the long term,” they share. “With wildfires increasing in severity and frequency due to climate change, forest management policies, and human behavior, it’s important to gain a better understanding of the impact.”

A study conducted by MJ Riches and Delphine Farmer found that trees “hold their breath” to avoid damage from hazardous smoke.

Photo: Wirestock/Depositphotos

After some heavy smoke hit the field they were working at, they measured the leaf-level photosynthesis of Ponderosa pines, but were shocked to find that the tree’s pores were completely shut.

Photo: Tramp-KHV/Depositphotos

Riches and Farmer explain that plants have stomata, which are pores on the surface of their leaves, a plant's equivalent to a human mouth.

Photo: Alexandrumusuc/Depositphotos

h/t: [The Conversation]

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READ: Trees “Hold Their Breath” During Wildfires To Avoid Damage From the Smoke

Japanese artist Yoshiyuki Katayama highlights the relationship between insects and flowers through exceptional videos. For eight years, he has been adding new work to his ongoing Umwelt series. The work merges a time-lapse video of flowers blooming together with insects crawling on the plants in slow motion.

This makes for a dynamic composite as the slow motion and time-lapse create a hypnotic video. Named after a German word that roughly translates to “self-centered world,” Umwelt is a way for Katayama to extract beauty from living things. And at the same time, it allows him to bring the public along for the adventure, pushing them to join him in his appreciation for the natural world.

“I have always been fascinated by nature, mainly insects and plants, because their existence is derived from the same power that also lives inside me,” he shares. “I love how flowers and plants are a riot of color and a medley of shapes, with delicately made antennae, petals, and leaves. I also enjoy watching the mechanism of life unfold in a small, confined space. The process of how natural life rises, grows, and then falls away captivates me. I look deeply into flora and fauna as if they were parts of me, and create a piece from that place of respect.”

The series has been screened at numerous institutions and film festivals, earning several awards for its creative imagery. Katayama doesn't appear to be slowing down anytime soon. He regularly publishes Umwelt videos on Vimeo and Instagram, proving that nature's inspiration never fades.

Umwelt is Japanese video artist Yoshiyuki Katayama's evocative series of flower and insect videos.

He creates these hypnotic videos by combining a time-lapse of flowers blooming with a slow-motion video of insects.

“The process of how natural life rises, grows, and then falls away captivates me.”

Yoshiyuki Katayama: Website | Instagram | Vimeo

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READ: Hypnotic Videos of Insects Crawling on Tiny Worlds of Blooming Flowers

 

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Una publicación compartida por johan wolterink (@johanwolterink)

Nature is full of thrilling spectacles, from volcanic eruptions to lightning that ignites the sky. And sometimes, with a little luck, both of these can happen at the same time, offering some breathtaking footage for the ages. Recently, hikers in Guatemala were treated to a unique sight when lightning hit Volcán de Fuego (or Chi Q'aq') in the middle of an eruption.

The footage captured by those in the area show the volcano's mouth spewing lava as light pulsates in the sky. When a cloud of smoke rises from the side, it is violently met with a streak of lightning, illuminating the night sky in a spectacular fashion. The moment only lasts a handful of milliseconds, but it's enough to take onlookers' breath away.

Among those lucky to witness this event was photographer Johan Wolterink, who shared a video on Instagram. “What are the odds,” he captioned the clip. In his video, the smoke column continues to rise after being struck by the lightning, as if empowered by its encounter with the storm.

TikToker @danii_vee had a little more luck with her sighting, as the clip she posted to social media shows lightning lingering a little longer over the volcanic ash, simulating a dance between both forces as the rays of light take several shapes over the scene. “A spectacular, and once in a lifetime, show gifted by Mother Earth herself,” she wrote. “So incredibly grateful.”

Both videos are textbook examples of volcanic lightning. The Center for the Study of Active Volcanoes at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo explains this naturally occurring phenomenon: “In a thunderstorm, high winds cause the ice particles in clouds to collide with one another; as a result, electrons are knocked off, and part of the cloud gradually accumulates a negative charge, and another part a positive charge. At some point, the excess electrons will ‘jump the gap' and discharge as lightning, which often remains completely within the cloud. Similarly, in a volcanic eruption cloud, there are small particles of volcanic material colliding with one another at high speeds, and these collisions can result in separation of charges in the volcanic cloud that result in lightning.”

Since Volcán de Fuego is one of the most active volcanos in the world, it's a prime location to witnessing volcanic lightning firsthand. See more of this thrilling phenomenon below.

Recently, hikers in Guatemala were treated to a unique sight when lightning hit Volcán de Fuego in the middle of an eruption.

@danii_vee Volcanic lightning ⚡️ Volcan de Fuego – Guatemala. A spectacular, and once in a lifetime, show gifted by Mother Earth herself. So incredibly grateful ✨ #fuego #acatenango #guatemala #fypシ゚viral ♬ My Tears Are Becoming A Sea – M83

Since Volcán de Fuego is one of the most active volcanos in the world, it's a prime location to witnessing volcanic lightning firsthand.

@laurraverra This moment was surreal ⚡️ I’ve never experienced anything like this. Definitely one of the highlights of my hike up Volcano Acatenango in Guatemala! #fuegovolcano #acatenangovolcano #guatemala #acatenango #volcano #volcaniceruption #volcaniclightning #lightning #lightningstrike #nature #mothernature ♬ Plage Coquillage (First Kiss Song) – Tao Mon Amour

h/t: [Good]

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READ: Breathtaking Videos Capture Lightning Striking an Erupting Volcano in Guatemala

Photo: Nowhereman/Depositphotos

If a butterfly flaps its wings, will a hurricane suddenly materialize? No, not likely; but it turns out butterflies can still achieve some impressive feats with their delicate fluttering. After a decade of some serious detective work, entomologist Gerard Talavera and his team at the Botanical Institute of Barcelona (CSIC) have shown that the Vanessa cardui can manage to migrate from West Africa to South America. That means they remained in flight for up to eight days without anywhere to land or fuel up on nectar.

Vanessa cardui, commonly known as the painted lady, have an expansive geographic distribution and can be found on every continent except Antarctica. Until recently, South America was considered another exception. Yet, Talavera had heard of some supposedly popping up in French Guiana.

Being an expert in insect migration, he went to investigate. After several days of fruitless searching, Talavera was ready to give up and go home; however, one fateful walk on a beach led to finding not just one but 10 painted lady butterflies flapping tattered wings. The dilapidated wings suggested they’d had a long, arduous journey, but it seemed impossible that they could have survived a 2,600-mile transatlantic trip.

V. cardui are known to be migratory. They regularly migrate 9,000 miles between Europe and sub-Saharan Africa, but they have plenty of rest stops along the way. With a maximum range of 500 miles flying a day without wind, scientists found it hard to believe they could cross the ocean without killing themselves from exhaustion.

Photo: Adogslifephoto/Depositphotos

First, the team checked that the butterflies really did come from Africa. After comparing genomics between different painted lady populations, the team confirmed that the butterflies were not from North America, which would have been the closest departure.

After managing to get pollen samples from the tattered wings, Talavera identified over a dozen plants the butterflies had come into contact with. Two species, Guiera senegalensis and Ziziphus spina-christi, only flower in West Africa towards the end of its rainy season.

They then confirmed all of the butterflies were from the same location via isotope testing. Turns out the butterflies had not been born in Africa though. They’d already migrated from Western Europe shortly after hatching, but before they started their marathon of a trip from Africa to South America.

In total, the scientists believe the butterflies spanned 4,300 miles in less than a month. While many insects migrate long distances, these butterflies rival the longest documented migratory routes. It’s also probable that this is the first recorded instance of an insect crossing the Atlantic themselves.

How did they accomplish this feat? Thanks to first-of-its-kind wind analysis, Talavera and his team believe the butterflies were helped along by Saharan winds. They most likely alternated between actively flying and then taking breaks by gliding on the same winds that manage to carry Saharan sand to the banks of the Amazon.

Photo: Wirestock/Depositphotos

The scientists published their findings in the Nature Communications journal last month. Their combining pollen, wind, genetic and isotope analysis is being called “a brilliant piece of biological detective work,” by admiring scientists like David Lohman, an evolutionary ecologist at the City College of New York did in The New York Times. Not only did Talavera and his team use innovative methods to solve their mystery, but they also brought some crucial insight to the study of insect migrations in general.

Prior to this study, most of what we know about migratory insects’ routes is thanks to citizen scientists who logged their sightings. The breakthrough is also well timed as scientists believe global warming will contribute to drastic changes in migration paths. Just like the painted lady butterflies who likely accidentally got caught up in some powerful winds and ended up in a new home, billions of insects could be affected, which in turn impacts flora and fauna that depend on insects for pollination and sustenance.

Using minute samples of pollen found on butterflies' wings, Spanish scientists managed to chart the delicate creatures' impressive journey.

New study! We demonstrate a transatlantic flight for Vanessa cardui butterflies. An incredible feat for insects!

Read the full paper here: https://t.co/CqOFLQZOjw#insectmigration #butterflymigration #PhyloMigrationLab @IBB_botanic @CSIC pic.twitter.com/btyNbeBdNE

— Gerard Talavera (@GerardTalavera) June 25, 2024

Using geneomics, scientists learned the painted lady butterflies had actually hatched in Europe before first migrating to Africa and then South America.

The discovery of such extreme trans-oceanic journey have significant implications for insect ecology, physiology, and historical biogeography. We may be underestimating the frequency and impact of these movements on our ecosystems. pic.twitter.com/f2eKj6wmFg

— Gerard Talavera (@GerardTalavera) June 25, 2024

Thanks the resourceful and persistent research of the scientific team, critical information about our global ecosystem has been discovered.

Pour la première fois, une équipe scientifique internationale a prouvé que des Belles-Dames (Vanessa cardui) ont atteint la Guyane française, en Amérique du Sud, à partir de l’Afrique occidentale, parcourant au moins 4 200 km. pic.twitter.com/H4YVrCwzuH

— Université d'Ottawa | University of Ottawa (@uOttawa) June 25, 2024

h/t: [Smithsonian]

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In J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings series, Ents are a sentient tree-like species that can walk and talk. While these creatures are sadly figments of the author's imagination, elements of Middle-earth do occasionally slip into our world. One recent example of this can be seen in New Zealand’s Tree of the Year contest, as this year's winner bears a striking resemblance to the mystical beings.

This year, the Tree of the Year award was given to a northern rātā (Metrosideros robusta), a flowering tree that is native to New Zealand. The species can grow up to 82 feet (25 meters) or taller, allowing it to tower over forest canopies. Impressively, it can live for up to 1,000 years. The rātā also has a unique shape—instead of one trunk, it has two, and these twin trunks extend down to make it look like the tree is walking, earning the entry the title of “The Walking Tree.” Clearly, this paid off, as the photo of the tree earned 42% of the public's vote in the final round of judging.

“The Walking Tree is a prime example of the remarkable trees that we, as New Zealanders, are fortunate to experience,” said Richie Hill, president of the New Zealand Tree of the Year contest. “This award recognizes the significant role that trees play within our communities, not only enhancing our local environments but also providing a sense of place for past, present, and future generations. The Walking Tree is an exceptional feature and a must-see destination, highlighting the uniqueness and diversity that exists within New Zealand’s notable tree population.”

In addition to its majestic appearance, the northern rātā also has a unique growing pattern. It starts as an epiphyte, meaning that it is a plant that grows on the surface of a tree, similar to a parasite. As it grows, the rātā's roots grow toward the ground and, eventually, entirely envelop its host tree, which could be the cause of its unusual shape.

h/t: [IFL Science]

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Illustration of Archaeopteryx (Photo: Ville Sinkonnen © Field Museum)

One of the best specimens of the Archaeopteryx is now on display at Chicago's Field Museum. The discovery of the first Archaeopteryx fossil in 1861 was integral in confirming Darwin's theory of evolution, as it helped prove that birds are the closest living relatives to dinosaurs. No other museum in a major city in the Western hemisphere has an Archaeopteryx, a dinosaur that roamed what is now Europe, making this a unique opportunity for American science lovers.

It might seem strange that baby ducklings are related to T. Rex, but Archaeopteryx helped scientists understand this leap, as the creature marks a key evolutionary step.

“Archaeopteryx is arguably the most important fossil ever discovered,” shares Field Museum CEO and President Dr. Julian Siggers. “This is the Field Museum’s most  significant fossil acquisition since SUE the T. rex, and we’re thrilled to be able to study ‘the Chicago Archaeopteryx’ and to share it with our visitors.”

While the Archaeopteryx (Greek for “ancient wing”) has a snout with sharp teeth, claws on its wings, and a long bony tail more evocative of dragons than a sparrow, it also shares defining features of birds. Firstly, the dinosaur is small in size. Chicago's specimen is about the size of a pigeon, but they could grow up to 20 inches long. It also has hollow bones, including a wishbone, and its feathers are asymmetrical.

Only a dozen other fossils of this late Jurassic critter have been discovered, all in Europe. Like most of those fossils, the Chicago specimen was found in Germany at the Solnhofen limestone deposit. Private fossil collectors first found it in 1990 and held onto it until the Field Museum was able to purchase it in 2022.

In a twist of good luck for scientists, when the museum received the fossil, it was still mostly encased in a layer of rock. The Field’s associate curator of fossil reptiles, Dr. Jingmai O’Connor, explains, “When a fossil is prepared for the commercial fossil industry, sometimes the physical beauty of the specimen is prioritized over the scientific details. But since the Field Museum’s fossil preparators Akiko Shinya and Connie Van Beek led the project, they preserved all sorts of fine details that are invaluable to scientists using this fossil for research.”

After 1300 hours of museum workers' efforts, the public can view the Archaeopteryx in a temporary exhibit that is open until June 7, 2024. If you can't visit our fossilized feathered friend soon, don't worry. Starting in September, it will be on permanent exhibition at the Field Museum.

The Archaeopteryx is a bird-like dinosaur that lived 150 million years ago in what is now Europe.

Photo: Adrienne Stroup © Field Museum

Chicago's Field Museum is the only museum in a major city in the Western Hemisphere to own one of its fossils.

Photo: Delaney Drummond © Field Museum

Photo: Delaney Drummond © Field Museum

After X-raying the stone slab it had received, the museum was thrilled to discover that the specimen was nearly 100% complete.

Field Museum staff, including assistant curator Jing Mai O'Conner, PhD., opening up the Archaeopteryx fossil they just received. (Photo:© Field Museum)

The dinosaur helps prove Darwin's theory of evolution and is now on display in the museum.

Archaeopteryx fossil slab (Photo: Delaney Drummond © Field Museum)

Field Museum: Website | Facebook | Instagram
h/t: [Smithsonian Magazine]

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READ: Chicago’s Field Museum Exhibits Rare Skeleton of Bird-Like Dinosaur Archaeopteryx

The town of Ilulissat, Greenland, sits 220 miles north of the Arctic Circle, and its name may give away one of the area's most incredible sights. “Ilulissat” is the Kalaallisut word for icebergs, and the area has a front-row seat to the yearly journey of these ice mammoths at the nearby Ilulissat Icefjord. This area was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2004, and now Danish photographer Jonas Høholt lets the world see it through a hypnotic time-lapse depicting the transit of the icebergs under the sweeping arctic skies.

The icebergs that populate this area have been split and shed by the Sermeq Kujalleq glacier one by one for thousands of years. “The sheer magnitude of the Ilulissat Icefjord, its icebergs, and their journey planted a deep fascination in me,” Høholt writes on YouTube. “Along with the distant sounds of icebergs cracking, squeaking, and rumbling, the feeling of being a mere speck in a world largely ruled by nature got its grip in me.”

Høholt shot this time-lapse over a four-month period during which he lived in Ilulissat. “Aside from handling my main job in the town, I grabbed the opportunity to depict my impressions of the seasonal changes from summer to winter around the iconic icefjord just south of Ilulissat,” he explained. “I naturally found purpose in using my time-lapse skills, that I've gradually developed over more than a decade, to capture footage for a personal project depicting the arctic autumn seasonal change along with my personal four month journey in the area.”

His footage captures the seasons changing from summer to the first days of winter. The icebergs parade first under sunny skies and in front of Greenland's colorful villages before moving alongside the aurora borealis at night. Impressively, as the cold kicks in, icebergs can reach up to 15 stories tall out of the water.

To Høholt, this project creations realizations about the constant evolution of both the environment and the human spirit. “The ever-changing icebergs remind me of the impermanence of life,” he writes. “It spurs me to appreciate each moment.”

To explore Høholt's work further, visit his YouTube channel.

Jonas Høholt: Instagram | YouTube
h/t: [PetaPixel]

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“Winter in the floodplain forest” by Dieter Damschen. Overall Winner and Second place, Special Category: Everything in flux – Germany’s River landscapes.
“The inundated trees in the floodplain hardwood forest of the Mittel Elbe during a winter flood.”

A dreamy winter scene has earned Dieter Damschen the title of GDT Nature Photographer of the Year. The competition is run by the Germany Society for Nature Photographers to highlight the talent of its members. This year, 481 members from 13 countries entered just under 8,000 images.

Damschen rose to the top with his photo of trees dusted with snow as a winter flood swept through Germany's Elbe River Landscape Biosphere Reserve.

“I often visit this hardwood riparian forest in the foreland of the dyke to take photographs at fixed points with lines of sight that reveal carefully selected compositions,” Damschen shares. “On this particular morning, the trunks and branches of the trees were plastered with snow on one side, thanks to snowfall in combination with strong winds during the previous night. The resulting contrasting lines emphasize the time-worn structures of the mighty trees, creating the special graphic effect of this fleeting moment.”

Other standout images include Kai Kolodziej‘s portrait of a diamondback rattlesnake flicking its tongue and Scott Portelli's aerial view of humpback whales during bubble-net feeding.

Scroll down to see some of our favorite winners and finalists from the 2024 contest. They just might inspire you to get out and spend more time in nature.

Here are the winners of the 2024 GDT Nature Photographer of the Year contest.

“Bubble netting” by Scott Portelli. First place, Mammals.
” Humpback whales spend the summer months in their Antarctic feeding grounds hunting energy-rich krill to build up sufficient blubber reserves for the long migration to their winter breeding grounds in the tropics. Using a technique known as bubble netting, several whales encircle a swarm of krill, crowd the swarm further by releasing a curtain of air bubbles, and then lurch in to feed effortlessly.”

“Tasting the air” by Kai Kolodziej. Second place, Other Animals.
” The diamondback rattlesnake uses its tongue to detect odors. My goal was to make this behavior visible.”

“Thread-winged” by Dr. Gerald Haas. First place, Other Animals.
“Thread-winged antlion in camp at night, Namibia.”

“Isar floodplain in morning fog” by Andreas Volz. Second place, Special Category: Everything in flux – Germany’s River landscapes.
“The floodplain of Pupplinger Au is an invaluable and species-rich nature reserve. In this region, the streambed of the Isar is largely unregulated.”

“Scenes from a marriage” by Silke Hüttche. Special category winner.

“Eyes shut and waiting for spring” by Flurin Leugger. Second place, Mammals.
“Alpine ibex are perfectly adapted to the inhospitable conditions at high elevations and can even survive severe winter storms.”

The contest is open to members of the German Society for Nature Photographers.

“Arrowhead” by Heike Odermatt. First place, Plants and Mushrooms.
“The small river Groote Aa flows past the outskirts of my village. In the summer, this is the perfect habitat for arrowhead.”

“Flag tree” by Marte Engelbrecht. First place, Atelier Nature.
“A tree shaped by the wind in the grey dunes of the German barrier island Baltrum. Exposure with intentional camera movement (ICM).”

“Predator and prey” by Jan Sohler. Jury Prize.
“An eider drake tries in vain to snatch a mussel in Kieler Förde.”

“Surfing the wave” by Levi Fitze. First place, Birds.
“Gentoo penguin, Sea Lion Island, Falkland Islands. Gentoos are the fastest swimmers among penguins and agile enough to surf breaking waves.”

“Birches in autumn” by Felix Wesch. First place, Landscapes.
“A section of one of my favorite woods in Wahner Heath on a rare mornings in autumn with both fog and sunshine.”

“Morning roll call” by Jens Kählert. Third place, Birds.
“Black skimmers (Rynchops niger) on the east coast of Florida.”

481 members from 13 countries entered just under 8,000 images into this year's competition.

“Frosty morning at Istein Cataracts on the Rhine” by Karl Heinz Scheidtmann. Third place, Special Category: Everything in flux – Germany’s River landscapes.
” The Rhine flows over a limestone formation at Istein Cataracts. Severe frost and soft morning light create a mystical scene.”

“Godafoss” by Britta Strack. Fifth place, Landscapes.
“Godafoss is a waterfall in northern Iceland. According to legend, it is known as the ‘waterfall of the gods'.”

“Frosty bell(e)” by Sigi Zang. Second place, Plants and Mushrooms.
“Pasque flower on a frosty morning.”

“In the eye of the cheetah” by Monika Morlak. Eighth place, Mammals.
“‘But cheetahs don't kill zebras!' proclaimed our astounded guide in Madikwe, South Africa. But this cheetah with three adolescents in tow managed to do just that.”

“Yellow sac spider” by Christian Jakimowitsch. Ninth place, Other Animals.
“A male yellow sac spider in its web.”

“Marble” by Florian Smit. Second place, Landscapes.
“This photograph was taken in Marble Castle, Saltfjellet-Svartisen National Park, Norway. The scene was illuminated with flashes from several perspectives.”

“Aerobatics in morning light” by Christian Brinkmann. Second place, Atelier Nature.
“In the warm glow of the morning sun in the Wadden Sea, a group of wagtails chases through the air; I captured two at just the right angle—a goosebump moment!”

German Society for Nature Photographers (GDT): Website | Facebook | Instagram

My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by GDT.

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Digitally restored black and white daguerrotype of Emily Dickinson, c. early 1847. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)
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The now-renowned Emily Dickinson is widely regarded as one of the most important poets of American literature. Famously a recluse in her later years, the overwhelming majority of her poems were never published until after her death. Even then, it wasn't until the 1920s, 40 years after her death, that her unconventional style was embraced and celebrated as proto-modern work. Poetry wasn't her only passion, though. In fact, during her life, more of Dickinson's acquaintances would have known her as a gardener than a poet, according to scholar Judith Farr in The Gardens of Emily Dickinson. From a young age, she studied botany. While still a student, the avid anthophile compiled a remarkable herbarium, a compilation of dried plants.

This herbarium still holds the same plants Dickinson dried 180 years ago and is held at Harvard University's Houghton Library. Unsurprisingly, though, the original herbarium is not available for viewing, even by academic researchers, since it is so fragile. Luckily, the Houghton Library used digital photography to make the collection viewable to scholars, and the general public. The book, housed in a green album embossed with a botanical pattern, contains 424 different plant specimens on 66 sheets of paper. Dickinson's neat handwriting can be viewed via the labels that use the scientific name of the plants.

Botany was a common past-time for girls of that era, an acceptable pathway to science through illustration, which was deemed to be suitably feminine. Over a third of Dickinson's poems refer to flowers, and she often gave gifts of her poems entwined with flowers to her friends and family. Farr argues that one can only understand Emily Dickinson the poet if one understands Emily Dickinson the gardener. For instance, most of the plants Dickinson features in her herbarium are ones native to her home in New England. Yet the collection opens with jasmine, a far more exotic species. Farr writes, “Just as her fondness for buttercups, clover, anemones, and gentians spoke of an attraction to the simple and commonplace, her taste for strange exotic blooms is that of one drawn to the unknown, the uncommon, the aesthetically venturesome.”

Emily Dickinson was a passionate gardener, creating her own herbarium when she was just 14 years old.

First page of Emily Dickinson's herbarium. (Photo: Houghton Library, Harvard University, Public domain)

Photo: Houghton Library, Harvard University (Public domain)

During the Victorian Era, young women were often well-versed in the “language” of flowers.

Photo: Houghton Library, Harvard University (Public domain)

Her herbarium was once inaccessible; but now, in Harvard's collections, it is fully digitized and viewable by the public.

Photo: , Harvard University (Public domain)

Photo: , Harvard University (Public domain)

Photo: Houghton Library, Harvard University (Public domain)

h/t: [Open Culture]

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READ: Emily Dickinson’s Collection of Plants and Flowers Now Viewable Online for Free