Huge Brazilian Plant Growing in Dorset has 11ft-Wide Leaves
This monster leaf has shot into the record books because it has an incredible 11ft diameter.
Grown at Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens, the Gunnera Manicata leaf is big enough for a whole family to shelter under. The plant, that is native to Brazil, has been growing at the gardens for the last 30 years but its leaves this year are three feet longer than usual.
It is believed the wet summer is responsible for the booming of the bog-loving behemoth. Curator Stephen Griffith believes his leaves are the largest in Britain and the bounty is a bonus after last winter’s cold weather caused serious harm to several plants.
The leaves of the plant – which is also known as a Giant Rhubarb – are usually about 8ft wide. Mr Griffith said visitors to the sheltered gardens, that enjoys its own micro-climate, have been stunned by the size of the leaf.
He said: “This plant comes from Brazil and lives in bogs so it has enjoyed the wet conditions this year.
“People are amazed and I’ve even seen some visitors sheltering under the leaves when it has been been raining.” (BNPS.co.uk)
That’s Mine!
While it’s mother is hunting in the woods, this cub is searching for her. This wildlife image show a fox pup steal a dead chipmunk from his mother just after she had returned from hunting.
The greedy pup even ran off to make sure he could keep the prey for himself and didn’t have to share with his siblings. The images were taken by wildlife photographer Richard Dumoulin in a national park in Quebec, Canada.
The mother red fox returned from hunting with a chipmunk, a mole and a sausage to feed her cubs, however one of her children was obviously starving as the cheeky pup jumped on the tasty treat and set off down the road to eat it himself.
“It was obvious he wanted the biggest catch and didn’t give his brothers and sisters a look in,” said Richard.
The mother fox made no attempt to chase after her naughty pup. (Richard Dumoulin/Rex Features)
Photo of the Day: Sneak Thief
Hendrik Raven reacts as a baboon jumps towards him after raiding his car for food, near Cape Point on the outskirts of Cape Town, South Africa, Wednesday, Oct 19, 2011. A number of workers are employed as baboon monitors to prevent baboons raiding cars, houses, dust bin’s. The baboon monitors spend their days following baboon troops across the Cape Peninsula to insure they do not miss behave. (AP Photo/Schalk van Zuydam) Click image to zoom.
Photo of the Day: And a Cup of Tea
Nepalese Guinness World Record holder Khagendra Thapa Magar, 19, the second world’s smallest man with 67 cm (26 inches), drinks some tea in a French cafe in Paris on October 19, 2011. (FRANCOIS GUILLOT/AFP/Getty Images)
Lucky Escape
This baby gorilla, named Shamavu after the ranger who rescued him, was found hidden in a small rucksack during an undercover operation targeting poachers in DR Congo. (LuAnne Cad / The Guardian)
Cyclops Shark Discovered: Still Catching People’s Attention On The Web
Leon was shocked to see a male, unusual embryo with its nine siblings. He noticed right away that the odd looking shark has a single eye at the front of its head. (Enrique Lucero León)
Earlier this year, Enrique Lucero Leon, a fisherman in California, brought home something unexpected after fishing – a 22 inch albino Cyclops shark. It happened in July but photos released on the internet are still catching people’s attention. Leon caught a pregnant dusky shark legally from the Gulf of California. When he cut his catch open, he was shocked to see a male, unusual embryo with its nine siblings. He noticed right away that the odd looking shark has a single eye at the front of its head. Continue reading »
Photo of the Day: Hair Whirl
Swimmer Michelle McKeehan of the United States whirls her hair in the bathing pool before the start of the evening session at the XVI Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico. (Scott Heavey/Getty Images)
Monumental Chaos
“Monumental Chaos” – three massive lightning bolts hit the earth within 15 seconds at the Voortrekker Monument just outside Pretoria, South Africa. Photographer Mitchell Krog says: “In nearly six years of storm photography this single image portrays, more than any other image I’ve taken, the sheer chaos and power of a lightning storm.” (Mitchell Krog / Barcroft USA)
The “Pumpkin House” of Slindon in West Sussex
Robin Upton, a Sussex farmer, has decided to celebrate the harvest season by erecting a 16 foot-tall “house” of pumpkins in memory of his late father, Ralph. He has created a rural scene of veggies in a wheelbarrow in the rolling English countryside. The “Pumpkin House” of Slindon in West Sussex is made from over 700 yellow squashes, green marrows and orange pumpkins. He called on the local community to donate enough squashes to carry on his father’s tradition of building a pumpkin house each year. (Andrew Hasson / Barcroft Media) Continue reading »
The Dog Creative Stylist of the Year Competition
“To say they are colorful characters would be an understatement. From Winnie the Pooh-dle to a pink My Little Pony with false eyelashes, these painted pooches highlight the art of the dog groomer. All were entrants in the British Dog Creative Stylist Of The Year competition held at Swanley in Kent and organized by dog salon owner Louisa Tandy. Poodles or poodle crosses are the breed most commonly used because of their good nature and easily sculptured coats. The colors come from washable vegetable dyes sprayed onto the coat, using stencils to achieve the patterns… Louisa insists that it’s strictly regulated to ensure no animal is harmed as it undergoes a transformation into a barking Bertie Bassett or even a dogosaurus dinosaur. ‘The dogs are thrilled with the attention they get,’ says Louisa, ‘and they love strutting their stuff.”
A poodle clippered and dyed to look like My Little Pony is pictured at a creative dog grooming event in Swanley, Kent. The Dog Creative Stylist of the Year competition showcases the creative skills of Britain’s top pooch groomers. The range of colours are produced by safe, washable vegetable dyes. (Steve Collins / Barcroft Media) Continue reading »
Photo of the Day: A Punk Rock Goat
Alas, this is not a punk rock goat. The goat has been tagged for identification purposes at a livestock market in Kabul, Afghanistan on Monday, Oct. 17. (Muhammed Muheisen / AP)
Animals On Bikes
Photographer Peter Rae travelled from Molong to Dubbo, in western New South Wales, Australia, photographing the roadside sculptures along the way. (Peter Rae / The Sydney Morning Herald) Continue reading »
The Mafia’s New York: Hideouts, Hangouts and Rubouts
Home of Charlie “Lucky” Luciano, 265 E. 10th St., between First Avenue and Avenue A
“The East Village was the who’s who of the mob scene from the 1930s to the ’90s,” says Ferrara. “Everyone thinks it was Mulberry Street, but really, it was Prince Street and the East Village.” Luciano, originally known as “Sal from 14th Street,” immigrated from Sicily when he was 10 years old and lived in this East Village walk-up. He grew up to be the first official boss of the Genovese family, and was instrumental in creating the Five Families “commission” that divided up NYC territories. His childhood home still stands, and the ground level storefront is the Middle Eastern eatery Moustache Pitza. (NYP) Continue reading »
Evolution of The Planet of the Apes
The latest version of the Planet of the Apes doesn’t depart from the franchise’s apocalyptic outlook, but it does make the earlier efforts look technically dated.
Planet of the Apes (1968). The original Planet of the Apes film, starring Charlton Heston as the time-displaced astronaut Taylor, was an immediate box office and critical hit when it was released in February 1968. Based on the French novel, La planete des singes, by Pierre Boulle (who also wrote Bridge over the River Kwai) it tells the story of group of astronauts who crash land on what they think is an alien planet, only to discover it’s a post apocalyptic Earth ruled by apes. The script, originally penned by science fiction legend Rod Serling, underwent many rewrites. Continue reading »
Packing for Holidays
So you’re planning a dream holiday. Why not do it in style?
Oroton Hunter wetpack, $195
Emporio Armani cashmere scarf, $390
Lenox radio, $129, Brooksfi eld
Continue reading »
French Photograher Captured Stunning Pictures Of Post-Soviet Holiday Camp In Artek, Crimea
Claudine Doury is a French photographer living in Paris.
She chose two main themes for her reports: exploring the changes in Eastern Europe, as well as the metamorphosis of juvenile period of life. In Paris in 2004, the book called: Artek, un été en Crimée (Artek, a summer in Crimea, Ukraine) of Claudine was published.
1. Svetlana, 1994.
The pictures were taken from 1994 until 2003. There are no boring staged or formal photos. All images of Claudine show the true story about the Artek life of children in there. Some people found the photos absolutely delightful, others subjected them to devastating criticism saying they are being inappropriate. Continue reading »
Lake Erie Algae Bloom Regarded as Worst in Decades
A massive algae bloom on the waters of Lake Erie in the U.S. is believed to pose a significant threat to aquatic life forms in the lake. The algae, which is toxic, is sucking the oxygen out of the water. According to reports, this is the worst bloom since the early 1960s. Scientists have also revealed that the bloom is caused, primarily, by the phosphorous from agricultural waste that is washed into rivers.
According to NASA Earth Observatory, such blooms were common in the lake’s shallow western basin in the 1950s and 60s. Phosphorus from farms, sewage, and industry fertilized the waters so that huge algae blooms developed year after year.
However, the condition improved in the 1970s when regulations were imposed on agricultural and sewage treatment procedures to limit the amount of phosphorus released. However, this year, a giant bloom has spread across the western basin once again. The particular reasons for the bloom are complex but may be related to a rainy spring and invasive mussels. Continue reading »
Southern California Enjoys Unseasonably Warm Temperatures
Two paddle boarders walk their bikes at Venice Beach, California on October 13 as a mini-heat wave hit southern California. Temperatures soared 20 degrees Fahrenheit over normal highs reaching into the nineties and hundreds in the region tying record temperatures. (Mike Nelson / EPA) Continue reading »
Paradise for the Chickens: Heritage Hen Farms in Boynton Beach
If only you knew just how hard Svetlana and Marty Simon — and their few hundred chickens — worked for each egg they harvest, you’d never look at breakfast the same way.
The Boynton Beach farmers are up at 4 a.m. to feed the animals at their Heritage Hen Farms, change their water, chase the goats to the pasture, clean out the coops, collect eggs, find rogue egg layers, scrub the duck tubs, check the bees, check the fences. Then they go to their day jobs, only to return later for more farm work.
“To produce nutritious food like this takes so much labor,” Svetlana says.
Yes, but it’s paradise for the chickens. The Heritage hens (and geese and ducks and guinea hens and one lone turkey named Thomas) live a truly free-range lifestyle. (Photos by Libby Volgyes)
A sign welcomes visitors to the coop, where families can see firsthand where the eggs come from. Continue reading »
Superhero Arrested in Seattle for Assault Investigation
This Feb. 18, 2011 file photo shows Seattle superhero Phoenix Jones during a patrol of Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood. Seattle’s superhero, who has gained fans and a bit of fame as he works the streets of Seattle, was arrested and booked into King County Jail early Sunday, Oct. 9, 2011 for investigation of assault after an early morning incident involving pepper spray. His spokesperson says he was breaking up a fight and they have video of the incident. Police say he came up behind a group of people leaving a bar and sprayed them with pepper spray. (Joshua Trujillo / seattlepi.com via AP)
Photo of the Day: Survive
A dog stands on a car inundeated with floodwaters in the ancient Thai capital of Ayutthaya, 80 kms north of Bangkok, on October 12, 2011. At least 269 people have died in more than two months of floods that have damaged the homes and livelihoods of millions of people, according to the government. (PORNCHAI KITTIWONGSAKUL/AFP/Getty Images)
Deers in Richmond Park, London
A fallow deer buck watches from the cover of a bracken thicket after sunrise during the autumn rut at Richmond Park on October 10, 2011 in London, England. Autumn sees the start of the ‘Rutting’ season where the stags and bucks bellow in an attempt to attract female does and hinds. (Dan Istitene/Getty Images) Continue reading »
Photo of the Day: Finger-licking Trouble
Customers lined up at ‘Obama Fried Chicken,’ opened by university students, in Beijing Sunday. The owners changed the name to ‘UFO’ amid trademark-infringement accusations from KFC, but kept the likeness of President Barack Obama in suspenders, which resembles KFC’s Colonel Sanders. (ChinaFotoPress/Zuma Press)
Underwater Giants: The Magnificent Manta Rays of the Maldives
Swooping gracefully through the water like giant bats, these huge manta rays gather to feed on microscopic plankton. These amazing pictures were taken by British photographer Warren Baverstock, who spent nine days on the Maldives to capture these beautiful creatures. Up to 200 mantas gather in Hanifaru Bay, which is just the size of a football pitch, to feed and be cleaned of parasites by smaller fish.
Manta rays are the world’s largest ray and have the biggest brain to body weight ratio of their cousins the skates and sharks. They feed on plankton and fish larvae either on the ocean floor or in open water. They filter their food from the water passing through their gills as they swim. Mantas frequently visit cleaning stations where small fish such as wrasse, remora, and angelfish swim in their gills. (Time) Continue reading »
