Monthly Archives: June 2011

House Sparrows

House Sparrows have lived around humans for centuries. Look for them on city streets, taking handouts in parks and zoos, or cheeping from a perch on roof or trees in your yard. House Sparrows aren’t related to other North American sparrows, and they are differently shaped. House Sparrows are chunkier, fuller in the chest, with a larger, rounded head, shorter tail, and stouter bill than most American sparrows. This adult female has been feeding her young right outside the window of our 2 year old, much to her delight.

White-handed gibbon

Gibbons are apes, not monkeys. Also called the lesser apes, gibbons differ from great apes (chimpanzees, bonobos, gorillas, and orangutans) in being smaller and in not making nests. Gibbons are masters of their primary mode of locomotion, brachiation, swinging from branch to branch for distances of up to 50 ft, at speeds as high as 35 mph. They can also make leaps of up to 26 ft, and walk bipedally with their arms raised for balance. They are the fastest and most agile of all tree-dwelling, non-flying mammals. Depending on species and gender, gibbons’ fur coloration varies from dark to light brown shades, and anywhere in between black and white. It is rare to see a completely white gibbon.

Strelitzia

A common name of the genus Strelitzia is bird of paradise flower, because of a supposed resemblance of its flowers to the bird of paradise. In South Africa it is commonly known as a crane flower. Found this one growing outside of Orlando, Florida.

Paper Kite Butterfly

The Paper Kite, Rice Paper, or Large Tree Nymph butterfly is normally found in Southeast Asia and is known especially for its presence in butterfly greenhouses and live butterfly expositions. This one was found at the Franklin Park Conservatory in Columbus, OH during National Public Gardens Day.