An Aphid Live Birth and Predation Time-lapse

I have previously posted some pictures and info on the mutualistic relationship between ants and aphids, but I hadn't really given any thought to the reproductive cycle of aphids. Neil Bromhall has made an excellent time-lapse video of aphid live birth and subsequent predation of the aphids by hoverfly larvae.



I was surprised to learn that aphids give live birth so I read the Wikipedia entry on aphid reproduction. It is far to complex and variable for me to try to summarize here. I will just say that it is quite amazing an worth a read.

Wool Sower Gall Wasp - Callirhytis seminator

Several weeks ago my neighbor showed me these interesting growths on one of his white oak trees.

I thought it probably was some type of gall so after a few minutes research I found that it was a gall produced by a small wasp called a wool sower gall wasp, Callirhytis seminator, which only makes its galls on white oak trees. The female wasp lays her eggs in the plant and after hatching, the grubb induces the gall formation.

In the center of these galls are tiny seed-like structures, which is why this type of gall is sometimes also called an oak seed gall. Each one contains a larva which is protected and nourished by the tree.

I cut of a few of the galls from the tree and brought kept them in my garage. After about 2 weeks they had all made their way out of the gall leaving these neat little holes in the side of the galls.

Here are some close-ups of the tiny wasps.

For More information:
Galls on Oaks - NC State University
Springfield Plateau Wool-sower Gall
Wikipedia - Gall Wasp

And don't forget to check out Friday Ark #340!

Time-lapse of the Week #9

Here is another great time-lapse from neilbromhall of some germinating beans up close and personal and even underground.

And from mtainfo we have some interesting footage of the NYC marathon.

Since I didn't do a TLOTW last week I am posting a bonus video that I found today that is not even a time-lapse and wasn't posted during this week. It is a stop motion video with post it notes from bunliu and it is very cool.

Enjoy and have a great week!

Time-lapse of the Week #6

Here is a nice time-lapse of a corn field maze and the evening sky by YouTube user KenScottPhotography.



Of course I have to include my own time-lapse. This is part of my compost heap project. I zoomed in on the pumpkin as it breaks down over a 3 week period. One picture was taken every 30 minutes and it is played back at 30 fps. As of today the compost heap is still being filmed. I am using a Pentax Optio W90.

Time-lapse of the Week #3

Here is a nice time-lapse video of the assembly of a giraffe skeleton in the library of the Santa Rosa Junior College Petaluma campus. This was posted by ThePressDemocrat.



Also, yesterday I posted a brief video time-lapse of the compost heap in my backyard. It is just a brief preview of an ongoing project.

An Amaryllis Growing, Flowering and Decaying in Time-lapse

Here is my latest time-lapse. This amaryllis was filmed over a period of 24 days. Initially I took one picture every 20 minutes, then I increased the frequency to every 15 minutes about halfway through it. I had no idea the thing was going to get so tall or take so long to flower or I would have set it up differently. As you can see I had to adjust the location of the plant and camera several times, there were even a couple of sequences that I just left out because they stayed in the frame so briefly. I used a Canon PowerShot S3 IS along with my laptop using GBTimelapse software to control the camera and I used Quicktime Pro to make the movie from the still shots.

Dandelion Clock Opening and Flower Closing, Time-lapse

Here is my most recent time-lapse project. I started by digging up a small chunk of my yard containing this dandelion and placing it in a bowl. Then I set up my Canon PowerShot S3 IS overhead attached to my laptop using GBTimelapse software to control the camera. I originally set it to shoot a pic every 30 seconds but when played back at 30 frames per second, it was too slow and the file size was too large. So I used every 3rd picture making it 1 picture per 90 seconds played back at 30 fps. I used Quicktime Pro to make the movie from the still shots.

A Mother's Day Time-Lapse for You and Yours

Mother's Day Time-lapse, 640x480, .mov, 8 mb 25 sec.

This time-lapse video took about a week to make. I made it for my wife, the beautiful mother of my two wonderful children. I used beans for the I (heart) U on the top because I knew they would germinate first. I had no idea they would grew out of control. I used some flower seeds for the 'mom' part. Obviously they looked alot better. The music is just a sample piece from the Sony Acid Music Studio stock. I used my Canon PowerShot S3 IS and Granite Bay Time-lapse software for the shooting. I made the movie with QuickTime Pro playing the pictures back at 30 fps.

You can see this Mother's day time-lapse video at my YouTube player page if you can't view quicktime videos.

You can also see my other time-lapse videos at my time-lapse home page.

Ten Days of Tulips - Time-lapse

Time-lapse Tulips Growing, 640x480, .mov, 9.9 mb 36 sec

I do believe that this is my best time-lapse yet. I just finished the filming a few days after easter. The pictures were taken at a rate of every fifteen minutes when the overhead grow light was on, or every 20 minutes when it was off. It was an attempt to simulate day and night. Finally I just left it on because it didn't seem to make much difference. I was really impressed with how much the plants moved and how the blooms would open in unison, even when there were no apparent changes in this otherwise completely dark room. I used my Canon PowerShot S3 IS and Granite Bay Time-lapse software for the shooting. I made the movie with QuickTime Pro playing the pictures back at 30 fps. I created and added the hip hop music using Sony Acid Music Studio. The music seemed appropriate given the movement of the tulips. You can see this tulip time-lapse video at my YouTube player page if you can't view quicktime videos.

You can also see my other time-lapse videos at my time-lapse home page.

Ivy Growing On A Tree, Final Version

12 sec. Quicktime, 3.6 Mb

This is the final version of the time-lapse video of the ivy growing on the tree in my back yard. This was made by taking two pictures per day from 7/08/06 to 10/20/06. I then used Quicktime pro to convert this to a video. I thougt this would be a hefty file, but I was able to preserve the quality and large size of the picture, while compressing it to a easily downloadable file size. About 4 seconds into the video you can see that I cut the ivy at the bottom of the picture and new buds begin to take off. The latter part of the video was made during a relatively wet period and the ivy hit a rapid growth spurt.

My other time-lapse videos can be seen here.

The post about the previous videos is here.

Time-Lapse Video: Ivy Growing on a Tree

7 sec. wmv, 3.2 Mb

This video was made from a series of photos I took roughly twice daily over a period of about 7 weeks. A little past half-way through, after the tip had grown out of sight and there wasn't much new change, I decided to cut the ivy at the bottom. If you slow the video down, you can see the knife in the left lower corner in one frame. Also you can see short segments missing at the bottom of the shoots. I was about to call it quits for this project when I noticed the left one had a new bud growing just below where I cut it, so the extended version of this video is still in the making. It will probably be in the form of a higher quality, larger file. The Windows media version can be seen by clicking the above picture, the quicktime version and other time-lapse videos can be seen here.

This little project also led to some interesting photographs of ants herding aphids on the ivy.

I guess this would be a good place to mention to anyone looking for good time-lapse videos, a recent video of a monarch caterpillar transforming into a chrysalis at Burning Silo.

Photo Quiz

I know it is way too easy to tell this is an altered photograph of a dandelion so I won't even wait on the answer. Click (then repeat) on the picture to watch a progressive increase in brightness and decrease in contrast until it returns to normal.

Tree Thriving in a Silo: Life will find a way

I recently heard about a beautiful plot of land for sale nearby, so I wanted to go check it out. It is mostly pasture, but the description of the land and how to find it always included something like, "and it has a big silo out in the field with a tree growing out of it." That in itself necessitated a drive out for personal investigation. (Click the pics to enlarge)

My initial reaction was amazement that this tree has made it from this seemingly inhospitable environment of low sunlight to what now looks like guaranteed success, as long as the silo holds up of course.

When I began trying to describe this situation however, I couldn't really make it seem like such an impressive feat, since trees start out like this all the time, on forest floors, with just enough sunlight. The fact is that if it had not been for the silo, this tree would likely have been mowed or trampled long ago.

Regardless of whether this tree should be seen as a survivor against the odds, or just a tree doing what trees do, my hat goes off to this tree that has found its niche in a most unusual way.

Random Organism

From the Tree of Life Web Project, learn something new about a random organism.

Pollinator Friday: Carpenter Bee and Garlic

click to enlarge

This is from my mother's garden. Though I love garlic in my food, I have never given much thought to the plant itself, Allium sativum. I was impressed with this plant's size and its flowers. This plant is about 4 1/2 feet tall and was being worked over by several carpenter bees. The carpenter bee, subfamily Xylocopinae, is divided into large carpenter bees-Xylocopa species and small carpenter bees-Ceratina species. The name carpenter bee comes from the fact that they bore holes in wood to make nests. They can cause significant damage to wooden structures, but they are generally considered to be beneficial insects because of their role as pollinators. It looks similar to a bumble bee, but can be distinguished by its relatively bare shiny black abdomen.Here is some more info on the Carpenter bee.

Don't forget to check out Modulator's Friday Ark.

Springtime Tulip Week Blog Concludes

Well I guess that about wraps up this week of Tulip Blogging. My wife is going to freak if I don't let her bring these in today.

Tulip in Bloom Day 7

Same time as above, different angle.

Tulip Day 6

Now there is some action. The light is still too poor for a good close-up. Tomorrow I should be home at the right time for a good shot.

Tulip Watch Day 5

This picture is a little better with the morning light but would still be much better about 3 hours later. The color is deepening. The weather is beautiful today. Again this is my favorite time of year.

Tulip in Bloom Day 4

Not a great picture due to low light late in the day but you can see the flower changing color.