Pelican Play

I recently spent a weekend in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, a quick getaway for my first time traveling internationally within North America. It was a nice, relaxing vacation until Hurricane/Tropical Storm Blanca also decided to pay a visit. As the winds became increasingly violent, the waves put on a great display.

Resort guests scrambled to leave the area, back to the safety of their home countries. But the birds? They seemed to revel in the chaos, playing atop the crashing waves and flying free in the turbulent air.

There Was a Dragonfly in Maokong

And I took a photo of it.

It was nice seeing the wildlife thrive outside of the city. Outside of any city, really. I enjoyed getting away from the noise. The traffic, the people, the commotion. All of these merge into a loud and continuous white noise. I don’t realize how displeasing it is until I’m away from it, when I’m in the woods and I realize that I just feel…better. I feel free.

In the tranquility of Maokong, there was a dragonfly. And amidst the soft rustling of the wind through the trees, there was only the sound of my breath. And then my shutter. Nothing else.

Perching Colors

Beautiful butterflies fluttering about in the small village of Shirakawa, feeding on the cool nectar of the flowers. It’s always magical to see a large ones delicately flapping their wings, bouncing from flower to flower around you. Unless you live in an area infested with butterflies flapping all over your face, day in and day out. Then you’re like, “COME ON GUYS, GTFO!”

Taiwanese Stinging Ants

During my trek into the depths of Taroko National Park, I ran into some intimidating ants. Figuratively, not literally…thankfully! These ants build their nests around sturdy tree branches, suspended several feet above the ground. Some are almost head level, making a surprise encounter all the more surprising!

When disturbed, the ants quickly swarm and surround the outside of the nest to protect it from any offenders. Their stingers are held proud, thrust into the air, daring anyone or anything to disturb the nest again. At the same time, a slew ants begin dropping out of the gaping main entrance at the bottom of the nest to launch a second line of defense — one in trees around the nest and one on the ground in the leaves.

The moral of the story is: Ants are cool! When they’re on your face…

Orchids Abloom

After 18 months of care and a warm early spring, my small orchids finally bloomed. I added a microUSB connector for scale :D

Gem in the Rough

Classy lady buggin’ this innocent pine cone.

Electrical Power

Compared to nature, mankind’s power is nothing but delicate, feeble strings, dangling in the wind. High voltage power lines carry up to 100,000 Volts of electricity, but a lightning strike from a soft, fluffy cloud? Up to several 100,000,000 Volts.

We are insignificant.

Big Bonsai

In my previous post about Shinjuku Wildlife, I talked about the varieties of animals that can be found among parks throughout Japan. To an equal degree, I can say the same about the diversity of park plants. Mind you, I’m not talking about national parks and forests; I’m talking about city parks sitting one block away from the nearest Starbucks!

Japan loves plants as much as they love cats. Maybe not as much as they love cats though, because come on, cats power the internet. But their passion for plants is evident by the distinction of their “Japanese gardens” — the name itself makes it special. The Japanese also invented bonsai, a celebration (or torture for you cynical folks) of miniaturized trees living within ornate ceramic containers. With the widespread popularity of plants and bonsai culture, it’s easy to see why we see trees like these in parks like those in Shinjuku.

Shinjuku Wildlife

Japan’s parks are beautiful sanctuaries, often found in the center of the urban sprawl. Their entrances are interdimensional portals that transport you from the hustle and bustle of the city to the peace and quiet and of the garden. Each park is its own small ecosystem, where wildlife abounds. You not only see birds chirping in the trees and koi swimming in the ponds. Ducks, egrets, cranes, turtles, cats, and cicadas can also often be found making their homes in these everyday Japanese parks. In some, you may even find monkeys and deer!

While taking a relaxing stroll through Shinjuku park, in the center of cosmopolitan Tokyo, this snake decided to drop in and ssssay hi :3

Clovis in the Grass

Over the years, Clovis became familiar with my car and the time I would come home from work. As I pulled up on the driveway, he’d amble across the street to greet me and receive some hearty pets. The weather was nice that day, so I went inside and grabbed my camera. Clovis was a good model, though a bit curious about what I was doing and why I wasn’t petting him. He approached the unfamiliar contraption, wiggling his nose trying to identify a scent, inspecting the large black thing in front of my face.

“Click” went the shutter.