All Of My Friends That Work At Wildlife Rehab Centers Have Had To Untangle Animals From This Stuff, Or

Himalayan Black-lored Tit (Machlolophus xanthogenys), family Paridae, order Passeriformes, HP, India

Photograph by Balaji P B

The country is coming back to live yet again — this time, so shall I. 🌱

Compared to other colors found in nature, true blues are pretty rare—but the indigo milk cap (Lactarius indigo) has just that! This vibrant mushroom gets its color from a pigment that is a derivative of guaiazulene, a dark blue crystalline hydrocarbon. You would think that its blueness is a marker for toxicity, but the mushroom is actually edible—although its color fades to a grayish hue when it’s cooked.

Photo: Andrey Loria, CC BY-SA 4.0, iNaturalist

You may have heard of toucans, but have you ever seen the Spot-billed Toucanet (Selenidera maculirostris)? This species inhabits forests throughout Central and South America, including parts of Argentina and Brazil. It’s often seen in pairs or small groups foraging for fruit. In addition to the signature spots on its bill, it has dark spots around its pupils; this gives off the illusion of horizontal pupils. Reddish-brown plumage on the head is a telltale sign of a female. Males have black plumage instead.

Photo: Jairmoreirafotografia, CC-BY-SA-4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Syrian Blind Snake (Xerotyphlops syriacus), family Typhlopidae, Lebonon

photograph by Rami Khashab

Okame cherry in full bloom.

Kyoto, Japan.

Five-bar Swordtail (Graphium antiphates), family Papilionidae, Sabah, Malaysia

photograph by Chan Wah Choy

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