0 Yellow Jelly Protrusions

It is rainy season once again and of course, rainy days makes me feel happy because a lot of wildlife encounters usually happen. The moist environment is an ideal place for moss, mushrooms and other organisms to grow. As I was exploring our backyard, actually I am looking for snails and their eggs, I accidentally found these yellow jelly-like protruding structures stuck in a moist and decaying bamboo roots.

They are covered by the leaves of other plants and they are moist. So, they might not want sunlight because they might dry up. The golden yellow color is eye-catchy but if you don't care seeing them, it is not easy to find them unless you will really explore their habitat. They are hiding somewhere since they hate sunlight. They live in a wet, moist, cool and not so exposed environment.

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0 An Issue Behind Mt. Mayon's Wild Orchids

These wild orchids really look so charming and inviting. Their appearance is very unusual, a very different presentation of a wild orchid. It has brown spots in the light greenish petals. It also has an amusing and refreshing sweet fresh wild smell. However, beware for those with allergy for pollen, it might still trigger you.

I met a mid-30 woman in souvenir shop inside the premises of the Cagsawa ruins in Daraga, Albay of Bicol Region in the Philippines selling different products and goods. There are also a lot of flowers usually are orchids displayed in her store.The woman looks just like an ordinary vendor, nothing so special. She has been living her whole life selling these products for the tourists.

I asked here, "Why are you staying here in this place? The volcano may erupt anytime. How about these things you are selling?"

"This place is where we earn for a living." She replied. "The moment the volcano erupts, we will be evacuating," she added.

Suddenly I noticed the very beautiful flower in the flowers section. I asked what it was and the woman told me it was an orchid. I was surprised! I asked here where it is coming from and she answered me it is from the forests of Mayon Volcano.

I didn't know what to say. As a nature lover and an environmental advocate, I am not in favor of the selling of wild animals or flowers because most are endangered. But, how can I balance the situation? The woman needs something to earn for a living and this wild orchid is very much inviting for buyers. One thing more, the selling of these kind of things from the wildlife is prohibited by law most especially if they are endangered.

The beauty of Mayon is really eternal. Although it might be destroyed due to a  tragic natural phenomenon (hope it'll not happen), the beauty will still remain in our hearts.

But it's natural beauty is also a home for other natural beauties such as these wild orchids.

According to the woman, it is not easy to find it everywhere because it is somewhat endemic in Mayon (this needs confirmation). So this means that the Mayon Volcano is a home for flora and fauna, more wild species of organisms and the like. So it is the responsibility of the community to take care of its beauty because its beauty comes in package which includes the symmetrical cone, the vegetation, and these wild organisms living in its slopes.

 I am not against selling these wild orchids per se, but of course the community and our society must be aware that it may face extinction if the demand grows which is already happening. It has also happened to the sea turtles' high demand for their eggs.This is an issue that shouldn't be ignored. It is of national interest for our natural heritage.

Now, this will leave a puzzle for us. Should we buy it for all the vendor's profit or boycott them to preserve their existence? As of now, I already have my stand but everyone is entitled with their own idea.

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1 Spaghetti Roots: Preparing for Future Giants

For all the grasses that are growing in our environment, bamboo grass isn't like a grass. We even mistakenly call it Bamboo Tree because like any other tree, bamboo alone can already build a shelter. But now, let me show you how this spaghetti-liked structures perform its role in nature, specifically for bamboos. These structures are actually a root of the bamboo grass.

As we all know, bamboo grasses are as high as a skyscraper and towers. They extend as high as hundred of feet up to the sky. And with this quality, bamboo tree really needs a strong foundation to keep itself standing amidst the wind.

Aside from being flexible, bamboo grasses can not withstand the forces of nature by flexibility alone. They also need a very strong foundation. Now this is the role of this spaghetti-liked roots which appear in bundle when a new bamboo shoot appears. Because this bamboo shoot will turn to become a future giant, as early as its eruption, a plenty bundle of strands of roots are already crawling their way to the ground to prepare for a long-term role in the future.

Now this bamboo shoot will surely become safe and secure for its future. Thanks for these spaghetti roots that has anticipated the demand in the near future.

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0 A Millipede Finds Home on a Gastropod's Shell

It is not common to see a cat and a dog together, as well as a cat and a rat together. In a very rare scenario in the world of the wildlife, I discovered a gastropod stuck in a thin stem of a growing ipil-ipil tree with a millipede that has found its place of comfort and security in the latter's shell.

In nature, we can see that there are actually countless possibilities that is happening. In an ecosystem, every creature shares a helping hand with each other but others are selfish predators. Like in our society, there are selfless organizations that lend a helping hand but there are also powerful people as powerful as lion in the jungle that keeps getting all the resources of the community for personal benefits.

In a very unusual encounter, this millipede has found comfort and safety with this mollusk or gastropod. In ecology, this relationship is called commensalism, a scenario in ecosystem where in an organism benefits from another organism but that other organism is not benefited nor harmed. It remains neutral.

I was in great awe to see how exciting the nature is to be discovered and explored. But among all, I will stand in awe to God for this very wonderful scenarios in nature wherein creatures that may be unknown to us render a helping hand to different components and organisms in nature.

With this natural encounters that I am having, I am learning a lot. And in that very simple thing that I saw means a lot to me because this world can be a better place if there is unity, trust and sharing. That is the story of this gastropod and the little millipede.

As I am exploring this ecosystem, I discovered another gastropod trying to climb. And this gastropod's purpose is to climb for safety. The situation this day is rainy because of typhoon Falcon so this mollusk needs to transfer to a higher or an elevated place so that it won't get flushed away by an anticipated flood. Another lesson is learned. So, even though we might have the power to be fast [since this mollusk is very slow], if there is patience, we will succeed. That is slowly, but surely. I am sure, this mollusk will be safe and secure like what the first mollusk has done.

Thanks for reading and this is my adventure beyond nature.

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0 Orange-Spotted Butterfly Welcomes this Blog

My idea of doing this kind of blog has been in my mind long before. But I am more to be a travel blogger. I have always been wanting to do this but I have nothing to post. Thanks to this butterfly that entered our house. In the midst of the rain [because as of this writing, typhoon Falcon is hitting the northern Philippines], this butterfly may need a shelter and it has found our home.

I supposed to drive it away. I was able to drop it using my hand on the ground. But, it just stayed on the red floor; still, quiet and so alone. Immediately, I took my compact camera to capture it. That was a golden opportunity to capture it since it was staying still. So, that is the start of this blog called Nature Adventurer..

It stayed on the floor for a long while, maybe it was pretending as if it was dead so that I am gonna leave it alone then fly away after I left. Well, that is a common defense mechanisms for creatures facing an imminent danger.

I am always hesitant to start this blog because I am thinking that like any other blogs that has taken all the usernames that I should be using, are now just a trash, left, no longer updated, dilapidated and abandoned. For example the subdomain "Nature Explorer" and "Advenature" are my top picks for this blog but unfortunately have been used. The disappointing thing is that, the owner is no longer updating it. So that is also my predicament that I might not be able to create a post that will be related to my topic. So in the long run, this blog will just become a trash like what happened to other blogs.

So thanks for this butterfly that probably has given me the signal to start this ambitious blog of featuring the nature and its components, its wild creatures and strange plants. Oh no... I need to burn my eyebrows for this. I really need to maintain this. Hehe.

To start with, let this orange-spotted butterfly welcome you as it was really enchanting and friendly. Truly, a masterpiece of nature. This butterfly is absolutely great. 

P.S. I won't tell you to watch out for my new post because it might take too long before it will be posted. So if you are with faith in me that I will be successful for this, then, just follow this blog and a big thank you for that!

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