The Doll’s Eyes Plant – The Woods Have Eyes Too

Have you ever taken a stroll through a wood and felt that you were being watched? Yet when you turn around, no-one is there. You carry on with your walk but that feeling of disquiet lingers. Perhaps you were being watched by something almost as disquieting as that galloping, mad axe murderer you were dreading. The Doll’s Eyes Plant could be eyeing you up as you innocently ramble. In North America, not just the hill have eyes.

Image Credit Flickr User Soul Motor

The Saguaro Cactus And Its Greedy Guests

The Saguaro cactus, found in Mexico, Arizona and some parts of California is a giant among its type, growing to the size of a tree. It also gets a number of greedy house guests during its life time.

Image Credit Flickr User kretyen

The desert isn’t a place that you might normally associate with teeming life, but our planet is full of surprises. The saguaro manages to survive in extremely harsh climates and, wherever it lives animals are to be found. Some even manage to make the enormous cactus their home. This Gila Woodpecker, for example, seems completely at ease among the spines.

Quiz: Can You Name These 20 Common North American Backyard Birds?

Got time for a quick picture quiz? Can you name twenty of the most common North American birds?  Certainly if you live there you should be able to name a good number of these beautiful avian species.  You might see a few of them if you look out of your window right now – if you are lucky and it’s not the middle of the night. 

Even if you don’t live in America you will be able to guess a number of these because they might just be found in your backyard too! So why not pop over to our sibling site, the Ark in Space and see how many you can get right!

The Burrowing Owl – The Smallest Species of Owl

You may have already guessed how this owl gets its name but that isn’t the only remarkable thing about it. The burrowing owl is the smallest of the owl species and as you can see from the photograph above even ground squirrels look large beside it, even though it is behind the birds.  The Ark in Space has a feature on this enchanting and unusual raptor.

Image Credit Flickr User Annette's Photography