Adaptations in nature

Adaptations are very important for the survival of all plants and animals in an ecosystem.  Here are a few examples of some things I found.

Showy Display

 My peach tree is starting to bloom.  The bright colored flowers are used to attract pollinators.  It is important that the flowers are visited by insects so that the seeds the flowers produce can be pollinated to allow the delicious peaches to grow.  These are probably my favorite trees.  I just love the color of the flowers.

 Coloration- Blended/Hidden

I found this little guy on the table outside.  At first glance he appears to just be a twig.  If you look closely you will see that he is actually an inch worm.  When he feels threatened he can stand upright and stiffen his body so that would be predators, like birds, will not be able to tell the difference.

Shape

I love all the trees out on my property, it is so peaceful to walk around out there.  I think of the clean air and just breathe it all in.  If it weren't for trees like these, that wouldn't be the case.  Photosynthesis is a very important process in nature.  In trees, this takes place in the leaves.  The shape of the leaf plays a part in how this is carried out.  The broad, flat leaves allow for more surface area so that photosynthesis can occur at a higher rate.  The more, needle-like leaves of coniferous trees allow them to conserve water to survive through the dryer and colder times of year. 

 Warning Behavior (Bonus)

Although kind of blurry due to it being an action shot, this shows how some species will communicate things like "danger" to other members of their population.  Horses are known for being particularly easy to spook.  While I was out feeding my two "babies" one heard something that kind of scared her, so she raised her tail and  started to flip her head as a warning sign to the other horse that there was danger.  White-tailed deer will also signal warning to others by raising their tail straight up as a sign to others.