pale bluey dot

bluey flora and fauna, for real life! | run by an american

[blueyinthebush]

obligatory about for the pinned post! this'll hopefully get updated with some tags for you guys to check out down the line.

nice to meet you! i'm sam, an environmental studies student from america. i have a huge passion for the outdoors and i hope to share some of it with you here on this blog. i am currently in north queensland, australia! so please excuse the posting schedule.

any questions? suggestions? asks are always open, or feel free to dm my main blog @samstarium

[blueyinthebush]

hey guys! sorry for the long hiatus. i don't really have any excuses other than that i've been tired and busy and working this summer. i've got a couple ideas for posts cooking right now but i'd love to hear suggestions as usual!

[blueyinthebush]

Hi! How has the time in Australia been? Are you headed back to the USA after exams?

ty for asking! it's been great but unfortunately i am about to leave :( i'm in sydney right now; stopped by for a quick few days before i left. it's really been a wonderful experience and i can't wait to talk about it more when i have the time and energy lol. as usual sorry for radio silence on this blog but this has been the busiest three months of my life!

olbigatory photo of one of my professors’ dogs because she’s an aussie cattle dog too

[blueyinthebush]

sooo life update i didn't bother posting to my main blog but i've been in au for the last week or so! (guess i should edit the pinned post lol) my schedule for semester abroad is absolutely jam-packed so it's been hell on earth trying to find free time at all, let alone dedicated posting here. :(

the plus side is that i've already had some amazing real-life interaction with the aussie environment and it's already been an incredible experience. when i get some time i will try to write up some more stuff for you guys! ty (as always) for your patience

[blueyinthebush]

strawberries - explorers

part of a series on the episode "explorers," requested by anonymous

while jack's dad and his little sister lulu try to find his school, they encounter a strawberry field, and talk to two people working there. blurban-form has an excellent overview and i'd like to dig in more, so let's talk about it. just as an fyi, this is a much more serious post than my normal fare, so if that's not your speed, feel free to skip it.

strawberries have been grown on a wide scale in australia since the 1950s, and are primarily grown using runners, horizontal stems that develop into new plants. the majority are grown in open fields like the one shown in "explorers". australian fruit-picking has been associated with foreign backpackers for decades--the seasonal worker program is the backbone of agriculture and one look at how the pandemic upended the economy can show just how big of an impact those workers have.

it's a really tough thing, though. on the one hand, the opportunity can be life changing for the thousands of seasonal immigrants who pick under the programs. but there's a high cost to leaving everything behind. the value of a better life might come at the expense of living the one you have.

and the conditions can be brutal, too. as blurban-form points out, this is not an ideal situation to be in for up to long hours in the hot australian sun. no shelter, no tools like gloves for protection, and no cell phone service. and aside from the physical labor, the industry itself has been plagued with stories of exploitation. the employers often take huge cuts from their employees' wages and there is often little or no access to health care.

industrial exploitation, particularly within the agricultural industry, is by no means unique to australia. i think showing this very real situation was well done, and i'm not surprised why disney decided to try and scrub any allusion to the seasonal program. this is a good place to tell everyone to be mindful about where your food comes from. if you want to see change in the industry, look into your political representatives' statements. you can help make people's lives better.

[blueyinthebush]

ello ello ello! im back. had exams and then summer and then a lot of depression and also kind of agonized over the posts and my writing not being good enough

[blueyinthebush]

Hi, how are things going with your Tumblr? Enjoyed seeing your posts to date, hope more are on the way!

hi there! sorry i dropped off the face of the earth. had finals, packed, n came all the way home for the summer. new content should b comin at some point. ty for ur patience

[blueyinthebush]

gonna start the "explorers" posts with one on fruit-picking and day labor in australia, which will be posted soon

[blueyinthebush]

night, fruit bats! - grey-headed flying fox

requested by @alpaca-dave

grey-headed flying foxes have appeared in two episodes so far: season one's "fruitbat" and briefly in season three's "bedroom". bluey loves fruit bats, and so do i! australia is home to over 75 species of bat, but the grey-headed flying fox is the biggest. flying foxes--also called fruit bats--are megabats, the larger of the two classifications of bat. while microbats primarily eat insects, megabats love to chow down on all sorts of fruit and nectar. since we're going to be talking about fruit trees as well, this post will be under a read more.

these bats are highly social, forming groups called "camps" that can contain tens of thousands of individuals. there are three other species of flying fox found in the country (black, little red, and spectacled) and all are effective pollinators, promoting forest health as they disperse seeds and pollen. as bingo correctly states in "fruitbat", these critters are primarily nocturnal, like all bat species. they roost during the day and hunt for fruit, pollen, and nectar at night.

grey-headed flying foxes are partial migrants, and will travel hundreds of kilometers as foraging locations change. the episode gives us a nice montage of dream-bluey and her flying fox friends on a couple different types of fruit tree. lets take a quite detour to learn about some fruit trees.

first up is a nice looking mango tree. this one looks like it could be a bowen variety. they're the most common and one the most tasty kinds grown in australia. so well beloved, in fact, that there's even a 10 meter tall fiberglass one in its namesake town!

next, a papaya. there are two main varieties, mexican and hawaiian. this one is mexican, the larger of the two, and is a favorite of fruit-eaters like birds and megabats. despite their prevalence, papaya plants are not native to australia.

this is a cavendish banana, by far the most popular banana in the entire world--it makes up 99 percent of all bananas grown. the primary variety used to be "big mike", but a devastating fungus-borne disease wiped them out in the 1950s. its likely that the same could happen to the cavendish if we're not careful.

last but not least, a guava tree. this one is a recognizable common guava, which are native to south and central america and the caribbean. they've been introduced worldwide, and can quickly take over. interesting to note that australia actually does have a native guava species, but a highly infectious invasive plant disease called myrtle rust is driving them to extinction.

such a fun assortment of fruits for a cool critter! these big bats are often considered a nuisance in cities, but they are vital to maintaining healthy forests. one grey-headed flying fox can spread as many as 60,000 seeds in a single night! they're particularly vulnerable to rising temperatures, and experts have noted a considerable decline in their numbers in the last century. the grey-headed flying fox is a beautiful and unique member of the australian ecosystem, and it's high time we appreciated them for the wonders they are. so the next time you say good night, be sure to thank these fascinating animals for all the work they do while you're asleep.

[blueyinthebush]

@blueytidbits reminded me that they appear in another episode, "the sign". a colony of bats (too small to be properly identified, but probably fruit bats) fly by in the background of that episode's credits. thanks for pointing that one out!

[blueyinthebush]

Could you do a super-post on “Explorers”? There is probably actually enough in that ep for a couple of posts about the ecosystem and all the animals that are shown!

good idea! i might need to figure out how to break up the content but ill definitely have something for u soon

[blueyinthebush]

if u saw me accidentally reblog posts here that were meant for my main blog uhhhh. no you didn't

[blueyinthebush]

night, fruit bats! - grey-headed flying fox

requested by @alpaca-dave

grey-headed flying foxes have appeared in two episodes so far: season one's "fruitbat" and briefly in season three's "bedroom". bluey loves fruit bats, and so do i! australia is home to over 75 species of bat, but the grey-headed flying fox is the biggest. flying foxes--also called fruit bats--are megabats, the larger of the two classifications of bat. while microbats primarily eat insects, megabats love to chow down on all sorts of fruit and nectar. since we're going to be talking about fruit trees as well, this post will be under a read more.

these bats are highly social, forming groups called "camps" that can contain tens of thousands of individuals. there are three other species of flying fox found in the country (black, little red, and spectacled) and all are effective pollinators, promoting forest health as they disperse seeds and pollen. as bingo correctly states in "fruitbat", these critters are primarily nocturnal, like all bat species. they roost during the day and hunt for fruit, pollen, and nectar at night.

grey-headed flying foxes are partial migrants, and will travel hundreds of kilometers as foraging locations change. the episode gives us a nice montage of dream-bluey and her flying fox friends on a couple different types of fruit tree. lets take a quite detour to learn about some fruit trees.

first up is a nice looking mango tree. this one looks like it could be a bowen variety. they're the most common and one the most tasty kinds grown in australia. so well beloved, in fact, that there's even a 10 meter tall fiberglass one in its namesake town!

next, a papaya. there are two main varieties, mexican and hawaiian. this one is mexican, the larger of the two, and is a favorite of fruit-eaters like birds and megabats. despite their prevalence, papaya plants are not native to australia.

this is a cavendish banana, by far the most popular banana in the entire world--it makes up 99 percent of all bananas grown. the primary variety used to be "big mike", but a devastating fungus-borne disease wiped them out in the 1950s. its likely that the same could happen to the cavendish if we're not careful.

last but not least, a guava tree. this one is a recognizable common guava, which are native to south and central america and the caribbean. they've been introduced worldwide, and can quickly take over. interesting to note that australia actually does have a native guava species, but a highly infectious invasive plant disease called myrtle rust is driving them to extinction.

such a fun assortment of fruits for a cool critter! these big bats are often considered a nuisance in cities, but they are vital to maintaining healthy forests. one grey-headed flying fox can spread as many as 60,000 seeds in a single night! they're particularly vulnerable to rising temperatures, and experts have noted a considerable decline in their numbers in the last century. the grey-headed flying fox is a beautiful and unique member of the australian ecosystem, and it's high time we appreciated them for the wonders they are. so the next time you say good night, be sure to thank these fascinating animals for all the work they do while you're asleep.

[blueyinthebush]

Nice work talking about “The Beach”!

There are a few episodes with bats in them, could you write about the bats native to the Queensland area?

thank you! i'll start workin on a bat-centric post

[blueyinthebush]

deep dive - the beach

requested by anonymous

"the beach" is the 26th episode of season one, and introduces a lovely new location for the heelers to explore. it's never specified where along the gold coast this beach is, but probably somewhere like warana beach, which is about an hour's drive from brisbane and the perfect distance for a day trip. this one is a bit long, so i'll put the rest of the post underneath a read more.

a couple years ago a coastal pathway project began, in order to promote walking and biking through the scrub and wetlands along the beach. the project also addresses the prevalence of invasive species and aims to restore native vegetation. but enough about that, let's get into the bush!

an establishing shot gives a nice overview of the beach, which sits between a residential wooded area and the edge of the coral sea. what looks like a tuckeroo is visible in the foreground, a native australian tree that doesn't mind coastal conditions.

after the heelers spend some time enjoying the sand, we get a shot of an osprey, a common sight anywhere by water in australia and across the americas. these raptors are incredible anglers, with a recorded success rate of 70 percent! there are four subspecies of osprey, and the eastern osprey, the only one found in australia, is the smallest.

on the beach, bluey finds the shell of a tiger cowrie, a beautiful variety of marine snail that is prevalent across the indo-pacific region. the striking appearance of their shells has made them popular among shell collectors, although their numbers have suffered as a result.

bluey also encounters a flock of silver gulls. like other sea gulls, these birds are very successful scavengers, and often have no issues going up to humans for handouts. you can find these guys pretty much anywhere near water in australia and new zealand.

here's an interesting one! this is a pipi, a type of saltwater clam. they've been a source of protein by the native ngarriindjeri people for thousands of years, but are mostly used as bait for commercial fishing. they use their strong "foot" muscle to burrow into the sand. as filter feeders, they take in large amounts of water to suck up plankton. afterwards, the water needs to expelled, like the one bluey found is doing.

bluey also runs away from a consortium of light-blue solider crabs. unlike how they're animated in the show, this species is one of the few crabs that has evolved to walk forwards, not sideways. the males form large "armies" during low tide, similar to the group in the episode.

next, bluey encounters a moon jelly, a type of jellyfish identifiable by its large translucent bell and short tentacles. these jellies do have a sting (bluey does the right thing by approaching it with caution, as you should with any wild animal!), but it only causes very mild irritation in humans. moon jellies are the favorite food of many turtle species. since they look similar, moon jelly-loving turtles will often swallow plastic bags.

last but not least, a bird that's even bigger than bluey! this is an australian pelican, which hold the record for the longest bill of any bird. they use their beaks to scoop up fish and other animals like a fishing net. you can find them in every state of australia.

that's it! hope you enjoyed this first foray going into a whole episode. many thanks to the bluey wiki for this one, who have catalogued quite a lot of the animals in the show already.

[blueyinthebush]

What about any of the creatures from the Beach episode?

good idea! i’ll have that for u sometime tomorrow

[blueyinthebush]

if you guys have any suggestions or requests please let me know! inbox is quite open

[blueyinthebush]

that's lucky! - ulysses butterfly

"the sign" brought back one of the most important non-speaking characters in the show--flappy the butterfly, an eye-catching ulysses butterfly. the females are a bit less vibrant, so this one is probably a male. they also don't keep those bright blue markings on the outside of their wings, but for animation's sake i'll give it a pass.

this pretty swallowtail was first seen in "slide", when lila and bingo saved it as a caterpillar (pictured here on an agapanthus plant). the caterpillars of this species are bright green with white markings. this helps them blend in with the leaves of the euodia tree, their favorite food.

with such a striking color, the ulysses butterfly is an iconic and beloved insect. in 2016, there were some concerns about the decline of the breeding population, but it seems like they've been able to bounce back. this little guy is indirectly responsible for much of the events of "the sign", and he deserves it! a pretty butterfly like this is too good to go unnoticed.