I know that tree. From about 35 years ago when I lived nearby.
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if anyone is ever in Taiwan, it’s worth a trip to see this tree: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/19162076. it’s not the biggest around, but it’s quite beautiful for being such an old tree. (most old trees that i’ve come across are quite gnarly.)
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That sycamore is… truly majestic. I freaking love sycamores but I feel like I never see big old ones like this, most of the area was clearcut too recently.
That tree is absolutely jaw dropping. The size of some redwoods boggles the mind, and I get legitimately upset sometimes when I think about how many were clearcut for building timber back in the day. Who the hell looks at a tree like THAT and says ‘yes, yes, this needs to be a roof.’
He has a very friendly look about him, like legit that insect looks like he has squishable cheeks
No joke, Tulip Trees are one of my favorite native trees. The tallest trees on the east coast, crazy looking flowers, super distinct leaves - I dunno man, they’re just cool trees. I really want to go poking around the smokies some time to see if I can find some true monster ones
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Here is a Western Jumbo Gym:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/37170402
I went back to the same spot in Fitzgerald Marine Reserve a few months ago, and it was fruiting again at the same spot.
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Elephant seals at Año Nuevo State Park. I was on a docent led walk, pre-pandemic:
If I can find better pictures, I will update.
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It’s not the biggest out there, but I was very excited to see a chonker as big as this guy a few months ago. Scale probably isn’t the easiest to gage there, but I’d say the caterpillar was maybe just above 5 inches (12.7 cm) in length.
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/133499250
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Oh, to be as unbothered by life as an elephant seal basking on a beach.
But look how fat and happy and bright he looks! I’d say you have a proper chonky boi on your hands right there.
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That sycamore is incredibly awesome. There are lots of big sycamores along the slower rivers in my area, but none of them are anywhere close to the size of this one.
By the way, the fence around the base of the tree in the photo is not to keep people away. It was a temporary fence, meant to protect the tree from machinery while the adjacent road and sidewalk were rebuilt. Now that the construction is done, you can walk right up to the tree as always.
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Yeah, the big sycamores I see are like… idk, maybe 3ft diameter breast height? Maybe a little bigger?
NOTHING that size. That is truly incredible and if I’m ever in the area I want to go look just to be in awe.
This made me think of another big tree in the area, I haven’t taken a observation of it, this is someone else’s obs, but next time I’m in the park I think I might (unfortunately the trail is closed ATM)
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/5205265
Its a several hundred year old burr oak that may have been used/shaped by native americans as a tree to mark the portage between the Cuyahoga and the Tuscawaras rivers https://metro-parks.medium.com/history-and-mystery-of-the-indian-signal-tree-fc6866d7b2d3. It is an absolutely breathtaking tree
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I’ve noticed a worrying lack of birds here, let me fix that: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/148013791
A very round wood pigeon (Columba palumbus).
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Ceiba trischistandra can be some seriously chonky and enchanting trees.
This specimen is protected by la communa de Agua Blanca, near Puerto Lopez, Ecuador.
The picture hardly does justice to the enormity of this particular tree.
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Some of these old growth Redwood trees have very sizable hollows. Here is a video ~inside~ The Fremont Tree at Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park. It is the size of a modest bedroom:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ECZyLAa1Sk
I am standing inside the tree. The doorway from the inside:
And a cupboard someone carved inside that little room in the Fremont Tree tree (about 18”x12”x6”)
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Wow!!!
Maybe big squishy mushrooms that are unreasonably large?
Ask, and you shall receive. Behold! the biggest Fly Agaric that I’ve ever laid eyes on. About the size of a soccer ball, and no visible stem. I thought at first that it was some kind of mutant puffball.
(I hear you about winter. Here in Denver, we just got another dump of snow after finally getting mostly melted out – and back to firm-ish ground – after the previous Arctic blast. I know that we need the snowpack …but dragonfly season can’t come fast enough for my liking.)
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They were all over Yellowstone NP. The sheer size of American Bison are difficult to see in photos.
This Giant Hermit Crab was huge; the shell is ~9 inches (~23 cm) in length
and lastly, this adorable and somewhat chunky Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel
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We haven’t made observations of these videos yet, but people have told us this is the largest Gray Wolf they have ever seen:
https://youtu.be/Rb3Eg6kN6io
This is an especially well-fed suburban Coyote:
https://youtu.be/5WjgK-jxIbA
This marmot’s jowls have jowls:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/58349379
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Foot is male size 10½
As for “chonks”, not really sure what was wrong with this poor (not actually particularly big) boi
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I came across this massive Eastern Poison Ivy last summer. I measured (carefully!) the vine’s diameter at shoulder height to be 10cm.
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