Posted in Avaries, Aquariums & Zoos, White Elorda's Adventures, White Elorda's Nerdy Lifestyle, White Elorda's Nerdy Lifestyle Blog, White Elorda's Nerdy Travel

White Elorda’s Snapshots: Columbus Zoo & Aquarium – 12th March 2023 & Mini Book Loft Haul!

Good afternoon Nerdy Birdies!

How has your day been going so far?

Today I’ll be following up on my vlog post from yesterday with my favourite photos from my trip to Columbus Zoo & Aquarium on 12th March.

As a little bonus, I’ll also be including my little haul from the Book Loft of German Village, which I visited on Saturday, 11th March.

First thing is first though, and that’s the Snapshots.

All photos were taken with my iPhone 12 and edited using the VSCO app. Let’s jump right in!

Sand Cats

These cuties are Sand Cats, this is the first time I’ve actually seen their faces in person (they’re usually facing away from the glass.) It’s so adorable seeing them cuddled together like my two kitties at home!

Here’s a Brown Bear enjoying a sit down; he even smiled at the camera for me!

Not the clearest photo thanks to the glass of the tank, but here are two Florida Manatees, named Stubby (bottom) and Squirrel (top) being adorable together.

The Columbus Zoo actually runs a rehabilitation program for Manatees, so most of the Manatees you see there will be returned to the wild once they are recovered. Stubby is a permanent resident though, and acts as something of a mother figure to the Manatees that come through.

A Green Tree Python all curled up on their branch. I just love the colours of their scales.

I got this close-up shot of a Grand Cayman Blue Iguana as he was chilling at the bottom of his tank. I love their faces, especially their eyes. I find reptile eyes to be some of the prettiest in the animal kingdom.

The last photo I’m going to share with you is this adorable fellow (I can’t remember what kind of lizard they are) taking a nap. I just adore how the branch they are resting on is supporting their body. It is just so cute!

And that is it for my Columbus Zoo Snapshots! If you’re interested in checking out the zoo for yourself, you can find their website here.

Moving on to the next little section, I’m going to share the little mini book haul that I got from my visit to the Book Loft of German Village while can also be found in Columbus, OH. It’s a really cool shop if you’re a big reader – they have something for everyone!

A couple of the book I picked up, I already covered in my weekly comic book haul post on Sunday, so I won’t be repeating them here.

With that being said, let’s start with the haul!

The first book that I picked up is a Batman self-help book! It’s nothing too detailed, just some advice you could take from the Dark Knight and how he handles certain situations. I thought it was cute, and would make a nice companion to my comic book collection.

The next book I got is this really cool general knowledge book. It covers a variety of subjects, from the rock cycle to some basic self-care recipes. I was immediately drawn in by the cover, and am very glad that I decided to pick it up.

With how much I love to visit Natural History Museums, I couldn’t resist this really cool book on Paleontology. It goes over how the science and techniques have changed over the years and has some awesome illustrations.

The last book that I picked up is this one. World War 2 is one of my special interests and I’m always interested to read through books that focus on the people who live through it. This has a lot of media and propaganda that circulated in various countries during World War 2, while also focusing on the different ways that different areas were affected by the conflict.

And that is it for my little book haul. If you’re interested in learning more about the Book Loft, and it’s 32 rooms full of books, you can find their website here.

That wrap’s up today’s post, I hope that you enjoyed it!

And until next time, stay nerdy my friends!

Posted in Avaries, Aquariums & Zoos, Videos, Vlogs, White Elorda's Adventures, White Elorda's Nerdy Lifestyle, White Elorda's Nerdy Lifestyle Blog, White Elorda's Nerdy Travel

White Elorda’s Adventures: Columbus Zoo & Aquarium Vlog

Hello Nerdy Birdies!

How is your Monday going so far?

This is actually the first of two posts I plan on making today, so this one is going to be on the shorter side.

Yesterday, I visited the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium in Columbus, OH. It was a snowy day, so there wasn’t a lot of people walking around, and it was really pleasant. I filmed a vlog when we were there, and I want to share it here!

Columbus Zoo & Aquarium Vlog – Episode 3. 12th March 2023.

I really love walking around Zoos and Aquariums, they are some of my favourite places to visit, even when the weather isn’t the best – I still had a good time.

Some highlights of the day include petting the stingrays, watching the sharks swim in the Aquarium and getting to see a Brown Bear up close. What is typically your favourite animal when you visit the Zoo? I’m always looking forward to seeing the sharks, but I really love seeing the Manatees at Columbus as well.

If you’re interested in checking out the Zoo for yourself, you can check out their website here.

Be on the lookout for my snapshot post from my visit in the coming days, I’ll also have a post of Little Red’s Adventures at the Zoo coming as well.

I’m going to do my best to continue sharing my video content on here more often.

If you’re interested in checking out more of my video content, you can find my YouTube Channel here!

That’s all for post – I hope that you enjoyed!

And until next time, stay nerdy my friends!

Posted in Random, White Elorda's Adventures, White Elorda's Nerdy Lifestyle, White Elorda's Nerdy Lifestyle Blog, White Elorda's Nerdy Travel

White Elorda’s Snapshots: Phipps Conservatory – 26th February 2023

Hello Nerdy Birdies!

Happy Monday! I hope that your week is off to a decent start.

I had meant to get this post out sooner, but things got really hectic for a moment, and I had to put it on the back burner.

Do any of you enjoy visiting Botanical Gardens or Conservatories? I love walking around Botanical Gardens and seeing all of the colourful flowers and plants that they have on display.

One of my favourite Botanical Gardens to visit is Phipps Conservatory. You can check out their website here! I visited there a little while ago, while their Bonsai and Orchid show was going on.

Today I’m going to share some of my favourite snapshots from that visit – I hope you enjoy!

Just as a preface, and for some further information, all of these photos were taken on my iPhone 12 and were edited using the VSCO app.

I adore this display – I think mostly because this is how I would love to spend my days if I could; working on my journal while surrounded by beautiful plants!

The continuation of the photo above. Including some gorgeous Lady’s Slipper Orchids.

This statue is one of my favourite permanent features of Phipps Conservatory. She greets you as you enter the main conservatory building. I think I take a photo of her every time.

Grabbed this photo through the rails of a fence around the display. I love the cute little fruit growing here.

A cute succulent display in a pot from the Desert Room. These succulents are some of my favourites – I’d love to keep some in my study.

As with the statue above, this wall is one of my favourite features at Phipps. The plants kept in the pots changes depending on the exhibit that’s going on, and it’s always interesting to see how they change with each visit.

The way these Orchids are lit up, they remind me of a singing group out on the stage.

The Orchids must have just been misted, as I was able to get this great detail shot of water droplets on the petals. I think this is my favourite of all the photos I took during this most recent visit.

A Calamondin Orange bonsai tree. There was a sign warning everyone that the fruit from the tree is bitter – which makes me wonder if anyone has tried to pick it before?

The last photo I’m going to share is this beautifully formed Chinese Banyan bonsai tree. I absolutely adore the way this tree flows out of the pot and down toward the ground. Like a waterfall formed of leaves and branches.

Do you enjoy looking at Bonsai trees?

And that is it for my snapshots from Phipps Conservatory! I hope you enjoyed the photos that I chose! I tried to pick out a variety that really gives you a taste for how pretty this place is!

If you’re interested in seeing more of my photography, check out my Instagram!

Let me know what else you’d like to see from me, I’m always happy for suggestion!

Thanks again for checking out this post, and until next time, stay nerdy my friends!

Posted in Museums, White Elorda's Adventures, White Elorda's Nerdy Lifestyle, White Elorda's Nerdy Lifestyle Blog, White Elorda's Nerdy Travel

A Day at Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Snapshots. 29th January 2023.

Hello my nerdy birdies!

I hope you all had an excellent weekend, whether that was relaxing or getting up to something exciting.

I visited my local Natural History Museum over the past weekend, and thought I’d try out something new on my blog. Essentially I am going to take my favourite photos from a day out and compile them into a blog post.

Photos will either be taken with my iPhone 12, or my Olympus Pen E-PL10. I do some light editing for white balance and colour correction using the app VSCO on my phone.

With all that being said – let’s dive right into it!

Just to make things a little easier on myself, I will be posting these in the order that you would see them walking through the Museum.

Dryosaurus (Herbivore) and Ceratosaurus (Carnivore).

First up we have the fossils of an unsuspecting Dryosaurus being hunted by a Ceratosaurus. I really enjoy this display because of the way it so succinctly shows the food chain. The herbivore eating the plant and the carnivore preying on the herbivore.

Allosaurus.

Next up with have the head and neck of an Allosaurus. These guys are more closely related to Velociraptors than larger carnivores like the T-Rex. I enjoy the perspective of this photo thanks to the positioning of the Sauropod in the mural.

Skull of Edmontosaurus with flowers.

Above is the skull of the Edmontosaurus that lays as the prey in the T-Rex display. It’s widely considered that these large herbivores were quite adept at avoiding larger predators such as the Tyrannosaur, but that doesn’t mean some unlucky fellows could not have met the same fate.

I just thought this photo looked quite poignant with the flowers in the foreground.

Tyrannosaur Pair.

The last of my dinosaur snapshots. The Tyrannosaurus pair is probably one of my favourite of the dinosaur displays in the museum. I just really love the staging, with the two facing off over a kill. Which would have been victorious I wonder?

Irish Elk.

Above is the upper skeleton of an Irish Elk. This extinct species is the largest species of deer to have ever roamed the Earth. I love the antlers of this creature, and I love the thought that it influences Irish folklore in some kind of way.

I like this photo because of the shadow the Elk casts across the ceiling. It’s almost spectral in appearance.

A Monarch Butterfly on Milkweed.

This display is from the Hall of Botany, which describes the importance of various ecosystems that can be found in North America.

One such importance is butterflies and their role as pollinators, allowing plants to thrive, and how certain kinds of “weeds” attract butterflies. An example of this is Milkweed, which butterfly larvae like to eat.

I just happen to think that it’s also a really pretty plant.

An Eastern Tiger Swallowtail sitting on Dogwood flowers.

Another from the Hall of Botany shows a close-up of an Eastern Tiger Swallowtail sitting on the pretty yellow-white flowers of the dogwood tree. I really like dogwood flowers, they look like the edges have been touched with a small flame.

Red-Shouldered Hawk

From the Hall of North American Wildlife is this Red-Shouldered Hawk, holding a field mouse in its beak. I adore birds of prey, and the plumage on this species is especially pretty.

Peregrine Falcon.

The last part of the Museum that I will be sharing snapshots of is the Hall of Birds.

The first of these Peregrine Falcon, which is actually my favourite species of Bird of Prey. There used to be a family of them that lived on the mountain behind the house I grew up in, and you could catch sight of them every now and again.

Dodo

Dodos have fascinated me for years, and I would love to visit the island of Mauritius to learn more about them. These birds went extinct in 1662, thanks to over hunting and habitat destruction by humans.

Atlantic Puffin and Chinstrap Penguin.

The last photo I’ll be sharing today is this one of an Atlantic Puffin and a Chinstrap Penguin.

Atlantic Puffins are really amusing birds who essentially have no fear, due to having no natural predators. If you haven’t already you should look up Puffin interactions with photographers, it is some of the cutest stuff you will see.

As a nerdy side note, Porgs actually exist in the Star Wars universe because of Puffins being present while some scenes were being filmed. It was then cheaper for the VFX artists to turn them into something else instead of edit them out.

And that’s it for my first snapshot post. I hope to do more of these in the future with other places that I visit, and maybe I’ll try the format to share some convention adventures.

I hope you enjoyed and until next time – stay curious, and nerdy my friends!