Greatest Paka Photography's photostream  

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These are the "Thunderbirds", an air demonstration squadron of the U.S. Air Force, in tight formation over San Francisco. The squadron tours the United States and much of the world, performing aerobatic formation and solo flying in specially marked USAF jet aircraft. And, although these pilots may not always follow the same routes as migratory birds, they have a great deal in common (click on photo link above). For example, when flying long distances, geese and Air Force jets often fly in a 'V' formation because it results in a reduction of wind resistance thus conserving their energy expenditure.....the geese can fly a long way without stopping for a rest and the pilots, without stopping so often to refuel.

The tomato is an edible fruit (considered a vegetable for culinary purposes) that originated in South America and was later transported to Mexico where it was grown and consumed by Mesoamerican civilizations (perhaps by the Aztecs of Central Mexico). The Spanish brought the tomato to Europe where it grew easily in Mediterranean climates. Cultivation began in the 1540s and it was being used as food by the early 17th century in Spain. The earliest reference to tomatoes being grown in British North America is from 1710, when herbalist William Salmon reported seeing them in what is today South Carolina. Today, tomatoes are one of the most common garden fruits in the United States. China is the largest producer and accounts for about one quarter of the global output followed by the U.S. and India. California accounts for 90% of U.S. production and 35% of world production.

The tree in this photograph grows in a State-protected 37-acre preserve called "Heritage Grove" in the Santa Cruz Mountains of northern California. Heritage Grove consists of one of the last remaining stands of old-growth redwoods in the region. Its trees may be the largest redwoods in the Santa Cruz Mountains. The forest floor is carpeted with Western Sword Fern (Polystichum munitum) and Redwood Sorrel (Oxalis oregona) that grow profusely in the dense shade of these magnificent giant California Redwood trees (Sequoia sempervirens).

The soil of the forest aids in the growth of the redwood, madrone, tanbark oak and, Douglas fir trees as well as the various types of moss and lichen that adorn this area. Known as "Heritage Grove", near the small community of La Honda in the Santa Cruz Mountains of northern California, this 37-acre "old-growth" Redwood forest is owned and managed by the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District and is part of a nearly unbroken string of 20,000 acres of undeveloped land in San Mateo County.