Green Jay (Cyanocorax luxuosus)

See more at: http://richleighton.com

Unlike other Goodyera orchid species that all look somewhat similar to each other, Goodyera oblongifolia's flowers all tend to face the same direction on the flowering stalk, which appears about mid to late summer, depending on the longitude, altitude and local climate. Each tiny flower is hermaphroditic, meaning they have both female and male parts and most often pollinated by bumble bees.

This one was found and photographed in Waterton Lakes National Park in Southern Alberta, Canada. See how the flowers at the bottom of the stalk are already beginning to brown and fade as the upper ones haven't even opened yet?

Western Rattlesnake Plantain Orchid (Goodyera oblongifolia)

See more at: http://richleighton.com

Switching from Mailchimp to Substack: A Time-Saving Move

After careful consideration, I've decided to transition my newsletter from Mailchimp to Substack. The primary reason for this switch is the significant time savings and increased efficiency that Substack offers. With Mailchimp, I found myself spending excessive time navigating through the platform's complex interface and struggling with its sometimes cumbersome posting process. This often led to delays in getting my content out to subscribers. And that is what led to me finally just stopping publishing altogether. It was too frustrating.

Substack, on the other hand, provides a streamlined, user-friendly experience that allows me to focus on what matters most - creating and sharing valuable content with my audience. The intuitive design and straightforward posting mechanism mean I can now publish my newsletters faster and more frequently. This newfound ease of use not only saves me precious time but also enables me to maintain a more consistent publishing schedule. That’s the plan, anyway. I have another Substack publication that is in “experimental” mode and I’ve been able to post and move on just about as easily as making a simple social media post.

By making this switch, I'm looking forward to dedicating more energy to crafting engaging content rather than wrestling with technical hurdles. Substack's simplicity and efficiency align perfectly with my goal of delivering timely, high-quality newsletters and nature photography to my readers.

Hopefully this is the breakthrough that I’ve been dreaming of!

Now…. on to more photography and less fighting with my software!

Rich Leighton