“I believe that a leaf of grass is no less than the journey work of the stars.” –Walt Whitman (Leaves of Grass) 

• My favorite photos on Instagram (above) and Facebook (below):

• Audubon on why North American bird species face a 30% decline.

• Eight reasons that octopuses are the geniuses of the oceans on BBC Earth.

• Walt Whitman’s birthday was on May 31.  Whitman loved being photographed and even considered publishing a book containing a selection of his portraits. You can find a large collection at The Walt Whitman Archive.

• Check out what the $11,000 Canon EF 200-400mm f/4L IS lens looks like when it’s disassembled.

• Nature Fact of the Week:

Friday Fact: There are green birds, reptiles, fish, and insects—but no green mammals. pic.twitter.com/57OSEbiBCW

— National Geographic (@NatGeo) June 3, 2016

• Soak in the beauty of Scotland in this video by John Duncan: