As if from nowhere...

In August, these big, special spiders appear from out—seemingly—of nowhere.

And these mushrooms—with the glimmering world behind them—pop up overnight.

From whence come these specimens of Life Force, and who are we to interfere with their Comings and Goings? And their Staying, on this, the shared and sacred land?

Dept. of the Pathetic

Give me a blinkity-blink break. Cough.

Berry Picking or Sitting at Desk?

Berry Picking or Sitting at Desk?
Berry Picking or Sitting at Desk?
Berry Picking or Sitting at Desk?

'Twas a tough decision; I did what had to be done.


Thanks to the honeybees, wasps, flies, moths and other pollinators who make such delicacies possible.

Recent Things (Early August)

Gummi and phlox.

Deer up the road.

Unidentified violet mushroom.

Goldenrod beginning to bloom.

Ripening berries.

Amanita mushroom.

Red eft by yellow clover.

Bluejay feather in puddle.

Spring Azure.

Jellyfish in a Coalmine

From this week's New York Times article, Stinging Tentacles Offer Hint of Oceans' Decline:

“These jellyfish near shore are a message the sea is sending us saying, ‘Look how badly you are treating me,’” said Dr. Josep-María Gili, a leading jellyfish expert, who has studied them at the Institute of Marine Sciences of the Spanish National Research Council in Barcelona for more than 20 years.

The explosion of jellyfish populations, scientists say, reflects a combination of severe overfishing of natural predators, like tuna, sharks and swordfish; rising sea temperatures caused in part by global warming; and pollution that has depleted oxygen levels in coastal shallows.

A Bitter Pill from Bayer

A highly worthwhile article appeared in the L.A. Times on July 30th regarding the possible link between the "disappearing honeybees" (Colony Collapse Disorder) and Bayer pesticides. Here's a taste:

"It's likely that most people have never heard of Gaucho. And no, it's not a South American cowboy. I'm talking about a pesticide.

"There is increasing reason to believe that Gaucho and other members of a family of highly toxic chemicals -- neonicotinoids -- may be responsible for the deaths of billions of honeybees worldwide. Some scientists believe that these pesticides, which are applied to seeds, travel systemically through the plant and leave residues that contaminate the pollen, resulting in bee death or paralysis. The French refer to the effect as 'mad bee disease' and in 1999 were the first to ban the use of these chemicals, which are currently only marketed by Bayer (the aspirin people) under the trade names Gaucho and Poncho. Germany followed suit this year, and its agricultural research institute said it concluded that the poisoning of the bees was because of the rub-off of the pesticide clothianidin (that's Pancho) from corn seeds.

So why did the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 2002 grant an 'emergency' exemption allowing increased use of Gaucho -- typically invoked during a major infestation -- when only a few beetles were found in blueberries? Why did the agency also grant a "conditional" registration for its close relative, Pancho, allowing the chemical on the market with only partial testing? And why is the agency, hiding behind a curtain of "trade secrets," still refusing to disclose whether the additional tests required of companies in such cases were conducted and, if so, with what results?

"Therein lies a tale. Most pesticides, we're told, are safe. So we add about 5 billion pounds a year of these deadly chemicals to our world, enough to encircle the planet if it were packaged in 100-pound sacks...."

Excerpted from Buzzzzzzzz kill by Al Meyerhoff, Los Angeles Times, July 30, 2008

Read the whole important thing right here.

Butterflies and Caterpillars of Note

Summer of '08 has brought many close encounters with caterpillars and butterflies; here's a sampling.

Common Ringlet on daisy.

Mourning Cloak caterpillar. These caterpillars are "gregarious throughout development," sayeth my field guide.

Death of an unknown caterpillar.

Voracious Black Swallowtail caterpillar chowing down on fennel before being relocated to the more abundant dill patch.

Black Swallowtail.


Unidentified caterpillar.

Monarch caterpillar on milkweed leaf.

Shimmering remains of Common Wood-Nymph.

Some kind of Sulpher...

Unidentified caterpillar.

Black Swallowtail

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail enjoying sunflower.

If you've made it this far, you're ready for a little game. Check out the first pic below and test your critter-finding skills. Click on the photo for a larger version—see anything unusual?
If you looked carefully, you might have noticed this fellow (or gal). A great example of cryptic coloration (camouflage). A fine example, also, of how an eye-spot can present a scary-looking, don't-eat-me message to potential predators (that's not the caterpillar's actual eye). As you can see, the caterpillar has begun building its cocoon.This is the larval form of the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, pictured earlier on the sunflower.

For what it's worth, my preferred field guides for this genre are Caterpillars in the Field and Garden (Allen, et al.) and Butterflies Through Binoculars—The East (Glassberg).

Recent Things

Hummingbird moth nectaring on monarda.

Fallen leaf.

Funky moth!

Glorious signage.

Huh?!

Eye candy in an unexpected spot.

Inch worm dancing on Black-eyed Susan (for Eva).

Drone fly (an insect mimic) on cosmos.

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail on sunflower.

Damselfly in meadow.

A neighbor's olde satellite dish.

Lily pollen. I hear tell you can make paint pigment from this stuff.

Joe-Pye Weed

"The summer is nearly over when the tall, conspicuous Joe-Pye-weeds begin to tinge with 'crushed raspberry' the lowlands through which we pass."--How to Know the Wild Flowers by Mrs. William Starr Dana

According to the same book, first published by Scribner in 1893, Joe Pye was an American Indian who cured typhus fever in New England using this plant.
This bee, above, made me think of Atlas with a pink world on her shoulders.

I believe the bee in the pics above is the red-tailed bumblebee. Not sure what kind of bumblebee is pictured below, but I welcome help with IDing it.

White Admiral