Mumday

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I was just at a music festival and I took pictures of ...

bugs. (just a few)

Too pooped today to process and post (and way too filthy from camping amid mud (ooh, amid mud sounds like a good band name!)), but will soon. And the one that got away was SO CUTE. Long beak curving down like a weevil but outer wings (hard ones like coleopterans) were a gorgeous metallic blue-green. GORgeous. Alas it dropped to the ground during our shoot prep, never to be found again.

Good job, bug! You won that one. =)

biobabbler

biology x food = freak out (WARNING to squeamish re: animals as food--skip this!)

 
Some images capture starkly the connection between biology and food (two things I love, which are inextricably connected) in ways that are disturbing. To me.

(IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO SEE A PHOTOGRAPH of ANIMAL-AS-FOOD, skip this post.)

Such is the case for the image (far, far) below, found at http://blog.alimentationgenerale.fr. It's far, far below to protect those who wish to avoid seeing a pretty frank animal-as-food photograph.

This image also connects with other parts of my brain, including man-as-omnivore, sustainable living (witness NOT wasting animal parts), photography (clean, minimalist black and white 50's-style I am drawn to, crazy about, tho' subject puts me on instant diet), and my latent leanings toward vegetarianism.

And the part of me that lead to becoming a biologist--I feel a great empathy toward non-human animals.


And plants.

Trust me, I am the WORST plant thinner ever. I find it very difficult to, for example, pluck out baby beet plants who (oops) just look so psyched to LIVE. Who am I to kill them just because I want 20 big beets versus 1000 tiny scrunched up red string-roots?

But I also have a great regard for the very basic living involved in an independent, sustainable human lifestyle, which includes many who are not vegetarians, and either raise and slaughter their own meat or know the people who do.


Anyhow, this came up 'cause a friend is in Paris and he posted today that he finally ate "tete de veau" and was very grateful for the abundance of wine. Of course I had to look it up.

For some strange reason, no French was in my brain that moment (maybe the lack of circumflex in tete de veau?) and the way I pronounced it (in my head) was "teh-teh" de veau. Odd.

Which left me totally unprepared for:
 

!

To make it all the more bizarre, I've been on this Julia Childs "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" kick, 3 recipes in the last 3 weeks or so. LOVE Julia. Watched her (repeat) cooking shows when I was a kid. I was a total non-cook but I just loved her.

However, watching the movie Julie and Julia, I also knew that I would NEVER make the lobster dish. So not boiling a live creature. Won't even consider it. (No judgment on anyone else.)

But I can see Julia making tete de veau, and she probably has. Multiple times. With gusto.

Anyhow, this photograph just captured so well the uncomfortable intersection of different parts of my knowledge/experience/education/emotions/aesthetic that are obviously not super resolved.

Otherwise, I'd have a clear feeling about this image (amazing, fascinating, horrifying) vs. an inarticulate "oh....my" response.

I guess that means the emotional box I'd check to describe my feelings (amazed? fascinated? horrified?) about this image is:  all of the above.


biobabbler

P.S. Will be in non-computer-mode for next 3-ish days so won't post during that time. Passez un bon week-end!

NaNoWriMo... gulp!

  
I signed up.

It's not for 5 months.

I'm already nervous.

In case you've not heard of it, NaNoWriMo, a.k.a. National Novel Writing Month, is an event one can sign up for (at www.nanowrimo.org) and attempt to write a 50,000-word novel in one month. If you accomplish that # of words in a novel-like form by the deadline, it's nothing you've already written (save plot sketching, research, etc.), you did it all by yourself, and it's not one word 50,000 times, you are a winner.

What you win is your draft novel.

Part of their point is that SO many people think that "one day" they will write a novel. For most people, that one day never arrives. You have to MAKE it happen.

So, yeah.

All I'm committed to is receiving their e-mails between now and then, but I have had an idea for a story in my mind for a while now, so this may be what I need to get it done. At least TRY.

I've even planned a trip in October to do research...

=)

So, anyone else wanna join me on this NaNoWriMo adventure?

the biobabbler

It's a sign...

 
As I was walking at the project site with my co-workers last week, clomping around in our huge boots, we were discussing wildlife poop.

Wildlife biologists do this.

After all, scat is one type of "sign" that some species or other occupies habitat where you are, regardless of whether or not you are clever/lucky/persistent enough to see said species. Other sign: footprints (tracks), a conspicuous LACK of cobwebs or stray seeds or piled-up leaves around a burrow, or evidence of a recent meal (feathers, fur, bones, seed shells, etc.).

Someone was here, at some point.

For example, sign that indicates biobabbler occupies particular habitat might be empty coffee mugs, Lindt chocolate wrappers, Sriracha hot sauce stains, and a couple pens and pencils. Maybe if biobabbler's very near, you'll find a cookbook and a Nikon. A field guide to beetles.

Anyhow, back to the conversation. It is so very unusual to chat with other people who are equally enthused about this topic, that I became aware of that moment, and how much fun I was having. And appreciated it, right then. Frankly, it's just shop talk and therefore work, but still fun. For me.

As you may recall, I bought the above bandanna and exhumed it from the bottom of my closet in time for the field work I've been doing lately. In fact, we've used it several times. We've confirmed the id of sheep, coyote, squirrel and other scats.

And last week one of my co-workers and I were taking pictures of scat. For work. Getting paid for poop pics.

And not just ANY old scat. Mountain lion (Felis concolor) scat.

Didn't look too old, and was miles long (pardon), and all fur, so was unlikely to be anything else.

What was exciting to us was not the poop itself, but knowing that quite recently, RIGHT where we were standing, a lion stood. A tawny, muscular, secretive, lethal creature. Right at out boots.

Now THAT is COOL. =)

Which is the real reason why scat is good. Because frequently it's as close as we'll get to an e-mail or facebook update from wildlife, lion or otherwise. Kilroy was here.

Rowr!

Phriday photo quiz #6 solved!

 
By MObugs (honk honk!). Nice job. She got "gopher snake" and "Pituophis" and I merely added catenifer catenifer (based on where I found it).

Sweet. So, yes, it was a Pacific gopher snake in the grass. Found it lying along a widllife fence (which kept it out of danger-yay!), all stretched out. I'm guessing the fence material (what the grasshoppers are on in Mumday), being black, was both warm and a little out of the wind (cool, windy day), so was appealing to this poikilotherm.

Anyhow, leaned over fence to take it's picture and it started moving, and showing me and the nearby work crew folks whom I grabbed it's lovely self. LONG snake!! The stake it's by is at least 4' long (tho' granted not entirely in pic).

I love this picture. It works for me on so many levels. =)

And zee mystery photo is above. Isn't it just like being there?

Snaky says, "Yessssssssssssee ya!"

biobabbler

Forecast: Is this really California? Are you sure?

 
Day and night chance of rain, courtesy of NOAA (pardon, this early in the a.m., couldn't figure out how to make them go out horizontally...). Just before Memorial Day weekend. WET!


On the plus side, it's helping my allergies (and the snow pack, and the reservoir levels, and the multitude of vegetation out there, and maybe some bugs, and other wildlife, etc.). But, really, I hear the midwest AND CANADA are in the 90s!! Did we switch?
 











 

Happy Mumday!

 

 

 

a eukaryotic single-celled fungus is determining my bed time....

    

Yeast-- it's why I'm not going to bed. urf.

In college I knew a ridiculous amount about the little creatures. Apparently my teachers thought it was important. According to wikipedia, it still is. I was glad to read that the one factoid I still retained about them (besides amazing toughness re: storing in dried out state forever), that the two genders were "a" and alpha, is still accurate.

Anyhow, I am staying up late, as my bread dough did not rise as desired so I had to give it more time, then change strategies. And then it has to rise again (1.5 hr). And THEN it has to bake. And it's after 10 p.m. now!!

You see, it's a cold day, so 75-80 degrees F (what this yeast wants to rise) in the house was tough to find. So, I have another 1 hour before the bread MIGHT be ready to bake...

The above and next one are shots of my first loaf of bread ever baked totally by moi (and baked on a warm day, thank you very much). Did this quite recently. Not exactly sure why I waited so long to do this, but I had the impression that yeast is a major pain.

It's not.

Only if you start it LATE and your house is cold do problems, mm... schedule changes, arise.

The result of my first attempt: glorious. SO beautiful. SO shocked. SO stoked. SO posted it (facebook).

Notice bread knife RIGHT behind the trusting, unsuspecting creature.

Today, so far, not looking great.

Witness hillbilly innovation: getting dough to rise at 10 p.m. in a house with no electric heat on a night that will probably plummet to 30-something (again), possibly freezing.

Woodstove comes to the rescue again. Took the picture in virtual dark, so didn't notice oiled fingerprints till just now (from oiled loaves & fingers). Nice touch.

The pots are there to add humidity to the house (so hair doesn't burst into flame as I pass by) but they're empty as am out of practice re: woodstove protocol as it's, oh, I don't know, ALMOST JUNE?

=)

So, as I'm sure was the case in undergrad learning the biology of yeast, I am up later than I hoped, because of yeast.

And the yeast, ever wise, would probably gently remind me that in both cases, if I'd not procrastinated, I'd be in bed by 9.

And the yeast, of course, would be right.

=)  biobabbler

Yosemite: stunning as ever...

Yosemite Falls yesterday morning. No one else was there. It was about 7:30 a.m.? And cold. Upper and lower falls. Did you know if there's just one precipitous drop with water pouring down it's properly called a "fall" like Bridal Veil fall? But, this has upper and lower Yosemite Falls, so it's plural. I read that in a secret ranger book somewhere...

A reward for being an early bird at the falls I'd not anticipated. A mist-bow! Really bright and gorgeous.

 

A lovely place.

The dogwood is in bloom. SUCH an elegant plant.

If ever there was a plant that'd clearly gone to finishing school, this is it.

More pics later, after I do a tiny bit of research and, oh, in one day fabricate the divider for my chicken coop, clean out same, get whole chicken situation prepped and ready so MAYBE I get to have a garden this year?

=)

biobabbler

Phriday photo quiz #6 -- late, as is tradition...

  

What am I?

(at least 2 things to identify, here)

I can't believe I never told you this...

    
This happened last fall.

I'd started a road trip. Stopped at a Starbucks for a cup of alertness, happily getting in line JUST before the 5 fire guys (phew!). Ordered my drink, and went to the lavatory.

Therein I realized I had an egg in my pocket.

Granted, it was a down vest, so better than average at camouflaging things, but nevertheless.

I was carrying an egg.

And I was headed out on a long drive.

And I didn't want my chicken to have worked in vain.

Then I remembered the fire guys. And that many fire folks live at the station in 24 hour shifts. And they COOK there.

So, I washed my hands, and wandered to the "waiting for my coffee" standing zone.

And struck up a conversation.

"So, are you guys local?" One of the shorter, friendlier ones indicated yes. "...and you live there, at the station, right?" "Yes, in shifts." Alrighty. Here we go.

"Well, you see, I have chickens, and am just starting a road trip so I'm going to be driving another five hours and I just realized I have an egg in my pocket." Notice at this point, everyone is paying attention. All other fire-guy conversations have ceased.

"It's organic, and I'd hate for it to go to waste, but I don't know what to do with it. Do you want it? Would you use it? It's super fresh; I collected it today."

Glances exchanged. Smiles appear.

"Well... sure, we'll take it. It may just become part of a batch of cookies, but we'd be happy to."

"Oh, that'd be great!" and I proudly hand him one of Fanny's inestimable eggs.

Suitably elated, I then picked up my latte and walked out, feeling that all was well with the world. How lucky am I?

As I settled into my car, it struck me that this was no ordinary Starbucks encounter. This was a strong candidate for the "You know you have chickens when..." list.

Steering toward the highway, I also realized that I may have crossed a line. I may have just become a Chicken Weirdo.

Hm.

Ah, well.

I was still glad of the encounter, proud of my social braveness, and pleased for my hen.  =)

And I bet those cookies were great.

biobabbler

heading out, again...

     
More fieldwork on tap. Will chuck up (as opposed to upchuck) what I wrote earlier today for your Wednesday, then I'm out until at LEAST the weekend, possibly later.

Have a great week end and weekend.

And consider an outing. An adventure.

If you could take one, where would you go? What would you do?

And why not do it? Or at least plan it. Or something comparable, which can prepare you for "the big one"?

How might YOU suffuse your boots with mysterious scent?

Do tell.  =)


biobabbler

Burgess Shale not all snuffed out?

 
Check this out. A discovery in Morocco similar to the Burgess Shale, and ONLY UNCOVERED IN THE 10TH YEAR OF RESEARCH!!

Conclusion is that not all the Burgess Shale creatures pooped out in a huge extinction event. It's just the record (for their continued existence) is incomplete.

 
If you don't know, the Burgess Shale is this amazing collection of fossils in Canada that is very unusual in that conditions were apparently perfect to preserve all kinds of animals, including, amazingly, those with soft bodies (hence my jellyfish photo). Huge diversity, stunning.

Typically what you get in the fossil record is bones, shells, and foot prints (or worm paths, etc. This is a gross generalization). So, creatures that leave no "footprint" and don't have bones/hard shells are under-represented, which means they remain mysterious. The Burgess Shale has perfect impressions of things like jellyfish, etc.--soft bodied animals--and there was an unbelievable diversity of them and shelled creatures as well.

Here's the abstract, published in Nature.

So, kudos to the research team (including a few Yalies), and kudos to National Geographic for FUNDING THE TENTH YEAR. Can you imagine if they'd not gone out that 10th year?!?

Yikes.

If you cannot tell, I'm very into the importance of long term research. And it's TOUGH to keep getting funded, since most grants are short term.

And I'm a big fan of the B.S.

Exciting news!

biobabbler

robberfly a la Kansas

    

Based on a pic I spied on MOBugs, I'm guessing this Kansas creature is a robberfly.

I was just happy this fascinating insect allowed me to approach so closely. Not a face you'll forget soon.

Looked it up at Bugguide.net, confirmed that guess, and learned the following (their words [my words]):

"Medium-sized to large predatory flies, often perch in exposed location [yup] and make short flies after prey.

Typical family characteristics:

• top of head hollowed out between eyes, with three ocelli [small, simple eye] in this depression (diagnostic character) [can't really tell]
• body from very hairy to nearly bare [well, that narrows it down...]
• typical body form elongated, with tapered abdomen, but other forms as well
• some groups mimics of hymenoptera 
• face usually 'bearded', with prominent mystax [check! blond mustache] 
• mouthparts modified to inject saliva into prey--saliva contains potent neurotoxic and proteolytic enzymes" [I believe that's the black, straight thing, and fyi, proteolytic means protein degrading, which means digesting, effectively--ouch! Read elsewhere their proboscises are not long--check.]

Fierce creatures that seem to, in their various forms, catch my eye over the years. Some look like jet pilots who ARE ALSO the fighter plane. Impressive!

biobabbler

Mumday