biobabbler

bio dork humor, & I'm gettin' in the FIELD!!

2012-02-13T09:31:00.000-08:00

Howdy, gangstas.* An "I'm not dead!" post (w/real time update @#6):

1. Laugh and laugh again
Ran across this photo from 2 summers ago and it made me laugh. Again:

It's a bio pun.

I wrote "DNA" using DNA-laden pollen.

What I think is funny is that

I still think it's funny.

Easily amused. =)

2. If I'm cleaning the chicken coop, then it must be time for fieldwork

Just got a call (from the day job), and I will be HEADING OUT into the field very soon! $weet!

Apparently those little birdies are thinking about romance, rendering us biologist types useful so we can ensure construction/other ground disturbance doesn't take any of the little darlings out.

It doesn't take a lot to dramatically reduce the impacts of construction (or your basic ground disturbance) upon wildlife and wildlife habitat.

So, that's exciting. Gonna be paid to be outside, tromping around. Nice!

But, before I'm in the field, I need to

wrestle this LAST (oh-so-resistant) paper into shape to be done w/my fatty editing project,
clean the chicken coop 'so the hens are happy whilst I'm away, then
BUY BOMBER FIELD BOOTS.

3. Bio Dork crisis! My FAVORITE field clothes are gone. =(

bb & coworkers. Can you tell all-leather boots are kinda important??

The perfect set.

This is a tragedy I've been holding inside

("Hanging on in quiet desperation is the English way"**)

save for occasionally mumbling about it to my husband,

who is usually in the next room and doesn't hear.

If you've done fieldwork at all regularly, you get this--
am I right, fieldies? (pray share your feeling in comments)

I probably left them in a hotel somewhere whilst on assignment.

Like back in the pre-MP3 days, I used to always lose my favorite tunes

'cause I'd bring them everywhere with me.

The crappy stuff NEVER got lost;

just sat at home, growing ever-more dusty & annoying.
Same with field clothes.

Anyhow, the perfect set included:

my lovely $$$ all leather Vasque boots
my favorite fleece (9 mile-long skinny sleeves (recall I'm female and 6' 1") in a vibrating chartreuse hue that made me v. happy)
and some magic material socks ($martwool, no doubt).

A moment of silence....

4. Chartreuse aside

Factoid from Wiki: "Chartreuse in nature... Birds: Lovebirds are colored various bright tones of chartreuse..."

Photo by David (http://flickr.com/photos/81804231@N00).

aw... and terribly cute! =)

5. I-am-not-a-freak shopping

But, my loss also means I "must" find and shop at an REI.

While I am NOT a shopper, I DO love a good REI.

One of the only stores where I feel pretty normal and relaxed.

They have stuff I need (and want).

They are unphased at the mention of mud and freezing,

hiking (entirely) off trail in the rain, mud, wind, and amid-rattlesnakes.

'sno big. they get it.

Sort of like graduate school.
When I found myself in the School of Natural Resources and the Environment,
I realized that for the first time in my life,
I was around people who were like me.

Super into the planet and conservation and learning,
way enthusiastic and driven,
and SO excited to be there.

It was heaven.

Anyhow...

6. Time travel--whoosh!

Full disclosure, THIS part of this post is written TODAY, Monday Feb 13th, AFTER my fieldwork.

Did 2 days of fieldwork sans camera,

knowing I had more fieldwork the next week, so I'd bring my camera THEN,

once I'd gotten up to speed w/coworkers.

THEN they hired 2 new people & I was reassigned to the office to edit.

oops.

So, VERY SORRY, readers, precious little to SHOW re: fieldwork.

Do have 1 or 2 from last partial day in field (Saturday) that I'll share next.

And I still have 2 old nests (abandoned from last year, our task to remove)

that I'll photograph, share, and try to figure out who made them.

And I picked up owl pellets & various bones, so when I retrieve them,

I'll share that, as well.

Anyhow, I'm back home (for now), alive, and its' SNOWING!!!

Right now the sun is peeking through, brightening snowflakes,

and rendering the foraging deer ever-more glamorous. =)

Yup, life's rough.

And you? How've you been?

xoxoxobb

*Wrote this last week, before I left. Am now back. For now.

*from Pink Floyd's (somewhat painfully genius) song "Time." bb is, in part, English ethnically and (so a Scotsman tells me, more than a little bit) culturally.

more icy miracles

2012-01-24T13:28:00.000-08:00

pardon.

STILL working on project deadline.

Intend to be less dull anon.

=) Meanwhile, more magic from Tenaya Lake

before we (hooorayyyy!) finally got precipitation.

So, so beautiful.

Nature is such a stunner.

xobb

waiter, there's a bird in my coffee...

2012-01-19T07:45:00.000-08:00

Discovered during sleepy-eyed attempts to make coffee, this a.m.

Can anyone identify this species?

Here's a side view of same, in a rare moment of stillness:

It looks like a juvenile, which may make species identification more challenging...

Thanks for any help you can lend. =)

xobb

a frozen lake is magic

2012-01-15T21:03:00.000-08:00

Went here today...

Tenaya Lake, Yosemite NP

Traversed this...

And despite the terrifying CRACK! (echo echo echo) and POP! (echo echo echo)

that I felt sure meant my imminent descent to FREEZING black watery death,

I made it to the far end of the lake where Bear said the ice was see-through.

That's where I saw this.

pretty sure that's magic.

xobb

nature in art in nature in art...

2012-01-12T10:48:00.000-08:00

"Mommy, why is that lady staring at the ceiling?"

Because it's really, really pretty.

In the National Gallery of Art,
there's plenty of beauty that is not hanging on a wall,
or perched on a pedestal, protected by plexiglass.

Some of it is photosynthesizing.

I took very few photographs while in the museum;
they were expressly allowed in one particular exhibit.
Most of the images that inspired me to photograph them involved nature, the outdoors.
Mind you, I love portraits. Of people. Love.

However, two artists had captured ocean scenes so perfectly,
I had to photograph them so I could learn more about their work.

This* is "A Quiet Day in Manchester" by Alfred Thompson Bricher (1837-1908)**

I read about Mr. Bricher, and he lived much of his life by the ocean; not surprising.

This next one is "The Stranded Ship" by Asher Brown Durand (1796-1886).

The green in these waves? So true and real. Awesome. I just stare at it.

The pull of the Pacific

When in the NPS, one of my jobs, and its associated walking commute,
allowed me to see the Pacific Ocean four hours a day, five days a week.

The first birds I had to identify as a professional biologist were shorebirds.

The first natural resource monitoring I did was of the rocky intertidal community.

I was born in a beach town.

I still remember walking on the beach with my dad when I was four,
plastic baggy in hand to store all the shells I'd collect.

So, I feel bonded to that big, cold, powerful thing.

Which might explain why, when these painters really captured the ocean,
it stopped me in my tracks.

Love at first sight

Back at the gallery, I turn a corner and BAM,
there is one of my favorite paintings of all time.
I was instantly smitten the moment I saw it (in a book in high school).
And it's never diminished.

I had no idea it was at the NGA.

To direct you to it (since it's still under copyright, via another site),
I had to look up its name (just now, after writing about the Pacific),
which I had not known at all.

"Wind from the sea."

uh...

that's freaky.

You can see it here (and click on it to see it larger).

Art is everywhere

Then, leaving the NGA, stepping out the doorway, I see this:

The beauty doesn't stop when you leave the gallery, and step into nature.

It just keeps going.

Hence my giddy, swoony, continuing love for nature.

It's fairly magical, always inspiring,

and, like so many of the amazing DC museums, it's free.

bb

*I did not straighten this photograph (via post-processing) because that'd reduce the clarity a lot.
**Public domain = 100 years after artist's death (says Wiki),
so these seascapes sail in that marvelous legal sharing space. =)

Peeking at Pele

2012-01-09T08:59:00.000-08:00

She is moltenly awesome.

Apparently this was a good show, as the Jaggar Museum was CROWDED that night

and our friends (locals) said they'd NEVER seen so many people there at once.
I have never heard my camera's shutter stay open for SO LONG as I did that evening,
all the while fervently praying the people around me would NOT take a photo
with flash.

Photography etiquette 101: if it's a nighttime scene & a flash does not help,
& in fact impedes the intended image,
either LEARN how to turn off your flash,
or STOP TAKING PHOTOGRAPHS and messing up other folks' shots.
Pretty please. Would be much appreciated. =)
This has been a public/photographic service announcement.
Now, back to our regularly scheduled program.

Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park is a trippy place. Highly recommend.
Place to see the planet giving birth to land. Nice.

bb

location, location, location

2012-01-08T12:40:00.000-08:00

This is basically the backyard of where we stayed while on Oahu, HI (friend's mother's house). The first few days the canal was closed off and patrolled by military gentlemen in a small, black, inflatable boat to protect the canal and bridge, as this canal leads to the neighborhood where President Obama was staying. My friend, who slept out on their large, enclosed porch, said those men look reallllly bored, poor things. Very small area to patrol. However, bored is better than in a violent confrontation with a nutty malcontent, so yay, boring!

=)

Took this shot early in the a.m., so it's kinda dark.
Was originally going for ducks on the canal,
but then saw the mountain.
Oh, that.

xobb

albatross, schmalbatross (silent Saturday evening post)

2012-01-07T20:18:00.000-08:00

bb

(p.s. it's a Laysan Albatross on Oahu, HI)

silversword silliness

2012-01-06T11:11:00.000-08:00

Haleakalā silversword (Argyroxiphium sandwicense subsp. macrocephalum) silliness, that is...

Hawai'ian hijinks @ 9,000 feet.

[btw: hijinks = "lively enjoyment" per dictionary.com,

and Merriam-Webster says

"boisterous or rambunctious carryings-on :

carefree antics or horseplay."

Sounds about right. =) ]

Will be home tonight (probably EARLY tomorrow, really).

And tho' will be speedily (hair-on-fire) editing,

in the coming weeks will be able to post more.

I think this is my 3rd time on the interweb in 2.5 weeks--woah!

Mahalo!

manly mammals

2011-12-30T14:14:00.000-08:00

in art...

*sigh*

I heart art.

And Washington DC.

What an embarrassment of riches that town has.

Jeepers!

xo

ps. this is the 2nd time I've been on the internet in a week; blogging will still be slow for a while. However, am using camera here and there, so there may be more goodies for you upon my return to situation normal. I've posted pics of this uh-mah-zing statue before, but it bears repeating, IMHO.

east coastin'

2011-12-22T19:47:00.000-08:00

Cruising Plum Island National Wildlife Refuge,

near Newburyport, MA.

Wicked cool place.

bb

photo quiz answer... and winners!

2011-12-22T19:09:00.000-08:00

Olivia V. Ambrogio got it in 20 seconds,
then Jennifer Bowen Yoga figured it out.

Nice work, ladies!!! HONK! HONK! HONK!

And many thanks to all the commenters and guessers.
Y'all are fabulous. =)

Yup, they're all reflections.
So, I posted them upside down.
Here they are in their original orientation.

That was some crazy still water. NICE!!

It was near Mirror Lake, but we were on the
other side of the "lake" than most people visit.

So nice.

=) xo

Thursday photo quiz: what do these photos have in common?

2011-12-15T08:19:00.000-08:00

Besides being shot in Yosemite,
including some of the same trees species, etc.

Something different.

Please submit guess via comments, below. =)

xobb

lunar eclipse, baby!

2011-12-10T08:06:00.000-08:00

Such a cool thing to see.

annnnnd then it got dark, pink, and hidden behind the trees. =)

A very interesting morning, eh?!? =)

Sweet!

xobb

Yeah, yeah, it's all about you...

2011-12-06T09:23:00.000-08:00

Trying to take a photograph of the section of granite wall
from which sprung the slide by Yosemite's Mirror Lake,
and who horns in?

Don't you think you get enough attention, Half Dome?

Jeepers.

Poor little slide....

=)

bb

again, an abandoned crop perseveres...

2011-12-03T09:34:00.000-08:00

Varied hues are (if I remember correctly) due to a packet of mixed carrot types. Great for short-attention-span, color-greedy gardeners, in particular. =) Whomever that might include... these were tucked deep inside a corn forest.

Note how, despite the strong, clear lighting,
it takes a while to see the cat.

Genius cryptic design...

xobb

pre-Mono wind mums: pollinator, schmollinator...

2011-12-02T09:06:00.000-08:00

Having read the forecast re: crazy winds, I went to the garden one late afternoon for a last chance photo session. I assumed the winds would strip our precious flowers of their dazzling petals.

Who knew chrysanthemums were so stunning in the fall when all else is drab, drab, drab? I, clearly, did not. Consider me re-educated.

By the way, I am (was??) not a big flower person.
I love them, but feel that growing food is a higher priority
and possibly a better bang for my carbon buck.

However, I am a color pig.

AND, the pollinators LOVE all these flowers,
whether it's spring, summer, or fall,
and that draws them to my garden,
wherein pollination of squash, etc., occurs.

So... I think I'm changing.

I believe in FLOWER POWER!

xobb

fungal fun with Photo Quiz Phriday: bb guesses species, too!

2011-12-01T09:58:00.000-08:00

Quiz answer, Part 1

So, GREAT guesses, EVERYONE. Very creative. =)

Dan Maxwell was on the right track right away (fungal leanings).
Then Cindy NAILED it:
"a puffball with a particularly elegant color"

YUP! =) DING! DING! DING!

Yes, guessers, it was a fungal thang that I photographed
and fell in love with its textures; the humble puffball.

I've seen them around our property before, but never purple.
Typically they are brown in the inside, grey/white/tan on the outside.

Here's the 2 that Bear pointed out to me:

In the next shot, it's the same guy as the one above,
but it's SUPER purple. Muppet purple.

I'm thinking it's taken with a flash,
so that explains the apparent color change??
Thoughts?

So, what species is this, biobabbler?
Quiz answer Part 2

I start flipping through Mushrooms Demystified by David Arora
(expert and SO funny--the book is a delight).

Pawing through pages of puffballs, I spy a black & white photo...
"mature specimen in which the outer layer
of the perisium (spore case) is disintegrating." (p.687)
oooh, yes. Very promising.

Next sentence:
"The purplish color of the mature spores is the
most distinctive characteristic of this species."

Oh, yeah, baby!

So, I conclude that the beauty above is
Calvatia cyathiformis, purple-spored puffball.

Sweet.
Thanks for helping me learn, Noble Readers.

And thanks so much to
Mylee, Dan, Sean, Elephant's Eye, and Cindy,
for your participation. You bring me delight. =)
xobb

photogenic, yes. always perfectly beautiful & elegant? uh....

2011-11-30T13:45:00.000-08:00

lovely...

(thought bubble is "hum, tee dum...")

only slightly odd, startled look... still cute.

("whaaa?")

...annnnnd the money shot.

("urrrrr")

=)

10,000 robins here, today.
Did impromptu garden work,
Rhode Island red stuffed herself silly
on the earthworms she unearthed in the garden w/me.

It started sunny; now we're in a cloud.

And tonight is a crazy windstorm.
Predicted gusts to 75 MPH.
Sweet!

Will post re: photo quiz soon.

xobb

Phriday Photo Quiz, 2 days late =)

2011-11-27T12:42:00.000-08:00

what
is
this
?

please
write
guesses
in
comments
below.

the
usual
conditions
apply,
including
"wild
guesses
cheerfully
received."

xo
xo
xo

bb

thriving on neglect...

2011-11-25T09:32:00.000-08:00

bb's garden, be it ever so freaky...

tired cherry toms and vibrant chrysanthemums

all the chrysanthemums (4) I bought for $1 each 2 years ago on sale,
end of season scraggly, skinny, tall things, planted them,
they took root, survived the winter, and got BIG.

broccoli & chrysanthemum friends

broccoleaf

carrots living in a corn forest

stringed beans

tiny, adorable volunteer melon

empty tomatillo husks

the overview: not pretty

But, it all depends upon where you look.

Hunker down among the mums, and it's gorgeous.

A new meaning to canvasback (canvas buck?) fm. 10 min ago

2011-11-21T10:11:00.000-08:00

Was walking towards a doe south of our house, slowly,
with camera in hand, padding across living room floor,
then noticed at my left elbow, this handsome creature.

Took 2 pics, then slowly left as I'd clearly surprised him.

Minutes later, looking for evidence
that I'd not scared him off our property, I found him steadily eating.
First manzanita berries, then many, many nice, fatty acorns. =)

Tho' these aren't all nicely focused
(and are crops of march larger images),
I just love the shadows of the oak on the buck's body.

Lovely.

=)

And I'm glad we got our shed painted red.
A good background for this gorgeous creature.

xobb

is it me, or do vegetarians get all the pretty food?

2011-11-15T14:37:00.000-08:00

Made vegetarian chili Sunday to feel our Game Night crowd.
Also made chili con carne, but had no desire to photograph it
(a study in brown).

The veggies.

closer...

Will have to make this again,
if only to feed my brain all that fabulous color.

Veggies mit 3 kinds of beans.

And these gorgeous hot peppers are from our garden. =)

I think I need to make vegetarian more often...
good for us, good for the planet, and so pretty!

=)

xoxobb

new, classier photo quiz: who's butt is this?

2011-11-11T17:42:00.000-08:00

annnnnnd closer...

Was delighted at the opportunity to photograph this
particularly fetching fanny.

Looking for the species name. =)

Super speedy & accurate guesses may be posted
a bit later so the rest of us also can have a crack at it.

If you don't know, don't let that stop you.
Lesson # 1 in science: it's okay not to know.
And for this, it's 100% safe to guess.

xobb

the wonder that is the human body: video demo

2011-11-10T08:24:00.000-08:00

another inspiring view of what people can do with their body and imagination

Break ton Neck from Alex Yde on Vimeo.

xobb

why my ethics are so annoying: and not just to me

2011-11-08T13:06:00.000-08:00

Subtitle: why this poop shot is my only proof

of having a warm and tiny dark-eyed junco in my hand this week.

*sigh*

Sub-subtitle: why environmental/wildlife ethics
can be such a bore.

And why people w/less education/concern
re: animals and their experience of humans
have WAY more fun w/wildlife than I do.

2 days ago a junco bonked into our window.

I had not TWENTY MINUTES EARLIER put up MORE stickers on our windows, as the migrants who are (my inference) not familiar with the area are frolicking like mad outside, and two butter-butts had, while flitting around each other, grazed my window in a gentle

bip-bipp

K. duly warned.

bb goes outside, washes windows in 30-something dF weather,
even breathing on the glass to warm it up,
and slaps on more WindowAlert stickers.

TWENTY minutes later, BANG!

I look up, see a bird gracefully swoop up,
away from the glass, then land straight down,
amid bright fall grass.

oh crap.

So, I look, yes, bird there. Bird dazed.

I see if I can pick it up. Yes.

Not a good sign.

Put it under my shirt for a while so it will be warm.
Take it out, then see it's panting (I give off a lot of heat). oop.

replace bird in grassy blind.

go back inside, set up a box w/fuzzy hat bedding and watered-down gatorade so this little guy can rest and not get eaten by a cat/hawk/etc.

go back outside, get junco, place into box in room, shut door and leave it alone. Restrain self and check it only twice in an hour. "Friendly visits" are probably completely terrifying events for birds, so I resist the temptation to bird sit. NOT EASY!

2nd visit it's gone. Not in box.

I look to the 2 windows. Yes, junco'd recovered,
flown to the window, and pooped on my sill.

The LEAST I deserve.

I grab the now more feisty (hooray!) bird,
and release it outside.

End of story.

Note no Nikon-grabbing, one-handed photos taken of bird in hand.
No shots of a stunned-yet-photogenic junco recovering in my fuzzy hat.

Nothin'.

*sigh*

However, the point really is, this is not about me:
it's about the junco.

I believe it's best for the junco for me to allow it a quiet, people-free space to recoup in the relative warmth and safety of my house while it gathers its wits, which it left on my window.

It's best for the junco if I don't stare at it with the giant Nikon lens/eyeball as it is crouched, freaked, and vulnerable.

And when I went outside and held it away from me, its little brown body swooping up and away toward the sun, vanishing into a dense, berry-n-bug-filled manzanita shrub,

it was a lovely sight to see.

Even just the one time.

xobb

fall = horny (well, antler-y) bucks & pretty leaves

2011-11-07T08:59:00.000-08:00

ooh, pretty!
(doe = off camera)

grapple, grapple
(mild, not intense; one on right is
clearly smaller, not as muscular)

grapple, grapple

ooh, pretty!

...annnnd they leave, following the doe off stage. =)

speaking of leaves, the sugar maple in our yard
(Acer saccharum)
(per usual, nicer if you click 'n' zoom)

ooh, pretty!

Happy autumn. =)

xobb

gardening block overcome, rewards subsequently reaped

2011-10-31T14:57:00.000-07:00

Everyone, including beans I'm stripping
to get bean plant to resume production.

Mostly cherry toms + 2 ancho peppers.

Tomatillos 'n' little peppers (some sweet, some hot).

A few of the tomatillos are as big as regular tomatoes.
Apparently these pups thrive on neglect.
That and an accidentally deep planting bed,
probably 'cause it catches & keeps more water.

Some of the tomatillos w/husks look like
little green jack o' lanterns to me, so it's kinda seasonally apt.

Anyhow, I'm loving all this color.

Happy Halloween, everyone! =)

xoxobb

where the Ahwahnee meadow web cam lives...

2011-10-31T10:43:00.000-07:00

From among the various webcams in Yosemite,

here's the view that the Ahwahnee meadow webcam

generally provides (tho' it's down right now):

I took this pic this weekend.

This is the house where it lives.

I don't think it's a secret, 'cause I noticed all on my own, and thought, hey, that must be "that webcam." So, I'm thinkin' it's okay to share this. Officially this is my guess, but I'm betting I'm right. What a cute HOUSE!! And what a view.

Anyhow, my few pics from the east side are pretty underwhelming (got out really late when light was low, and then early, same thing), so in lieu of glamorous photos is today's contribution: data. =)

xoxobb

I'm not dead... I think I'll go for a walk!

2011-10-26T08:34:00.000-07:00

Pretty much over the flu,
back from weekend travels & recovery,
now back to editing.

In the meantime, this guy was on our screen, outside.
He looks armored, like the knights in Monty Python and the Holy Grail*.

Blends in pretty spectacularly well with the grey metal screen.

But has much more personality....

Super wild guess is a hemipteran,
tho' I've not stared at it very closely, yet.

bb

*Post title is lines from Monty Python and the Holy Grail, wherein a thin, old man is being offered prematurely to the man who gathers dead bodies off of the street. And the subject line are a few of the things he interjects into the conversation between the man who wants to get rid of him, and the dead body collector ("It's against regulations.")

P.S. have a reservation in Lee Vining for this Saturday, so apparently biobabbler WILL get some nature this weekend, & bring Nikon. YAY!!!

Swampy & stylish

2011-10-18T09:01:00.000-07:00

Apparently I never posted this pic of a swamp in Louisiana:

I loved the freaky lighting.

Spent so long in a very dry climate, I'm still kind of
fascinated by fresh water just sitting there. =)

And on the boardwalk, was this green anole,

a.k.a. Carolina anole, a.k.a. Anolis carolinensis,
a.k.a. charming creature.

xobb

I wanna' live! And other thoughts on the flu

2011-10-17T11:31:00.000-07:00

I'll post something normal once I'm better enough that checking e-mail isn't disorienting.

Just moments ago I looked at the list of messages in my inbox. And stared.

"Uh...how do I do this? Which one do I read first? The bold ones, right? And why are they wiggling?"

Eating 2 meals in 3 days is NOT good for your IQ. Or your eyesight, apparently.

FYI, if you find yourself in your undies, curled up in the fetal position on bathroom tile at 3 a.m., and then ask (between moans and "ow"s) for a pillow and a blanket, you are not well.

This is the first time the flu has ever scared me. I can see how it's killed so many people.

Jeeze.

So teetering around the house today, trying to get re-oriented to my life. Not exaggerating.

Had to ask Bear yesterday "When was I really sick, was it last night?" "No, the night before." "Oh." I really had no idea. That's a new symptom.

I feel like I must have fried some brain cells, 'cause I keep not knowing what to do.

"What do I usually do when I'm getting over the flu?"
(p.s. imagine long pauses between each thought, with NOTHING in between. Just dead air = bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz)
"Should I nap?"
bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
"Make toast?"
bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
"Do the dishes?"
bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
"Plant lettuce?"
bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Annnd she stares out the window. For a while. Then gets a glass of water. Hooray!

The one thing I do know I should not do is work. This brain is not in any state to edit other conscious people's text. If they had eaten within 24 hours of writing their papers they're way ahead of me.

xo

bb

p.s. Case in point, 1st draft of last sentence above I wrote "paper's"!!! I committed the ever-more-popular writing tic of adding apostrophes everywhere possible and completely unnecessary (as in your basic plural). My #1 pet peeve, of late. Not well.
p.p.s. And "dead air" took me 5 minutes to come up with.
"Blank air?" bzzzz "Flat air?" bzzzzzzzzzzzz
"Blank air?" bzzzzzzzzz "Flat air??" bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Thilent Thurthday: October in Yosemite, or Yosemite in October?

2011-10-13T14:21:00.000-07:00

Tactiturn Tuesday at Grand Canyon NP

2011-10-11T09:29:00.000-07:00

Flitting through photos, saw this, & wondered,

hmmm, is this at Grand Canyon?

Next photos:

Yes, that could be Grand Canyon.

Or, the local dog park.

Hard to say.

xoxobb

lawn art: a cryptic post

2011-10-10T10:10:00.000-07:00

Before:

After:

It's amazing the degree to which deer can disappear,
just by settling down in the grass.

Wiki's post on camouflage has some cool photos,
if you want to explore the subject a bit more.

=)

bb

the giant hole in all of our heads, a HUGE CAVE of space

2011-10-07T11:07:00.000-07:00

otherwise known as the sinus cavity.

Sounds mundane, but LOOK AT THIS X-RAY!

Photo by Mnolf

HUGE empty space IN OUR HEAD!

I realize there are lots of sensors,
soft tissue, etc. there,
but the first time I saw something like this
during a college lecture, my jaw dropped.

No WONDER my voice resonates in my head
and sounds so different than what everyone else hears.
It's like in my head is the acoustic equivalent
of a small, tiled bathroom.

WARNING: a little gross, but not super gross.

This came to mind, so to speak, today
because I made some really lovely,
light-as-air, fluffy scrambled eggs.

And then walked while eating them.

DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME!

So, yes, aspirated the eggs.

After much coughing and spluttering and honking,
something novel occurred.

Bright, fluffy, happy-looking,
perfect scrambled eggs, in small portions,
appeared in my tissue when I blew my nose.

Incredulous, I blew my nose again.
1. needed to, but, really,
2. to be sure it just wasn't some
rogue food that'd attached to my hand
or shirt and fell into said tissue
(i.e., science dork question: "Is it repeatable?").

Yup. There was more where that came from.

So, this freaky occurrence reminded me
that in our heads is a GIANT interconnected CAVITY.

For some reason, it freaks me out.

You?

xobb

okay, that was weird: Steve Jobs dies, I write a 5 hr post, & get nothing done

2011-10-06T17:15:00.000-07:00

Spent about 100 hours today writing a post on Steve Jobs
and life with a dad who has cancer
(been there, done that)
& now I'm not even sure I'm gonna post it.

Maybe I can chalk it up to therapy?

Short version:
cancer sucks, but if a parent of young kids is diagnosed,
and then survives for a few additional years,
it can render a good parent great
re: life lessons taught to the kid.

By example.

Long version:
is epic.
A tome.
As in the-Illiad-is-really-just-a-poem kinda long.

And no pictures.

So, not sure it'll get posted,
and now I'm behind re: work,
so gotta go grad-school, drink coffee, and work late.

Anyhow, my deepest sympathies to the Jobs family
and everyone else who's suffered such a loss.

I do know this sort of thing has changed me,
so that I stare longer at beautiful, mysterious things,

and just soak them up,

because I can.

New quiz, plus last hints 4 old aerial photo quiz...

2011-10-05T09:15:00.000-07:00

This is the old quiz, and we have a few guesses:

Where is this? Name nearby town and state.

Hint # 1:

This is a photo I took moments before I took the above picture:

Hint #2:

It's not in Utah, Colorado, or the Dakotas...
And remember, I took it flying from Sacramento, CA
to Minneapolis, MN.

=) New quiz:

What is the cause of this pattern:

the land areas are different shades of brown,

connected by perfectly straight boundaries?

Mind you, the answer is something I've inferred,

but I bet it's right.

xobb

isn't a broccoli plant supposed to make broccoli?

2011-10-03T13:00:00.000-07:00

This lovely plant has not made any broccoli looking thing EVER.

I planted it way too late last fall, it was TINY all winter long (say, 3 inches??), then in spring, I'd almost forgotten about it, and it GREW, saying, in effect, "We are here! We are here!"

Okay, then.

Watered, fertilized a bit, the usual. Grew like mad.

But, no broccoli. No little sprouts anywhere.

Gorgeous blue silver leaves, yes, so aesthetically,

it's already pulling its weight.

However, shouldn't FOOD arrive at some point?

And it's now October... it's almost a year old.

This happen to anyone else, out there?

Scratching Head,

biobabbler

Seeing stars that are seldom seen

2011-10-02T09:37:00.000-07:00

via Philip Plait at Google+, and can also be watched here.

The wagging pole - Night watch from Graham Gaunt on Vimeo.

Great stuff, and I was particularly struck by the image starting at 1:49. WOW!

I'm kind of a freak for shots looking UP at land that is quite near, & just the sky behind it is visible, so you have no idea what's beyond that hill.

Sort of like driving across a flat intersection in some of the steepest hills in San Francisco, but in reverse. As you edge toward the crazy DROP of the block ahead of you, you see your car's hood ahead of you, and SF dropping precipitously all around, but you cannot actually see the road that your car is, in theory, going to land on/drive upon. Yow!!

Anyhow, apparently what's most exciting about the above video is that this part of England is seldom cloud free, so it was a special treat to see the stars traveling by in that part of the world.

Nice.

QUIZ QUIZ QUIZ

Hey, btw, down a few posts is a geology quiz (shot taken from 30k feet in the American west) that you can answer by zooming around in Google Earth. If I get no more guesses by Monday, I'll post another hint.

And remember, your reward is the GLORY of being GENIUS in a public forum. =)

Hooray, you!! =)

corn porn

2011-10-01T19:46:00.000-07:00

Yeah, baby!

=)

bb

uh, why is the porch light on?

2011-09-30T08:30:00.000-07:00

oh.

it's the planet.

=)

bb

okay, I figured out where 1 of the aerial shots I took was, so...

2011-09-29T19:03:00.000-07:00

A QUIZ!! =)

Where da HECK is dis? (dat's my ND accent, doncha no)

Looks like a salamander, to me.

Just goofed off a bit on Google Earth, and found it.

I flew from Sacramento to Minneapolis.

And that's ALL I'm gonna tell ya.

If, later, it looks like folks need a hint,

I've got one at the ready.

human health and "Battling Bad Science"-Ted talk so interesting, I forgot I was eating.

2011-09-29T09:25:00.000-07:00

Something he says early on makes me oh, so happy:

"In science we don't care how many letters you have after your name.
In science we want to know what your reasons are for believing something."

Yeah, baby!

And, if you need motivation to watch/listen to this, I learned about it from Google+ (via Joanne Manaster via Ben Lillie) where it was hailed as including the greatest epidemiological joke ever.

I went straight to the joke (11:05) and was sucked in, so started from the beginning. SO glad I did.

=)

bb

climbing the walls...

2011-09-29T08:17:00.000-07:00

"I'm ready for my close up, Mr. DeMille..."

Gorgeous!

It's amazing to me these creatures can climb glass.
Of course, there's the advantage of climbing our windows,
which are not terribly clean (obv).

But, it's still amazing.

And I LOVE that I walked to the sink
and this creature was eye level.

"Hi, there."

=)

Nature has no idea the amount of amusement it provides for me.

*sigh*

xobb

I'm lookin' over, a 4 leaf clover... BLINDING FLASH

2011-09-28T09:13:00.000-07:00

Super cutie just outside our front door, last night.

I'm guessing sub-adult from size and non-beefy-ness.

Second and final photo (didn't want to harass the guy),
as it tried to hide under the edge of our house
to dodge that tall, goofy chick with the camera....

It's a California toad, Anaxyrus boreas halophilus,
formerly known as western toad, Bufo boreas halophilus.

When I see these guys, I think "wee-toe!"
as in WETO, as in the 4 letter code you write down
on your data sheet (WEstern TOad) or in the GPS unit
to record the species observed.

If you use that 4-letter-code enough,
sometimes it replaces the name of the species in your brain.
The only was I can remember
the scientific name of Elgaria multicarinata,
is starting with ELMU, and working backwards,
thanks to years of fieldwork in San Diego. =)

Whatever works!!

Talked to Bear this a.m., 'cause yesterday,
after reading Burbon, Bastards, and Birds' post,
I decided we must go birding this weekend.

And then last night I dreamed I was sitting in
a downstairs room in our house, and saw these right outside the window.

photo by Rufous-crowned Sparrow
And, to be honest, when you see them in person,
they are WAY more impressive. STUNNERS!

About 10 of them.

And in my dream they were bigger than in real life,
with long tails, the black was jet black,
the yellow was (as in life) so intense,
and, for my viewing pleasure, they flew slowly.

YOW!

So, in my dream I didn't get a picture of those,
but I did get a shot of these which,
of course, are a normal part of fall migration
in the Sierra foothills...

photo: Roger Moore Glandauer

photo: Leonhard F from de.wikipedia.org

These are red-crowned amazons, Amazona viridigenalis.
These are close to what I saw, though mine had more red
on their bodies. Got a shot of 4-5 perched (magically)
on our window. From just lying down on the carpet.

Per Wiki:

"Their natural range is across the lowlands of northeastern Mexico. Feral birds have bred in urban communities of southern California, southern Florida, and the island of Oahu in Hawaii. Birds in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas may be either feral, descendants of natural vagrants from Mexico, or both."

Therein lies the beauty of dreams. =)

Wanna take photos of migrating flocks of Amazonian parrots
from your bedroom floor, in the Sierran foothills? No sweat.

And more proof that at least some times I dream in color.

Got any outdoor plans coming up,
for migrating birds, or anything else?
Or any rockin' full-color nature dreams?

xoxobb

Deer baaaack!

2011-09-27T09:06:00.000-07:00

Apparently lilac leaves (in cage) are tasty.

Yum!
Cute deer visit this a.m., plus a jackrabbit 3 feet from window,
which I didn't photograph (trying to encourage it to hang out).

It's nice to be home. =)

I think the cats are psyched, too, wherever they may be....

Possibly some more flight photos later,
if I deem any of them worthy,
or figure out what they're of, via Google Earth.

Which, incidentally, is totally an exercise I recommend.

1. Take photos from a plane (entertaining).

2. Arrive home safely (required).

3. Open Google Earth, and try and find large features
you've photographed from 30,000 feet, flying 480 mph.

So fun.

I freakin' love the Internet & Google Earth.

It's magic.

In the meantime, I may also undertake some spider ID work,
despite being a total amateur.

I'll keep you posted.

=)

xobb

P.S. Just figured out why I'm such a blob, today.
We traveled from 5 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. (18.5 hours) yesterday.
Oh, that....

big ol' mystery spider lady

2011-09-26T16:36:00.000-07:00

Posting pics today, but traveling mega hours,
so will try and look her up (e.g. identify her) laytah.
She's pretty darn big; that's a broom she's clinging to.
Think I posted this on Google+ a while back but,
due to busy-ness, haven't returned there, of late.

Right now, thinking a Denver airport snooze is in order...

xobb

Why I heart the window seat, II

2011-09-24T17:42:00.000-07:00

(pssst: might wanna click and zoom...)

nature geek tags along w/ golfers on a gorgeous Midwestern fall day

2011-09-23T08:23:00.000-07:00

The goal for these 2, Bear and his dad, is golf and relaxation...

on a STERLING, Midwestern fall day, 50 dF.

bb, on the other hand, brings binoculars and camera...

jogs off trail to "water hazards" to look for tracks...

squats at dandelions to visit local bees...

stares up at stained glass trees...

takes a quick picture, then leaves a nervous turtle alone...

is drawn off course, toward sunflowers,

so discovers a marshy, boggy mystery,
lurking in the background

and basically spends the afternoon on a wild goose chase,

happy as a clam.

bb

P.S. a few more from-the-plane flight shots,
and a goose ID mystery to solve, later. =)

uh, may I have a window seat, please?

2011-09-21T20:31:00.000-07:00

=)

More to come.

xobb

how to get an entire sequoia into 1 frame...

2011-09-18T07:23:00.000-07:00

If at first, you don't succeed,

tilt, tilt again.

An imperfect framing job, but it's not the 1st time

I pulled the old tilt-camera move to get

an entire giant sequoia into a frame, esp. w/o traipsing off trail.

This is the Clothespin tree in the Mariposa Grove,

at Yosemite National Park.

The Mariposa Grove and Yosemite Valley were among the 1st 2 pieces of the park set aside for preservation, and pretty much the 1st move to preserve land for what would eventually become the NPS.

This is THE MAN!

Galen Clark, posing in front of the spectacular Grizzly Giant.

Photo circa 1858-1859, by Carleton Watkins.

The Mariposa Grove inspired Galen Clark to traipse around to defend it from logging-crazed men, and he eventually helped get this land protected. How's THAT for a solid accomplishment during one's lifetime? Wow.

IF you don't know anything about Galen Clark,

I heartily encourage you to learn. Pretty amazing story.

Blurb from Wiki:
"In 1853 at the age of 39, Clark contracted a severe lung infection that was diagnosed as consumption (as tuberculosis was called in his time). Doctors gave him six months to live, as they had no antibiotic treatment at the time, but counseled rest and outdoor air.

"Clark moved to the Wawona, California area as a homesteader. 'I went to the mountains to take my chances of dying or growing better, which I thought were about even.' (Galen Clark, 1856) Upon his discovery of the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias, Galen Clark spent most of his time exploring the area and teaching others about the mysteries of the giant, cinnamon-colored trees."

He guarded Yosemite for the next 24 years.

Apparently, Yosemite cured him.

AND he planted sequoias around where he planned to be buried. When I worked at Yosemite, I was at a meeting where my boss told this story, and he got choked up, I got choked up, etc. You can visit Galen Clark's grave in the old Yosemite Cemetery. And it's ringed by giant sequoias.

Photo by Justin Johnsen

A little thing called the Clark Range, in Yosemite, is named after him, among other things.

The tree I personally find most sort of magical (pardon TOTALLY NON-SCIENTIFIC-OSITY) is the Grizzly Giant. Staring at it makes elves in an enchanted forest seem totally believable. =)

So, these are some important trees, on many levels,

the Sequoiadendron giganteum.

And you've gotta love a park signed into law

by Abraham Lincoln. TOO COOL! =)

We hiked to the museum up the trail, and for some reason, I noticed things there I'd not noticed before (like the metal strip set into the floor that's the radius of a huge sequoia), and now can tell the difference between a cedar and a sequoia by their cute little scale-y "leaves."

Traveling, soon, so may be quiet for a week or so.

Tho' am bringing camera, so at some point

should have goodies to post.

Have a great week!

xoxobb

love takes flight

2011-09-16T17:32:00.000-07:00

The male is in the upper left, mostly a blur...

He was certainly persistent,

as the female drank from the late blooming doveweed.

Whenever he'd fly over her, or even perch too near,

she'd flutter her wings, presumably to make landing difficult.

But his persistence may be rewarded...

And, REST,

two,

three,

four...

Then, once again,

love takes flight.

white rein orchid, or Sierra bog orchid

2011-09-15T07:14:00.000-07:00

Found in a fen, not a bog, incidentally, in Yosemite NP.
Asked a park ranger there a geeky question,
turns out we know each other,
and he had done a good amount of botany, etc.,
so during the course of our conversation,
he pointed this pup out to me.

Closer...

Platanthera dilatata var. leucostachys
used to be called Platanthera leucostachys.
It's on Yosemite's plant species list.

Pretty non-showy, small thing, until you get close.

According to Calflora, it is a perennial, herbaceous monocot.
Elevation range is 0 to 11,000 feet. Now, that's flexible.

Anyhow, cool plant, and such an interesting flower shape.

And I just love the word fen. =)

bb

after the storm

2011-09-14T13:15:00.000-07:00

Ran around the Mariposa Grove yesterday,
then got to Glacier Point (both in Yosemite)
just when a lightning storm arrived.
Jagged white bolts zapped down into the valley's rainy mist,
and stunned the wet, granite wall by North Dome.

FABULOUS landscape of black, white, and 10,000 shades of gray;
wind, rain, blinding flashes, and huge, rumbling thunder.

Thor was having a good time. =)

Didn't have camera out much, as you might guess,
but did snap these when we briefly stopped outside of the park.

One of the most spectacular sunsets I've seen in my life,
thanks to that storm.

It's JUST getting started in the shots above.

Next, once I figure out what it is,
I'll post a shot of an orchid we met
along a fen in the Mariposa Grove.

xo

bb

Super colorful mystery resident of sunflower face

2011-09-12T10:22:00.000-07:00

Here s/he is...

Close up

Per Sue, this is a red-shouldered stink bug, presumably Thyanta pallidovirens. Wow, Sue's quick, fired out that answer within minutes of posting.

LOVE my smarty blog readers!! =)

Sun comets, streaking through space.

There's such motion and fire in their form.

Heaven.

Today, planning to yank "failure to thrive" tomato plants
and plant peas and broccoli.
I hate pulling live plants,
not even sure if I've done it yet,
but frankly,
they've looked so poorly all summer,
it'll be a relief.

And then, brand fresh baby plants! =)

I do love a good cotyledon...

xobb

SO satisfying: "troll control and smurf suppression"

2011-09-11T12:19:00.000-07:00

To all my professional killer friends, acquaintances, and peers,

those among you who've been paid $$$
by unnamed organizations
to OFF certain species
(in this case non-native plants),

to "ice" living things,
to make them disappear,

to you I dedicate this post,
and sincerely hope you enjoy this video.

AND for those of you who, like me, have endured
a life time of troll-induced heebie-jeebies,
I hope you enjoyed it, as well.

With heart-felt thanks to its creator (Johnny Fedora?)
and the person who brought this to my attention, Bug Girl.

=)

bb

Short attention span rewrite: sunflower eye candy, quiz, & OUT

2011-09-08T11:26:00.000-07:00

I decided that the rousing lack of response to
yesterday's post is 'cause it's too long.

I hear ya. I'm queen of "ech, I can't read all that!"

So, TAKE II

supermane sunflowers in full glory

Photos are big, so click and zoom is good...

new quiz

What is "malacothamnus"? (w/o looking it up)

It repeated incessantly in my brain yesterday morning,
and now that I looked it up, I get why.

I-have-no-idea guesses are appreciated,
as well as studly-spot-on-I-totally-know-this answers.

I'm out!

P.S. FYI I have posted accurate, as well as the creative, answers, so you might want to have your answer ready, before you type it into comments. =)

New quiz, old quiz, poisons, sunflower explosion, & chemical mystery

2011-09-06T11:36:00.000-07:00

1. NEW QUIZ

This morning's relentless mantra:
Malacothamnus, malacothamnus, malacothamnus, malacothamnus...

Apparently, drinking coffee in a relaxed fashion, listening to birdies cheerfully greet the sun, is not enough. I must have a look-this-up-or-I-will-annoy-you-to-death vocabulary alarm in my brain.

So, that's the new quiz: what is malacothamnus (without looking it up)?

Per usual, creative I-have-no-idea guesses are appreciated, as well as studly-spot-on-I-totally-know-this answers. =)

I looked it up, and now I understand why my brain sent me this, given what I saw yesterday...

2. OLD QUIZ

Courtesy of Merriam-Webster

toxophilite: a person fond of or expert at archery

— toxophilite adjective
— tox·oph·i·ly noun

Origin of TOXOPHILITE
Greek toxon bow, arrow + philos dear, loving
First Known Use: 1794

Hence:

The file name for this shot is in German, but includes "Tibetexpedition_Volksfest_Bogunschu" So, I'm thinking it's a folk festival including (or all about??) Tibetan folks, and it's an archery (Bogunschu) competition or demonstration.

In other words, that place was likely rich in toxophilites, in both senses of the word. =)

There are lots of things I love about this photograph, but one is comparing where he is looking vs. where his arrow is pointed; he is accounting for gravity. So cool.

Maybe during my new archery adventures, I'll start to get a feel for that sort of adjustment.

And I want one of those things for my thumb--I'm guessing it helps hold the string until you are ready to let loose.

I discovered this word because I actually wondered if there were some cool archery-specific terms. It just seemed like there had to be. And, apparently, there are. =)

VOCABULARY QUIZ WINNERS -- WOO HOO!

Correct Answers

The answer that made me, biology-chick, swoon (and laugh), was from Snail:
"Something to do with archery? Amirite? I'm trotting this out because the archerfish here are in the genus Toxotes and that's close enough for me. (The common mangrove species is Toxotes jaculatrix. I have no opinion about that name.)"

And from CP: delightfully, pointedly vague =) :
"Does it have something to do with a person who launches pointy things with a bent stick and some string (more or less)?"

Delightful Guesses

Mainly mongoose: "This one's new to me. My guess: a toxophilite is a person who's irresistably drawn to things that are harmful (e.g. snake enthusiasts)."

Jodi: "Someone who willingly imbibes poisons, but really, only a little at a time. 'I'll have an Amanita Lite, please-- I'm on a diet.' "

=) See why I LOVE my blog readers? =)

And I agree, toxophilite sounds like someone who dearly loves poisons.

Speaking of...

3. POISONS

The new book I'm currently reading
made our friends nervous when they saw I was reading it,
'cause they love my husband.

The Poisoner's Handbook by Deborah Blum.

It's not what you think. =)

The subtitle explains it: Murder and the
Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York.

Photo from Amazon.com.

btw, I bought it, so this is not a paid-by-freebie-book review.

In fact, it's not a review at all.

It's a super interesting mix of evil doers, chemical and biological/medical invention to try and foil them, and the interplay of historical happenstance.

And there are practical, take-home lessons, like "Never, ever drink wood alcohol."

4. SUNFLOWER EXPLOSION

5. CHEMICAL MYSTERY

I steamed a batch of just-picked green beans last night.
Left the lid on the pot overnight.
And this is what I found this morning.

Why is it this amazing shade of orange??

If you know, feel free to share.
I bet my mom (chemist) knows...

xoxobb

P.S. Posted the genius "guesses" to toxophilite... AWESOME people!

2011-09-05T10:41:00.000-07:00

Check 'em out in the comments of that post.
Answer post soon...
but the participants are ALL over it. =)

Oh, and here's the HEAVENLY photo I found
on Wiki to accompany the impending answer.

*sigh*

bb

still-spotted fawn ambles by...

2011-09-05T09:58:00.000-07:00

The lure of the late summer garden in a dry climate...

Clearly a finishing school graduate.

teeter, teeter, teeter...

xobb

Vocab quiz: toxophilite

2011-09-01T16:08:00.000-07:00

Without looking it up, what does this mean?

If you know, please share your lovely neuronal paths with us.

If you don't know, you have the enviable opportunity to totally guess what it is, based on whatever-you-like.

=)

Like before Christmas day, all these exciting packages with hidden, unknown goodies.

What could it be?!?

And please guess soon. =)

I am SO in love with the photo that I'll post with the answer, I will not be able to wait long.

HINT: I am a toxophilite in one sense of the word, but would love to work toward becoming a toxophilite in the other sense. Kinda doubt I'll get there, but it'd be fun to try.

xobb

P.S. Learned this word today, hoping that there'd be some new word for me to learn re: this subject. And, oh-so-happily, there is. I LOVE the English language.

Winner of the Great Bean Pile Guessing Game,

2011-09-01T12:11:00.000-07:00

which is staged here,

is Laura K, of the lovely blog, Forest Walk Art!!

She guessed that this bean pile weighed in at 5.5 lbs.

It weighed 4.75 lbs, in fact.

May I just say that, upon re-examining her blog, she's not only got great shots of nature, but a whole page dedicated to MISSPELLED SIGNS?!? Oh, my. The word nerd in me is all atwitter.

So, thank you to ALL who participated, the charming, the brave, and the 100% female guessers:

Laura K (of course), Lynda (living the adventurous life in S. African wilds), and Sue (who, poor thing, is garden-veggie poor this year, though she is garden-deer rich).

xoxoxo

Heaven: amazing footage of Galapagos, on the rocks & in the sea

2011-09-01T07:42:00.000-07:00

Galapagos 2010 from Darek Sepiolo on Vimeo.

If you don't have 6 minutes, take it a minute or 2 at a time.

60 second therapy doses: so soothing...

Even just the shot of schooling fish,

after the first bit of shark footage,

is unlike any I've seen.

SO LOVELY.

And, may I just say, that unlike SO many films of nature, this one represents what is going on out there most of the time? Stuff (wildlife) hanging out, sunning, swimming, grazing. If THIS is what people saw on TV, I don't think they'd be so afraid of nature and wildlife.

If all you know of nature and wildlife you learn from TV, vs. actual time out there, you'd think it's all charging bulls, giant snakes striking at you, lions ripping at entrails, etc.

While of course, those things do happen, it's a TINY percentage of the time. Most the time, animals are just like us (animals, too). Doing their version of hanging out, commuting, chatting with friends, snacking, snoozing, grooming, cleaning, etc.

Life is not a cage match.

Just sayin'... =)

the sunflower also rises; 4 photo essay

2011-08-31T11:20:00.000-07:00

xoxo

(please pardon apparently FILTHY lens--eep!)

furry study buddy (warning to arachniphobes...) & garden alert

2011-08-31T06:54:00.000-07:00

Study buddy

This was on the window screen yesterday, nearest where I sit and edit.

Nice pedipalps, baby! Kinda furry, eh?

Nice to have company while I'm working.
And an excuse to get off my fanny and grab the camera.
I'll try to figure out who she is when I have more time,
ooh, and then I can add (presumed) her to my species pages...

Garden alert for No. Hemisphere folks

Dood, it's the last day of August!

I've not even BEGUN my August plantings. (eep!)
You know, peas, lettuce, and whatever else
grows happily when it's cool vs. 100 dF.

What do you typically plant in late summer, early fall?

And when are you expecting/planning the harvest?
Fall, winter, spring... ?

I'm still learning, so am interested to hear what you do.

Typically, I'm so hip-deep in the high tide of August harvesting,
I can't even think about planting. However, this year
I am determined to get more year-round from our dirt.

Gotta get to it!

=)

xobb

wheee! great Motor Fire footage of lotsa helis, + planes & flames

2011-08-29T19:34:00.000-07:00

As @YosemiteSteve said, great fire helicopter porn. =)

This guy, Tim Walton, is the bomb! =) Sweet stuff.

There are some moments where you see THREE helicopters in the air at once. And several times he's showing you flames up on the slopes and one of the darn helis gets in the way. =)

Apparently Highway 140 will be open tomorrow at 6 a.m. (per Yosemite Wildland Fire facebook posting), and evacuees can return at 9 p.m. tonight. Sounds like things are wrapping up.

Nice WORK everyone!

bb

Heli-bellies, Motor Fire flame, & ADD--yes, there is a connection =)

2011-08-29T12:25:00.000-07:00

Biobabbler's man-on-the-scene snapped these shots of the Motor Fire Saturday, some of which were taken from outside his office. Fire was ripping. All this pics are pretty big, so click 'n' zoom = good.

1st. Heli-bellies

These are Sikorsky S-64 Skycranes,

REALLY really big helicopters;

they can hold 3,000 gallons (US) of water,

and carry up to 20,000 lbs of stuff.

INSANE.

Bear mentioned, as we watched a video of a heli

flying into a giant smoke cloud,

that it takes some serious courage to fly into that.

Can't image it's pleasant, and I'd think all that heat

makes for some REALLY wonky air currents.

Yikes. Plus, you know, can't see?!?

Scary.

And a fire is not the kinda place you wanna crash land.

If you click on this you can read its number...

Seriously brave, hyper-skilled folks.

Props to the fire folks! Woo-hoo!

2nd. Flame-age

Predicted high this weekend was 110 dF.

Oh, my.

Can you IMAGINE fighting fire in 110 wearing

undies, Nomex, and big ol' fire boots?!? Yikes

I like how you can see the burned over area through the smoke.

And I like orange: fire pretty... =)

Anyone gotta smoke? Note torching tree/shrub down low.

And staff...

3rd. Why I write about fire

to me, it's super interesting
fire is terrifically important in ecosystems (so is relevant to bio-babble)
people need to learn that fire is not "bad." Natural, lightning-ignited wildland fire (not sure that's the official terminology) is a normal part of nature, and super important for preventing catastrophic conflagrations, and helping native plants and animals do their thing (like, you know, persist)
the fire, the planes, helicopters, trucks, etc., are just FUN =)

And, a bonus, one-time-only benefit
when Mariposa was kinda burning up a few years ago,
was that there were SO MANY FIRE GUYS in town.

At some point the ratio of fire fighter to resident was over 1:1.
A veritable testosterone tornado,
sporting navy blue FIRE t-shirts.

Sweet!

Yes, I try to find the silver lining...

"She's so brave!" =)

4. Fire update.

All sources for fire info are NOT the same.
A solid source of info on the fire IMHO is Inciweb.

Right now it says,

"Crews made good progress on the fire throughout the night. The fire was most active on the east side. There were a couple of hot spots on the west side of the fire, other areas showed little activity. There was no movement on the north side of the fire. Air support continues to help support the crews as needed."

Well, that matches with my interpretation of the change in air traffic. 2 days ago we had at least 24 passes of slurry bombers overhead. Today very few, and they've shifted east. So I figure the most active part of the fire's shifted east and/or there's less air traffic overall (so it's calmed down a bit).

Re: Evacuations

"Mandatory evacuations: Rancheria, Cedar Lodge, Incline, El Portal Trailer Village and local Merced River Canyon Campgrounds. Mandatory Road Closures: Highway 140, from the Foresta Bridge west is closed, Incline Road, and Forest Rd 1S12. There is no estimation as to when the will re-open. Old El Portal is advised to prepare for evacuations, this is a pre-evacuation."

5. ADD and crisis management

My mom just watched a documentary on ADD,
and apparently it said that people with ADD are good in a crisis.

This is because they can switch into hyper-focus mode,
not a mental state as available to everyone, apparently?
They just kick butt and take names (not my mom's words).

Yeah, baby! =)

I have noticed in the few "crises" I've been in as an adult,
that I see some people around me freaking out,
and I just don't get it. Honestly.

The following, to me, is a no-brainer what-to-do list:

Stop everything you're doing and be quiet. Be still. Listen (frequently in the NPS this means to your hand held radio). Figure out what's going on.
Formulate a plan. Determine what's absolutely required for you to survive, and do that right now. And only that. In priority order, until you're done. No person or thing, no matter how manic-arm-flailing-freaked-out they are, is allowed to divert you from your immediate tasks. No exceptions.
Once that is done, you may now be in the way. If you know you are not needed, leave. Until you know whether or not you are required to help, be quiet. Be still. Listen.
If you are required to stay, and you got all the how-to-not-die stuff done for yourself, check in on other people. Make sure their how-not-to-die list is done. Then reassure them, get them snacks, drinks, etc., think up mindless tasks for them to do to keep them busy, calm, quiet, and out of the way. Cleaning is good, until you can think of something more useful.

In a work context where radios are involved, there's one more: Stay off the radio unless you are a required participant. In the example I have in mind, someone who should not have even been on the radio at all, was filling the radio traffic with squeaky panic. I rolled my eyes and shook my head, mentally shouting "GET OFF THE RADIO!"

Way beyond annoying. Potentially dangerous, and the Chief Ranger stomped on it immediately.

In a voice we'd never heard him use before, he said "UNLESS YOU ARE LAW ENFORCEMENT OR DISPATCH, STAY OFF THE RADIO."

AWEsome. =) That Chief Ranger was the man in a crisis. =)

To me, this is all a no-brainer.

And, it's a good example of why I don't view ADD as a "disorder."
I think it's niche separation*.
Different people are wired differently, and are good at different things.

I expect people who work on fires, or similar fields,
and are good at it, share some of this wiring
to a larger degree than a random sample of folks.

I know one guy who was an EMT and he's super ADD.
Very smart, but man, a hyper brain. Very restless.
But he was great at his job. And he loved it.

These folks are very good at logistics-of-the-moment,
can adjust the plan rapidly to changing conditions,
have an affinity for adrenaline/excitement,
have high physical energy, esp. when in a stimulating environment,
and fast-firing brains.

Plan A not working?
They're ready with Plan B, Plan C, Plan D, in priority order, instantly.
No sweat.

Totally adaptive.

But, for sitting 8 hours in an office, not so much.

Just a theory. =)

Like I said, I think it's all niche separation.

Everybody's good at something.

xobb

*in this instance, I'm talking about intra-specific niche separation. It diffuses competition.

Very nice footage of Motor Fire...

2011-08-27T16:09:00.000-07:00

Interesting stuff...

bb

Fire fire fire, & biobabbler hears a Who

2011-08-27T09:43:00.000-07:00

Bear is working today because of this:

Photograph of the Motor Fire from Yosemite Wildland Fire group, on Facebook.

And this a.m. it is 91 dF at 938 a.m. at our house,
and we are higher in elevation than El Portal (site of the fire),
so it'll be hotter there.

Wishing a safe day for everyone involved in this fire.

A television report called this the Yosemite Fire.

Let's be clear:

It's a US Forest Service fire, it does not (at least as of early this a.m.) involve even an acre of National Park Service land. The NPS being, of course, the landowner and manager of Yosemite National Park.

=)

Which, is why Bear posted on Facebook today the above boo-boo by the press as the reason why the USFS is not a huge fan of Yosemite.

If I were a USFS person, particularly those involved in dealing with this fire, Stanislaus NF (north of Merced River) or Sierra NF (south of the Merced) folks, I'd feel like one of the Whos in Whoville:

We are here! We are here!

Here's the YouTube version of Horton Hears a Who: zoom to 8:00 if you want to see the pivotal moment.

ANYhow, point is the US Forest Service is the main land owner right now, not the NPS, despite what one might interpret from the press.

And I JUST took this picture out my back door:

It's big, so you can click and zoom.
Bear says it's a slurry bomber.

It's a busy weekend, here.
Here's a pretty official source of info on the fire, if you are interested.

Speaking of, I have to go make the chicken wading pools,

and clean out their water towers, refill,

and include ice cubes 'cause it's already over 90 degrees.

Hope you all are well, and stay comfortable, safe, and dry.

xoxobb

P.S. As of 4:17 p.m. we're up to about 19 slurry bomber passes overhead.

Phriday photo quiz, what do I weigh? + Garden panic

2011-08-26T11:00:00.000-07:00

Me being the beans pictured below, harvested this a.m.

They're sitting on a large platter (well, larger than our normal plates),

and there's a quarter visible for scale.

Poor camera: bright sunshine on plastic

and BLACK ninja-kitty in same frame.

Didn't harvest for 2 or 3 days.

oops.

So, what does this pile of beans weigh?

Closest guess by 8 a.m. Monday wins.

And none of this "closest without being over"

silliness--that's such an arbitrary cut off.

Statistically, it makes no sense to me,

and as a former stats nerd, I'm not gonna stand for it.

The prize, as usual, is GLORY.

And, if you have a blog, we'll link to it

so my 3+ blog readers will FLOOD your site

with traffic and you'll become rich.

(Maybe.)

Garden Panic

It's finally hit that time of year

where the yield is starting to freak me out.

(peppers from SF farmer's market)

The pepper plants have all swooned from the burden of bounty,

languishing on the ground for want of extra support

(or a better caretaker).

I'm now afraid of the tomatoes.

(also from SF f.m.)

Don't even want to check them.

Just walk by, averting my gaze,

trying to concentrate on other things.

The gardening equivalent of plugging your ears and humming

to not hear what you don't want to hear.

Traaa la la, la la.

So, Bear is dealing with the park fire,

and his wife is intimidated by tomatoes.

Go figure.

xobb

WHAT IS THIS?!? MUST post this freaky thing NOW.

2011-08-24T10:42:00.000-07:00

So, THIS was on my sunflower plant.

!!!

What is it?!?!

It's SOO cool!

It's wee, less than 1 cm.

Check out the amazing clear wings,

and cute, chubby body.

A serious little expression on his/her face.

I think I'm in love.

*sigh*

My day is MADE.

Everything else is gravy.

So cute!

Seriously, though, anyone know what this is, I'm all ears.

Ooh, and if we get an answer, I can file it in the species pages!!

sweet

Heavens, nature is an endless source of delight.

xoxooxbb

if I eat all of this, I may become a human bean... and tiny earthquake note

2011-08-23T12:08:00.000-07:00

Today's harvest

Here you mostly see tomatoes,

but there are so many green beans 'neath,

my arm was getting tired from cradling it all.

Harvest plated. Note green bean spillover.

Reminds me of my favorite book,

Angle of Repose, by Wallace Stegner.

Above, we see the angle of repose for pole beans.

Also, a FEW cherry peppers are on the left, 1st pick.

And one cherry tomato got smushed a bit on my shirt.

Had to eat that one right away.

I am no slacker when it comes to cherry tomato clean up.

Record keeping

So, do you weigh your harvest?

I have, but I'm super not consistent,

and the only place I record it is here.

How much of your gardening do you track?

How do you think you've benefitted from it?

Is there anything useful you would not have learned had you not?

Please share in the comments.

I mostly just track what I planted so I rotate my crops properly.

Earthquake

And, for those of you on the east coast,

who experienced the 5.9 earthquake today,

I hope you and yours are well.

Personally, I think earthquakes would be MUCH more fun

if you could know ahead of time all will be well,

so just have fun with it.

I do remember when I was 14, running outside during an earthquake

so I could feel our sidewalk move.

Thought it'd be cool.

It was.

xoxobb

mountain meadow Mumday, Yosemite-style

2011-08-22T12:54:00.000-07:00

xobb

4 mountain lions strolling through my cousin's neighborhood...

2011-08-22T07:53:00.000-07:00

And I like the musical switch up at the end. =)

Beautiful creatures. Guessing it's a family...

Plus, it's nice to see snow this time of year
for us Nothern-Hemisphere-ers (pant, pant, pant).

xo
bb

Ch-ch-ch-changes: If you've not noticed...

2011-08-20T17:43:00.000-07:00

I've added pages to this blog, wherein I will house the species I have identified (frequently with your help), so I can work on cumulative learning vs.

"ooh, cool!"

(one one-thousand, two one-thousand)

... annnd delete-from-brain.

mantid on our house 2 days ago; it's amazing how they can defy gravity so well.

Also, then I'm not embarrassed by asking, say, skepticalmoth

to identify a moth species he's already kindly identified for me. =)

Different day = different moth, right?

Uh, no.

(this fairy moth isn't the one, tho' he did identify this one for me, too)

Check out upper right hand corner of the white space under "Pages" (such a clever name!): home, plants, hymenoptera, and "what's what" which explains them.

Hope your weekend is moving along nicely. I am finding that I cannot stop picking beans.

It's VERY relaxing.

Very zen.

*sigh*

Much like doing owl limpet plots, believe it or not.

xoxobb

Phriday photo quiz: my neighbor is apparently a skilled gardener...

2011-08-19T07:22:00.000-07:00

I am kitty sitting for them, and also get to glean goodies from their garden.

Check these pups out--got them for the chickens. Note the coffee maker is a NORMAL SIZED coffee maker, 13 inches tall.

What DOES she do over there?!?

=)

QUIZ: What ARE these giant things?

And DON'T look at the comments until you have your guess ready. The answer is already there, but I HAD to post the comments/guesses 'cause 1 was such a riot. Proving again, my blog visitors are brighter and funnier than I. =)

bb

1st bean harvest (!), sleepy bees, and snuggly cats

2011-08-18T09:02:00.000-07:00

First bean harvest of the year. Yay!!

The bean teepee has turned into a bean jungle.

I've got beans in 2 other places, too.

Sleepy Bombus (yellow-faced bee, B. vosnesenskii, per my

previous bee ID adventure) warming in the sun

on pole bean leaves.
(This one's pretty sharp, so good for zooming...)

Another sleepy bee clinging to bean leaf, nicely hidden.

This one started grooming by the time I left,

apparently warming up. =)

My sophisticated bean basket.

Typically, I cradle the harvest in whatever shirt I'm wearing.

I was making fun of myself for doing this,
and my friend, who's an organic farmer,
said she does the same thing. Hooray! A professional.

Beans are sticky!

Bowl o' beans = new smell for kitty.

Typically the kitties like to use them as chew toys.

The above cat selected one to his liking,

and being aware of this proclivity, I supplied our black,

napping kitty with his own, too,
laying it next to him on the cushion.

However, it's since been obscured by something stripey...

Maybe the beans taste better warmed.

chicken snax -- pretty food!

2011-08-16T08:04:00.000-07:00

Plain, organic yogurt, cherry tomatoes, and plain, raw sunflower seeds.

mmmm.....

Happy hens!

(tap tap tap tap tap)*

*in case you don't know, that is the sound of chickens eating yogurt and sunflower seeds from a plate.

breakfast for a few bucks

2011-08-15T19:19:00.000-07:00

This morning's breakfast companions.

Three, all mit fuzzy antlers. Bear later said, "Oh, there's four!"

A recent evening, minutes after lights out,
I heard the WEIRDEST noises.
Clearly an animal, but I couldn't imagine what.

CRUNCH CRUNCH CRUNCH CRUNCH CRUNCH!

I insisted Bear accompany me downstairs to look,
and voila, the bachelors three,
munching leaves under this tree.
I'd trimmed said tree several days before,
and lazy bones that I am, left the branches there,
and the leaves dried out--it's hot and dry here.

So, every time one of the 12 hooves landed,
CRUNCH!
For every bite taken,
CRUNCH!

("ooh, do I smell French toast?")

Nice rack, eh?
Note chicken exiting stage left...

It was early, so shots are fuzzy (it was kinda dark).

Yet another stressful morning in the sticks...

*sigh*
=)

biobabbler

anudder bug to ID -- fanTAStic antennae

2011-08-14T12:02:00.000-07:00

Photos are big....

Wow.

TOTALLY made my night.

Bug belly.

=)

About an inch and a half long,
based on memory, and no ruler.
Was clinging to window screen last night,
presumably attracted to the light?

Went to bed soon thereafter, and shut all lights off,
so it could go its merry way.

bb

P.S. Looking at Bugguide.net, I'm thinking that the genus Selonodon looks best, though I really don't know, and on some of the species pages therein they talk about how these beetles are very hard to identify. Apparently there is a LOT of variation. If anyone knows better, or just has another idea, I'd love to hear it. =) Comment away!

medulla oblongata -- animated!!!

2011-08-13T18:54:00.000-07:00

Okay, how much do I love the internet?? This is FREE.

The red area is the medulla oblongata.

Images are generated by Life Science Databases(LSDB).

[CC-BY-SA-2.1-jp (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.1/jp/deed.en)],

via Wikimedia Commons

Per the Wiki:
"The medulla oblongata is the lower half of the brainstem.

The medulla contains the cardiac, respiratory, vomiting and vasomotor centers and deals with autonomic, involuntary functions, such as breathing, heart rate and blood pressure."

"The medulla transmits signals between the spinal cord and the higher parts of the brain" (Encyclopedia Brittanica)

So, the next time you are, shall we say,
"rejecting" your last meal,
you feel like a helpless, base,
sweaty mammal-creature,

it's because you are.

The medulla oblongata made you do it.

You are one in a long line of helpless vertebrates
trying not to die
from some horrible thing you ate
in the simplest, most direct of ways.

get
it
out

The m.o. is involved in basic physical sensations,
movement, complex issues like
"am I still standing upright?"
"...breathing?"
"...heart beating?"

Doesn't get a lot more basic than that.

In other words,
as my husband says upon occasion,
imitating a cave man,

urh!

This is actually above the level of discourse possible
with an m.o. Well above.

So, perhaps you could think of your time
in the involuntary throws of chemical rejection
as bonding with your ancestors
from tens of thousands of years ago.

Probably a lot longer than that.

And be grateful that today we better understand what can make us sick (say, for example, a mass produced fast food burger made from 1400 different cows?) than our caveman ancestors could (tho' they had precious little access to mass-produced food), so are better equipped to avoid such things.

Whether we do it, or not. =)

In celebration, I think I'm gonna to eat some yogurt
with fresh fruit and toasted walnuts.
And another 10,000 cherries.

Photo by Peggy Greb for the United States Department of Agriculture

Agricultural Research Service

mmm...

Summer fruit good.

urh!

xoxo

biobabbler

P.S. DING DING DING DING!!! Congratulations to Laura K and Emma for smarty pants answers to this vocabulary quiz, and to Cindy for cracking me up (I bet she knew, too, just was overcome by her desire to amuse, thank heaven =) ). I highly recommend visiting the vocab quiz comments to see their answers. =)

adult katydid in the garden, lovely green, with red eyes

2011-08-13T15:02:00.000-07:00

These are all large photos, so clicking on them will be rewarded.

Based on my reading, this is a female.

It moved gingerly, once I made it nervous,

moving slowly forward on the cosmos flower.

I left, so it could continue doing whatever it needed to do.

I remember thinking "Hm, I thought they'd be faster."

Only when I looked at the photos on the computer

did I realize it was missing 2 of 6 legs.

One of the missing legs was its giant jumping rear leg. Yikes!

I'd say if you're missing 1/3 of your walking appendages,

being ambulatory at all is an accomplishment.

Will try and figure out its genus (or whatever I can) soon.

Anyhow, three (apparent) katydids in a week.

Cool!

biobabbler

so... is this a katydid?

2011-08-12T15:43:00.000-07:00

These are all pretty big pictures, so feel free to click for a closer look.

They are cropped, so clarity isn't spectacular,

but you run with the horses you've got.

Or, so I hear. =)

"I don't want my picture taken..."

Seems the resting pose is antennae together...

Eventually I paid it enough attention, it separated its antennae,

lifting one up for a whiff of the goingson.

Until then, I couldn't be certain that there were 2 appendages.

Playing around in bugguide.net, it looks a bit like other creatures in the Scudderia genus, home to Scudder's bush katydids, specifically, the nymphs. They are a subset of the subfamily Phaneropterinae, false katydids.

Not sure what they did to be called false...

Of course, this being a pretty darn dry place, with lots of bleached blonde grass, this creature is suitably colored to blend in, versus many of the green creatures pictured in bugguide.

However, the Scudderia section does say:

"We made a no taxon page for the young katydid nymphs with the striped antennae which are all apparently in the genus Scudderia but not identifiable to species. It is quite likely that nymphs of Inscudderia are also included among these."

Considering my little creatures (2 different individuals, cozied up to my door frame) do not have obviously striped antennae, I still may have a ways to go to get an ID.

I really am not an entomologist, so if anyone has any thoughts re: confirming or correcting my guess, please feel free.

I wanna learn.

Thanks!

biobabbler

P.S. Killer Moth Update

Another day, another sighting of the moth which parasitizes paper wasps. It's resting on our window screen, in the shade, south wall, about 10 feet from the nearest wasp nest. =)

Funny how you can learn something in biology, and what initially had looked like a dull, peaceful scene, a moth just hanging out, turns out to be a scene filled with intrigue and the possibility of a gruesome death, worthy of the most dramatic Hitchcock music.

Mwa ha ha ha ha....

random bio vocab quiz

2011-08-11T04:37:00.000-07:00

The above photo is apropos of nothing (it's big, so feel free to click). I just like it. =)
Well, and it's kindof how I feel right now, having woken up at 3 a.m.
WIDE awake and a little off.... =)

This phrase has been in my head (though thankfully, lightly) for several days.
Time to make it a quiz, then define and explore it.

medulla oblongata

Please submit your without-looking-it-up guesses, including fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants wild proposals, via comments, and they will be posted. The most accurate submittals will a) be lauded, b) be posted LATER, so folks can have a chance to be as slick as thou.

'der ya go. datsit.

bb

one fish, two fish, red fish...

2011-08-10T12:32:00.000-07:00

bb

*Dr. Seuss reference, of course. =)

if you've not seen this, you've never seen anything like this

2011-08-10T10:16:00.000-07:00

For a color-freak biologist, this is heaven; so amazing.

Ants with transparent abdomens drinking BRIGHTLY colored sugar water.

wow.

And the last shot makes me want to kiss that ant. Well, almost; she's a little hairy. =)

So sweet.

xobb

Mumday translated: busy summer ladies & species ID adventures...

2011-08-09T12:20:00.000-07:00

Ladies, 1-4

Ladies, part 1

So, yesterday morning I walked around the house, 1st to take photos of

the wasps I saw from inside the house.

These are, according to my Buguide.net research,

European paper wasps, Polistes dominula.

I looked them up, and I believe these are all females,
based on the antennae.

They let me approach (as they were immobile),

and I didn't get nervous (as they remained immobile). =)

Yay, 60 dF.

Unfortunately, these beautiful creatures are non-native.

Poo.

Bugguide says "First reported in North America by G.C. Eickwort in 1978 near Boston, Massachusetts. There are reports of it replacing native species of wasps in some areas (Bob Hammon, Colorado State U.)"

Rats. I'll have to cogitate on that.

Do I do something about it on our property, or no?

However, yesterday I took this photo of what I now know

is a Crambidae moth, Chalcoela iphitalis.

Chalcoela iphitalis on my window

According to skepticalmoth, the smarty who told me what these moths are in this post (there's shots of a pair of these guys in that post), their larvae are parasites of paper wasps, Polistes species.

Here is where the moth was, extreme upper left,
and see that blob in the extreme lower right hand
corner of the shot, under the eave?

If you click on this, you can zoom in and see
the (focused) European paper wasp (Polistes dominica) nest.

So, in the same photographic frame,

a species of moth that parasitizes paper wasps,

and the very wasps they parasitize.

I think I smell intrigue...

Ladies, part 2

Then I cruised to the garden, and snapped a few shots of bumblebees.
Herein, I bumble my way toward a tentative species ID.

Nice side shot. What a handsome creature.

This shot shows the black tummy, important, apparently...

I used this page, "North American Bumblebees" (bumblebee.org) to try and figure it out. I really found that guide useful for a non-expert like me.

However, if you use it, you might want to double check against bugguide.net, for example, 'cause the pictures don't always match, as I learned.

I also used this photo (decent dorsal shot) to compare against bumblebee.org:

So, here's my guess (drumroll...)

Bombus vosnesenskii, the yellow-faced bumble bee. Their distribution includes British Columbia, south to California, Nevada, and Mexico. The bugguide.net page for this species matches pretty well.

The drawing on bumblebee.org for B. vandykei, Vandyke's bumble bee, also looks like my photos, but the species photos on bugguide.net are WAY too yellow.

And then I found this is from San Francisco State University, San Francisco Bombus: a good overview of 3 types that this bee might be.

"BEES WITH A LARGE BLACK PATCH IN THE MIDDLE
B. vosnesenskii, B. caliginosus and B. californicus all have yellow hairs at the front and back of their bodies and a large black patch in the center. B. vosnesenskii is the most common and has short hairs that looked cropped and yellow hairs on the face. B. californicus is the only one of the three with black hairs on the face. B. caliginosus is shaggier than B. vosnesenskii and has yellowhairs on the underside of the abdomen where B. vosnesenskii has only black hairs on the underside of the abdomen."

This all points toward B. vosnesenskii.

That's my guess, and I'm stickin' to it. =)

Ladies, part 3

Finally, the shots of TINY tiny eggs on our house.

These two shots are on the screen of our window,

so that large grid is actually quite fine.

Therefore, the eggs are VERY small.

Now I will retake one with a dime next to it, for scale:

So, now you can see why the shots are fuzzy. =)

Tiny things, cropped and blown up.

To be honest, I really have no idea what these are.

Except, I assume, eggs.
From, you know, females. =)

Ladies, part 4

Also, I found these things:

There's lots of these itty, bitty red things on our south wall,

with fewer on the west wall. About 1.3 mm long.

Super zoom:

I'm also assuming these are eggs laid by something (another lady).

They COULD, however,
be nymphs in some stage of metamorphosis.
The groups are denser lower to the ground.

I am happy to hear your ideas on what these may be.

And thus we end the tour of very local, busy ladies, gettin' it done.

=)

bb

Mumday tour around de house ... ladies, ladies, ladies!

2011-08-08T09:52:00.000-07:00

mystery moth PAIR =)

2011-08-04T08:29:00.000-07:00

All of these are pretty big pics, so click & zoom can be enlightening...

Moth tummies as seen from my computer room.
These guys are only about 1 cm long, front to back.
Cute little pair!

Mysterious third moth reflection...

zooming...

From a different angle, it looked much lighter,
and here you can see the lovely way the back
of the wings forms an arch. heaven.

This was the most artistic of the shots, IMHO.

So, anyone know what species these are?
I think it's two females, is that right?
Do we know if female moths hanging out is common??

VERY much looking forward to your input.

=)

xoxo

bb

tap tap tap tap tap

(the sound of bb's toe tapping, waiting anxiously for your answers!!!)

pining

2011-08-03T07:39:00.000-07:00

turmoil

2011-08-02T09:55:00.000-07:00

last day of July

2011-07-31T20:40:00.000-07:00

good bye, July

magic corn and summer storms

2011-07-31T13:47:00.000-07:00

1. This is the corn before I watered it today.

It hadn't rained in MONTHS.

I hadn't watered it in days.

No other plants had water on them.

It was humid this morning.

Is this corn magic?

2. Summer skies, today.

Heavy, sluggish air.

Under increasing clouds,
I spin white string
to marry the beans to the sky.

"the cooking ape"

2011-07-28T09:45:00.000-07:00

I actually laughed and clapped at the end, despite being alone in my house. So delightful.

Harvard Thinks Big 2010 - Richard Wrangham - 'Catching Fire: How Cooking Made Us Human' from HTB2 on Vimeo.

This dude rocks.

If you don't know, my most serious academic and intellectual dalliance was in evolution and human behavior (before I went all conservation-biology-NPS-save-the-planet-y), so I am familiar with Richard Wrangham and love, love, LOVE thinking about this sort of stuff.

*happysigh*

In fact, my first night out of California was spent attending a meeting of the Human Behavior and Evolution Society (HBES) when I was 20 years old.

Thanks SO much to Carl Zimmer for cluing me in to his super-interesting article in Discover Magazine. It's a full-on 5-star article on the bb-scale, A Body Fit for a Freaky-Big Brain.

FYI, to get 5 stars from bb, you gotta

write something I see as of now or later, vs. 15 minutes ago, since I just made up this 5 star thing up,
write something I find fascinating
write in such a way that it's EASY for me to rip through, given my ADD-nature, this is no small task
not write in such a way that I think your statements are questionable, based on little or low-quality data, or dependent upon questionable (and, worse, also unstated) assumptions
preferably supply references so I can dig further (also handy if I'm not yet convinced)

Seriously. This has made my day.

Brain happy.

And well and efficiently fed.

xoxoxo

bb

water pretty

2011-07-28T09:13:00.000-07:00

=) bb

so... I just heard a new noise, outside whilst in the dark...

2011-07-27T21:23:00.000-07:00

At first I thought it might be a raccoon, so I went out, terrifying sword (plastic broom) in hand, ready to defend the hens.

Stood out there and heard calls that, since one came from not far up a pine tree, and it kinda sounded like a squirrel chuff, if squirrels were to chuff, didn't seem very raccoon-like. Maybe, say, a squirrel?

And I heard fainter return calls to my left, in between the calls from the creature on my right.

hm...

A tag team of squirrels making noises in the dark?

Seemed very unusual squirrel behavior.

Standing motionless in the dark, ears out, having already clicked the broom's safety-lock back on, I wondered. And looked left and right, squinting.

Then, something flew north from about four feet up the nearby tree, making the call I'd heard.

And its friend flew north, too, calling back.

Yup, apparently not a squirrel, biobabbler.

Probably a bird.

'Cause, you know, it flew.

Looked fairly substantially sized, in the pigeon realm.

Do owls make mild, little, possibly-mammal-sounding contact calls when hanging out near the households of curious broom-wielding blondes?

Happy for any suggestions from the peanut gallery. Will be looking up owl sounds tomorrow.

Right now, must continue cleaning, 'cause the ants are flirting with an invasion, sending numerous scouts afield...

G'night. =)

bb

xobb

biobabbler

bio dork humor, & I'm gettin' in the FIELD!!

more icy miracles

waiter, there's a bird in my coffee...

a frozen lake is magic

nature in art in nature in art...

Peeking at Pele

location, location, location

albatross, schmalbatross (silent Saturday evening post)

silversword silliness

manly mammals

east coastin'

photo quiz answer... and winners!

Thursday photo quiz: what do these photos have in common?

lunar eclipse, baby!

Yeah, yeah, it's all about you...

again, an abandoned crop perseveres...

pre-Mono wind mums: pollinator, schmollinator...

fungal fun with Photo Quiz Phriday: bb guesses species, too!

photogenic, yes. always perfectly beautiful & elegant? uh....

Phriday Photo Quiz, 2 days late =)

thriving on neglect...

A new meaning to canvasback (canvas buck?) fm. 10 min ago

is it me, or do vegetarians get all the pretty food?

new, classier photo quiz: who's butt is this?

the wonder that is the human body: video demo

why my ethics are so annoying: and not just to me

fall = horny (well, antler-y) bucks & pretty leaves

gardening block overcome, rewards subsequently reaped

where the Ahwahnee meadow web cam lives...

I'm not dead... I think I'll go for a walk!

Swampy & stylish

I wanna' live! And other thoughts on the flu

Thilent Thurthday: October in Yosemite, or Yosemite in October?

Tactiturn Tuesday at Grand Canyon NP

lawn art: a cryptic post

the giant hole in all of our heads, a HUGE CAVE of space

okay, that was weird: Steve Jobs dies, I write a 5 hr post, & get nothing done

New quiz, plus last hints 4 old aerial photo quiz...

isn't a broccoli plant supposed to make broccoli?

Seeing stars that are seldom seen

corn porn

uh, why is the porch light on?

okay, I figured out where 1 of the aerial shots I took was, so...

human health and "Battling Bad Science"-Ted talk so interesting, I forgot I was eating.

climbing the walls...

I'm lookin' over, a 4 leaf clover... **BLINDING FLASH**

Deer baaaack!

big ol' mystery spider lady

Why I heart the window seat, II

nature geek tags along w/ golfers on a gorgeous Midwestern fall day

uh, may I have a window seat, please?

how to get an entire sequoia into 1 frame...

love takes flight

white rein orchid, or Sierra bog orchid

after the storm

Super colorful mystery resident of sunflower face

SO satisfying: "troll control and smurf suppression"

Short attention span rewrite: sunflower eye candy, quiz, & OUT

New quiz, old quiz, poisons, sunflower explosion, & chemical mystery

P.S. Posted the genius "guesses" to toxophilite... AWESOME people!

still-spotted fawn ambles by...

Vocab quiz: toxophilite

Winner of the Great Bean Pile Guessing Game,

Heaven: amazing footage of Galapagos, on the rocks & in the sea

the sunflower also rises; 4 photo essay

furry study buddy (warning to arachniphobes...) & garden alert

wheee! great Motor Fire footage of lotsa helis, + planes & flames

Heli-bellies, Motor Fire flame, & ADD--yes, there is a connection =)

Very nice footage of Motor Fire...

Fire fire fire, & biobabbler hears a Who

Phriday photo quiz, what do I weigh? + Garden panic

WHAT IS THIS?!? MUST post this freaky thing NOW.

if I eat all of this, I may become a human bean... and tiny earthquake note

mountain meadow Mumday, Yosemite-style

4 mountain lions strolling through my cousin's neighborhood...

Ch-ch-ch-changes: If you've not noticed...

Phriday photo quiz: my neighbor is apparently a skilled gardener...

1st bean harvest (!), sleepy bees, and snuggly cats

chicken snax -- pretty food!

I'm lookin' over, a 4 leaf clover... BLINDING FLASH