Just Dew It

    Everybody with a camera eventually takes a picture of a spider web. So forgive me for being trite. But I like the way the dew at the upper left looks like a string of pearls. 
    Since I have made a reference to Mountain Dew in my title, "Just Dew It" I thought you might like the following web site. It tells how much of your favorite caffeinated drink it would take to kill you. For instance it would take 104 cups of my favorite, Starbucks Tall Caffe Mocha, to kill me. Click on the link and let me know how much of your favorite you would have to drink in order to experience "Death by Caffeine."


http://www.linkydinky.com/dewkiller.shtml

Do Dogs Laugh?

     The results of Kira's DNA testing are in. She is part Labrador Retriever and part Bloodhound. Also part Boston Terrier.
    The Lab heritage didn't surprise me. Nor did the Bloodhound DNA. The Boston Terrier did astonish me.
    "The Boston Terrier can trace its history back to 1865 in Boston, Massachusetts. Early in the breed's history, coachmen for the wealthy residents of Boston cross-bred many of their employers' dogs for pit fighting purposes." This is from the company who did the blood test, Mars Veterinary.
    So I'll bet that there is a lot of Boston Terrier DNA out there in the population and that many mixed breed dogs will have a Boston in their family.
    One neat thing about photography is that it allows us to freeze motion and see things that we can't see with the naked eye. This photo was taken at 1/2000 second and was one of a group of 6 photos that were all taken within a single second.
    All of this technology just to prove that Kira laughs when she runs.

NIMBY

  
    There is someone new in my back yard. A puppy named Kira.
    Before Kira came along I used to pour a glass of wine and wander around the yard looking at the same old trees and the same old bushes. Now I see my yard in a new way.
    Crickets are fascinating. Low flying helicopters are terrifying. There are holes to be dug, sticks to be chewed, vines to be tugged on, thrown objects to be fetched, and Outdoor Kitty needs to be chased.
    When Kira is exhausted from teaching me all these lessons she doesn't lie down. She hurls herself to the ground so that it sounds like someone has dropped a pair of tennis shoes.
    If she is frightened she races across the yard, barrels up the steps, and hits me like a linebacker.
    Kira is bright, and like Little Kitty, she can be taught almost anything with cheese as a treat. But don't expect to see any photos of Kira leaping up onto our cabinet tops.
    To see her running in excited little circles in our yard and rolling on her back in the grass is very gratifying. At her previous home she was tied to a tree. One more lesson learned. Resilience.

Pixar Bug

    In May I took this little guy's picture. I loved his shiny red and black colors. He seemed unsure exactly how to use his long antennae with the yellow tips. And the way he moved around clumsily on his long legs reminded me of a newborn foal.

    My daughter and I agreed that he should be a character in a Pixar film. He would be the innocent young fellow with a heart of gold who always tried to do the right thing. 

    I never identified him, I just filed him away as "Pixar Bug."

    Imagine my shock and disappointment when I found out that he grew up to be this guy!

    While I was waiting to identify this insect I called him "Ugly Bug." His true name is Wheel Bug, for the odd structure on his back. No one knows the purpose of that wheel, unless it is to help other Wheel Bugs recognize him. No other bug in North America has a wheel.

    See the long fang? If you are foolish enough to handle him he will stab you with it. His sting is said to hurt worse than a hornet's and may take weeks to heal. 

    When not stinging innocent humans he uses his fang on soft prey like caterpillars. He lumbers up to them and grabs them with his front legs, then injects a poison into them that paralyzes them and liquifies their insides. He then drinks their innards like a milkshake.

    And that cute little red and black guy? He will eat his brothers and sisters if he gets the chance.  

    Wheel Bugs also produce an unpleasant odor when threatened. 

    Is there any good news? Actually, yes. A Wheel Bug won't hurt you unless you pick him up. And he eats Japanese beetles and moths. So if you see him in your yard don't hurt him.

    If you would like to see a photo of a group of very young baby Pixars please visit my more recent blog by clicking on this link. 

    

butterfly ears

  
    I found these butterfly wings beneath a tree in my yard. You might be thinking, "This doesn't sound good for the butterfly." You are right. Predators eat the thorax of butterflies because that is where all the high protein muscle tissue is, then discard the rest.
    The wings had a bit of dirt on them. They are so delicate I could not wipe them off with my fingers without tearing them. I had to clean them with puffs of air from a bulb syringe.
    Butterfly wings are so light weight that the smallest breeze kept blowing them off the table where my camera was set up. So I would touch my finger to my tongue to get it wet, then touch the wing. The wing would stick to my finger and I could pick it up without damaging it.
    Butterfly wings are made up of thousands of colorful scales. If you handle a wing the fine dust that seems to be coming off in your hands is actually the scales. The wings also have veins that aid in breathing.
    Butterflies don't have ears. At least not the type of ears we typically think of. But in Central and South America at least one type of butterfly has been found who has a primitive ear at the base of it wings.
    Here is a portion of the photo I enlarged so that you can see the scales better.