At first we thought it was a dead tarantula, high and dry on a rock. The others hiked on ahead while I stopped to examine it more closely. All the parts were hollow and feather light, in fact they started blowing away in the slight breeze once I poked at them. Pretty sure I was looking at a recent molt. The pedipalps are especially cool. I brought them home with me 😁
I thought I was familiar with elderberry’s thin, soft leaves, so it was a real surprise to feel the thick, leathery leaves on this shrub. I don’t know if this is an outlier, or I have simply been unobservant till now. More data needed.
I spent the weekend camping with folks from our nature journal club, and it fed my soul.
Another of Ma’s tchotchkes.
Happy birthday, Cass!
If you’ve received a birthday card in the mail from me this year, the envelope was probably sealed with a vintage illustration sticker. This is my source: the John Derian Sticker Book (I and II). Rajiv Surendra introduced me to these books.
I really should plant this ginger. Later: I did.
When inspiration hides, reach for the collage box.
I’m in a group chat called Bug Group; we post photos of any cool arthropods that we come across. One of our members just came back from Guyana with many dozens of amazing macro shots. We asked him to do a Zoom session where he talked about the trip and the critters he saw, and he was happy to oblige.
There’s been a desert tortoise on the loose in our neighbourhood for a little while, and today it graced our yard with a visit. It’s clearly a (former?) pet, as it approached me and let me scratch its head. I fed it a baby cucumber and it trundled off.
hashiworks 