…while taking a keen interest in something or other.
A few years ago, close to this time of year, I lead a group of apiarists (beekeepers) in a macro workshop. After a morning of learning, setting up equipment and some table-top practice, we had lunch and then set out for the hives. It was a sunny afternoon, but cool (about 16ºC) and windy, so... Continue Reading →
A Naturalistic Garden is primarily a method for the urban or sub-urbanite to feel closer to the natural world. It is a garden to relax in rather than to fuss over. It is a garden that invites visitors of all types, from bugs to birds to like-minded humans. It is a garden that allows us, for at least a short while, to escape the pressures and tensions of modern life and to actively connect with our biophilic needs. In this, it can be considered as part of a remedy for lives and lifestyles that have become separated from the natural world which formed our being.
A few years ago, I was forced to destroy a wasp nest that had been developing on our garage door frame, as it was becoming a danger to us when we entered or left the garage. The morning after my dastardly night foray, I took a look at the remnants of the nest. While spraying had damaged the... Continue Reading →
The above Agnostid (not Agnostic, that's me, and a much bigger fossil.) is only 8mm long. It has had a troubled past, being quite unsure if it is a trilobite or a mere, less distinguished (if I understand correctly), mandibulate crustacean (i.e like lobsters, crabs and shrimps). If anyone wants to pursue this further, I suggest you start with, Burgess Shale fossils shed light on the agnostid problem. (2019). I dare not go there myself, as the words are too big, and too many.
The Scarlet or red lily leaf beetle (Lilioceris lilii) I must confess that when I first discovered this beetle on one of our martagon lilies in 2015 it gave me a smile and added enough spring to my step that I could have managed the clicking-of-the-heels. This leaf beetle --with its scarlet and black colouration--has... Continue Reading →
This is a Laphria sp. of robber or assassin fly, showing a fine mystax, the bristly hairs on the face which are believed to help protect it from injury when it tackles its prey. They are sit-and-wait predators that attack and capture other flying insects--including bees and wasps--while in flight. They then use their dagger-like hypopharynx to penetrate into... Continue Reading →
Lurching Toward Oblivion 