Dew drops collect on sleeping insects

"Glistening in the early morning, these insects look like creatures from another planet as dew gathers on their sleeping bodies. Captured in extreme close-up, one moth appears to be totally encrusted in diamonds as it rests on a twig." DailyMail.co.uk

Blogger makes me mad and so very sad

Did you know that Blogger stores all your posted images in Picasa? This was not clear to me either.

You'll notice that most of the pictures in my Blog (2 years worth) are gone. I've managed to re-upload a couple of the pictures for posts on the front page but I've got a HUGE task ahead of me. I've got to try to find the photos for my 400+ posts and re-upload them.

What happened, you might ask?...

When I recently tried BlogPressLite on my iPhone, it asked me to make a Picasa account. I did. A day or two later, I deleted BlogPressLite because I didn't like it. I decided to delete my Picasa account as well (why would I need it if I wasn't using BlogPressLite anymore?). Bad choice. I didn't realize that this Picasa account was already active -- I thought it had only been just created. Blogger never made that clear to me. Blogger uploads your images blindly (in fact, even the URL to your images have no indication that they are coming from Picasa).

So, I accidentally deleted all my images from all my posts. And now I have to try to find them all in my archives and re-upload them. (Or find another blogging platform.)

Grrrrr..... Such a waste of time.

Grading on a Curve

Stittsville, Ontario has its charm. I'm still doing my research but I was impressed to see the Town's construction of this curved sidewalk to accommodate a huge maple tree. Perhaps someone thought it was beautiful. Or, perhaps there is a bylaw in place that's friendly to greenery. Whatever the case, this sidewalk gets high marks from me.

Straight from the horse's mouth

Guess what this picture is of?
Horse teeth! They're a bizarre shape. Here's the shot zoomed out for context:

Shelob of Sackville

Enjoyed the positioning of this spider and car and couldn't resist trying to capture it.

Grey Ladybug

I've never seen a grey ladybug. Perhaps this is the albino version of this creature?

Pretty Poppy

This is one of the prettiest poppies that I've ever seen.

Afternoon Nap

This male duck takes a leisurely afternoon snooze in the Sackville Waterfowl Park.

The Early Bird Gets the Spider

I was up pretty early this morning and everywhere I walked I cleared the spider webs for the next person. I'd like to say it was an intentional kindness but I wasn't clearing them with my hands, I was running straight through them. I even managed to scoop a spider up with one of them. The hazards of waking up early.

Vacation Yard — Bizarre 4-legged Insect has to be from Toronto, right?

I'm on vacation at my sister's in Toronto and I have the pleasure of spending every morning with my coffee on her patio. Today, I suddenly realized that it's not just me with an incredible yard. So, I'm posting a "Yard: a word worth 1000 pictures" from T.O.!

As far as I know, a 4-legged bug is unusual; most have 6 legs. His shape and antennae make me think he's a wood borer. I can't find it in my National Audubon Society Field Guide to Insects & Spiders. Anyone care to weigh in?

Here he is up close...


Here's a photo with my finger and thumb to show scale.


Because of his 4-leg configuration, walking was a little different from most bugs so I captured it here in this short video.


He had an interesting behaviour. Whenever I got close, he'd cock his head and angle his body to look closely. I think he's got great eyesight.


Here he is from above.

Feelin' Groovy

The two things I photographed today have something in common... "Slow down, you're going too fast. We've got to make the moment last."


In all the things we do.

Five Islands in Five Habitats

A 4-hour trip to Five Islands, Nova Scotia, Canada.


View Larger Map

First, let me introduce our canine host, Sadie. With her at the head of our pack, she sniffed out some pretty amazing views.


1. Brackish Marshland

Flat land with thick and vibrant grass that can handle very wet soil filled with salt-water.


Samphire greens that are used in many dishes including salad. They're just a juicy burst of salty goodness.


Rotting engine or some sort of mechanical device. Although it provided an interesting subject matter for photography, I was disappointed by how many man-made things were abandoned in every habitat.


This bird (a wren?) takes a moment to rest on driftwood. Driftwood straddles the marsh and coastal areas.


2. Coast

In every habitat there are "edgitats". My word for mini habitats that fall in between 2 diverse habitats. In there are plants and all kinds of life that are best suited to living in the blend of both. Here, marsh and coast meet.


The coast is not clear. Abandoned lobster traps and debris throughout.


Interesting fossil or mineral deposit in beach rock.


Shell of a small crab.


Seagull uses a post at the end of the wharf to take in a bird's eye view of the landscape. Either that or he's waiting for a bite to eat from...


Fishing boats.


Widow Island.


Wild roses grow in the 'edgitat' between the coastal and the grassland habitats.


3. Grassland

The remains of an old fieldstone foundation.


Unfortunately, half of the foundation is filled with garbage and tires.


Incredibly thick grass that's all gone to seed.


Video of grass blowing in the wind. The three strongest sounds that surrounded us were wind, waves and bird song. (4 seconds.)


I kid you not — pink grass.


Thistles. Don't ever try to hold one still in the wind. Yowza!


4. Forest

This edgitat between grassland and forest was absolutely filled with small butterflies — likely Skippers.


Forest with trails.


One of the most interesting tree trunks that I've ever come across. It would be interesting to know what forces were at work to create this shape.


On the forest floor were many pine cones.


Video of a cool spider with white bum (possibly an egg sack). (4 seconds.)


An interesting 4-berried plant that seemed to like growing in the shade of the forest.


Wispy moss.


5. Urban

Grassland, Forest and Urbanity seem to live in harmony in this sunset shot.


Bizarre and interesting man-made contraption.


Mo's: café, internet, used books, art, hostel. A lovely place. Try the wood-fired oven pizza. Yum!


In the next town over, we see a step toward keeping all these habitats "clean". A very promising day's end.

Yard — a word worth a 1000 pictures (#147)

Sundown brings a whole different group of critters to the yard and neighbourhood. This insect is a lot like a crane fly. He's as big as the negative space left when you bring your index finger tip and thumb tip together in a circle. I found him on the sidewalk near the house when walking the dogs. The only way to photograph him was to use the flash on the camera. It makes the shot look like it was taken in daylight.

Picture #141: Crane fly-type insect. I've only seen them at night so I assume they are a nocturnal insect. I find it interesting that the grey and rust colours on the insect are similar to the colours of the specs on the pavement.

Yard — a word worth a 1000 pictures (#146)

The left side of our yard only gets light in the evening just before the sun goes down. It's short-lived but gorgeous. If you're not out in the yard at exactly the right time, you might miss it.

Picture #141: Maple trees in evening sun.

Yard — a word worth a 1000 pictures (#141-145)

Some exciting new blooms in the yard today!

Picture #141: Tomato flowers! I had to take the photo upside-down because tomato flowers point downward. You can see the outline of the house in the background.


Picture #142: Lily.


Picture #143: Lily stamen close-up.


Picture #144: Lily petal veins close-up.


Picture #145: Dried poppy head. Here's the head of poppy well after it's bloomed. It is quite hard, almost woody. And, it's dried to the point where it's 'lid' has flipped up to reveal 'windows' — escape holes for the seeds once the Fall wind arrives. See previous poppy feature...


Picture #48 repeated: Poppy with dropped petals and seed pod fully formed. I'm including this photo here so that you can compare the non-dried head to the dried head (above).