tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39537405461990311572011-09-05T21:34:42.141-07:00For anyone serving a bigger picture through the natural sciences, environmental advocacy, and citizen activism.JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023875555959570250noreply@blogger.comBlogger831100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953740546199031157.post-47048954715078211642010-02-28T14:21:00.006-08:002010-02-28T14:46:33.465-08:00

Today I found a larva in my banana. My first reaction was not unlike most any other's: ew. But the entomologist in me quickly took over, so my "ew" lent itself to curiosity, amusement, and even flattery...it did choose my banana, after all. A larva, likely a moth, in my banana. Kind of cute.Never having found a larva in a banana, I think I'll rear it out to an adult. It is some sort of moth (

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023875555959570250noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953740546199031157.post-39470685929034765002010-02-22T08:45:00.005-08:002010-02-22T09:29:03.606-08:00

It's easy to loose yourself in graduate school, especially when you're three quarters done but feels like an eternity yet before you'll finish. And it's easy to forget why you started, or where you're going. Things get lost by the roadside (like blogging). Lately, I feel like no matter what I achieve or sacrifice, I'm failing. So I've been trying to reconnect myself with the inspiration

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023875555959570250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953740546199031157.post-24045637027086287722010-02-21T09:31:00.003-08:002010-02-21T09:37:11.337-08:00

Ugh, graduate school. It's killing me. No one said it would be this difficult....then again, most of them didn't have such unusual circumstances. Long story short, my committee has dissolved in the past month, and I have hit the ground running to form a new one. With my data and remaining funding (through June) in tow, I have rapidly re-formed a new committee. Almost. A major professor is

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023875555959570250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953740546199031157.post-67629940188682369202009-10-27T08:16:00.004-07:002009-10-27T08:25:55.210-07:00

Cascoplecia insolitis, a never-before-seen fly with long dangling legs and an unusual horn on its head sporting three eyes is being dubbed the "unicorn fly". It's a newly discovered species of fly found in Amber from Myanmar dating back to the Cretaceous period. It was identified by OSU researcher, George Poinar Jr., and published in Cretaceous Research -- just in time for halloween!See

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023875555959570250noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953740546199031157.post-69635234483269260162009-06-24T19:11:00.031-07:002009-07-04T11:10:23.924-07:00

This may perhaps be the most exciting event in my year to date: I found it, Uroctonus mordax! This is the most common Pacific Northwest scorpion, and I've been looking for it since moving back to my home region last fall. Here she finally is, freshly posed during a recent trip to the California Redwoods:Uroctonus mordax, a light morph. Humboldt County, CA. June 2009. Thanks to Dr. P hillip

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023875555959570250noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953740546199031157.post-65712155621336438322009-05-14T11:10:00.047-07:002009-05-14T13:22:50.918-07:00

No Pacific NW scorpions were found while at the cabin at Shotpouch Creek last weekend. The habitat just wasn't there for U. mordax, which is associated with rocky slopes. But there were plenty of other critters and plants that kept us busy and writing.The Trillium Project seeks to connect people with nature, particularly through writing. To do this, the project makes use of a 40-acre nature

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023875555959570250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953740546199031157.post-74203799153080954722009-05-08T16:53:00.003-07:002009-05-08T17:10:57.602-07:00

Uroctonus mordax is a species of scorpion that occurs in the Pacific Northwest. Now that I am living back up here as a converted lover of all things arachnid, I want to find one. This weekend I will be visiting a cabin to do some nature writing as part of the Spring Creek Trillium Project. A friend and I will visit the 40+ acres the cabin sits on to write about whatever moves us, and as I do

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023875555959570250noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953740546199031157.post-42804521634646315152009-05-08T16:00:00.036-07:002009-05-08T16:53:40.710-07:00

You know that saying "April showers bring May flowers"? It is usually no truer than in the Pacific Northwest, except that this year it was reversed. High temps in the April (a whopping 76 deg F one weekend!) had many hopeful for May, but the showers came late this year so here we are in Corvallis, OR: wet, cold, and in May.No complaints from me (I love the wet and the chilly) and the flowers

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023875555959570250noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953740546199031157.post-6964997847301080022009-03-26T18:48:00.012-07:002009-03-26T19:40:55.592-07:00

Somewhat like me regarding this blog, my research subjects are also pulling a disappearing act...I've spent this week -- "spring break" as it were -- at the Oregon State University Hermiston Agricultural Research and Experiment Center in northeastern OR. Other than plaguing my advisors with questions out here, I am processing 54 crayfish (Pacifasticus leniusculus) that I collected along the

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023875555959570250noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953740546199031157.post-38441378094601501102009-03-16T18:39:00.014-07:002009-03-17T11:02:03.095-07:00

"Cheese n rice, you are a spectacularly majestic bird!"These are the words that escape me each time I view this:The Varied Thrush. The brilliant orange-against-black ofthis, my most favorite of winter birds, rivals ouroccasional sun breaks.Photo used with permission by Mike Yip http://vancouverislandbirds.com * Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:"Cambria Math"; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023875555959570250noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953740546199031157.post-5081733768473162462009-02-16T00:51:00.004-08:002009-02-16T01:22:40.888-08:00

A roadrunner in a tree off my apartment deck. Phoenix, AZ.Great Backyard Bird Count 2008.Got 15 minutes? Wanna watch some birds, see your results posted online, and further conservation efforts...all from your backyard? Well, you have one more day to do it. The Great Backyard Bird Count, a project by the National Audubon Society and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, runs Feb. 13-16, 2009.

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023875555959570250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953740546199031157.post-48986032126588369002009-02-12T14:10:00.010-08:002009-02-12T14:41:43.397-08:00

Today is the 200th birthday of Charles Darwin. Dr. Chris Marshall, Curator and Collector for the Oregon State Arthropod Collection, shows his appreciation for Darwin each year on Feb. 12th with some kind of nature-themed cake. I snuck into the Zoology Department lounge to capture a picture of this year's creation... I found a tree stump made of sugar and eggs, lit afire, with a room full of

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023875555959570250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953740546199031157.post-6381470874359810022009-02-07T11:19:00.030-08:002009-02-07T12:31:22.410-08:00

Hello blogosphere, I'm still alive! That's the good news. And I'm learning by leaps and bounds. Several of my less well thought out ideas for posts never made it past draft one, lacking enough available brain cells and time will do that. But here's some of the funner stuff I have been up to as an Oregon State University grad student in the Entomology Program this winter '09:My aquatic

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023875555959570250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953740546199031157.post-81930265178898419402008-12-14T12:30:00.001-08:002008-12-14T14:45:55.652-08:00

The first snow of the season. Corvallis, OR.I'm a little slow on the uptake sometimes. It's been a hectic fall and I've not slowed down since moving. And so it's only now sinking in that I have relocated. Permanently. As in never again to live in the desert. I am starting to miss the familiar sunny vistas of the Sonoran desert...the crunch of burnt gravel underfoot...winter plants abloom

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023875555959570250noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953740546199031157.post-72784659728180427722008-11-25T05:30:00.002-08:002008-11-25T05:30:00.844-08:00

Dr. Madison and I have two things in common, though he is infinitely more prestigious at both: we have a fondness for carabid beetles, and we are both at Oregon State University...at least this week. He's interviewing on campus today and tomorrow for the Harold E. and Leona M. Rice Endowed Professorship. Dr. Madison hails from the low desert and my recent employer, the University of Arizona.

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023875555959570250noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953740546199031157.post-23385941196986534832008-11-24T22:42:00.008-08:002008-11-25T01:01:31.772-08:00

Clay Anderson, Expedition 15 flight engineer(I did not take this picture)Want to know what a floating toolbag in space looks like? How 'bout a spy satellite? Enter your zip code and you'll get their flyby times at SpaceWeather.com. Kinda neat! At the very least, ya gotta see the international space station (ISS) from your backyard if you haven't already. Especially now that they have a new

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023875555959570250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953740546199031157.post-9951457189452289332008-11-16T19:09:00.007-08:002008-11-16T20:44:43.968-08:00

It's easy to lose the romance of what starts out as an exciting move, particularly when efficiency is your primary objective as a graduate student. Somewhere in all this learning, I've gone two months without really learning anything new about insects. My time is dominated this term by non-insect related coursework and other aspects of my research project. I also miss exercising my knowledge

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023875555959570250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953740546199031157.post-57878624219110271022008-11-04T23:25:00.010-08:002008-11-05T01:21:51.515-08:00

Congratulations, America! Regardless of who you voted for, the waiting is over. Here at the Veggy House , and like so many other places, people gathered to welcome the election results. There was wine and snacks, champagne and toasting. But it was subdued, with little of the cheering and whooping I'd imagined. Our gathering of twenty plus was a gorgeous cornucopia of skin colors from white,

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023875555959570250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953740546199031157.post-80391449352427654612008-10-06T14:10:00.015-07:002008-10-06T21:16:24.742-07:00

HOLY CRAP! Graduate school is really crazy. I'm on borrowed seconds just being here! In fact, amidst the TON of reading, meetings, fixing a crashed (yet new) computer, classes, new-hire logistics, and studying, I have yet to molest any insects.Check that. Yesterday, while passing in front of Cordley Hall, I found a yellow jacket nest on the sidewalk (Vespula or Dolichovespula are the genera).

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023875555959570250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953740546199031157.post-39312126397667202992008-09-18T10:29:00.014-07:002008-09-18T12:47:56.401-07:00

I made it to my new home in Oregon! The car, the kitties, my stuff... This move back to the greater PacNW is permanent, and I cannot express how glad I am for that. Never, ever will I ever move cross country again (so much for being a hobo). Bone China and other such goodies from grandmas, etc., are lovely keepsakes which I'm very glad to have. But there were times during this move when I

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023875555959570250noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953740546199031157.post-48733047840575226872008-08-29T22:45:00.002-07:002008-08-29T22:53:28.017-07:00

It'd be so easy to make this blog all about fringe music and cool You Tube videos. I'm tickled to have found both in one. In a rare moment of weakness induced by an evening of wine tasting and a carafe of roses, I'm posting. If you haven't laughed yet today, here's your chance...

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023875555959570250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953740546199031157.post-53823610601254191552008-08-27T22:45:00.004-07:002008-08-28T11:07:18.706-07:00

A tenebrio beetle (adult form of a mealworm) on my shoe. SO cute.My most recent experience with educating the public came the other day NOT while at work, but when I went to the mall to buy shoes. I was looking for a pair of dress sandals, something comfortable, I told the lady, because I'll be doing a lot of walking in grad school. "Oh, grad school?" she asked. "What subject?" And when she

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023875555959570250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953740546199031157.post-27176348168363738922008-08-21T19:07:00.001-07:002008-08-21T19:39:34.963-07:00

I got this link in my inbox the other day: http://www.kidsbegone.com/. It's for a product called "The Mosquito" which is supposed to deter loitering youth. I thought it was a gag -- shared with me, appropriately, because I work in pest management. Kids as pests. Ha, ha, cute (kinda).I went ahead and clicked on the site. As I looked over the product details, I kept waiting for the "...

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023875555959570250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953740546199031157.post-72038839791104099062008-08-20T17:12:00.006-07:002008-08-20T17:20:29.863-07:00

I don't follow wrestling, but I do follow the Olympics. This is my favorite Olympic moment and story. Even if you know how it ends for Henry Cejudo, the video is just great.http://www.nbcolympics.com/video/share.html?videoid=0819_SD_WRM_HL_L0999

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023875555959570250noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953740546199031157.post-55737566417975408552008-08-15T19:00:00.002-07:002008-08-15T20:17:28.260-07:00

A bit blurry, as were my eyes for this 5:40 AM photo.It'll still do for a Sky Watch Friday post. Still in monsoon season, this front was a teaserfor all but those in Northern Arizona.

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023875555959570250noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953740546199031157.post-55545975245904072682008-08-10T22:08:00.003-07:002008-08-10T22:37:17.454-07:00

Do blondes really have more fun? This is an ant... Of a velvet variety. Velvet ants belong to the family mutillidae. There are over 150 species in North America, several dozen live in the desert southwest. My favorite VA looks like a rolling ball of cotton and even walks in a hurried, erratic fashion. It's also compared to thistle down, or a creosote seed blowing in wind. Female velvet ants

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023875555959570250noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953740546199031157.post-73647990366829638422008-08-07T23:01:00.007-07:002008-08-07T23:23:52.546-07:00

Still some regular flooding around the valley of the sun with monsoon season. Still lots of alate (winged/reproductive) termites after rains, and the toads are still hoppin'. I'm still planning on stinging myself before leaving town. And yep, I'm still going to graduate school in Oregon. Still moving next month. Still a lotta work. Lots of stillness. I'll post as I can...

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023875555959570250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953740546199031157.post-36152797445589486892008-07-13T22:30:00.025-07:002008-12-09T11:09:43.986-08:00

Just to create a little contrast to today's events, two weeks ago the Ethan fire was ignited by lightening from a dry thunderstorm. The monsoon season commonly delivers cloud-to-ground lightening strikes and high winds. But when the only moisture is a hint of virga, the Sonoran desert brush can flare up like a gasoline saturated torch.The Ethan fire, not far from where I live, blocks late

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023875555959570250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953740546199031157.post-75681472838285735212008-07-07T07:22:00.047-07:002008-12-09T11:09:44.187-08:00

Cockroaches get a bum wrap. They "creep" and "crawl", but then so does every other arthropod. They come into our homes, offices and schools... But so do fleas, spiders and the like. And for reasons I don't fully understand, cockroaches take the cake on the "ew" factor of filth. But in fact, cockroaches are NOT the dirtiest insect around, and indoor infestations are often indicative of "dirty"

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023875555959570250noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953740546199031157.post-22367264093013827482008-06-28T16:35:00.002-07:002008-12-09T11:09:44.468-08:00

I've succumbed to wearing a new brand of shades known as potential-posts. Few bloggers can seem to resist them. From what I gather, newish bloggers are particularly prone to not taking them off. Potential-posts come with special guilt-wipes for cleaning the film of opportunity lost off the lenses. Breaking out the guilt-wipes is to announce a sort of momentary lament. Hats off to anyone who

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023875555959570250noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953740546199031157.post-17107528004648958162008-06-25T07:50:00.002-07:002008-12-09T11:09:46.298-08:00

I've been remiss in posting much lately because the past several weeks have been pretty eventful. Aside from (accidentally) butchering my cat and playing catch-up at work, I'm now in full swing with literature searches, reading, and other prep for graduate studies this fall (hooray! woohoo!). Planning a cross-country move for September to boot. Busy isn't necessarily interesting, but I'll try

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023875555959570250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953740546199031157.post-13620055088769638882008-06-22T12:55:00.001-07:002008-06-22T13:22:41.254-07:00

A little out of context from my usual posts, but an extreme note of caution is in order for anyone with a cat and scissors: never trim a cat's tail with scissors. Never. I mean ever. Just put 'em down, and back away.Otherwise, you may find that the tip of the tail is easily snipped -- no matter how careful you think you're being. In the case of a cat who, oh say, has tail feces you're trying

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023875555959570250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953740546199031157.post-10071283390365188692008-06-15T08:41:00.013-07:002008-12-09T11:09:46.509-08:00

Happy Father's Day!!My dad, his wife, Karen, and I spent Father's Day this weekend scorpion hunting and later viewing all things celestial in the Tucson night sky. Starizona is a Tucson telescope business that offers star parties several times a week. My many questions had instant answers, complete with physics and chemistry details. After seeing the Hercules Globular cluster and the rings

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023875555959570250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953740546199031157.post-25971022008275080212008-06-07T22:19:00.006-07:002008-12-09T11:09:47.830-08:00

The first few days have passed at the agricultural research station where my graduate field studies will take place. Though I don’t officially start grad school until fall, I set aside time during my current visit to the PacNW for a site visit to learn more about my project and meet (be assessed by) the third co-advisor of my committee. An immature stonefly, order Plecoptera I

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023875555959570250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953740546199031157.post-25478323833188414712008-06-01T16:32:00.033-07:002008-12-09T11:09:48.755-08:00

Seattle WaterfrontI'm visiting the Pacific Northwest, and was treated to a Mariners game yesterday (belated birthday gift from my best friend -- thx Beck!). Safeco field honored Latin American beisbol on our chosen game day. Free hats were given out that read "Marineros".The Mariners had been on a loosing streak, but I told my gramps: I'm in town, their luck is about to turn... :) And it sure

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023875555959570250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953740546199031157.post-20160529758860203912008-05-26T10:00:00.005-07:002008-12-09T11:09:49.712-08:00

I frequently encounter javelina -- or more specifically for the southwest:"collared peccary". I am lucky enough to live close to our nation's largest city park preserve, with a fenced-off greenbelt adjacent to my apartment, and a spill pond immediately below my deck. The combination of shelter, water and plentiful prey draws many forms of wildlife, which I've written a little about

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023875555959570250noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953740546199031157.post-16823727388703323202008-05-23T19:00:00.001-07:002008-12-09T11:09:49.922-08:00

The weather gods have bestowed a freak cold snap on the Southwest, granting Phoenicians one last chance to indulge in sweaters, hot tea, and open windows. We went from a high of 110 deg. F to a high of 68 deg. F in about 48 hours. A lover of all things cold and cozy, I am in seventh heaven on the deck, shivering under a sweater with my hot tea. Freak cold snap...Aaaaahhh, clouds.It's old hat to

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023875555959570250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953740546199031157.post-23668713627863542252008-05-23T17:00:00.000-07:002008-12-09T11:09:50.410-08:00

IT IS HERE!! My new Ricoh Caplio R7...Ricoh Caplio R7Thanks to Alex Wild (myrmecos blog), macrophotographer extraordinaire, for tipping me off to Ricoh in my search for a compact digital with good macrophotography capabilities. The Caplio R7 is perfect! It powers on in an instant, like an elf on speed, and boasts a 1 cm macro focus -- 1 cm!! From everything I've recently read, these cameras

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023875555959570250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953740546199031157.post-14877196386673418492008-05-19T20:02:00.004-07:002008-12-09T11:09:51.492-08:00

I needed a DEAD solpugid to get a shot like this.When alive, they're too busy running away. I must be one lucky duck because the above critter -- a Solpugid (sol-pew-jid) -- was sitting freshly dead and perfectly intact at the bottom of my apartment stairs last night. I was headed back from an evening workout and came upon it posed as-is with the chelicerae displayed in all their glory -- score

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023875555959570250noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953740546199031157.post-22494306051443697042008-05-09T08:00:00.002-07:002008-12-09T11:09:51.635-08:00

An adult Centruroides sculpturatus, Bark scorpion;approx. 2" long I am going to get stung by a Bark scorpion, Centruroides sculpturatus. I know this. And the reason I know this is because I am going to help it sting me.I've been working with and living amongst Bark scorpions in the desert southwest for four years now. During that time, I've changed their dirty cages in our lab, lovingly fed

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023875555959570250noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953740546199031157.post-50606784873360325782008-05-05T21:20:00.002-07:002008-05-05T23:36:43.800-07:00

Not all mosquitoes bite... Only female mosquitoes require a blood meal. The proteins in blood allow for development of her eggs, which she lays in rafts on the surface of calm water or moist edges. Males never take a blood meal; they feed only on nectar. Females also feed on nectar for their energy needs.Females can detect carbon dioxide from more than a football field away. They zero in on

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023875555959570250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953740546199031157.post-61042543846129416882008-05-04T13:17:00.004-07:002008-12-09T11:09:53.433-08:00

In a place where water is valued like gold, people have pretty strong opinions about what to do with it. In the case of central Arizona's Verde River, issues concerning quality and quantity of water are taking center stage.The Verde River is "fed" by the Big Chino aquifer of central Arizona. The river is a perennial water source for which the year-round demands are many and growing. Recreation

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023875555959570250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953740546199031157.post-33064053742710435032008-04-30T07:32:00.012-07:002008-12-09T11:09:53.518-08:00

This katydid looks as shocked as I feelI'm going to graduate school!!! For entomology!! In the Pacific Northwest! Woohoo!!I was offered a graduate research assistantship by some professors I've been coordinating with, and am expecting to begin in September (if all goes well). There are a few logistics to finalize. My work isn't yet over; I could still screw things up. But my faculty

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023875555959570250noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953740546199031157.post-43202455481882530222008-04-27T22:00:00.011-07:002008-12-09T11:09:53.558-08:00

Do you live in a Megalopolis? If you don't now, you likely will, according to Nancy B. Grimm, Arizona State University Urban Ecologist. In an article in Science, 8 Feb. 2008, titled "Global Change and the Ecology of Cities" Grimm et al. provide a review of our expanding urban landscapes. Five key areas of change are addressed: land use and cover, biogeochemical cycles, climate, hydrosystems,

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023875555959570250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953740546199031157.post-57145958347343043062008-04-22T12:00:00.008-07:002008-12-09T11:09:53.828-08:00

Procession of the SpeciesOlympia, WA 2003Today is Earth Day, an annual event which historically marked the launch of the "environmental movement" in 1970. Earth Day has become an international celebration, but was originally presented as an idea by a Wisconsin senator while visiting Seattle, WA, in 1969. Its significance remains much the same as when it was introduced: a day for which each

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023875555959570250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953740546199031157.post-5587914834244057902008-04-20T09:15:00.005-07:002008-12-09T11:09:54.407-08:00

Cliff swallow nests attached to a bridge over the Salt RiverLast weekend marked International Migratory Bird day. IMBD is celebrated by federal and state Fish and Wildlife agencies, non-profits, and citizens as a way of highlighting the unique and ever-changing challenges faced by birds migrating to and from their wintering (Central and South America) and breeding (North America) grounds.

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023875555959570250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953740546199031157.post-10950620302433804252008-04-16T12:15:00.005-07:002008-12-09T11:09:54.821-08:00

It was a pretty full week, this past one. The highlight: I got to handle a Gopher snake (Pituophis sp.) found outside of the building where I work. It was late afternoon on a not-particularly-hot sort of day (low 80's). Someone came and got me from the drudgery that comes with writer's block during the 4 O'Clock lull... They knew it'd make my day (they were right). I'm no reptile biologist,

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023875555959570250noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953740546199031157.post-46442086242248643212008-04-14T22:17:00.011-07:002008-12-09T11:09:55.120-08:00

I'm trying to use other people's photos/art as little as possible on this blog. Mainly because I want to give proper credit, which, as I've found out, involves more than sticking their name beneath a picture I've lifted off the internet. And because I don't have a personal photo of something akin to the above -- and glad for that -- I'm stuck with microsoft clipart. (Have mercy, Bill Gates.)

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023875555959570250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953740546199031157.post-24846516437136362682008-04-08T22:05:00.017-07:002008-04-08T23:02:45.157-07:00

A frustrated receptionist hands me the telephone as I pass her desk en route to retrieve my mail. I quickly understood why...Him: ...Hello?Me: ...Hello, this is [me].Him: Yes, I have a problem. There are bees. Please will you come remove them?Me: You have some bees and you want me to come out and remove them for you -- did I understand you correctly?Him: Yes.Me: I don't do that. We don't

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023875555959570250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953740546199031157.post-1688048811315911242008-04-07T07:45:00.005-07:002008-12-09T11:09:55.375-08:00

Gila woodpeckers do a number on the stucco walls at times here in the desert southwest. They're a cavity nester, typically drilling their holes in the Saguaro cactus. But when we bulldozed the cacti to build homes, offices and schools, it left the local Gila kinda high and dry. Secretly, I'm rooting for them. And if it weren't for that darned chicken wire beneath the stucco, they'd be in

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023875555959570250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953740546199031157.post-6487240724044631342008-04-06T11:00:00.006-07:002008-12-09T11:09:55.460-08:00

As anyone who's visited this blog more than once already knows, I'm working on getting into grad school for my M.S. in entomology. I received some news along those lines this week and decided the catharsis of blogging might save me from burning another hole in my athletic shoes.Between my prospective faculty's efforts and mine, we have three funding options in the works. I just heard back about

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023875555959570250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953740546199031157.post-3101016680840768722008-04-02T22:35:00.025-07:002008-12-09T11:09:55.731-08:00

I finally got my DVD of the documentary 10 mph in the mail today. It features a couple of guys who are disenchanted with their corporate jobs and metropolitan lifestyle, so they quit and launch a career in the indie film industry, and begin by documenting their zany cross-country trip from Seattle to Boston... On a Seqway. They have more obstacles than answers, and don't try to romanticize the

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023875555959570250noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953740546199031157.post-18927017902769743922008-03-31T07:00:00.005-07:002008-12-09T11:09:55.889-08:00

Adult Crane flies mating(family Tipulidae)Crane flies belong to the family Tipulidae, and are not "giant mosquitoes", or even mosquito-eaters ("skeeter eaters" is their common name where I come from). Adult Crane flies don't suck blood, they don't bite, pierce, or sting. In fact, the adult life stage lasts just long enough to breed, so many species forego feeding altogether (those that don't

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023875555959570250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953740546199031157.post-88899655493573735932008-03-29T10:18:00.015-07:002008-12-09T11:09:56.028-08:00

Dang, this'll teach me to lapse in my blogroll reading... NC State University Museum sponsored one of the coolest things I've ever heard of, right up there with wormholes and peach pancakes: Hexapod Haiku. And I missed it! The entries were entertaining and impressive, especially the kids'.Well, over peach pancakes this morning I decided to cop my own Haiku fix. (Wormholes will just have to

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023875555959570250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953740546199031157.post-52564852968255137692008-03-29T09:00:00.002-07:002008-12-09T11:09:56.390-08:00

{Continuation from previous post}So what killed Eric York, Grand Canyon National Park wildlife biologist, were aerosolized droplets of primary pneumonic plague that he breathed (through his unmasked mouth and nose) while doing a necropsy on an infected mountain lion. The photos he took while doing this -- with ungloved hands -- serve as sort of a morbid documentation of his infection, which

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023875555959570250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953740546199031157.post-32979542907024628572008-03-26T23:37:00.012-07:002008-12-09T11:09:56.701-08:00

Eric YorkPlague is endemic to certain parts of the desert southwest. 10-15 people in the U.S. die of some form of plague each year, most of them in that region -- my region.Primary pneumonic plague (PPP), in particular, is unsettling. While attending a 2-day public health conference this week, I learned all about the loveliness that this organism isn't. No flea vector is needed to transmit PPP

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023875555959570250noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953740546199031157.post-10115828557242633502008-03-24T12:55:00.001-07:002008-12-09T11:09:56.907-08:00

The scorpion of greatest health concern in the United States, and the one I am keeping an eye out for at home, is Centruroides sculpturatus (aka, the Bark scorpion). Bark scorpion venom is the most toxic of U.S. scorpions, though in the general scheme of things it is considered fairly mild. Bark scorpions are small, with a body length of about 2" (not including tail); sub-adults are smaller.

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023875555959570250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953740546199031157.post-57026279355812769922008-03-22T16:02:00.013-07:002008-12-09T11:09:57.399-08:00

Being a biologist and in an educator role, I'm seeing an increase in the amount of projects and activities directed at citizen scientists. There seems to be something for everyone. Data collection is no longer for the degreed alone. It's pretty cool. Recently, I learned that my employer is a member of a collaborative citizen science effort called "Project BudBurst". It's plant stuff (not my

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023875555959570250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953740546199031157.post-79787872399936267532008-03-22T11:00:00.002-07:002008-03-22T15:55:11.595-07:00

I went to church on this Good Friday. An improbable event, given that I am an atheist. So what brought me to a great hall of worship, with stadium-style A-lined pews and sermons steeped in the abstention of sin? The choir. I was invited by a colleague from a nearby university, with whom I recently finished collaborating on a research project, to hear her sing as second soprano in the first

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023875555959570250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953740546199031157.post-20770587649173858682008-03-19T12:38:00.010-07:002008-12-09T11:09:57.714-08:00

Wildflowers galore!Who needs to go hiking to enjoy the spring wildflowers? This is a street I regularly drive down... Lucky me. :)

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023875555959570250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953740546199031157.post-35796875564906223952008-03-17T03:00:00.008-07:002008-12-09T11:09:57.737-08:00

You'd be a rare duck indeed if you haven't, at least for a moment, found yourself falling for one of the common myths about arthropods. So in the tradition of Wordless Wednesday and Friday Beetle Blogging, I have decided to do "Monday Myth". I'll attempt weekly, and be happy if I manage bi. Inaugural myth for debunking: "Harvestmen are spiders". Just not true. Harvestmen aren't spidersThey

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023875555959570250noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953740546199031157.post-31060404328988594322008-03-16T08:46:00.013-07:002008-12-09T11:09:57.908-08:00

A cartogram map, which accounts for population size among redand blue states; based on 2004 presidential election.Michael Gastner, Cosma Shalizi, and Mark Newman, University of Michigan.In the current issue (Mar 2008) of Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, Kristi F. Bowman takes a look at the abundance, strength, and weakness with which evolution, intelligent design, and creationism are

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023875555959570250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953740546199031157.post-86754484200280285492008-03-14T21:25:00.031-07:002008-12-09T11:09:58.155-08:00

I'm updating and revising arthropod fact sheets at work. I genuinely enjoy this part of my job, where the free rein I'm afforded to wed science with education and a little art means the sky's the limit. And with all that rein, one of the things I've come up with is the above chart: a 2"x 2" diagram to sit unobtrusively in the corner of each fact sheet, showing an arthropod's life cycle activity

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023875555959570250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953740546199031157.post-55433472367190619582008-03-09T15:30:00.006-07:002008-12-09T11:09:58.457-08:00

Birding by ear... A lazy way of birding from the sofa or bed, provided there's an open window. Or more scientifically, an efficient way to identify birds for field studies. For biologists, some habitats are quite nearly impossible to see their birds in. On the tall grass prairies of Missouri, Henslow's and Grasshopper sparrows might -- if you're lucky -- briefly be spotted darting just over the

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023875555959570250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953740546199031157.post-6582640214195112262008-03-04T05:18:00.009-08:002008-12-09T11:09:58.473-08:00

This month I hear back on two fellowships I've applied for. Each fellowship carries a monthly living stipend, tuition, and research expenses for at least one year -- a lot of money, very competitive. I am sweating bullets and feeling the pressure that comes with the overdue desire to move on. Hackneyed and half-cocked, part of me is languishing while hesitant to hope; the other part is on pins

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023875555959570250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953740546199031157.post-44649267325889801552008-02-27T12:10:00.020-08:002008-12-09T11:09:58.650-08:00

Spring has sprung in the low desert of the southwest. With no transition from the near-freezing nights, we suddenly find ourselves basking in mid-70s temps, with poppies, daisies, and lupine proclaiming spring's arrival. Thanks to the December rains this year, we will enjoy a stellar wildflower season.Birds are also in full swing "doing their thing": lots of hot lovin' among the Gambel's Quail,

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023875555959570250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953740546199031157.post-59276730858984896922008-02-25T18:45:00.024-08:002008-12-09T11:09:58.834-08:00

In the woods of the Pacific Northwest, one can expect to see most anything. Meth labs, salal poachers (who sell the evergreen to floral shops), fiddlehead pluckers (for stir fry), bear, cougar, tanks (another post), and one of my favorites: illegal loggers.While working as a wildlife technician in the Puget Lowlands, collecting data on birds for a University of Washington professor, I saw it all

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023875555959570250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953740546199031157.post-50507458267076708262008-02-23T06:56:00.002-08:002008-02-23T07:05:54.510-08:00

Posting on music might be a little off-topic from the birds, bugs and occasional political indulgence. But I'm a sucker for singer-songwriters and this guy, Foy Vance, is too good not to share. Plus, he has a funny accent. Music starts at 2:32...

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023875555959570250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953740546199031157.post-42950789671322793442008-02-21T23:17:00.005-08:002008-12-09T11:09:59.151-08:00

An expectant mother in the UK spotted two cockroaches under a sink in a ground floor lavatory of the hospital she's anticipating giving birth in. Story here in the Local London. She reported it, the reporters covered it, and the hospital proudly reported calling in "pest control". The article doesn't indicate what the pest control services for the hospital entailed, but it was likely one of

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023875555959570250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953740546199031157.post-65599390547850962992008-02-20T22:06:00.015-08:002008-12-09T11:09:59.298-08:00

A squabble in Sunnyvale, CA, is pitting one enviro-neighbor against another. The issue: their redwoods are blocking his rooftop solar panels. Complete article in the LA times here.That's unfortunate (for them). But I'm a bit elated in wondering: when did suburbians adopt the bastion of eco torch-bearer? When did the equivalent of "your hedge is blocking my sun" evolve into a battle on behalf

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023875555959570250noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953740546199031157.post-48701766011952909302008-02-16T12:14:00.008-08:002008-02-17T11:08:05.856-08:00

I've lost my cell phone, so for now I can't download any of the beautiful pix I took during my work trip in Mexico this week. We almost drove off a cliff, which didn't make us look too professional. But other than that it was a highly productive trip toward improving urban health and the urban environment of our second world neighbors.Until the cell turns up, what I thought I'd blog about instead

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023875555959570250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953740546199031157.post-75453265368926644172008-02-13T21:37:00.042-08:002008-12-09T11:09:59.553-08:00

If you have plans to cross the US/MX border by land then you'll need twice the amount of time. At least, if you intend to do so legally. With the new identification requirements put into effect January 31st, I was treated to not one but TWO hours of exhaust-filled air in crossing back to 'my homeland'.What's the hold-up, you ask? Instead of a border patrol agent simply asking you your country

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023875555959570250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953740546199031157.post-6307984963344989212008-02-11T21:36:00.001-08:002008-12-09T11:09:59.778-08:00

Who: You. Ya, you.What: The annual Great Backyard Bird Count Where: Your backyard. Duh.When: Feb. 15th (this Friday) through Feb. 19th. Participate in one or all four days -- your choice.Why: Because you're smarter than you think, and we have more backyards than ornithologists.Bird experts are salivating for you to tell them what you've got, how many, and when. Doing so

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023875555959570250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953740546199031157.post-49178090046384600022008-02-09T15:35:00.001-08:002008-12-09T11:10:00.148-08:00

In spite of living in the snowbird region of the United States, I rarely get out to hike anymore on these sunny winter days. That may change, but for now my nature fixes come from time spent on my deck. And what a deck it is!! A voluptuous backdrop to my view: a butte, covered in desert plants, maybe 250' high. Below it, a long and narrow green belt that begins to pitter out just where my

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023875555959570250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953740546199031157.post-73306713259177269922008-02-08T09:04:00.000-08:002008-02-09T09:49:10.918-08:00

The ever-entertaining Bryant PArk Project on NPR aired a segment on a new book out: Not Quite What I Was Planning: Six-Word Memoirs By Famous and Obscure Writers. The written comments that followed were so entertaining I may have to check out the book. But it got me to thinking, as I am sure you already are: what would mine be? Here's a few of the less embarrassing I came up with...

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023875555959570250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953740546199031157.post-13766180425199358242008-02-06T14:00:00.001-08:002008-12-09T11:10:00.421-08:00

Almost unbelievably, subterranean termite casts could be seen along vertical cracks in the concrete wall of the kitchen. An uncapped sewer pipe somewhere in the building walls was breeding drain flies, which were accumulating -- dead -- in a kitchen sink below an overhead air vent. A container of "insect (dust) killer" was found in the custodial closet, likely applied liberally and at-will in

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023875555959570250noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953740546199031157.post-49577153932121585522008-02-05T11:20:00.000-08:002008-12-09T11:10:00.598-08:00

It's a "super" day!

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023875555959570250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953740546199031157.post-15748653515103022362008-02-02T17:55:00.000-08:002008-12-09T11:10:00.870-08:00

The fewer the voices on the side of truth, the moredistinct and strong must be your own-William Ellery Channing...the more distinct and strong must be your own. If Channing were a zealot, he could have made this quote from the far left or the far right with equal conviction. Clearly, people are destined to disagree - and that's not an unhealthy thing. Even when stances are polar opposite, our

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023875555959570250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953740546199031157.post-67100278672904528092008-01-29T18:54:00.000-08:002008-02-06T11:39:36.090-08:00

Writing fellowship essays this week, coordinating with professors, gathering transcripts, test scores, and letters of recommendation... Why o why does this make me feel so ill? I can't help but laugh at the nausea, it's truly comical. But it's worth it: a great research project is ready and waiting... now just for the funding. Won't be blogging for a few more days (unless the blog can cough

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023875555959570250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953740546199031157.post-55518806498819353402008-01-27T12:28:00.001-08:002008-12-09T11:10:01.145-08:00

I sent an e-mail recently to a colleague who is thinking about starting a blog and posting his materials from work there. Yellow flags went up, I couldn't respond quick enough. (For the love of god, don't do it.) But then... I work for a much larger employer than he, where there are policies and guidelines defining personal property and matters of public image. I'm sure most bloggers get to a

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023875555959570250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953740546199031157.post-38063314905336663992008-01-23T11:45:00.000-08:002008-12-09T11:10:01.170-08:00

Lordy, another case of how people assume that if you can BUY it, it's "safe". There seems to be this assumption - perhaps because we live in the land of regulation - that Big Brother has a filter in place to protect us where we should in fact be protecting ourselves (not to mention the integrity of our natural environment). We're still somewhere in the vastness between The Jungle and A Brave

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023875555959570250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953740546199031157.post-17454830792224140162008-01-21T11:58:00.000-08:002008-01-23T14:07:31.764-08:00

A common form of dispersal for spiderlings is something called "ballooning". They hatch out of their egg sac, all 300+ of them if they're widow spiders, and climb the nearest structure - a tree, a building - and take a flying leap. Well, let me back up. They don't exactly jump. They send out one or more long silk trailers, and the wind - whatever wind there is - will engage it and elevate

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023875555959570250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953740546199031157.post-83359655282694809002008-01-19T13:37:00.000-08:002008-12-09T11:10:01.488-08:00

I went to Mexico yesterday. We are launching an environmental program in schools along the US/MX border that will - in theory - benefit children's environmental health. I've been to this border area several times, but never has it affected me like this. Before ever reaching the school, my head was swimming from the fumes of a hundred idling vehicles at the border crossing; for several minutes, I

JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12023875555959570250noreply@blogger.com2