tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-287235392024-03-07T23:09:07.233+00:00Talking picturesThis is where some of my art/sciart goes. Look on the right for a link to my research website.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger364125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28723539.post-15391007755821508382020-03-02T23:47:00.000+00:002020-03-02T23:49:34.618+00:00Research website & keeping up with me<div style="text-align: center;">
Hi! Some of you may be looking for my research website. <a href="http://www.natashamhatre.net/" target="_blank">It's here.</a><br />
The other way to keep up with me is to look up my <a href="https://twitter.com/NatashaMhatre" target="_blank">Twitter account: @NatashaMhatre </a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.natashamhatre.net/" target="_blank"><img alt="Natasha Mhatre" border="0" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ55V-rcs-qKoGM7chHs6h4QDADXIvLjsdEwph7F_CwPlSNOorFLAmo3p5Z5Z6R15euBzwl3OTqFmyog6O2sqSMmchq8nU4PcUQ2mpIRHL-LXCNiPhY6FxXpxLGZD36CVte4JkxA/s640/Capture.PNG" title="Natasha Mhatre" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<!-- Start of StatCounter Code for Blogger / Blogspot -->
<script type="text/javascript">
var sc_project=7269252;
var sc_invisible=1;
var sc_security="0f0fa4f8";
</script>
<script src="https://www.statcounter.com/counter/counter_xhtml.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
<noscript><div class="statcounter">
<a title="blogspot counter" href="http://statcounter.com/blogger/" class="statcounter"><img class="statcounter" src="https://c.statcounter.com/7269252/0/0f0fa4f8/1/" alt="blogspot counter"></a></div>
</noscript>
<!-- End of StatCounter Code for Blogger / Blogspot -->Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28723539.post-90183867033910590112016-12-24T01:39:00.000+00:002016-12-24T01:39:43.891+00:00Happy holidays and 2017 everybody<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDedLtT5sno" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDedLtT5sno" border="0" height="394" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigGEfSCEYZ6JqkEKaKYHRCek0-8h6H-xFKJ3zt0NMP9Y6R6pNOd_6c69qpSSQXuBHw2I8YCGzh9cbXvOdwyDs8L1Uf2VZU32rWlfe7w_mMFUda4pH8KB5p8QvOfiVPR3ar_frfyA/s640/Black_widow_female_DSC1607.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You better have some very good answers.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<!-- Start of StatCounter Code for Blogger / Blogspot -->
<script type="text/javascript">
var sc_project=7269252;
var sc_invisible=1;
var sc_security="0f0fa4f8";
</script>
<script src="http://www.statcounter.com/counter/counter_xhtml.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
<noscript><div class="statcounter">
<a title="blogspot counter" href="http://statcounter.com/blogger/" class="statcounter"><img class="statcounter" src="http://c.statcounter.com/7269252/0/0f0fa4f8/1/" alt="blogspot counter" /></a></div>
</noscript>
<!-- End of StatCounter Code for Blogger / Blogspot -->Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28723539.post-64039880666883609492016-07-13T13:48:00.001+01:002016-07-13T13:49:01.075+01:00Wild sage & Snakes in the grass<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MaLJGYrjDw" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="Wild sage" border="0" height="174" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyTz_wQzoiCRn8CfEIFwCGBTNpBnG1OHfRCY7YZOGqtmEvrcF0ZCW1DY3IXReTj59iHaXKuedYzFcY7Y6pZkD6E45lz3KzuU6HfK7Vc4wmngDK2tF8LeXv6NPvKmJSl3UIJxpzqw/s640/KamloopsHighland_DSC1492-Pano.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sagebrush</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg620eEd1tszrdb4bVCKn08yvgkpgzteLtjLkBsjbTXFtSGIqP-65mNhCo1-mIa59NsEdrr3ZeY_oLdanQ0c_zhA3fAskgF0KEE9Aa6AmZMEczbWXkqU6gy-P3hvThqy7fPnN5vkg/s1600/PacificRattlesnake_DSC1472.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg620eEd1tszrdb4bVCKn08yvgkpgzteLtjLkBsjbTXFtSGIqP-65mNhCo1-mIa59NsEdrr3ZeY_oLdanQ0c_zhA3fAskgF0KEE9Aa6AmZMEczbWXkqU6gy-P3hvThqy7fPnN5vkg/s640/PacificRattlesnake_DSC1472.JPG" width="424" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pacific rattlesnake, due for a moult?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28723539.post-65777425999241502622016-06-18T19:07:00.001+01:002016-06-18T19:07:20.277+01:00Come in the waters great<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvgtg1N5zCL904W4sF7S9ngWzUBU9Wpi6D0Ky8vNtp_CFHQHEF8_xW0fKyMQiX5PwVZ60suoeMOzqXDXIfWia2d2vS_J1NKR2QA3Z-Zw80lyLnuefeCp_sBjRV5Qc15OU5J0QgpA/s1600/PinantanLake_DSC1451.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvgtg1N5zCL904W4sF7S9ngWzUBU9Wpi6D0Ky8vNtp_CFHQHEF8_xW0fKyMQiX5PwVZ60suoeMOzqXDXIfWia2d2vS_J1NKR2QA3Z-Zw80lyLnuefeCp_sBjRV5Qc15OU5J0QgpA/s640/PinantanLake_DSC1451.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOOhYBjP8HRiQIxgglRqGe5W4znwu5c073mUlHGIeJR14kLEspT84znKq6ruM9RogOHhbbE0VQ03Qo-oAupbUo2pDUpqMZFsbeVrwuzHCq46wYCG3vQb_qbKG2uBhzS5ri0HdNRg/s1600/PinantanLake_DSC1453.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOOhYBjP8HRiQIxgglRqGe5W4znwu5c073mUlHGIeJR14kLEspT84znKq6ruM9RogOHhbbE0VQ03Qo-oAupbUo2pDUpqMZFsbeVrwuzHCq46wYCG3vQb_qbKG2uBhzS5ri0HdNRg/s640/PinantanLake_DSC1453.JPG" width="424" /></a></div>
<br />
<!-- Start of StatCounter Code for Blogger / Blogspot -->
<script type="text/javascript">
var sc_project=7269252;
var sc_invisible=1;
var sc_security="0f0fa4f8";
</script>
<script src="https://www.statcounter.com/counter/counter_xhtml.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
<noscript><div class="statcounter">
<a title="blogspot counter" href="http://statcounter.com/blogger/" class="statcounter"><img class="statcounter" src="https://c.statcounter.com/7269252/0/0f0fa4f8/1/" alt="blogspot counter"></a></div>
</noscript>
<!-- End of StatCounter Code for Blogger / Blogspot -->Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28723539.post-90467954816703303522016-06-13T17:02:00.000+01:002016-06-13T17:02:23.229+01:00On a good day<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2TmxAtJxgqDg0drf3VRIAqtT5C3r2xCfKXyNafh9MmwxZnRQY1HPuycRntMil22ya0cwhgkS3ZOHZGBJ1WMtRmHLCckejbDlRXiARq5Dy7eF2cyPqLojg_Je9swtjHp6YccV_JQ/s1600/20160612_192716_Pano.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2TmxAtJxgqDg0drf3VRIAqtT5C3r2xCfKXyNafh9MmwxZnRQY1HPuycRntMil22ya0cwhgkS3ZOHZGBJ1WMtRmHLCckejbDlRXiARq5Dy7eF2cyPqLojg_Je9swtjHp6YccV_JQ/s640/20160612_192716_Pano.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<!-- Start of StatCounter Code for Blogger / Blogspot -->
<script type="text/javascript">
var sc_project=7269252;
var sc_invisible=1;
var sc_security="0f0fa4f8";
</script>
<script src="http://www.statcounter.com/counter/counter_xhtml.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
<noscript><div class="statcounter">
<a title="blogspot counter" href="http://statcounter.com/blogger/" class="statcounter"><img class="statcounter" src="http://c.statcounter.com/7269252/0/0f0fa4f8/1/" alt="blogspot counter" /></a></div>
</noscript>
<!-- End of StatCounter Code for Blogger / Blogspot -->Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28723539.post-13534830159033190382016-05-11T22:03:00.002+01:002016-05-12T02:11:39.594+01:00Trumpeteer swans<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBML11amoubQ2onjT80vt_jlaNWDPzmh59H5bV4_6klaClwO7aKPmNwoqzuoUbXEl64Yobum1hWYcjmSSAhcJHNZZWAs2zZuE8aTk24q5I3JrmBpRMMetvNL5M-gs56Zj-f6fBxQ/s1600/DirtyLooks_DSC1328.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBML11amoubQ2onjT80vt_jlaNWDPzmh59H5bV4_6klaClwO7aKPmNwoqzuoUbXEl64Yobum1hWYcjmSSAhcJHNZZWAs2zZuE8aTk24q5I3JrmBpRMMetvNL5M-gs56Zj-f6fBxQ/s640/DirtyLooks_DSC1328.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I went outside yesterday. I got some very dirty looks. Won't be doing that again!</div>
<!-- Start of StatCounter Code for Blogger / Blogspot -->
<script type="text/javascript">
var sc_project=7269252;
var sc_invisible=1;
var sc_security="0f0fa4f8";
</script>
<script src="http://www.statcounter.com/counter/counter_xhtml.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
<noscript><div class="statcounter">
<a title="blogspot counter" href="http://statcounter.com/blogger/" class="statcounter"><img class="statcounter" src="http://c.statcounter.com/7269252/0/0f0fa4f8/1/" alt="blogspot counter" /></a></div>
</noscript>
<!-- End of StatCounter Code for Blogger / Blogspot -->Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28723539.post-41221895686656983562015-12-28T10:00:00.000+00:002015-12-28T15:03:15.355+00:00Gender bender <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8GPEXwgjqRU4qU9Ikzl6m26KzoDLEVZX_1L3hyphenhypheneTVVkinHaXlCSb0IBPIyM7o9lrp6rmMYNcEv_0IAB6_Je6tfwZiYKCNDe9P2QlZ98MxiW__2PQ9-Uq0HjlgK3QVjpad6wQEBQ/s1600/Garter_snakes_DSC0423.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8GPEXwgjqRU4qU9Ikzl6m26KzoDLEVZX_1L3hyphenhypheneTVVkinHaXlCSb0IBPIyM7o9lrp6rmMYNcEv_0IAB6_Je6tfwZiYKCNDe9P2QlZ98MxiW__2PQ9-Uq0HjlgK3QVjpad6wQEBQ/s640/Garter_snakes_DSC0423.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Click pictures to embiggen</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
A lot of natural history comes from patience, from watching for events that only happen rarely, and then are over, in the blink of an eye. There are, of course, some very spectacular natural events that aren't exactly sneaking up on you. More like, they walk up to you and grab your attention by the collar. <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1364661308002520" target="_blank">Collective behaviour</a>, has definitely been <a href="https://www.google.ca/search?q=murmuration&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiI4fuuguzJAhUCQz4KHWVHC9wQ_AUICCgC&biw=1920&bih=914" target="_blank">one</a> of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eakKfY5aHmY" target="_blank">these</a>: a large number of organisms doing things all at once, and somehow, <a href="https://vimeo.com/58291553" target="_blank">together</a>. Crowds, swarms, flocks, schools, all sorts of collectives are being studied. Advances in theory, measurement and notions of emergent behaviour have all led up to this.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMSEGmrE6_RvjaVPbzWNNdhyphenhyphenKWNilrkme5KHjXzrW6XtUz8vm1jHqw0GgdL6sSe_OO8RGVSvQf9h8qFEG6TdMsOmKKfguVxZoswDsMnyQ0jHikPODPAlWvEEVu42yXu4mSkM_u9g/s1600/Garter_snakes_DSC0512.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMSEGmrE6_RvjaVPbzWNNdhyphenhyphenKWNilrkme5KHjXzrW6XtUz8vm1jHqw0GgdL6sSe_OO8RGVSvQf9h8qFEG6TdMsOmKKfguVxZoswDsMnyQ0jHikPODPAlWvEEVu42yXu4mSkM_u9g/s640/Garter_snakes_DSC0512.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
The emergence of red sided garter snakes (<i>Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis</i>) in <a href="http://www.gov.mb.ca/conservation/wildlife/spmon/narsnakes/" target="_blank">Narcisse, in Manitoba</a> is most certainly a collective event. And the sheer number and coordination <i>is</i> impressive. How do thousands of these animals time their collective exit so exactly? How do they know that <i>now </i>is the time to crawl to the surface for their annual spring orgy? A few thousand snakes out at the same time is definitely the thing that brings so many people out to Narcisse, in the middle of the otherwise featureless flat Manitoba plains. But it isn't necessarily the most interesting thing going on here. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFYMjAOhHtc-5XkL8JdikkQo3Yl3XGBIq61bbjOP299efM5LeRZVE8cGlWmXt95Wpmzzx7QZdmcKsgUBs57nvABtVJ7inPqAFgeGxGttz3VTIXY-Bft37aPFdL1g7kXHCl5hi3RA/s1600/Garter_snakes_DSC0461.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFYMjAOhHtc-5XkL8JdikkQo3Yl3XGBIq61bbjOP299efM5LeRZVE8cGlWmXt95Wpmzzx7QZdmcKsgUBs57nvABtVJ7inPqAFgeGxGttz3VTIXY-Bft37aPFdL1g7kXHCl5hi3RA/s640/Garter_snakes_DSC0461.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Well, what is going on here?<br />
<br />
Before there were the flat lands, there was a first a huge ice sheet and then a huge lake in Manitoba, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Agassiz" target="_blank">lake Agassiz</a>. Agassiz was formed from the melt waters of that glacial ice sheet from the last ice-age. The ice-sheet was so large and heavy that Manitoba may still be undergoing <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post-glacial_rebound" target="_blank">isostatic rebound</a> (i.e. the land-mass is still lifting back up after a weight was removed from it!). It is the reason the land is so flat and featureless, the ice sheet scraped everything down to nothing. <br />
<br />
So where did all the water go?<br />
<br />
Some of it remains in the remnant lakes, lake Manitoba and lake Winnipeg, that are nearly large enough to rival the great lakes. Some of it went underground and carved very deep caves into the bedrock. Some of these caves are so far below under the ground, that they are below the frost line. When winter comes to Manitoba and surface temperatures drop below -30 degrees Celsius, in these deep caves, its still above freezing. So at some point in the geological and evolutionary history of Manitoba, red-sided garter snakes started using these caves to hibernate. In the fall they go underground and they sleep off the winter there. Come spring, when the temperature is a bit more conducive to a happy life for a cold-blooded animal, they all wake up nearly at once and out they come! <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3J0aujx9Kh2WrXO5A-fnO8XuVxUplA1VYEiw84Yv4owIBvvS1OruuTRdhAHec67J_RDD62JaWnTxiKjFwZyL_wxbqjfFTxqAbFwCe2f5CmWkGubEhmhc1JYSlAOBcoyTROz1bCA/s1600/Garter_snakes_DSC0358.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3J0aujx9Kh2WrXO5A-fnO8XuVxUplA1VYEiw84Yv4owIBvvS1OruuTRdhAHec67J_RDD62JaWnTxiKjFwZyL_wxbqjfFTxqAbFwCe2f5CmWkGubEhmhc1JYSlAOBcoyTROz1bCA/s640/Garter_snakes_DSC0358.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
And when you see the numbers, its seems like it is all at once, a few thousand at once. This is already quite the feat: for a few thousand snakes to time their metabolism so they can all emerge within a day or so of each other. But it's not even the best of it, it gets even more interesting. It isn't all at once. Males tend to come out first, when it still isn't quite warm enough outside. And once they are out, they hang around, soaking up what little watery sun they can get; here they wait. They're waiting for the females.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6hRDcwrm0Zfkf-SgnW-6LuIhYsLfWp0LJzFU69yOUpC0GoTPFace_aTbgjIobjwb34CgGHRJ9Z-ONnYDdbUw5Ib29Hw_ds0Y0A3Joxdo_AXJXe8jk_lZXOwQWJBi-RaZM7G4g6g/s1600/Garter_snakes_DSC0640.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6hRDcwrm0Zfkf-SgnW-6LuIhYsLfWp0LJzFU69yOUpC0GoTPFace_aTbgjIobjwb34CgGHRJ9Z-ONnYDdbUw5Ib29Hw_ds0Y0A3Joxdo_AXJXe8jk_lZXOwQWJBi-RaZM7G4g6g/s640/Garter_snakes_DSC0640.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
When the females do wake up and make their way out of the cave, a whole bunch of males are waiting for them right at the entrance. The males will then proceed to chase every single female as she comes out of the cave. Several males chase every single female that comes within their ambit. They try their best to align their bodies up against the females, to wrap around her and to mate with her, all the while signalling to her with pheromones and by rub her with their chins. If enough of them try to do this at the same time, it leads to balls of snakes wound tightly around each other, often known as mating balls.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiON14P-UTjEUJH1XyOB2yFYr7pkbGe3HMvqmGV32rnlrfGggnlZhrW6BuSOL-AW3gSa-QsSOwBYScuTofqR5WBnVP7uz8AfYUxcEiDkvR1JsqsDTKb-Ulfi5Gqs1van8tHdKMnjA/s1600/Garter_snakes_DSC0535.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiON14P-UTjEUJH1XyOB2yFYr7pkbGe3HMvqmGV32rnlrfGggnlZhrW6BuSOL-AW3gSa-QsSOwBYScuTofqR5WBnVP7uz8AfYUxcEiDkvR1JsqsDTKb-Ulfi5Gqs1van8tHdKMnjA/s640/Garter_snakes_DSC0535.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A mating ball</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The balls form and dissolve constantly and not always because the deed is done. Mating balls do not always have a female core with a male outer layer.<br />
<br />
Sometimes a mating ball is all male.<br />
<br />
Some males will pretend to be female in order to attract courtship from other males. The snakes seem to recognize each others sex only through pheromones which they detect on each others skin. Snakes don't have external genitals and male hemipenises are held inside
the body and everted from the cloaca only during mating. So all the
males need is a chemical disguise. So gender-bending males produce female pheromones and this is enough to fool the other males into courting it and making mating balls around it. <br />
<br />
Why on earth though? Well, for the one thing that most cold-blooded animals are short of: warmth. The core of a mating ball is warm and is constantly being warmed up by the bodies that pile up around it. Typically these 'transvestite 'males come out later than the other males, they might be in worse physical condition, and so cold and unable to court other females by themselves. By attracting a mating ball around themselves, they can raise their body temperature a few degrees. For a cold-blooded animal, that's a pretty big deal. When this is done, the gender bending males seem to turn the female pheromone off magically. With the other males no longer pursuing them, they get down to finding some mates of their own. In fact, the current theory is that the female pheromone has just the right degree of volatility: when the male's body temperature rises to where it needs it to be, the pheromone just evaporates off on it's own! <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkzn1c830BMBTdE4JlY5lVmusZinb6CWI_-egcXZ_fzFzeOgp5aiPWOkWmyL0MGQsQ-TyVn56JKbAjhyphenhyphenpBPvgaNX4-j3IU-XEUecRYNPrzvY0LBDsHJ5C5BlwK12NKOG6HH0apww/s1600/Garter_snakes_DSC0453.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkzn1c830BMBTdE4JlY5lVmusZinb6CWI_-egcXZ_fzFzeOgp5aiPWOkWmyL0MGQsQ-TyVn56JKbAjhyphenhyphenpBPvgaNX4-j3IU-XEUecRYNPrzvY0LBDsHJ5C5BlwK12NKOG6HH0apww/s640/Garter_snakes_DSC0453.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
There can be a cost to this trickery, a cost some females pay and some males probably do as well. The mating ball is a pretty frantic affair. These congregations last only a few days, so the urge to get it on is very very strong. And sometimes the mating balls end up suffocating the female they are formed around. With the males there is the added fear of injury from forced copulations. So this strategy isn't without risk, but what a cool adaptation!?<br />
<br />
In almost all systems, there's a lot of amazing detail beyond the obviously impressive spectacle and I hope we can keep looking beyond the obvious and finding it.<br />
<br />
Have a great Christmas break, guys!<br />
<br />
PS: A lot of the research done here was done in the labs of <a href="http://sydney.edu.au/science/biology/shine/" target="_blank">Richard Shine</a> and <a href="http://people.oregonstate.edu/~masonr/" target="_blank">Robert T Mason </a>in case you want to read some of the primary literature.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28723539.post-80761932457283249342015-11-13T13:00:00.000+00:002015-11-14T14:52:36.876+00:00Potter/Mud dauber wasp: the making<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i><b>Respost for folks from Reddit. </b></i></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<i><b>(<a href="http://natashamhatre.blogspot.ca/search/label/word%20beasts" target="_blank">A propos of nothing: some of you may like these</a>) </b></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<i><b> </b></i> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Here's some sense of how the whole process goes. The series also gives you an idea of how long I spent on getting these images. Its only towards the completion of the second or even third pot that I got what I wanted. I think it took a week I think before I nailed the lighting and focus.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I wanted the wasp completely in focus, so absolutely parallel to the lens plane. So I watched it to figure out its behavior and realized it would hover in front of the pot for just a couple of seconds before landing. So I rigged the tripod to be just low enough to be eye level to the wasp and just parallel to its incoming flight path. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
My only light source was either natural light or my handheld manual Vivitar 5000. I did have an extension cable at least. Initially I just worked on getting the exposure right so I got nice wing blur but a stable insect. You can see their bodies are quite still, even when their wings move.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Then I worked on getting enough light on the wasp and on the wall behind the wasp. If you held the light parallel to the wasp body, the light on the wall fell off very fast and the right edge of the image was too dark. Not to mention the ugly shadow of the pot either below or beside the pot (See images 2, 3 and 4). I didn't have a second flash to do a fill light. (I was a poor grad student then.) </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
So the light had to be held just so. Once the wasp was hovering, the ring-light was held behind it so the insect was in its centre. And the light was tilted towards the wall, so off at an angle to the wasp and pushing more light to the wall, behind the pot. The light is also slightly above the wasp, pointing down a bit as you can infer from the specular highlights and shadows. This last part wasn't necessarily intended, but altogether it worked. The image hangs together</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
As you can see there is still some fall off on the wall and the front of the mud ball and the face of the wasp is not as highly lit as the thorax and abdomen. But both those are acceptable compromises. The image hangs. And that is how I made this image. I didn't click it, I didn't snap it, no, no, I stalked it and I made it.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1GsKbkveqdVTZ20wRiubdAMOw8ggRwl8YxL-qNAqK-93S7foKmRppxTgC_tL2q0J0KVghV0LEs0ysjOyEo0HD8dBBCvbtqlPAux8IitXkNCetenVrbTFswYfvllayAPo8Clcz8A/s1600/insect_potter_wasp_DSC2817.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="348" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1GsKbkveqdVTZ20wRiubdAMOw8ggRwl8YxL-qNAqK-93S7foKmRppxTgC_tL2q0J0KVghV0LEs0ysjOyEo0HD8dBBCvbtqlPAux8IitXkNCetenVrbTFswYfvllayAPo8Clcz8A/s640/insect_potter_wasp_DSC2817.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bring mud to make pot</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPNgqYekTVXMfO1mCuLgKNE9Sv9oqmBQAHrDR7q5x1YSx6MHWGVQGkDC8c7aCMxG90FDUX1Iwzt-6Q6L2IOknOV88x2wcDkonrOuqqp6_PJFuFdtd34KIsPrFYp4fL45I-maWDPQ/s1600/waspinsect_potter_wasp_builds_DSC2003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPNgqYekTVXMfO1mCuLgKNE9Sv9oqmBQAHrDR7q5x1YSx6MHWGVQGkDC8c7aCMxG90FDUX1Iwzt-6Q6L2IOknOV88x2wcDkonrOuqqp6_PJFuFdtd34KIsPrFYp4fL45I-maWDPQ/s640/waspinsect_potter_wasp_builds_DSC2003.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shape pot out of the mud brought in </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh32YcWskhNEUycdnPyRHYtBm8hjcOXxHsuvbTKOFdFN_rWXuh7npz2aF9468cKGUdnKOpoeq4Bwlxl15-WwkXkRI3760fMlpo9AUZN4itz2T7OtbMms9DbtbcYSyRdCbFR1OOkig/s1600/insect_potter_wasp_DSC2697.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh32YcWskhNEUycdnPyRHYtBm8hjcOXxHsuvbTKOFdFN_rWXuh7npz2aF9468cKGUdnKOpoeq4Bwlxl15-WwkXkRI3760fMlpo9AUZN4itz2T7OtbMms9DbtbcYSyRdCbFR1OOkig/s640/insect_potter_wasp_DSC2697.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stock the pot with alive but paralysed soft bodied prey like caterpillars and spiders.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ9j9xbRR2jP9F0eE5xdinubgVUfG7498b4wOLwSUMj4G31-tWhsuBoXy1zKnTeXkd6mp8iv4PTSmyAKPkFhg-XYcEG2Hl7_dX-zvxTxUX9lEecgIkTvDJO5EH0Z1UoC4BCvmz4g/s1600/insect_mud_wasp_lays_DSC2023.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ9j9xbRR2jP9F0eE5xdinubgVUfG7498b4wOLwSUMj4G31-tWhsuBoXy1zKnTeXkd6mp8iv4PTSmyAKPkFhg-XYcEG2Hl7_dX-zvxTxUX9lEecgIkTvDJO5EH0Z1UoC4BCvmz4g/s640/insect_mud_wasp_lays_DSC2023.jpg" width="424" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lay a single egg and seal the pot. See sealed pot in image no 1.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<!-- Start of StatCounter Code for Blogger / Blogspot -->
<script type="text/javascript">
var sc_project=7269252;
var sc_invisible=1;
var sc_security="0f0fa4f8";
</script>
<script src="http://www.statcounter.com/counter/counter_xhtml.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
<noscript><div class="statcounter">
<a title="blogspot counter" href="http://statcounter.com/blogger/" class="statcounter"><img class="statcounter" src="http://c.statcounter.com/7269252/0/0f0fa4f8/1/" alt="blogspot counter" /></a></div>
</noscript>
<!-- End of StatCounter Code for Blogger / Blogspot -->Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28723539.post-22164513084011289572015-09-30T00:45:00.002+01:002015-10-05T16:43:40.735+01:00The abundant end of summer<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdwVyrN5KYlF_Ncw3jQtbc3g8eXIOjLyJNZ9bT0RUiocw_wo_x6i02HKDN-JmdKr039fm9x6S7hERu0UUny5iQZ8Jlp265-LhLs2bOLh7ez9eGzrlo4PERhtXeiqE-sBrE3iaksg/s1600/Midge_fumarole_DSC0955.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdwVyrN5KYlF_Ncw3jQtbc3g8eXIOjLyJNZ9bT0RUiocw_wo_x6i02HKDN-JmdKr039fm9x6S7hERu0UUny5iQZ8Jlp265-LhLs2bOLh7ez9eGzrlo4PERhtXeiqE-sBrE3iaksg/s640/Midge_fumarole_DSC0955.JPG" width="640" /></a> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The Don valley parkway was closed this weekend. But it was very very busy in other ways. A few million midges had an end of summer party over it!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPoPDtXlerTec43ZLuTTyoyvKxZ2_GAlENlNq792iPu3FaXp_1v9aU1uB3It06izFcmoL2Xc4MeeHJe7__1zVaVPAhT_AJwkFXEr84rdwTvh4Qy3HpY9hfIYgj3WSG4KogQat_aQ/s1600/Midge_fumarole_sunset_DSC0951.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPoPDtXlerTec43ZLuTTyoyvKxZ2_GAlENlNq792iPu3FaXp_1v9aU1uB3It06izFcmoL2Xc4MeeHJe7__1zVaVPAhT_AJwkFXEr84rdwTvh4Qy3HpY9hfIYgj3WSG4KogQat_aQ/s640/Midge_fumarole_sunset_DSC0951.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
They had fireworks and everything!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwZyaRRIOOZYwgKtW0L3o-8L5hdTprdM0t9YxZJjAxUgt9SzApDfXVRg00XoYZL3LGOTB4QznetDdH4-gjW8e7jJ25B_JYkrzz59VlY_z8CaKVVHhzRQmXHskzdPtPmya4v1bpKw/s1600/Midge_fumarole_sunset_DSC0959.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwZyaRRIOOZYwgKtW0L3o-8L5hdTprdM0t9YxZJjAxUgt9SzApDfXVRg00XoYZL3LGOTB4QznetDdH4-gjW8e7jJ25B_JYkrzz59VlY_z8CaKVVHhzRQmXHskzdPtPmya4v1bpKw/s640/Midge_fumarole_sunset_DSC0959.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
It was quite the show. Summer got a grand send off. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Copyright © Natasha Mhatre
If you're reading this without attribution to me anywhere other than at my blog <a href="http://www.natashamhatre.blogspot.com/">Talking Pictures</a>, its probably being plagiarized.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<!-- Start of StatCounter Code for Blogger / Blogspot -->
<script type="text/javascript">
var sc_project=7269252;
var sc_invisible=1;
var sc_security="0f0fa4f8";
</script>
<script src="http://www.statcounter.com/counter/counter_xhtml.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
<noscript><div class="statcounter">
<a title="blogspot counter" href="http://statcounter.com/blogger/" class="statcounter"><img class="statcounter" src="http://c.statcounter.com/7269252/0/0f0fa4f8/1/" alt="blogspot counter" /></a></div>
</noscript>
<!-- End of StatCounter Code for Blogger / Blogspot --></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28723539.post-76001832413247330732015-07-21T04:12:00.002+01:002015-07-21T04:12:43.027+01:00Learning to fly<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVhNCTH8pDs" target="_blank"><img alt="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVhNCTH8pDs" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvJ3dTyZGK5TsSGebaPyLiH9qwcM4KrBQxaHjpsXyyvoodkpTW8LJ0YAB2u6YveDPoW9sCfI9sGK957nA2Q6PphoA_vdvOKrCm-kfpoFv7f4U7XdetKE1D6ielDkcFPDUMkh2h7w/s640/Hawks_DSC0848.JPG" title="" width="426" /> </a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A young red-tailed hawk gets its devoirs. </div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28723539.post-31636143044833975842015-06-23T16:21:00.001+01:002015-06-23T19:55:47.398+01:00Lightening struck a lot more times than twiceOnce it even struck twice at once. But that I saw, this I photographed. This you'll believe happened.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiclqWqaTOQ4WIWMSAxw-MjGUqk_akymHcttCjPk69fRMs-hER1zi5ozK1T6ju3pNTLlbeQAY-l5ZnWssXvipBB35htZj-DUpfw6bvteoByP3Otdsi0XsPipBH_JaR_um2894Ol_g/s1600/Thunderstorm_DSC0739.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiclqWqaTOQ4WIWMSAxw-MjGUqk_akymHcttCjPk69fRMs-hER1zi5ozK1T6ju3pNTLlbeQAY-l5ZnWssXvipBB35htZj-DUpfw6bvteoByP3Otdsi0XsPipBH_JaR_um2894Ol_g/s640/Thunderstorm_DSC0739.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<!-- Start of StatCounter Code for Blogger / Blogspot -->
<script type="text/javascript">
var sc_project=7269252;
var sc_invisible=1;
var sc_security="0f0fa4f8";
</script>
<script src="http://www.statcounter.com/counter/counter_xhtml.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
<noscript><div class="statcounter">
<a title="blogspot counter" href="http://statcounter.com/blogger/" class="statcounter"><img class="statcounter" src="http://c.statcounter.com/7269252/0/0f0fa4f8/1/" alt="blogspot counter" /></a></div>
</noscript>
<!-- End of StatCounter Code for Blogger / Blogspot -->Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28723539.post-89765224967901903052015-05-25T16:31:00.001+01:002015-05-25T16:49:23.007+01:00A brief glimpse at my weekend<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs2vA-zlt-LtpwHfXjWVbqocIDVylq423Rxc8zXwCtnPxAoFfyhFvnbzZU0wath6vU-GT80KsChSSYPVzVe0h8s4MfQqdiRh88Qgc6YTmSoDbWzbqQtblI4P_0417Oq4wDQhSIsQ/s1600/rsgs_DSC0636.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs2vA-zlt-LtpwHfXjWVbqocIDVylq423Rxc8zXwCtnPxAoFfyhFvnbzZU0wath6vU-GT80KsChSSYPVzVe0h8s4MfQqdiRh88Qgc6YTmSoDbWzbqQtblI4P_0417Oq4wDQhSIsQ/s640/rsgs_DSC0636.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
A self portrait in shadows.</div>
<!-- Start of StatCounter Code for Blogger / Blogspot -->
<script type="text/javascript">
var sc_project=7269252;
var sc_invisible=1;
var sc_security="0f0fa4f8";
</script>
<script src="http://www.statcounter.com/counter/counter_xhtml.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
<noscript><div class="statcounter">
<a title="blogspot counter" href="http://statcounter.com/blogger/" class="statcounter"><img class="statcounter" src="http://c.statcounter.com/7269252/0/0f0fa4f8/1/" alt="blogspot counter" /></a></div>
</noscript>
<!-- End of StatCounter Code for Blogger / Blogspot -->Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28723539.post-20617763567445966282015-05-05T16:38:00.003+01:002015-05-05T16:39:31.586+01:00Moonset, Toronto, Ontario<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moonrise,_Hernandez,_New_Mexico" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moonrise,_Hernandez,_New_Mexico" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi69cTicVPl59THGVn7x2cPv0OFRbeCLglFtjn8YHPx-bQZaEpnw5XcsFKsTqdptlfhyzZZSmojKZNwNpdfoT98qdG9cx5hyKZDHovNrIdTYs3bHaNM9o025JyzHeAuj7WY5ioVxA/s1600/Moonset_DSC0316.JPG" height="424" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strike>Plagiarizing </strike>Paying tribute to the master Or another reason to rise early.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS8zHT32uiH6GmZ19xvKlBPXB17kmaUctMcEznLas_uKgrKYBDRxAayTZW1qAH5_wQUVAsl5fM8PMhN4NwwAYT2TEhRZB4FTD-CvjL80Nd7kyu7CIZMuwE0DfSb33xYfOiQelw3A/s1600/MoonsetMoonset_DSC0316.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28723539.post-1522199132838866682015-05-02T14:35:00.001+01:002015-05-02T14:35:05.752+01:00<div style="text-align: center;">
Oh God, what is this blog descending to. Kitten pictures?!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdK4mOPgj8dJQBhDQIHSNUXWnwxiTNc75GQFpk54qGgtnOGWQ5ZluuN0JlsxqEPN8QOKDrXi3S4eEGT5c_7dnn0T7xRLBi1GQXvaGCOtas_HCe4Fc8ZLIiulAny4NDQ_KYUc3REw/s1600/kittens_DSC9256.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdK4mOPgj8dJQBhDQIHSNUXWnwxiTNc75GQFpk54qGgtnOGWQ5ZluuN0JlsxqEPN8QOKDrXi3S4eEGT5c_7dnn0T7xRLBi1GQXvaGCOtas_HCe4Fc8ZLIiulAny4NDQ_KYUc3REw/s1600/kittens_DSC9256.JPG" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I may have to shut this outfit down soon.</div>
<!-- Start of StatCounter Code for Blogger / Blogspot -->
<script type="text/javascript">
var sc_project=7269252;
var sc_invisible=1;
var sc_security="0f0fa4f8";
</script>
<script src="http://www.statcounter.com/counter/counter_xhtml.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
<noscript><div class="statcounter">
<a title="blogspot counter" href="http://statcounter.com/blogger/" class="statcounter"><img class="statcounter" src="http://c.statcounter.com/7269252/0/0f0fa4f8/1/" alt="blogspot counter" /></a></div>
</noscript>
<!-- End of StatCounter Code for Blogger / Blogspot -->Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28723539.post-31914951032569390052015-04-10T01:23:00.001+01:002015-04-10T01:23:11.980+01:00Split mind<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim7_DrGW5XdNxlzfAsBffCtdCRF5z971ftiUNQ8QqSh0zreNg0zMr96TPbX6HsPJ_RmkhJ5sazeCNGbn7RSHYep2wdXAqcGxqWNr85IkhxKKNaBSYQgW-UTs3Tzt6h3SyYiQOb1w/s1600/NatashaMhatre_DSC9238.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim7_DrGW5XdNxlzfAsBffCtdCRF5z971ftiUNQ8QqSh0zreNg0zMr96TPbX6HsPJ_RmkhJ5sazeCNGbn7RSHYep2wdXAqcGxqWNr85IkhxKKNaBSYQgW-UTs3Tzt6h3SyYiQOb1w/s1600/NatashaMhatre_DSC9238.JPG" height="622" width="640" /> </a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Why are you in my head? I don't remember inviting you! </div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28723539.post-19176746365523882152015-04-06T00:19:00.003+01:002015-04-06T02:08:35.538+01:00A modern son of a modern man<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQns19SnIaEVWvnJeBA3LsGeHHlrL8W6iO6VVB4QGRbArYOyz1HSqkb4fu9JEt99SvJIOM3EHWXQ7LGQPN4ldJwvR_eSWH_sTtuUNGhkN9oaVpHCPI9JooV194WqYftiaYpYlLgQ/s1600/2015-04-05+13.52.12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQns19SnIaEVWvnJeBA3LsGeHHlrL8W6iO6VVB4QGRbArYOyz1HSqkb4fu9JEt99SvJIOM3EHWXQ7LGQPN4ldJwvR_eSWH_sTtuUNGhkN9oaVpHCPI9JooV194WqYftiaYpYlLgQ/s1600/2015-04-05+13.52.12.jpg" height="640" width="426" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strongylodon_macrobotrys">Jade vine</a></div>
<!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2F1.bp.blogspot.com%2F-x9Gzf9zh8s8%2FVSHDApUddAI%2FAAAAAAAAEis%2F3OvmnZN2Bno%2Fs1600%2F2015-04-05%252B13.52.12.jpg&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQns19SnIaEVWvnJeBA3LsGeHHlrL8W6iO6VVB4QGRbArYOyz1HSqkb4fu9JEt99SvJIOM3EHWXQ7LGQPN4ldJwvR_eSWH_sTtuUNGhkN9oaVpHCPI9JooV194WqYftiaYpYlLgQ/s1600/2015-04-05+13.52.12.jpg" -->Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28723539.post-24229600077580335362015-03-02T01:10:00.000+00:002015-03-05T02:47:11.128+00:00#SciArtI know that some of you came here to look at my science art. You may be interested in the fun and games at the #SciArt hash-tag. Don't bother with the 'Is it art' question. No line has been drawn between art, craft, illustration or doodling by anyone at all. This is Twitter after all but its fun nonetheless. Have a look.<br />
<br />
https://twitter.com/hashtag/SciArt<br />
<br />
To look at my word beasts<br />
http://natashamhatre.blogspot.ca/search/label/word%20beasts <br />
<!-- Start of StatCounter Code for Blogger / Blogspot -->
<script type="text/javascript">
var sc_project=7269252;
var sc_invisible=1;
var sc_security="0f0fa4f8";
</script>
<script src="http://www.statcounter.com/counter/counter_xhtml.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
<noscript><div class="statcounter">
<a title="blogspot counter" href="http://statcounter.com/blogger/" class="statcounter"><img class="statcounter" src="http://c.statcounter.com/7269252/0/0f0fa4f8/1/" alt="blogspot counter" /></a></div>
</noscript>
<!-- End of StatCounter Code for Blogger / Blogspot -->Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28723539.post-40254556140345245072015-02-15T00:46:00.001+00:002015-02-15T00:46:53.897+00:00This will not be the last time<div style="text-align: center;">
Either you or I see this. This is the best we can hope for.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHJU3QXMV3ep8Z3UB57GoQ-Y8oDtB6JCIpnQOUH2HUTkF_gT1k-tFCTcHRkh06o0ytiQcUcu7b5seG4Clh5mgtZyV5IQK9-8g5SVvDfR7ole9j8vayL1-IBy9GpdY8kIaOm00VNg/s1600/Untitled_Panorama4+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHJU3QXMV3ep8Z3UB57GoQ-Y8oDtB6JCIpnQOUH2HUTkF_gT1k-tFCTcHRkh06o0ytiQcUcu7b5seG4Clh5mgtZyV5IQK9-8g5SVvDfR7ole9j8vayL1-IBy9GpdY8kIaOm00VNg/s1600/Untitled_Panorama4+copy.jpg" height="162" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I'm afraid I have no photographic wisdom for you. Just photographs.</div>
<!-- Start of StatCounter Code for Blogger / Blogspot -->
<script type="text/javascript">
var sc_project=7269252;
var sc_invisible=1;
var sc_security="0f0fa4f8";
</script>
<script src="http://www.statcounter.com/counter/counter_xhtml.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
<noscript><div class="statcounter">
<a title="blogspot counter" href="http://statcounter.com/blogger/" class="statcounter"><img class="statcounter" src="http://c.statcounter.com/7269252/0/0f0fa4f8/1/" alt="blogspot counter" /></a></div>
</noscript>
<!-- End of StatCounter Code for Blogger / Blogspot -->Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28723539.post-2324263316256957372015-02-06T04:11:00.002+00:002015-02-06T04:36:39.289+00:00Woke up it was a Toronnno morning<div style="text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicVE6LA4Ul770EHsNXu9-PC8UsV8CIJsq62nIO99q4Zdy1r4zIetqzXCRL5SS7751qVqV7DsxDuzgvtZOXFL91luyQxN5O79a-4e6YVuiEZq5tm34cHlcy6bT9wpfwfl_afuGIaw/s1600/Untitled_Panoramacopy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicVE6LA4Ul770EHsNXu9-PC8UsV8CIJsq62nIO99q4Zdy1r4zIetqzXCRL5SS7751qVqV7DsxDuzgvtZOXFL91luyQxN5O79a-4e6YVuiEZq5tm34cHlcy6bT9wpfwfl_afuGIaw/s1600/Untitled_Panoramacopy.jpg" height="132" width="640" /></a></div>
Doesn't have it's own song, but it looks pretty good.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Edit: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Toronto_Song">apparently it does</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_songs_about_Toronto">have quite a few</a>!</div>
<!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2F3.bp.blogspot.com%2F-QbRRRUqYLT8%2FVNQ-b0diIWI%2FAAAAAAAAEfg%2FLlU1XiCkko8%2Fs1600%2FUntitled_Panoramacopy.jpg&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicVE6LA4Ul770EHsNXu9-PC8UsV8CIJsq62nIO99q4Zdy1r4zIetqzXCRL5SS7751qVqV7DsxDuzgvtZOXFL91luyQxN5O79a-4e6YVuiEZq5tm34cHlcy6bT9wpfwfl_afuGIaw/s1600/Untitled_Panoramacopy.jpg" -->Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28723539.post-53349801174667803502014-12-22T02:36:00.001+00:002014-12-22T02:37:04.164+00:00Winter light:Toronto<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVioHIUZElaKaqMunA-LKLaOPfVLi2Rl4m7zvH_jykuz2UeM4QgBgh8Oz7jlEs2gffyIRnhyU3pLgtu997otwMkIptMj1ZLbgNmd_B7rfeQPmudNw-eIVxVGWi2CkfRPHkfXHB8w/s1600/WinterLight_DSC5958.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVioHIUZElaKaqMunA-LKLaOPfVLi2Rl4m7zvH_jykuz2UeM4QgBgh8Oz7jlEs2gffyIRnhyU3pLgtu997otwMkIptMj1ZLbgNmd_B7rfeQPmudNw-eIVxVGWi2CkfRPHkfXHB8w/s1600/WinterLight_DSC5958.JPG" height="424" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYIcobf4c8XA5KY5aoKDmtjPHZe-X6kBRTFyfw6PaRs_Zh35WKPIGp0WbPMixoLJHSt7y3cLaeXisT_o49OIHehB2kjnxkXhC7WsFZjnt-Dcxq3bXK_JPwNWxWuPdPe9ptULtmNA/s1600/WinterLight_DSC5971.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYIcobf4c8XA5KY5aoKDmtjPHZe-X6kBRTFyfw6PaRs_Zh35WKPIGp0WbPMixoLJHSt7y3cLaeXisT_o49OIHehB2kjnxkXhC7WsFZjnt-Dcxq3bXK_JPwNWxWuPdPe9ptULtmNA/s1600/WinterLight_DSC5971.JPG" height="424" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
It's cold but it's bright. Sometimes.</div>
<!-- Start of StatCounter Code for Blogger / Blogspot -->
<script type="text/javascript">
var sc_project=7269252;
var sc_invisible=1;
var sc_security="0f0fa4f8";
</script>
<script src="http://www.statcounter.com/counter/counter_xhtml.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
<noscript><div class="statcounter">
<a title="blogspot counter" href="http://statcounter.com/blogger/" class="statcounter"><img class="statcounter" src="http://c.statcounter.com/7269252/0/0f0fa4f8/1/" alt="blogspot counter" /></a></div>
</noscript>
<!-- End of StatCounter Code for Blogger / Blogspot -->Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28723539.post-1541478646412428372014-10-27T20:55:00.002+00:002014-10-27T20:55:58.053+00:00The precise minute I began regretting not bringing my camera<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPVzs54b9aqNT3jynA4-af7wnlmcuxiAo8urdr5NZcuiiWvcGC9wIW0A6ea1ZonjEPl5vNXcRlMXj6VL-vUqJJoykWpReq4FaCcOQA8eGhjeB8NW69eiDQpbWN4XRdvosdcbhiJQ/s1600/2014-10-28+06.32.20+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPVzs54b9aqNT3jynA4-af7wnlmcuxiAo8urdr5NZcuiiWvcGC9wIW0A6ea1ZonjEPl5vNXcRlMXj6VL-vUqJJoykWpReq4FaCcOQA8eGhjeB8NW69eiDQpbWN4XRdvosdcbhiJQ/s1600/2014-10-28+06.32.20+copy.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<!-- Start of StatCounter Code for Blogger / Blogspot -->
<script type="text/javascript">
var sc_project=7269252;
var sc_invisible=1;
var sc_security="0f0fa4f8";
</script>
<script src="http://www.statcounter.com/counter/counter_xhtml.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
<noscript><div class="statcounter">
<a title="blogspot counter" href="http://statcounter.com/blogger/" class="statcounter"><img class="statcounter" src="http://c.statcounter.com/7269252/0/0f0fa4f8/1/" alt="blogspot counter" /></a></div>
</noscript>
<!-- End of StatCounter Code for Blogger / Blogspot -->Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28723539.post-37354996918113107512014-07-09T11:15:00.000+01:002014-07-09T11:15:13.244+01:00Buzludja: Clouds from both sides<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pbn6a0AFfnM"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijlKNWsMwhvYHO3ktCkVhAYR0DVTOC9QBBWt-lRGKrHDNqYWK7ND6SYz1lIYKVU80pYDLBQObjbo7MMw58NCn2_UtvHKQQCt3V8RgZktbZECUFL0Nd0WHReurr3-bLN4DC0EaElA/s1600/WindowsP1010775.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO2zBu7djXsyVZddbQSrtEOCJM70vfszpfEcXqEqviZlT8CHlnIemeQEbHlwArSv8sG-VRUf4MLaQwE40fa0_ovz63OLz76WNScfXccq1qzG2P1HZI-z9dMBL0HKbsPv0GlgqGTg/s1600/WindowsP1010783.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO2zBu7djXsyVZddbQSrtEOCJM70vfszpfEcXqEqviZlT8CHlnIemeQEbHlwArSv8sG-VRUf4MLaQwE40fa0_ovz63OLz76WNScfXccq1qzG2P1HZI-z9dMBL0HKbsPv0GlgqGTg/s1600/WindowsP1010783.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieNvbfg-I8KiBEBEcrBQtUfXHBXf3h2pO0r8o4Paf4uzjaK7j08RZhNbp_vg8BrOLOYHQtQiPcF2fbuO0RV1svCOruINXDj7qWoOPaNdWOd2WPIyUXT2wvIZbMIC5n5T76NYJTXA/s1600/WindowsP1010888.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieNvbfg-I8KiBEBEcrBQtUfXHBXf3h2pO0r8o4Paf4uzjaK7j08RZhNbp_vg8BrOLOYHQtQiPcF2fbuO0RV1svCOruINXDj7qWoOPaNdWOd2WPIyUXT2wvIZbMIC5n5T76NYJTXA/s1600/WindowsP1010888.JPG" height="426" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<!-- Start of StatCounter Code for Blogger / Blogspot -->
<script type="text/javascript">
var sc_project=7269252;
var sc_invisible=1;
var sc_security="0f0fa4f8";
</script>
<script src="http://www.statcounter.com/counter/counter_xhtml.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
<noscript><div class="statcounter">
<a title="blogspot counter" href="http://statcounter.com/blogger/" class="statcounter"><img class="statcounter" src="http://c.statcounter.com/7269252/0/0f0fa4f8/1/" alt="blogspot counter" /></a></div>
</noscript>
<!-- End of StatCounter Code for Blogger / Blogspot -->Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28723539.post-41996366583833515572014-07-01T14:20:00.001+01:002014-07-01T15:01:08.285+01:00Visiting a spaceship: Buzludja<div style="text-align: center;">
When visiting a spaceship built for the future, be prepared to encounter the past.</div>
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpaUKk_d5TWBQ4BEikUgHWEds7ekttGfACmLuVmf7OXzGI07xVih8mjC9Sbum6S2TnNzraf0X8IViNwlvbvhzsSeeO8ETtO5C5s1NTrEbI1lxS8bXVLTfLT_gKqR-Aw80N7amHgA/s1600/DSCF0348.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpaUKk_d5TWBQ4BEikUgHWEds7ekttGfACmLuVmf7OXzGI07xVih8mjC9Sbum6S2TnNzraf0X8IViNwlvbvhzsSeeO8ETtO5C5s1NTrEbI1lxS8bXVLTfLT_gKqR-Aw80N7amHgA/s1600/DSCF0348.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjigEShy1OsTfksGBGC5I8Nx8TcWGV-C3N_F4qgC86cpsl0-OJczRWYdIE2PtZl41GRKF-DtwMYEFZT-59c41Hnf_8vIehoDqT-Uo97yAm0sZY9MJdiPFTi7ZSuVW3Lh0WnvL8OYA/s1600/DSCF0335.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjigEShy1OsTfksGBGC5I8Nx8TcWGV-C3N_F4qgC86cpsl0-OJczRWYdIE2PtZl41GRKF-DtwMYEFZT-59c41Hnf_8vIehoDqT-Uo97yAm0sZY9MJdiPFTi7ZSuVW3Lh0WnvL8OYA/s1600/DSCF0335.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgEp1m33-3fg_GJiFtELQhIVznKv5Dgs1sjNCnFAuYzUvhkTJudROTH8vOgEf7yD8lL2pGTjkNEoT3kZv9roqyEGKFjDNkOyYL4caK7cHuG-2M4e1_k2gEhUBrjAiCbrwuAHq4PA/s1600/DSCF0302.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgEp1m33-3fg_GJiFtELQhIVznKv5Dgs1sjNCnFAuYzUvhkTJudROTH8vOgEf7yD8lL2pGTjkNEoT3kZv9roqyEGKFjDNkOyYL4caK7cHuG-2M4e1_k2gEhUBrjAiCbrwuAHq4PA/s1600/DSCF0302.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<a href="http://buzludja.com/">More when I can.</a><br />
<!-- Start of StatCounter Code for Blogger / Blogspot -->
<script type="text/javascript">
var sc_project=7269252;
var sc_invisible=1;
var sc_security="0f0fa4f8";
</script>
<script src="http://www.statcounter.com/counter/counter_xhtml.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
<noscript><div class="statcounter">
<a title="blogspot counter" href="http://statcounter.com/blogger/" class="statcounter"><img class="statcounter" src="http://c.statcounter.com/7269252/0/0f0fa4f8/1/" alt="blogspot counter" /></a></div>
</noscript>
<!-- End of StatCounter Code for Blogger / Blogspot -->Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28723539.post-41146786917624507062014-06-26T23:21:00.001+01:002014-07-02T12:40:58.032+01:00Secret lives: it's a kotwal, ya drongo<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuzawPrj-8_mO3pw0dZIGDdHuGmjkWhhr9lbyDPzqbg6Pzv0GKHNbvo_cCCqTjfN7pURjRzxpQAXXJ5feZnLus3HERTL_FJ0apeoSom3FkNIQ_57ykHfwXFiESEDrCsOZ8Cgzi-Q/s1600/page46_bird_black_drongo_DSC0006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuzawPrj-8_mO3pw0dZIGDdHuGmjkWhhr9lbyDPzqbg6Pzv0GKHNbvo_cCCqTjfN7pURjRzxpQAXXJ5feZnLus3HERTL_FJ0apeoSom3FkNIQ_57ykHfwXFiESEDrCsOZ8Cgzi-Q/s1600/page46_bird_black_drongo_DSC0006.jpg" height="424" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Continuing in the theme of names:<br />
<br />
A black form flies<br />
chasing would-be thief<br />
and with harsh cries<br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6DT-8jVfpyU">defies him to try again</a>.<br />
He's a king, not crow,<br />
he's a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_drongo">black drongo</a>.<br />
<br />
Before him a bee<br />
twists him in flight.<br />
Though you cannot see,<br />
he has it in a trice.<br />
He's a king, not crow,<br />
he's a black drongo.<br />
<br />
My song is mine<br />
but yours is too.<br />
I use it as a sign<br />
<a href="http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/05/140501-drongo-kalahari-desert-meerkat-mimicry-science/">to misdirect and fool</a>.<br />
I am a king, not crow,<br />
I'm a black drongo.<br />
<br />
But he too is fooled<br />
raises anothers child<br />
and is <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Drongo#cite_note-48">cuckool'd</a>.<br />
Sometimes it no use<br />
being a king, not crow,<br />
sometimes, you're just<br />
a black drongo.<br />
<!-- Start of StatCounter Code for Blogger / Blogspot -->
<script type="text/javascript">
var sc_project=7269252;
var sc_invisible=1;
var sc_security="0f0fa4f8";
</script>
<script src="http://www.statcounter.com/counter/counter_xhtml.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
<noscript><div class="statcounter">
<a title="blogspot counter" href="http://statcounter.com/blogger/" class="statcounter"><img class="statcounter" src="http://c.statcounter.com/7269252/0/0f0fa4f8/1/" alt="blogspot counter" /></a></div>
</noscript>
<!-- End of StatCounter Code for Blogger / Blogspot -->Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28723539.post-6756492119337990752014-06-11T08:48:00.000+01:002014-06-11T08:48:56.030+01:00Secret lives: Parasitoid wasp<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZBQ1Z5rsSB2V10BJhxgp1YBrim9y1bG229Bn3GresBdhTR_3y8qwSeDT0eN91LdW9IscxoS8tiHIS4bCDBuJI0HQ1iir5X5ETfaUfYx3tgkgJNwjtkq05KS5Rt1U-AI_O60kzMw/s1600/page46_insect_parasitic_wasp_DSC0808small.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZBQ1Z5rsSB2V10BJhxgp1YBrim9y1bG229Bn3GresBdhTR_3y8qwSeDT0eN91LdW9IscxoS8tiHIS4bCDBuJI0HQ1iir5X5ETfaUfYx3tgkgJNwjtkq05KS5Rt1U-AI_O60kzMw/s1600/page46_insect_parasitic_wasp_DSC0808small.JPG" height="424" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This caterpillar puts up an impressive display of defences. An bushy density of barbed utricating hairs covering every segment, pointed in all directions. And for all that they mean naught to our elegant little wasp, the wasp with iridescent wings, and a fragile waist. A slick player so small that it gets lost within the defences of the caterpillar. It is precisely because it is so small that it can get past the hair that keep large predators and perhaps even larger wasps away. Good things, small packages.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
It is leaving some packages of its own behind. This is a parasitoid wasp. Such an innocuous sounding word, not parasite, merely like a parasite. An -oid, eidos, form of, an imperfect resemblance. But this imperfection is not in the least bit innocuous, it is very very sinister. This wasps imperfection is that it will kill the caterpillar. Well, its progeny will. The eggs it is laying in that caterpillar will hatch into larvae. These larvae will feed on the caterpillar from within until they are ready to pupate. At this point they will eat their way out of the caterpillar, now an emptied and dead cul-de-sac, and will pupate once outside.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
A good parasite loves its host. It keeps it alive. In possibly the most ancient case we know, it loves it so much it nurtures it (our lovely <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endosymbiotic_theory">endosymbionts</a>: mitochondria, chloroplasts). The perfect parasite is one where the host cannot live without its parasite. To kill your host means you must find another one: a very imperfect situation. So, a parasitoid, an imperfect parasite.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
'I'm Gentleman Death in silk and lace, come to put out the candles. The canker in the heart of the rose.'</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Vampire_Lestat">Anne Rice</a>.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<!-- Start of StatCounter Code for Blogger / Blogspot -->
<script type="text/javascript">
var sc_project=7269252;
var sc_invisible=1;
var sc_security="0f0fa4f8";
</script>
<script src="http://www.statcounter.com/counter/counter_xhtml.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
<noscript><div class="statcounter">
<a title="blogspot counter" href="http://statcounter.com/blogger/" class="statcounter"><img class="statcounter" src="http://c.statcounter.com/7269252/0/0f0fa4f8/1/" alt="blogspot counter" /></a></div>
</noscript>
<!-- End of StatCounter Code for Blogger / Blogspot -->Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0