We finally saw our first real snow of Winter 2021/2022. Up to this point, all I had measured by eye was a total accumulation of less than two inches. This 7-8 inch dump overnight is as close to a real storm as we are likely to get before the end of the year.
Enough said. I won't get up on my climate change high horse and beat the Humanity is killing itself drum.
Which brings me to caterpillars.
This future Aussie moth, the Uraba Lugens, has a very unique defense mechanism not included at birth. It actually creates that so very cool head dress as a defense against its arch enemy, the stink bug.
As it grows, the uraba lugens has to discard one skin for a newer more roomier one. Not one to leave its trash kicking around for others to trip over, this catepillar eats its old skin but saves the head to become another ornament on top of the last head. And so it goes. Eventually as its end time nears, it looks like the dashing dude chilling a few lines up. The stink bug, who everyone knows is not the brightest bug to fly to the flame, becomes confused and befuddled when confronted with this five headed monstrosity. It loses its cool and blindly tries to stab its proboscis into one head after another attempting to suck out the little Uraba's vital juices.
Looking good is far more important to these sharply festooned critters. It's a matter of survival.
All this bug watching and conversation again makes me wonder if I did miss my calling back in the day when I decided to not pursue a science oriented career. I can remember declaring I was going to be a marine biologist. And sharks were going to be my focus. ..........................
I will never know that "what if". All I can do is embrace what was, what is and what will be.
Later Gator ..........................................
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PS - Music this Sunday is an appropriate tune written by Tom Waits and this is by Beth Hart.
I will close with a collage of a few locals who spend their summer here growing fat and beautiful.
6 comments:
it's actually cold here today. Oh wait. It's 51 and sunny. low of 35. next weekend will be 80 degrees. I love that little headdress wearing 'pillar.
The first winter I spent at Bangor (Dow Airplane Patch) I thought I was going to see my first green Xmas, but it snowed Xmas Eve.
Smithsonian is on my bucket list.
Coffee is on and stay safe
I, myself considered going into entomology. As a child, I was always digging under rocks for bugs and I had an insect collection. My mother used to sew these elaborate girly dresses with puffy sleeves and satin sashes, which would immediately become totally filthy when I ran outdoors and instantly started digging for grubs or other bugs! I didn't actually become an entomologist, but I still do insect and botanical watercolors. Once I had to create 100 art objects for an art class, so I did 100 insect watercolors.
While I have a passion for biology….. I would not be good as an entomologist. Even though I DO work with fruit flies in addition to my beloved rodents (research with fruit flies is faster so for some collaborative research work with students it has strong benefits)….. some insects would be beyond my ability to deal with (cockroaches for example). In one of my lab CLASSES, I do also have a few labs that use crickets.
PipeTobacco
Have you ever seen snow gnats here in Maine. They do exist.
the Ol'Buzzard
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