Just for PZ (and assorted arachnophiles)

Lasz week I came up the stairs from the cellar and look what I found!

I have no clue what species this is, apart from “fucking big”, as it is about two inches across. I took some pics and then carefully relocated it to where it was less likely to lead to demands of “immediate violent death” from other people.

In case you’re wondering the strange surface, the previous owners glued carpet scraps to the stairs. If there’s a hell for bad DIY, the dude is going to spend eternity scraping glue off things. Pics below the fold.

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Alphabet Colors: Introduction

Nightjar has been hard at work on a project…

Ten months ago it occurred to me that doing an alphabet round based on colors could be a fun challenge. I was going through a difficult phase at the time and needed something to keep me distracted, so I had this idea of picking a color for each letter of the alphabet, trying to find it in nature and capturing it in a photo. Easier said than done, it turns out! For many letters there aren’t that many (or any) options available and some colors can be difficult to interpret and capture. I tried to stay away from silly color names and stick to the natural world as a source of inspiration. Those were the only rules. It was a fun and instructive exercise and I’m excited to finally share the results. I hope you enjoy it. But before we get to the letter A I thought I’d start with an introduction to the theme of colors in nature: a close-up of a rainbow!

©Nightjar, all rights reserved

June Light

It’s that wonderful time of the month when Nightjar shares her portraits of light.

In the month of the Summer Solstice sunlight is brighter than ever and nature is bracing for the dry season. Many wildflowers have gone to seed and are drying out already (some are doing weird stuff like the wild chive in the last photo… perhaps confused by the unstable weather?) and bugs are very busy. Backlighting is trickier this time of the year but I tried to play with June Light from all angles and I think it was worth it.

©Nightjar, all rights reserved

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Jack’s Walk

©voyager, all rights reserved

Our weather has finally warmed up and the past few days have been pleasantly warm and summer-like. Unfortunately, that isn’t the case for many of our readers, especially those across Europe who are enduring a heat wave. Jack and I hope you find ways to stay cool, safe and hydrated. Jack says all you need is water – drink, splash, swim and stay cool. I say a little air-conditioning might be a good thing, too.

Jack’s Walk

©voyager, all rights reserved

I’ve been low on energy for the past few days so Jack and I have been taking short walks close to home. Today, though, I woke up with a smidge of get-up-and-go, so we did. We got up and went to the river and I’m happy to report that the flooding has resolved and all the paths were clear and dry. Jack had fun splashing around and a HappyJack™ makes for a happy voyager.

Jack’s Walk

©voyager, all rights reserved

These peonies are so fragrant that I could smell them on the breeze from 2 houses away. The scent was so lovely and sweet that I felt just like the person in cartoons who leans forward on a wafting smell and then creeps on tiptoe toward it. I wish I could share just how heavenly the fragrance was, but mere words wouldn’t do it justice and the internet can’t smell like peonies. Here’s a nice photo, though.

©voyager, all rights reserved

The Age of Digitalis

Or: It’s all natural and plant based!

Wild digitalis is blooming in the woods all around and the family tradition of warning the kids away because it’s fucking poisonous keeps living on. “Keeping away” fortunately does not mean “do not take pictures”, so you get some treats. Sadly I think it’s a plant that defies photography: Take a pic of the whole plant and the beautiful individual flowers don’t show up right, take one of an individual flower and the beauty of the whole is lost.

©Giliell, all rights reserved

©Giliell, all rights reserved

©Giliell, all rights reserved

©Giliell, all rights reserved

©Giliell, all rights reserved

The bugs apparently don’t mind.
©Giliell, all rights reserved

I also found a white one. While there are bred white garden varieties, I don’t think that this one is, since it’s a far way form any garden and in the middle of a sea of purple ones.

©Giliell, all rights reserved

©Giliell, all rights reserved

©Giliell, all rights reserved

Jack’s Walk

©voyager, all rights reserved

It’s about as perfect as a day can get around here. The sun is shining, the sky is blue, the air is warm with just a gentle breeze and all the growing things are happy. Jack and I took to the woods this morning and this afternoon we’ll be out in the yard. The forecast for the whole weekend is supposed to be just like today, which is perfect. I have an old friend visiting from Cobourg tomorrow and I’m planning a picnic by the lake for us on Sunday. A little homemade potato salad, some lovely crusty rolls with real butter (I’m usually not allowed, but it’s a special occasion), some six bean salad, crudités with a sour cream and bacon dip, fried chicken, a good old chedder, grapes, cherries, watermelon, and a strawberry pie. Yum!

I hope everyone has a good weekend and if you get a chance plan a picnic for yourself.