Prattle About Live Things You Saw: Nature

[charlou]

And it's not news to you and me, nor many others.
But why are some of us there while others are not.

Found a link ..it was part of an larger interesting conversation to listen to on my way to work, as they so often are.

http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/...-burke/4981002

[borealis]

I'll listen to that later, thanks.

[borealis]

Today i saw a salamander, one of these guys:

nmp


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spotted_salamander

I haven't seen one in a lot of years, they're really good at staying out of sight, under ground, under leaves, under water. This one was on the edge of my neighbour's little pond at their cottage. The pond was meant by a previous owner to be decorative, but nature has taken it over and there's only one spot you can even get close to the edge of it now.

These animals are SO NEAT!!!

They can lose all kinds of bits of themselves and grow them back. They can live to be over thirty years old. They all go back to their pools to mate in one single night! Their eggs can do a symbiosis thing with algae to get more oxygen.

Their skin (I didn't touch this one, but I've touched them as a kid) is the weirdest feeling integument I've ever touched. It looks shiny and wet but is dry and almost tacky.

This guy (or girl) was on the small side, I've seen bigger ones.

made my day.

[Dionysus]

That's quite surprising to me - don't normally associate classy salamanders like that with Canada.

[borealis]

Afaik in this province we only have this one and the little red-back ones which are extremely common.

[Magicziggy]

Today we completed our move. On the way out if the old place we saw a rather unwell and injured six legged huntsman in the laundry.


But every house should have a resident huntsman. And the new place has its guardian in the downstairs room.


She's about 2" top to bottom.

Not so welcome is the swarm of bees that's emerging from the rotting timber beam outside and slowly making its way inside through a tiny gap. Blutak means they can't come in any more and the bee man will be here in the morning.

[Magicziggy]

Originally Posted by borealis

Today i saw a salamander, one of these guys:

nmp


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spotted_salamander

I haven't seen one in a lot of years, they're really good at staying out of sight, under ground, under leaves, under water. This one was on the edge of my neighbour's little pond at their cottage. The pond was meant by a previous owner to be decorative, but nature has taken it over and there's only one spot you can even get close to the edge of it now.

These animals are SO NEAT!!!

They can lose all kinds of bits of themselves and grow them back. They can live to be over thirty years old. They all go back to their pools to mate in one single night! Their eggs can do a symbiosis thing with algae to get more oxygen.

Their skin (I didn't touch this one, but I've touched them as a kid) is the weirdest feeling integument I've ever touched. It looks shiny and wet but is dry and almost tacky.

This guy (or girl) was on the small side, I've seen bigger ones.

made my day.

How do you sex a salamander?

[borealis]

Damned if I know.

ETA: Nice spider.

[gib]

what kind of bees are they?

[borealis]

if a bee man is coming, probably honeybees. Unless by 'bee man' MZ means 'exterminator'.

[gib]

Spoiler

[borealis]

lol!

For MZ:

[borealis]

Live things I did not expect or want to see on the ninth of October:

There's been a late hatch of bitey little blackflies (simuliidae or little bastards). It's been pretty warm, and these guys were a plague coming back from our walk.

Otherwise it is firggin' gorgeous here lately.

[Magicziggy]

0916HR

BEES REGROUPING ON EASTERN PERIMETER

OPERATION STRIPY CRITTER ON HOLD: CAPTURE/EXTERMINATE INSTRUCTION PENDING

THE BEE MAN MIA

AWAITING FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS FROM THE AGENT

[borealis]

:smile ybee:
:smile ybee:
:smile ybee:
:smile ybee:
:smile ybee:

[MSG]

[borealis]

oooo nooooo, not the bee eaters!!!!!

[MSG]

[borealis]

Wow, pretty!

[Magicziggy]

The bee man cometh..



And has goneth..

99.1% talc, 0.9% daisy bush is the chemical weapon of choice.

[borealis]

oh crap, he's a killer.

[borealis]

There's nice big spiderweb in my porch. Kept meaning to sweep it down, thought it was unoccupied too. So this aft a housefly buzzed in the door when I was letting the cat in. I hate houseflies. I batted at it, hoping it would go right back out the door, but instead my hit whacked it right into the spiderweb. And this little tiny spider came tearing out of nowhere down the web and killed the fly in about half a second. Awesome. Left the web up.

[gib]

Originally Posted by Magicziggy

The bee man cometh..



And has goneth..

99.1% talc, 0.9% daisy bush is the chemical weapon of choice.

what's going on with those timbers just above the guy's head?

[MZ admin]

That area is a carport. Of sorts.
There's a bit of shade cloth over the timbers and the timber is rotten.
The room above has French doors that open onto the shade cloth, only fortunately they don't because they've been padlocked shut.

[gib]

are you buying or renting