Far Cartouche

Circus of the Spineless is about to be launched.

It is! It is! Circus of the Spineless #1 is up in all it's creeping slithering, fluttering fury!!
I mean Glory!
Hosted most excellently by milkreviverblog

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The Spiders of Summer

Late last spring I finally got a digital camera.

Way back in the dawn of time, when computers were only used by dinosaurs, and at that only for servo-control, my weaselly little mind rebelled: I knew I could take silly pictures with computers, even if I had to create the technology myself. I embarked upon a decades long tangent, which took me far away from silly pictures, and strapped the iron mask of a career to my face.

Late last spring I finally got a digital camera, discovered the spiders in my back yard, and started posting some pictures in my photoblog Middle-Fork.
Below is a slightly annotated link to each image. I'm less than an amateur in understanding spiders - if anything here is wrong I'd love to be corrected. All of the pictures mentioned are on one page in the archive of spiders.

At the beginning, enjoying the daisies, I discovered this shiny character. Searching further, over the next few days, I found another one with a meal handy, and one without. This one has a ladybug.

Next I discovered a miniature version, just waiting to spring into action.

Then one day, on this gloriously purple weed, I found a goldenrod spider supping on a bee. They were buried inside the globe of budlets, and throughout the rest of the afternoon I slowly snipped some away, letting more and even more sunlight in on the scene. The spider was not happy, and kept scooting backwards into the forest of stemlets.

A few days later I found this critter on a prodigious volunteer plant next to the house. Later, inspecting the roses, I spotted this spider running around on the ground. I picked it up when it perched on a petal, and set it on a yellow rose. I believe I dumped some dirt on it.

Came the day the garden spiders reign supreme. They are everywhere, and work quickly. I caught this bee wrapping operation in action. This is the same spider, but a different bee.

The next day must have been Spider Valentine's Day for all the web twitching and ancy-dancing going on.

Of course, the grass spiders are lurking. I first noticed this fine specimen, but never saw it again.
This creature is established about a foot in the air in an out-of-the-mammal's-ways weed. Here's another shot.

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It's starting to be chill; there are orange boughs in the maple. I expect the spider boom towns will be pulling up stakes soon.

28 Sept Update: Not a spider, but this charming bee mimic flew in for a visit today.

Carnival of the Cats #79 is all over it at Yourish.com.

Lady is head over heels over to the 53rd Friday Ark kindly hosted by Modulator.

Two Rovegs

Modulator is doing that rocking thing again with Friday Ark #52.

Here are some pictures of the yellow warblers in action. I'm surprised that any of these shots came out, and to have a few moths in on it too!

Many more beautiful birds at I and the Bird #6 hosted by Birdchick Blog.

Carnival of the Cats #77 is rolicking at Blog d'Elisson. Elisson always does a great job hosting, providing just the right amount of intro for everyone's entries.

Today a flock of yellow warblers came to feast on the cloud of moths in our backyard. The one pictured above and at Middle-Fork was lurking in the grapes, watching the cats in the windows.

15 Sep 2005 - Here they are in action!

I've been having fun with Google Maps API. Here's my first bit of hacking, some photos from the forest, a hike on 05 Sep 2005 south of Diamond Peak and west of Summit Lake.

Col Swathmore at the Excedrin Blimp Fields - Envelope 6

Modulator - wherein one finds "A gathering of thoughts on life, politics, economics, culture and......" an industrious builder of arks full of critters - launches one every Friday. Cats are the most numerous, and I help kick the wheel every week with the help of our own feline crew, but other critters wander by as well. I certainly try to send an invertebrae or two packing each week.

This week's Friday Ark is up and running.

Egm Ponders Implied Nack

Roveg's Rennetless Rhapsody

all cheese
all milk
all butter
sen proxmire

place ingredients in all electrical appliances and treat for six days

serves all
(if more are expected, double portions.)