Category Archives: nature

Art, nature, Science

Tiny But Not Timid, Maria Fernanda Cardoso’s ‘Spiders of Paradise’ Show Their True Colors — Colossal

 

“The Maratus spiders of Australia are the most colourful, flamboyant, sexy, and charming spiders on the planet,” says Maria Fernanda Cardoso, whose vibrant portraits capture the tiny creatures in remarkable detail. Kicking off a tour throughout Australia, the photographer’s exhibition Spiders of Paradise, organized in collaboration with the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, highlights the arachnids’ incredible diversity.Maratus are commonly referred to as “peacock spiders” due to the males’ brilliant displays during courtship rituals—and in some cases, combat. When a male woos a partner, he raises his legs, displays a brightly patterned abdomen, and dances as if there’s no tomorrow—literally. If he isn’t successful and allowed to mate, the female may eat him instead.The genus Maratus consists of more than 100 unique species, and averaging only about three to five millimeters in size, the minuscule jumpers are smaller than a grain of rice. “To me, their use of colour, gesture, sound, and movement makes them sophisticated and performing artists,” Cardoso says.

Source: Tiny But Not Timid, Maria Fernanda Cardoso’s ‘Spiders of Paradise’ Show Their True Colors — Colossal

nature, Science

‘Water bear’ genomes reveal the secrets of extreme survival

‘Water bear’ genomes reveal the secrets of extreme survivalby Casey McGrath, Society for Molecular Biology and EvolutionA photograph of the tardigrade Ramazzottius varieornatus, in the center of a phylogeny of CAHS, the largest of the six desiccation-related protein families analyzed in this study. Credit: Kazuharu Arakawa, Keio Institute of Advanced BiosciencesTardigrades may be nature’s ultimate survivors. While these tiny, nearly translucent animals are easily overlooked, they represent a diverse group that has successfully colonized freshwater, marine, and terrestrial environments on every continent, including Antarctica.

Source: ‘Water bear’ genomes reveal the secrets of extreme survival

Monday Musings, nature

Monday Musings — 4DEC23

It’s Monday, what’s on my mind?

Here’s a blue line of a page I’m working on for my comic. It’s going really slow, but I am working on it. I’ll post inks for this page next week. I have them done, but not scanned.

Everything is going slow for me. Low energy because of the chemo, and etc. Some days I just have energy to watch videos and do some light housework, and that’s it. Even sitting at a drawing board seems like a lot, which it shouldn’t, but does. When I force myself to do art it feels good, so I try to do that, if I don’t fall asleep first. LOL But stuff gets done, really.

Now for some health/science news. Check out the video.

A video about why statins aren’t really doing what they say, and are not all that good for you.

Writing this Sunday night actually, and we are getting snow. Supposedly about 6 inches by morning. I’ll let you know.

Yep. Snow. Not quite 6 inches but pretty close, and still coming down at 7AM. Now to get ready for my appointment.

Stay warm, careful shoveling, and remember, that this ends like everything else.

gardening, nature, Uncategorized

Why Landscape Fabric Should be Avoided in a Garden

Landscape fabric causes ecosystem damage and limits functionality. There are better options for suppressing weeds.

Source: Why Landscape Fabric Should be Avoided in a Garden

There are better ways to keep weeds down and create a low maintenance space. Start by avoiding spacing your plants in an area covered with landscape fabric and imported mulch. Instead, choose eco-friendly and sustainable natural options to make your life easier in the garden.

  • Select a diverse range of plants suited to your location. Perennials and self-seeders will help to create a more affordable and low maintenance scheme that just gets better over time.
  • Combine plants to create areas of dense, layered planting, with less space for weeds. By choosing the right combinations of plants for your polyculture (which will not compete overly with one another), you can sow more densely, with a layered planting scheme.
  • Use ground cover planting to protect the soil and reduce weed growth. 
  • Line beds, borders, or pathways with spring bulbs or other plants to suppress grass and weed ingress into growing areas.
  • Choose organic mulches wisely to suit the setting, and ideally source materials from elsewhere in your garden or as close to home as possible. Thick organic mulches won’t eliminate weeds entirely but they can help to keep them under control, while adding fertility and conserving water in the soil.
Art, my art, nature

Raven Tree Totem

Raven Tree Totem 11x14 Ink on Paper
Raven Tree Totem — 11×14 Ink on Paper

Did this back in February, but it’s been packed away, since then. A Raven totem on a dead, but standing tree, basically it was symbolizing my (still) holey spine, and ribs, with the Raven as a symbol of luck and revival. If you subscribed to my newsletter you would have seen this already. You can do that by clicking here or use the form on the right side of the page.