It’s National Moth Week Again
I can’t wait, this Friday I am going to a moth spotlighting event. The last time I attended one, we saw all manner of strange nocturnal animals: moths, bugs, spiders, … Continue reading
How Dare Plants Vary!
I suspect we as humans want all plants and animals of a particular kind to always look the way we think they should. After learning to recognize a plant, it … Continue reading
Friday Night’s Photo Adventure—Cactus
It’s Sunday afternoon now. Friday night, you feel like forever ago, but that’s when I got the call. My father-in-law called to let me know his night-blooming cactus was about … Continue reading
Star Wars Knockoffs Provide Comic Relief
Well I usually write about plants and bugs here, but really my blog is a creative outlet to write and present things not suitable for anywhere else, because, well, because … Continue reading
Florida’s Paw Paw Refugium
A concept on my mind for a few years now is the intriguing idea of refugia—places less affected by glaciation (or other difficult situations) during ice ages to where plants … Continue reading
Books about unusual places, landforms, human artifacts & etc.
I’m trying to compile a list of books that talk about the feeling of “place,” and/or delve into unusual places, or features of the land, both natural and manmade.
Lost & Found—the Atala Butterfly
Let’s look at another Lazarus species (believed extinct but found alive). This time, let’s choose an animal: I present the beautiful little gem that is the atala butterfly.
Lost & Found Creatures—The Lazarus Species
So-called “Lazarus species” are living things declared extinct, only to be rediscovered alive at a later date; sometimes much later.
Moth Week without even trying
Every week is moth week! Or should be anyway. These underappreciated cousins of butterflies are just as important and beautiful as butterflies. Many of them are quite stunning. My friends … Continue reading
The spider in my bookshelf or the well-read arachnid
It seems a spider has taken up residence among some of my books.
Time Travel by Means of Camera
Remember the 1960 flick “The Time Machine”? I loved the scene when the machine traveled through time, unchanged, while all around it changed dramatically; civilizations rising and collapsing, even mountains … Continue reading
My Favorite Punctuation—Today at Least
There are those punctuation marks people always confuse, misuse, and therefore try to generally avoid, e.g. the apostrophe. Many of its uses are indeed archaic, though not all. And while … Continue reading
What the Mastodons Ate
I’ve been researching topics like “anachronistic fruit” for a short while now. In short, there are fruits and other plant characteristics that seem to exist for no good reason—that is … Continue reading
The Lazy Birdwatcher
I despise getting up early. It is painful for me. Unfortunately, though I don’t consider myself a birder, most birdwatching requires early-hour traipses through all sorts of natural and manmade … Continue reading
Anna Atkins, Cyanotypes and British Botany
Anna Atkins was a British botanist of the 19th century. She was born on this day, March 16, in 1799. Her notability is due to her novel use of the … Continue reading
Shadow People are Real—A Halloween Post
I once lived in an apartment on the top floor of a brick, two-story house in Queens, New York. My relatives had lived in that house since the 1930s, and … Continue reading
A Year+ as a Professional Writer
Wow, I can hardly believe I’m writing these words, particularly the title of this post. In May 2013, I happily accepted the position as a full-time writer/editor/photographer, etc., at Fairchild … Continue reading
177 Years Ago Today . . . The Seminole Wars
Key Biscayne sits off the east coast of South Florida, just south of Miami Beach, and north of the beginning of the Florida Keys archipelago. It faces out to the … Continue reading
Still Plays with Toys in the Tub
One of my earliest memories is refusing to leave the tub until all the water drained out, so that I could stay in as long as possible. My mother would … Continue reading
Spring Treats
Spring is different in South Florida than in most parts of the country. Though we do have seasons, their transitions are more recognizable due to changes in humidity and the … Continue reading
Animals Adrift in my Suburban Pool
Getting dressed this morning for another routine day, I opened the curtains to let in some, but not too much, light. I don’t like seeing myself too clearly in the morning. … Continue reading
Ocean Rocks Part Two — Ball’s Pyramid
Nearly a year ago I wrote about Rockall, an odd lump sticking out of the North Atlantic. I’m finally getting around to another ocean rock. What’s the hurry?
The Silver Green Forgotten Cemetery
Welcome to the second of my posts on interesting cemeteries. Last time I wrote about how wonderful cemeteries are for exploring. They contain great artwork and history in stone, interesting … Continue reading
Mangrove Finds — A Quick Follow Up
I can’t believe it. In my last post on finding cool stuff at the beach and in the mangroves, I failed to include one of the strangest things I’ve found.
Beachcombing for Things You Cannot Buy
Beachcombing ‘for’ isn’t even accurate. You can’t beachcomb for anything. You get what King Neptune thinks you need, and maybe you need nothing. And in the spirit of full disclosure, … Continue reading
Old Bones and (Nearly) Forgotten Cemeteries
Do you ever explore cemeteries? I’m one of those people who likes to walk around old graveyards. A taphophile is one who digs (Ha ha, get it? Sorry) graves, cemeteries, … Continue reading
Rainbow Scarab Greeting
Got a sweet but brief greeting from a rainbow scarab beetle just now. I scooped her out of the pool. I consider it a nice reward for some little yardwork. … Continue reading
The Island Can Only Be Found by Those Not Seeking It
While perusing CNN for anything of interest this headline grabbed my attention: “An ‘Undiscovered’ South Pacific Island”
In the Heart of the Sea
Today is the anniversary of a remarkable event in nautical history. The whaleship Essex, stove and sunk by a whale: the victim/leviathan fought back. The ultimate text on this tale … Continue reading
The Mushrooms Have Arrived!
Back here, I mentioned sending away for a kit to grow my own luminescent mushrooms. I’d like to follow up as I promised myself I would, and let you know … Continue reading
On this Day in Publishing History …
When I opened Google today, the Google doodle featured this beautiful scene from one of my favorite author’s magnum opus:
Vestiges — Ancient and Otherwise — in New York City
I recently returned from a long weekend in NYC. I hadn’t been back since 2008, and as always it has changed a lot. A bit cleaner and seemingly safer; consequently … Continue reading
The Mushrooms are Coming!
Or the mycelial fruit bodies are, via the USPS or UPS, not sure which. On my life’s list of goals has been to find and photograph bioluminescent mushrooms in the … Continue reading
One of my Favorite Creepy Words — and Why
As a young linguist (I love saying that, though it sounds way pompous), I most loved the little tidbits of linguistic lore some of my favorite professors would bestow on … Continue reading
Miami Love Motels along the Tamiami Trail of Tears
I would like to thank my fellow blogger at http://forkinmyeye.com/ for inspiring this post. Check out this one in particular for some better photos of old signs. I’ve long been fascinated by … Continue reading
Tropical Storm Brings Most Welcome Visitors
Is it because I drew them to me emotionally/spiritually/attitudinally, or did the change in barometric pressure due to T.S. Debbie Debby cause a change in behavior in these two beautiful … Continue reading
Further Fungi Following me Home, et al.
Ok, what the hell is this? I love mushrooms. I still think they may have an extraterrestrial origin. But these recent visitors to my front yard are just so weird. … Continue reading
Moonlore: Our Verdant Satellite that Never Was
One August morning in 1835, New Yorkers awoke to the increasing heat and humidity of a typical northeast summer. Any one of them wanting to read about the events going … Continue reading
Ocean Rocks, Remote and Romantic — A Series for Those Who Stare at Maps
I’ve always loved to think and daydream. And maps and globes have always been catalysts to my daydreaming and pondering — particularly the little dots in the middle of nowhere … Continue reading
Bioluminescence Comes in Many Forms
It seems as though it is that time of year again, when I become intrigued and enchanted by fungi. I always am, of course, but now in warmer weather I … Continue reading
Photographers: Lyrid Meteor Shower to Peak This Weekend; May Be Best in Years
If you dig sky photos, look up this weekend: Lyrid Meteor Shower to Peak This Weekend; May Be Best in Years.
Free White Noise Generator on the Internet
Quick post to let you know about a cool discovery I made today. It’s a free, online white noise generator to block out extraneous noises like annoying coworkers (not that … Continue reading
Sun Dogs, Moon Dogs, and Halos
I saw the coolest thing on April 1, and this is not a belated April Fool’s prank. The midday sun was encircled by an enormous bright & beautiful halo. It … Continue reading
Things I’ve been bitten by
I got to thinking about all the animals we get stung or bitten by in our lifetimes. I’m sure there are so many we don’t ever even become aware of, … Continue reading
I Met a Scrimshander
I was lucky enough to meet a very talented man many years back, with interests similar to mine (nautical art & oddities being one of them). He, however, didn’t just … Continue reading
Planet Mold
Look at this amazing Earth-like planet recently discovered and photographed! Na, It’s just my wife’s lunch. She left the vestiges of it sitting for days in a round glass container. … Continue reading
Combing Through Castellow Hardwood Hammock
A couple weeks back I woke up with the usual sore back, only to bend down to feed our rabbit at the worst angle possible. I could not stand up … Continue reading
Hey, Look at This Weird Thing I Found!
I’d like to write a couple posts about finding things. Coming across a lost or discarded item might not seem to have much to do with photography and nature, but … Continue reading
Green Animals are Cool
Now that Nome’s fueled up, I can get back to nature. Thanks to my neighbor across the street, who knows I like “weird things,” I’ve recently become acquainted with this … Continue reading
Kenneth Setzer 