It’s not uncommon for me to be urgently summoned to see and identify a ‘bug’ that my wife or kids have stumbled upon. Such was the case with this sizeable caterpillar my daughter found on the Virginia Creeper overtaking our deck.
“What is it?!”
Compared to most caterpillars found in Manitoba, this one is giant – about the size of my pointer finger (which its ‘legs’ would gently but firmly clasp when I picked it up).… Read the rest
I planted wild roses a few years ago, specifically Prairie Rose (Rosa arkansana if you’re into scientific names). This is the low-growing one you sometimes see along country roads in the prairies. I planted them the for several reasons: 1) they’re beautiful, 2) they smell wonderful, and 3) insects love them.
I’ve catalogued visitors to the flowers so far this summer (aside from my nose, assuming you didn’t want to see pictures of that).… Read the rest
She was unsure why or how, but Vera was always drawn to the leaf edge. No matter which way she had set out to travel, her feet, as if pulled by magnets, always brought her here. And then she’d stand, looking out at a world of many colors and experience an odd mix of melancholy and pride that she was and always would be a green weevil.… Read the rest
As of today, I am the parent of an adult. This is weird. Everything about it is weird.
Me being old enough to have an adult child? Weird.
Me having been a parent for 18 years? Weird.
Just weird.
Also in the category of weird is the feature organism for a Wasp Wednesday: the Pelecinid Wasp.
Friends, I’ve been lucky enough to meet this lovely lady on several occasions, including once on the sidewalk near my house.… Read the rest
The Edge of Meaning and the Freedom of Insignificance
This post is a sermon I preached at Jubilee Mennonite Church on 15 August 2024. Thanks to the people of JMC for letting me work out my faith (faith issues?) in their company.
Both the book of Ecclesiastes and this sermon are more about experience than theology (though the degree to which one’s experience shapes one’s theology would be interesting to explore) .… Read the rest
Let’s do a deep dive into dung!
Dung Beetles
My favorite beetles. Different species have different strategies:
Rollers – perhaps the most familiar strategy. They form some dung into a ball, roll it away from the the dung pile, then bury it for later (or to lay eggs into).
Tunnelers – these don’t bother rolling dung, they just bury it right there at the scene of the crime.… Read the rest