Blog Archives

Hercules

3/28/2021

“I’m a damsel, I’m in distress, I can handle this. Have a nice day.” — Megara in "Hercules"

This is a female Hercules Beetle that I encountered while living on the East Coast. I also had a male Hercules as a pet for over a year. He was part of an insect show, and at the end of the show they were going to destroy all of the insects. You know I couldn't let that happen! I brought Herky and several other members of that show home with me. Yes, I named the Hercules Beetle "Herky". No, it wasn't very imaginative. I'm open to suggestions, in case I ever adopt another one.

The massive Hercules is one of the largest insects in the United States. Named after Hercules in Roman mythology, it is quite strong. The males have two horn-like pincers, leading to the Rhinoceros Beetle moniker. They can be found in hardwood forests in the eastern U.S. where they dine on sap. They may look scary, but they're completely harmless (unless you're a tree filled with sap, or a sap). 😆

Water puppy! (aka Seal)

3/21/2021

Water puppy! Pacific Harbor Seals look and act like a cross between an otter and a Dalmatian puppy.

These playful creatures have a spotted coat that can range from silver to dark brown, ear holes (no external ear flaps), and small rear flippers. Males are larger than females; a large male can weigh up to 300 pounds. They have short front flippers that enable them to "galumph" or belly-flop across land, but they move much easier in the water. They can dive 1400 feet and stay submerged for up to 40 minutes while searching for sole, flounder, cod, herring, squid, crustaceans, and other foods, and their nostrils can remain closed while they're submerged.

There are approximately 500,000 Pacific Harbor Seals worldwide, and they can be found on both U.S. coasts. Along the Pacific Coast they can be seen from Alaska to Mexico, and there are 32 sites along the Oregon coast where they can be reliably found. They can be hard to spot when they're in the water. Look for something that appears to be a tabloid photo of the Loch Ness Monster. When they're not in the water, you can find them on rocky islands, sandy beaches, and mudflats, often resting in a C-shaped position with their head and their rear flippers curved upward. Just look for a large silver or brown banana sunning itself. 😄

A mother seal will occasionally leave her pup for several hours while feeding, and well-meaning people will assume the pup has been abandoned. It is important to leave the pup alone and to keep your distance. Do not move the pup, put it in the water, or cover it up. Instead, just leave the area so the mother will feel it's safe to return.

Ruddy Duck

3/14/2021

Tiny Worlds

3/13/2021

The tiny world of moss and lichens is full of life! “One gram of moss from the forest floor, a piece about the size of a muffin, would harbour 150,000 protozoa, 132,000 tardigrades, 3,000 springtails, 800 rotifers, 500 nematodes, 400 mites, and 200 fly larvae. These numbers tell us something about the astounding quantity of life in a handful of moss.”
― Robin Wall Kimmerer

Be Fabulous, Darlings!

3/7/2021

Steller's Jays are so colorful, not only in plumage but also in character. These western birds are known for their incessant demands for attention, and for appearing to be underfed. They strut across campsites and picnic tables, looking stern, fabulous, and famished. In some ways, they remind me of runway models, so let's go with a description inspired by the fashion industry.

The Stellar's Jay is sporting a bold color-block of cerulean and slate, punctuated with eye-catching stripes, geometric patterns, and diaphanous accents. The headdress lends to a dramatic silhouette, giving a look that is fierce and powerful. The dainty ice-blue lines on the accoutrement give an illusion of illumination, elevating the crest to high-fashion status and adding an air of sophistication. The aesthetic is equal parts joyful and gritty glamour - sleek and subtle with just a hint of drama.

This classic but truly chic bird is guaranteed to be disruptive at all of the campsites and picnic areas this year, but there are no plans to appear on the catwalks (or anything involving cats).

Be fabulous, darlings! 💕

(Side note: the coloration of the Steller's varies somewhat, depending on the population and range)

Ice, Ice, Baby!

3/4/2021

Any of my fellow math and science geeks out there? You'll love this one! Here are some fun facts about icicles.

1. In order to grow, an icicle must have a constant layer of water flowing over it.
2. The thin film of water freezes on the way down. As the water freezes, it releases heat which is transferred to the surrounding cold air, and that forms a slightly warmer layer of air that rises alongside the icicle.
3. As the warmer air rises up from the tip to the top of the icicle, it removes more heat from the outer liquid layer along the way, causing the water to freeze and the icicle to grow thicker as it grows longer.
4. The tip of an icicle grows up to 20 times faster than the sides.
5. While it is growing, there is a liquid-filled tube in the tip of the icicle.
6. The rippled surfaces on icicles are rather consistent in nature; the distance between each wavy ripple is about a centimeter, and this is true regardless of temperature and flow rate.
7. Scientists believe the ripples are caused by impurities in the water.
8. The same mathematical formulas that describe the shape of stalactites in caves also describe the shape and formation of icicles, even though the physical processes that form icicles are very different from those that result in stalactites. You can see the calculations here: https://www.damtp.cam.ac.uk/.../gold/pdfs/stalactite_prl.pdf
and expanded upon here: https://www.damtp.cam.ac.uk/.../pdfs/stalactite_long.pdf
9. Scientists created the "Icicle Atlas" which is accessible online to fellow researchers and to the public. The Atlas contains over 230,000 images, hundreds of time lapse movies of icicle formation, and 3D printable files.
10. The record for the world's longest icicle is in dispute, but there are claims of icicles up to 45-feet long.

And yes, I'm obviously a geek and I am very proud of it!
STEM rocks!
(STEM = science, technology, engineering, math)