The silhouette of a baby assassin bug lurking on the underside of a leaf.

#bugs #Hemiptera #insects #photography

https://cdn.fosstodon.org/media_attachments/files/112/767/499/051/259/618/original/a5ebdcbc6cce7e32.jpg


Some leaves and flowers of curly dock (Rumex crispus) and some spittlebug foam, with one tiny dot of blue sky.

#plants #photography

https://cdn.fosstodon.org/media_attachments/files/112/580/703/080/100/408/original/991aac7bbb6bba4a.jpg

https://cdn.fosstodon.org/media_attachments/files/112/580/704/326/630/638/original/dedaa847d7b15658.jpg

https://cdn.fosstodon.org/media_attachments/files/112/580/705/795/891/608/original/58c1eac82e1ef1a4.jpg


Rattlesnake plantain (Goodyera) on the forest floor. These are little orchids with intricately patterned leaves. Like partridge berry, these pop up between the fallen leaves.

#plants #orchids #photography

https://cdn.fosstodon.org/media_attachments/files/112/082/341/846/054/585/original/64018c9e1e39994a.jpg

https://cdn.fosstodon.org/media_attachments/files/112/082/341/854/240/131/original/391799049e048d52.jpg


nostr:npub1hx0pqjr83uaw9wm90xhj3h4570vn2gtc9k3mwu35vvnr6wsa5ewqq90hpe
A beautiful place, and a beautiful description.


nostr:npub1t3raw53wsc47582dlppuf5c3vnr3jx2sha9le6pwm9356u3m5gts0z6knd nostr:npub1hx0pqjr83uaw9wm90xhj3h4570vn2gtc9k3mwu35vvnr6wsa5ewqq90hpe
It's an upright bass. Instead of Charles Mingus, it's Charles Mantis.


nostr:npub1hx0pqjr83uaw9wm90xhj3h4570vn2gtc9k3mwu35vvnr6wsa5ewqq90hpe
*Waving her handkerchief in the air*
"Yoo-hoo! Over here!"


nostr:npub1mdrsc09npsdvutqhnmcvedp9sejyg5z6uscxusgdugrrksjapnsqursrx4
Inaturalist thinks the genus is Mangora.


For #arachtober, a fancy green and white spider.

#spiders #arachnids #arthropods #photography

https://cdn.fosstodon.org/media_attachments/files/111/193/405/158/477/302/original/f85c0a9dacc8acf9.jpg


nostr:npub1hx0pqjr83uaw9wm90xhj3h4570vn2gtc9k3mwu35vvnr6wsa5ewqq90hpe
"Workers, rise up! Seize the means of reproduction!"


nostr:npub1jz6vdnc70n9ht9jge3sxr38xwtf206fv2ccpp6txp24fmpxx63dscksvtu
I hope the rest of your day is going well!


nostr:npub1zt30rymrqvm3vtdxq4wnknpsy6arkzcttkehwqttympk7ww7ezfqqg0v09 nostr:npub1hx0pqjr83uaw9wm90xhj3h4570vn2gtc9k3mwu35vvnr6wsa5ewqq90hpe
Blimey!


nostr:npub1uldr4fr8vdl6ruls98zp9l3plp7243vfhcxts9kavne47s9wdevsrrxht3

Thank you!


nostr:npub1hx0pqjr83uaw9wm90xhj3h4570vn2gtc9k3mwu35vvnr6wsa5ewqq90hpe

"Twinkle, twinkle, poison ivy,...."

Sadly, this is the point where I realize that nothing rhymes with ivy. Start again:

"Twinkle, twinkle, Toxicodendron,
You are nicer than Tippi Hedron..."

No, still won't do.

"Twinkle, twinkle, 3 leaved plant...
Looky there, I see an ant!
And a butterfly and bee!
Holy moly! There's a tree!
..."

Well, that could go on for a while, but it doesn't really get us anyplace.

I think we'll just have to look at the leaves, and leave it at that.


nostr:npub1zt30rymrqvm3vtdxq4wnknpsy6arkzcttkehwqttympk7ww7ezfqqg0v09
Goats like it! And birds like its berries. Do donkeys like it?


nostr:npub15xtk2jzdgshcvvulkcl50ds896khndnacn3tjf0f5yk2nyadmuhskw2pp0
He was bored with berries and looking for something exotic, like oatmeal-raisin cookies.


nostr:npub1hx0pqjr83uaw9wm90xhj3h4570vn2gtc9k3mwu35vvnr6wsa5ewqq90hpe
Silly old bear!


nostr:npub1hx0pqjr83uaw9wm90xhj3h4570vn2gtc9k3mwu35vvnr6wsa5ewqq90hpe
Give the poor kid a break. He has an unstable home environment. He just needs a big bear hug!


We seem to have had a visit from a bear while we were gone yesterday! It ripped the screen off of a window, cracked a pane of glass, bit a plastic sheet that was covering the screen, and pulled off the metal frame surrounding the outlet from our kitchen stove's exhaust hood.

Black bears aren't uncommon around here, but this is the first time we've had an encounter with one. My wife speculates that it might be a year-old male whose mom just kicked him out.

#bears

https://cdn.fosstodon.org/media_attachments/files/111/184/851/528/323/891/original/f0ea0f8efc30f72b.jpg

https://cdn.fosstodon.org/media_attachments/files/111/184/852/187/981/666/original/92b25a0a2f896ff9.jpg


nostr:npub1hw3vfnyhmg4pydxmxl894nw8umg3xss0ms6h57uke7qn6dpw7r4stzapg6

Ought-text.  This is what I ought to have said.


Autumn-colored poison ivy (Toxicodendron) leaves in the sunlight.

#plants #photography #sunlight

https://cdn.fosstodon.org/media_attachments/files/111/181/988/678/508/954/original/24f5f4578fcbdd68.jpg


nostr:npub1eqwyvn96edmjyhkak5eccp34ams4zmac3k2t4lcwc8x50glrakeqhe9wqd
I think they do. I've read that deer avoid the plant, which might be one reason why it spreads.


More autumn fruits: japanese barberry (Berberis thunbergii). These  edible by humans, but they don't have much taste. They're also a problematic non-native species here, and they've spread to cover much of the land adjacent to our creeks. It's not surprising that they spread so readily, since they make a lot of berries.

#plants #foraging #photography

https://cdn.fosstodon.org/media_attachments/files/111/173/516/438/175/304/original/60f539cee24974b2.jpg


nostr:npub19dtym3p8rpf560898h7jxf0qdgsmne987kdjke5ew2jhtcna82tsq5flp0
I LOVED that show!


nostr:npub1kj5fezkt4n4t0hvyxx07vhkeefsnty8hs9zxtd5lvufzlwr9drnqsq4vu8
Whew! I'll be glad to be done with THAT!


nostr:npub1hx0pqjr83uaw9wm90xhj3h4570vn2gtc9k3mwu35vvnr6wsa5ewqq90hpe
"So, like, umm, ya wanna go hang out at the mall? We could, like, play Space Invaders at the arcade. Or maybe air hockey."


nostr:npub1uldr4fr8vdl6ruls98zp9l3plp7243vfhcxts9kavne47s9wdevsrrxht3
Giant, mysterious, tentacled and beaked creatures from the abyss!


Something for the Halloween season: A spooky giant squid, preserved at the National Museum of Natural History in Washington DC.

#squid #photography #museums #washingtondc #halloween

https://cdn.fosstodon.org/media_attachments/files/111/165/159/973/524/103/original/a2d5e41d95006bbe.jpg


nostr:npub1arp8xtr7ws260hwujqvk3zlhze9q8cvwl58jshq3s4zsdlf6typqsccqqw
Nice! I'll take a look.


nostr:npub1arp8xtr7ws260hwujqvk3zlhze9q8cvwl58jshq3s4zsdlf6typqsccqqw
I remember Donald Wollheim for two things.

First, for his short story (as "David Grinnell") "The Rag Thing", which I first read as a kid, in Groff Conklin's Omnibus of Science Fiction, checked out from the local public library. This scary story was permanently stuck in my head from the first reading.

Second, for his annual World's Best SF collections, first at Ace and then under his own DAW imprint. I looked forward to it every year.


nostr:npub1dweushhvma99wmggffvveyymgwf4fydta4u90r2a25kt60jrvv3sd5x8af
I've heard of sugarberries but i haven't seen any (that I know of).


nostr:npub1je3r3z7vvegv8znjwydkmckppthsnvjpf69vvq2m839plqfp53gs7wqpn2
Well-spotted!


nostr:npub15xtk2jzdgshcvvulkcl50ds896khndnacn3tjf0f5yk2nyadmuhskw2pp0
Thank you!


nostr:npub1uldr4fr8vdl6ruls98zp9l3plp7243vfhcxts9kavne47s9wdevsrrxht3
Thank you!


I haven't seen any berries this year on the hackberry trees (Celtis occidentalis). These trees have clusters of tiny, easily-overlooked flowers in the early spring. Maybe their pollinators weren't out at the right time?

Here's a picture of a berry from a past year. They're pea-sized, and have a large, thin-walled seed surrounded by a pulp that tastes like dates. If you crack the seed, you'll find that its interior tastes like peanut butter.

#plants #trees #foraging #photography

https://cdn.fosstodon.org/media_attachments/files/111/159/669/958/435/265/original/a23b3614a3ba52be.jpg


nostr:npub1hw3vfnyhmg4pydxmxl894nw8umg3xss0ms6h57uke7qn6dpw7r4stzapg6
En garde!


nostr:npub1hx0pqjr83uaw9wm90xhj3h4570vn2gtc9k3mwu35vvnr6wsa5ewqq90hpe
I really love the closeup of the little flicker, head to the storm, with one foot resting casually on the post. Intrepid little bird! Admirable bird! Admiral Bird!


nostr:npub1zxzxz04jgwfmfwzxyvpht9d5zgen0ya3ytskcdfp3h83adwx08nqhs8jtz
You've become a victim of The Bagel of Madness.

You'll become more and more obsessed with this bagel. All other food will lose its appeal.  You'll try to return to the shop you bought it at, but the shop will have disappeared. You'll spend your lunch hours, and eventually whole days wandering the streets looking for it.

Your quest will one day lead you to a remote monastery, where a kindly monk will tell you "Child, the journey is the bagel!" and you will be enlightened.


nostr:npub178u9zrxxzx0zc3g332jmt30pdwxytc5rwwykjjs5pw3877cjpxtsh6dclm

Maybe pawpaw (Asimina triloba)?


nostr:npub1k4uz82vjsjyv55w5aqh8ta7kdmhpzsa5xadm08aepgclpv33979q7p0yfm
It's so cartoonists have a universally-recognizable symbol for identifying jugs of moonshine.


nostr:npub1wt2nqjeyspd4rag6y9j36evf8kjkd7ez0vdjsvhu5nyks2fdv4tq3sc450
Horsenettle Appreciation Club!


A picture from the winter to come: a bright yellow-orange fruit of carolina horsenettle (Solanum carolinense). This was taken in January, when the fruit has long been ripe and has begun to dry on the stem. Now, in September, these are green and stripey.

Despite its resemblance to its cousin the tomato, these aren't edible by humans. I think they're beautiful though, and take a lot of pictures of them.

#plants #photography

https://cdn.fosstodon.org/media_attachments/files/111/153/865/289/198/062/original/97d8ae6c4467e608.jpg


nostr:npub1hx0pqjr83uaw9wm90xhj3h4570vn2gtc9k3mwu35vvnr6wsa5ewqq90hpe
The chickadee is just showing off.

"Observe how I effortlessly bend this steel rod into an elegant spiral, using the powerful muscles in my mighty perchy-feets."


nostr:npub1hx0pqjr83uaw9wm90xhj3h4570vn2gtc9k3mwu35vvnr6wsa5ewqq90hpe
HA!


nostr:npub1hx0pqjr83uaw9wm90xhj3h4570vn2gtc9k3mwu35vvnr6wsa5ewqq90hpe
Goose-Fu.  His opponent has been flung offscreen, where he's fumbling wildly for the katana that was knocked from his hands. The goose waits, centered and calm, gathering his chi, ready to resume the battle.


nostr:npub1zdp33shl69xr0uq3x8n5gsjykq9upycwh6nqm02c3f6x0frrn0dq42vqv8
It's the opposite of a spider. An anty-spider.


nostr:npub1hx0pqjr83uaw9wm90xhj3h4570vn2gtc9k3mwu35vvnr6wsa5ewqq90hpe
What a sweet face!


nostr:npub1j7sfvfsu2qmxejffe7hlhargfllla95hj5vw32j3cgc55wsg57ls2n3ax9
I tend to think of chickory as a roadside flower. That's the only place where I see large patches of it. I wonder why that is?


nostr:npub1hx0pqjr83uaw9wm90xhj3h4570vn2gtc9k3mwu35vvnr6wsa5ewqq90hpe
Thanks!


nostr:npub1uldr4fr8vdl6ruls98zp9l3plp7243vfhcxts9kavne47s9wdevsrrxht3
Maybe an American robin's little blue egg? It would be just about the right size.

Have a wonderful morning!


nostr:npub1hx0pqjr83uaw9wm90xhj3h4570vn2gtc9k3mwu35vvnr6wsa5ewqq90hpe
There's a little water bear atop that rock who's receiving a revelation from God.

"Thou art chosen, my good and faithful tardigrade, to go forth and multiply, filling the worlds with your progeny."

Sometime later, as part of a scientific experiment, the little tardigrade found itself aboard the first interstellar probe, bound for Proxima Centauri. Thus began the history of our race, here on this new world.


nostr:npub1hx0pqjr83uaw9wm90xhj3h4570vn2gtc9k3mwu35vvnr6wsa5ewqq90hpe
"Hey Zeke! Are they dead yet?"

Zeke peers down at the world, from his slightly lower perch.

"Nawp. Some of 'em is still movin' around."


nostr:npub1z2z6wk9csu7szy9qmx8eaxqz36q98p6hwqtg6frs4vmq23a2earqkreej8
Unfortunately, our cats aren't big enough for me to drive them.


I've developed a new skill.

One of our cats needs medicine twice a day, in the form of an ointment that I smear inside her ear. I'm supposed to alternate between left and right ears.

When I started doing this two years ago, I'd have to carefully consider her position and orientation, think about "her right or my right?", look at my hands ("OK, the left one has the ring"), and crane my head around to decide which ear was which.

Now it's just obvious, no matter how she's arranged herself.


nostr:npub1hx0pqjr83uaw9wm90xhj3h4570vn2gtc9k3mwu35vvnr6wsa5ewqq90hpe
Thanks! That's beautiful!


nostr:npub1hx0pqjr83uaw9wm90xhj3h4570vn2gtc9k3mwu35vvnr6wsa5ewqq90hpe
In a similar way, I gave my son the moon when he was a toddler. I don't think he remembers. I hope not. I might need it in my old age.

Regarding head-libraries, I often have dreams about exploring giant libraries or bookstores and finding armloads of WONDERFUL books! Maybe this is from one of them.


nostr:npub1hx0pqjr83uaw9wm90xhj3h4570vn2gtc9k3mwu35vvnr6wsa5ewqq90hpe
Jack had been trying to lease the sky for some time now, without success. Nonetheless, he had to keep trying. It was his only asset, and he needed money bad.

Jack had owned the sky all his life. Well, most of it, at least. Other people thought it was unusual, but to Jack it was just one of those things.

When he was a toddler, his dad had lifted Jack's sleepy body from the car one night. He paused, halfway to the house. "Jackie?", he said, "See those stars? Those are yours."


Bryan Wright

I'm the IT manager for the UVa Physics Department. I have a PhD in physics, and used to do research in nuclear physics.  I teach introductory programming to undergrads. Also, flies are underrated.


nostr:npub1hx0pqjr83uaw9wm90xhj3h4570vn2gtc9k3mwu35vvnr6wsa5ewqq90hpe
Underneath his tail feathers he has a tiny "don't tread on me" bumper sticker.


nostr:npub1hx0pqjr83uaw9wm90xhj3h4570vn2gtc9k3mwu35vvnr6wsa5ewqq90hpe
Resting gull face.


nostr:npub15xtk2jzdgshcvvulkcl50ds896khndnacn3tjf0f5yk2nyadmuhskw2pp0
That's a lot of crabapples!


nostr:npub1uty7khcj7j9tn737fma6asgx7x462k5yfvwl55f6rtgjln4l40qqplsq7q
Don't forget the immunity to space lasers.


The wild grapes are getting ripe. I don't know what species this is, but they have pea-sized fruit and they're EVERYWHERE. It's not unusual at all to find thigh-thick vines climbing into tall trees. The fruit has a sour-and-vegetable taste when fresh, but we've made it into fruit leather in the past and that's very grapey and delicious.

#grapes #plants #foraging #photography

https://cdn.fosstodon.org/media_attachments/files/111/080/133/607/370/966/original/4119ea65eae2c929.jpg


nostr:npub1hx0pqjr83uaw9wm90xhj3h4570vn2gtc9k3mwu35vvnr6wsa5ewqq90hpe
I knew this reminded me of a particular picture, but it took me a while to find it:

https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Andrew_Parrott.jpg

(Note, however, that he's a parrott and not a pelican.)


nostr:npub1cz8pvlt8unlcxwlllmx5esdz02ufefxakuna68aue2tq5ftfrzkqqkyjxv
Stay safe!


Did she or didn't she? She's not telling.

#katydids #orthoptera #insects #photography

https://cdn.fosstodon.org/media_attachments/files/111/074/584/632/446/257/original/f2394b2f0823305b.jpg


nostr:npub12z2wgphhn23ze9693s3z7j2l0r53uq0qwrpy0yu7equ8vq6aq8xqrcsmv5
By Francis Bacon


nostr:npub1jxc4qpzg7mtwmlclxuhlwn8mq2a5knaulexfl68lxq2taftze9tq94qug0 nostr:npub1urfqf6yz0ufj88g0ezfydwjtzc70ap28x9d2uv592q6z8q5axf7qfgjtvm nostr:npub1zdp33shl69xr0uq3x8n5gsjykq9upycwh6nqm02c3f6x0frrn0dq42vqv8 nostr:npub1a4k7c4yx66ra6hnts92zyu7d3kar4jah3d2l0pxethf6zxhkgnls4yl47t

The style of these books worked for me. Switching to a different character for each chapter, and often ending chapters on a cliffhanger, kept my simple little mind engaged.

I liked his earlier novels, like The Dying of the Light, but I didn't think they quite matched his short stories. When he came back to novel-writing with A Game of Thrones it was like he was trying out a different style that (to me) works better in the longer format.


nostr:npub1wpj4fmqtta9rm5we78pwxjhhjtw6ffy6mhyu5vck0krr8gkjdelsqm7m4z nostr:npub1urfqf6yz0ufj88g0ezfydwjtzc70ap28x9d2uv592q6z8q5axf7qfgjtvm nostr:npub1zdp33shl69xr0uq3x8n5gsjykq9upycwh6nqm02c3f6x0frrn0dq42vqv8 nostr:npub1a4k7c4yx66ra6hnts92zyu7d3kar4jah3d2l0pxethf6zxhkgnls4yl47t

Yes! That would be fun. Whenever I see a big mushroom I think of Haviland Tuf's mushroomitarian diet.


Inaturalist tells me that both of these are quadrate snipe flies (Chrysopilus quadratus), but their coloration is very different. Does anyone know why? They both look like males, with their head-encompassing (holoptic) eyes. Is there just this much color variation, or have I mis-identified them?

#fly #flies #FlyFriday #rhagionidae #diptera #insects #arthropods #photography

https://cdn.fosstodon.org/media_attachments/files/111/068/812/059/045/815/original/13ef5a3b65cd56cc.jpg

https://cdn.fosstodon.org/media_attachments/files/111/068/812/446/979/692/original/7226ced02cec1f49.jpg


nostr:npub1urfqf6yz0ufj88g0ezfydwjtzc70ap28x9d2uv592q6z8q5axf7qfgjtvm nostr:npub1zdp33shl69xr0uq3x8n5gsjykq9upycwh6nqm02c3f6x0frrn0dq42vqv8 nostr:npub1a4k7c4yx66ra6hnts92zyu7d3kar4jah3d2l0pxethf6zxhkgnls4yl47t

Back in the 70s, when he was publishing stories like "And Seven Times Never Kill Man" in Analog magazine, George R.R. Martin was one of my favorite short story writers. His collections "Songs of Stars and Shadows" and "A Song for Lya" are brilliant.

Many years later I found A Game of Thrones in the bargain bin at Barnes & Noble and thought "Great! He's writing again."

A few years later and I hear about the HBO show. Nerds have taken over the world.


nostr:npub1zdp33shl69xr0uq3x8n5gsjykq9upycwh6nqm02c3f6x0frrn0dq42vqv8
I'm just sayin'....


nostr:npub1zdp33shl69xr0uq3x8n5gsjykq9upycwh6nqm02c3f6x0frrn0dq42vqv8
It's understandable that it would be unrecognizable at this point. They're just getting started. But clearly, when they're done, it will be a sculpture of you, for worship purposes. That's why the ant at the end was staring so intently at you.


nostr:npub13d7kwpruaajne4efq67g5p3kxl06suf47g4wu3k26nnwqsennf3snpa9dp

I am happier for having seen this pumpkin.


nostr:npub1hx0pqjr83uaw9wm90xhj3h4570vn2gtc9k3mwu35vvnr6wsa5ewqq90hpe nostr:npub1wj857ayedqhxsjajfgu7tps332def983x8k663df6j7dzv4jtgwsy6s5yh

Here's what I'd like to hear the pelican, anole, and tree frog chorus sing:

https://archive.org/details/ThreeLittleFishiesPaulWhitemanFourModernaires


nostr:npub1zt30rymrqvm3vtdxq4wnknpsy6arkzcttkehwqttympk7ww7ezfqqg0v09
Kid Blood and Kid Poison would be excellent wrestler names. Kid Ink? Maybe a really badass squid?


nostr:npub1wj857ayedqhxsjajfgu7tps332def983x8k663df6j7dzv4jtgwsy6s5yh nostr:npub1hx0pqjr83uaw9wm90xhj3h4570vn2gtc9k3mwu35vvnr6wsa5ewqq90hpe
Hmm. Somehow, I picture the anoles singing Trololo:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oavMtUWDBTM


A cluster of ripe poke berries (Phytolacca americana).

#plants #photography

https://cdn.fosstodon.org/media_attachments/files/111/063/129/505/502/269/original/8d9c7fd322ebb92f.jpg


nostr:npub1hz3nysxmt9uxejy5fwnagdkx8v7l4ajku6ecxq5xz7v6v3td6gcszae8f9
The wave you do when you're not quite sure if you recognize the person across the street.


nostr:npub1hx0pqjr83uaw9wm90xhj3h4570vn2gtc9k3mwu35vvnr6wsa5ewqq90hpe
In my mind I hear Tuvan throat-singing.


nostr:npub1gk7f4mry59z9khkduv7y3h9uy3h45c38cns60aassuucda493rtqxv4js6
When the robot uprising comes, you'll be spared.


nostr:npub1hx0pqjr83uaw9wm90xhj3h4570vn2gtc9k3mwu35vvnr6wsa5ewqq90hpe
I was!


On my commute home from work I'm listening to all the episodes of Jack Benny's radio show again. Today, in a show from 1944, I heard Phil Harris sing a version of "One More Time". I love Phil Harris' voice (he didn't sing nearly enough on the show) and I love this tune.

Here's the original 1931 recording of the tune, with none other than Bing Crosby himself on vocals:

https://archive.org/details/78_one-more-time_gus-arnheim-and-his-cocoanut-grove-orchestra-de-sylva-brown-henderson_gbia0106597a

1931 also saw this Merrie Melodies version:

https://archive.org/details/omt44458875

#radio #otr #music


nostr:npub16mjv0crlfwmgvsfy60sqehz2765el9c4k676dpsq92ed2msdycnqwpalcf
Hoverchairs. The secret goal of superconductor research.


Isis, for #caturday.

https://cdn.fosstodon.org/media_attachments/files/111/035/036/345/577/323/original/4f903d94f202686f.jpg


nostr:npub1h847dnfwq4umpx53q49jxq6s84ajs6ls7qvmh0gw4y4e6gdz6mrsc2y7p6

Wow! My only guess is maybe a crane fly in the genus Ctenophora? They have feathery antennae. It's beautiful!


nostr:npub1uud3g5xn0hd07tezkvsuq6dy2wj0a4vy4400w70xzfghryfmqxzs0q4kdc

Why were they so LONG? A day was like forever.


nostr:npub1hx0pqjr83uaw9wm90xhj3h4570vn2gtc9k3mwu35vvnr6wsa5ewqq90hpe
I would NEVER overthrow the pine needle kingdom. It's the last bastion of  freedom!


nostr:npub1cz8pvlt8unlcxwlllmx5esdz02ufefxakuna68aue2tq5ftfrzkqqkyjxv nostr:npub10kzasl3zel5v3ar5kuutzkeh0cvj4sxamchuv229vjmnprs0rdgsk7v7gt

I love roasted chestnuts, but haven't made them in a long time. These days we buy packaged pre-roasted chestnuts once a year for a stew recipe I make at Christmas.


nostr:npub1va2nzu0a4a066d0pexy797n3u0wzw94dwdafpv89jsexn8zd5xaqajvhc4
Thanks! I'll definitely get a picture if I get another chance.


nostr:npub1cz8pvlt8unlcxwlllmx5esdz02ufefxakuna68aue2tq5ftfrzkqqkyjxv
I thought horse chestnuts didn't have husks as spikey as this, but I might be wrong.  I looked at the tree's leaves, but foolishly didn't take a picture of them. My recollection is that they were simple leaves, not compound leaves like horse chestnuts.

My parents grew up in the mountains of North Carolina, and one of the local superstitions was that carrying a buckeye brought you luck. I often carried one in my pocket as a kid, more because it was pretty than for luck.


nostr:npub1hx0pqjr83uaw9wm90xhj3h4570vn2gtc9k3mwu35vvnr6wsa5ewqq90hpe
Im my case, we had a regrettable tendency to weaponise plant matter. I remember folding sand inside catalpa leaves to make "hand grenades" that could be thrown against a tree trunk, where they'd explode in a cloud of dust.


A chestnut I found on the ground. I don't know what species it is, but the tree is growing in someone's yard.

These are very tempting to pick up ("So fuzzy!"), but very, very sharp ("Ouch!").

#plants #trees #photography

https://cdn.fosstodon.org/media_attachments/files/111/023/505/482/115/534/original/8a488e2e0316077d.jpg

https://cdn.fosstodon.org/media_attachments/files/111/023/505/916/966/395/original/b5f57f28aec093a3.jpg


nostr:npub1zdp33shl69xr0uq3x8n5gsjykq9upycwh6nqm02c3f6x0frrn0dq42vqv8
I'm confident that flies and ants can live together in harmony.

Well, maybe not phorid flies. That whole "inject eggs into the ant's head" thing is a diplomatic nightmare.


nostr:npub1vwvf6vmm5s9x0pfque50e8f548whdkemgtfm8srtx62mlzm8uqrqh356xw
Thanks for the ID!


nostr:npub1ztqwadaanm0vekselzp37vkglmyhfhf2nq4k2m4xphfgr7ry62pq6rr2j6
Many people have suggested that. I'll have to see it someday.


nostr:npub1hx0pqjr83uaw9wm90xhj3h4570vn2gtc9k3mwu35vvnr6wsa5ewqq90hpe
I was thinking of Brian Aldiss' Hothouse:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hothouse_(novel)


nostr:npub1kj7shau9ru255q60cmefyqkefqjyp6dsf38egug4kfxu0k2tur2qlpqvw4
"Surprise Ahead."


nostr:npub1ks70cf3wt30sn2gqjnw4zjtd7ztwnnaq4fy0azpdvtlthg7eqrpqlteg5u nostr:npub1kvnpp3m60derhwpqwc09zhk3ehk48tr6agc6dk9z2vggu9sga28qpxhm73
Thanks for this! I just started reading The Land of Little Rain and I'm really enjoying it.