Comments on: moms at work http://magickcanoe.com/blog/2007/06/27/moms-at-work/ a place where nature, photography and writing meet Thu, 21 Aug 2008 20:27:00 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.2 by: bev http://magickcanoe.com/blog/2007/06/27/moms-at-work/#comment-130244 Fri, 29 Jun 2007 14:41:55 +0000 http://magickcanoe.com/blog/2007/06/27/moms-at-work/#comment-130244 Laura - That's funny about the birds! But yes, isn't it surprising how small a bird is when you actually touch it? In early 2005, I moved a road-killed Great Gray Owl off of a highway and was astounded at how little there was to it other than feathers. Anyhow, the tendency to remember things as larger than they actually were is all the more reason to bring a small ruler along in your field note book for measuring creatures and recording that data. I don't always remember to do that, but when I don't have one along, I always try to remember to shoot a photo or two with a coin, my finger, or something else in the picture for comparison. Laura - That’s funny about the birds! But yes, isn’t it surprising how small a bird is when you actually touch it? In early 2005, I moved a road-killed Great Gray Owl off of a highway and was astounded at how little there was to it other than feathers. Anyhow, the tendency to remember things as larger than they actually were is all the more reason to bring a small ruler along in your field note book for measuring creatures and recording that data. I don’t always remember to do that, but when I don’t have one along, I always try to remember to shoot a photo or two with a coin, my finger, or something else in the picture for comparison.

]]> by: Laura http://magickcanoe.com/blog/2007/06/27/moms-at-work/#comment-129037 Fri, 29 Jun 2007 02:36:39 +0000 http://magickcanoe.com/blog/2007/06/27/moms-at-work/#comment-129037 Your reply makes me laugh, Bev! I think the same *larger than life* principle must also apply to birds. I do volunteer transport of birds for a raptor rehab and I can't tell you how many juv. woodpeckers have been described to me as huge hawks or baby eagles! I find that I'm always surprised with how much smaller birds are in the hand, compared with how they look through bins. It seems though that people who don't *know* birds imagine them to be much larger than they really are. Guess the same is true with bugs and spiders. Your reply makes me laugh, Bev! I think the same *larger than life* principle must also apply to birds. I do volunteer transport of birds for a raptor rehab and I can’t tell you how many juv. woodpeckers have been described to me as huge hawks or baby eagles! I find that I’m always surprised with how much smaller birds are in the hand, compared with how they look through bins. It seems though that people who don’t *know* birds imagine them to be much larger than they really are. Guess the same is true with bugs and spiders.

]]> by: bev http://magickcanoe.com/blog/2007/06/27/moms-at-work/#comment-128110 Thu, 28 Jun 2007 16:06:05 +0000 http://magickcanoe.com/blog/2007/06/27/moms-at-work/#comment-128110 Pamela - Those <i>Xysticus</i> spiders *do* take their egg case guarding very seriously. Any time that I find one, it is wrapped over the egg case as though clutching a pillow. I agree very much with your comment that spiders give us a chance to observe them as individuals. If you visit enough of them, you even notice differences in behaviour between individuals within a species. For example, some jumping spiders that set up a little territory on the top leaves of a milkweed plant will hang tough when you approach them, but others will freak out and drop to a lower leaf or the ground as soon as you walk near. I visit enough milkweed plants to know which ones have brave spiders, and which have the meek ones that will practically jump at their own shadows. That said, the females of so many species do impress me with their determination to guard their egg cases. Glad you got out to do some looking around on milkweed. Over the years, I've found that there's so much happening in even a small stand, that it could keep one busy observing insect communities for most of the summer. Pamela - Those Xysticus spiders *do* take their egg case guarding very seriously. Any time that I find one, it is wrapped over the egg case as though clutching a pillow.
I agree very much with your comment that spiders give us a chance to observe them as individuals. If you visit enough of them, you even notice differences in behaviour between individuals within a species. For example, some jumping spiders that set up a little territory on the top leaves of a milkweed plant will hang tough when you approach them, but others will freak out and drop to a lower leaf or the ground as soon as you walk near. I visit enough milkweed plants to know which ones have brave spiders, and which have the meek ones that will practically jump at their own shadows. That said, the females of so many species do impress me with their determination to guard their egg cases.
Glad you got out to do some looking around on milkweed. Over the years, I’ve found that there’s so much happening in even a small stand, that it could keep one busy observing insect communities for most of the summer.

]]> by: Pamela http://magickcanoe.com/blog/2007/06/27/moms-at-work/#comment-128013 Thu, 28 Jun 2007 14:02:26 +0000 http://magickcanoe.com/blog/2007/06/27/moms-at-work/#comment-128013 Bev, beautiful as always--I especially like the first mother--so very serious looking. What I have come to love about spiders over the last couple of years is that one can get to know some of them--a goldenrod crab guarding eggs on the rose by the front door will be there for many days (all being well), the orb weavers on the porch ceiling will be there all season. It makes me appreciate spider personality to be able to observe individuals over time. And milkweed! Finally, I am learning to really look at what's on the milkweed, thanks to you. Last week on a day I was chained to my desk almost all day I saw your message to the naturelist about critters on milkweed. I escaped briefly that afternoon and went to take a look and found the very beautiful jumping spider you mentioned, the aptly named, Brilliant Jumping Spider. What a treat! Bev, beautiful as always–I especially like the first mother–so very serious looking.

What I have come to love about spiders over the last couple of years is that one can get to know some of them–a goldenrod crab guarding eggs on the rose by the front door will be there for many days (all being well), the orb weavers on the porch ceiling will be there all season. It makes me appreciate spider personality to be able to observe individuals over time.

And milkweed! Finally, I am learning to really look at what’s on the milkweed, thanks to you. Last week on a day I was chained to my desk almost all day I saw your message to the naturelist about critters on milkweed. I escaped briefly that afternoon and went to take a look and found the very beautiful jumping spider you mentioned, the aptly named, Brilliant Jumping Spider. What a treat!

]]> by: bev http://magickcanoe.com/blog/2007/06/27/moms-at-work/#comment-127943 Thu, 28 Jun 2007 11:13:50 +0000 http://magickcanoe.com/blog/2007/06/27/moms-at-work/#comment-127943 jessie - So many of the spider webs are beautiful when you get a chance to examine them up close. - Cathy - It's very true that certain spiders seem to strike us differently than others. I don't mind spiders being around me, but I always feel a slight twinge of something...not fear...but something... at the sight of any of the spiders that look a bit like Black Widows. The funny thing is, I can't figure out why that should be as I've only recently encountered Widows while traveling out west. This seems more an instinctive reaction. I'm glad that you find that the photos of insects and spiders are making you less fearful of them (and not the other way around). I think that it's helpful to know that all of these small creatures are just doing their thing, living their lives, and that they aren't particularly interested in the "giants" who barge around stepping on them, tearing down their nests, and spraying them with pesticides. (-: As you might guess, I'm fascinated by the egg-guarding behaviour of female spiders. The more time I spend in the field observing spiders, the more I realize that there's a whole lot that we probably don't know about the social lives of insects and spiders. And yes, all of these scientific names. I never studied latin (I studied Greek though!) so I just stumble along making up my own pronunciations -- which I'm quite sure would be laughable to just about anyone. That's okay though.. I was at a biology conference as few years ago, and met some very charming fellows from the deep south, and their pronunciation of some species had me entirely stymied -- it was like I was hearing a different language. Those from France that I've heard speaking at conferences have yet another way of pronouncing species names, so I'm gradually feeling more comfortable about just going with whatever pronunciation I reckon sounds okay. (-: - Laura - Good question! I'll bet the images in the photos are at least 100x the actual size of these spiders. I've read something somewhere about how people remember and describe spiders as far larger than they usually are -- compared to how they would remember and describe other creatures such as snakes. I suspect the same goes for hornets, wasps and bees though. My Pbase galleries on hornets and wasps gets far more looks per day than any of my other galleries, especially spring through fall. I get tons of questions from people trying to describe insects that they say are coming around and frightening them, and most describe them as being hornets, bees or wasps that are 2 to 3 inches long. There are so few insects that approach that size that I sure most of them are visualizing and describing things far larger than what they saw. It's a bit like reading fish tales about how large a fish someone caught! (-: jessie - So many of the spider webs are beautiful when you get a chance to examine them up close.
-
Cathy - It’s very true that certain spiders seem to strike us differently than others. I don’t mind spiders being around me, but I always feel a slight twinge of something…not fear…but something… at the sight of any of the spiders that look a bit like Black Widows. The funny thing is, I can’t figure out why that should be as I’ve only recently encountered Widows while traveling out west. This seems more an instinctive reaction. I’m glad that you find that the photos of insects and spiders are making you less fearful of them (and not the other way around). I think that it’s helpful to know that all of these small creatures are just doing their thing, living their lives, and that they aren’t particularly interested in the “giants” who barge around stepping on them, tearing down their nests, and spraying them with pesticides. (-:
As you might guess, I’m fascinated by the egg-guarding behaviour of female spiders. The more time I spend in the field observing spiders, the more I realize that there’s a whole lot that we probably don’t know about the social lives of insects and spiders.
And yes, all of these scientific names. I never studied latin (I studied Greek though!) so I just stumble along making up my own pronunciations — which I’m quite sure would be laughable to just about anyone. That’s okay though.. I was at a biology conference as few years ago, and met some very charming fellows from the deep south, and their pronunciation of some species had me entirely stymied — it was like I was hearing a different language. Those from France that I’ve heard speaking at conferences have yet another way of pronouncing species names, so I’m gradually feeling more comfortable about just going with whatever pronunciation I reckon sounds okay. (-:
-
Laura - Good question! I’ll bet the images in the photos are at least 100x the actual size of these spiders. I’ve read something somewhere about how people remember and describe spiders as far larger than they usually are — compared to how they would remember and describe other creatures such as snakes. I suspect the same goes for hornets, wasps and bees though. My Pbase galleries on hornets and wasps gets far more looks per day than any of my other galleries, especially spring through fall. I get tons of questions from people trying to describe insects that they say are coming around and frightening them, and most describe them as being hornets, bees or wasps that are 2 to 3 inches long. There are so few insects that approach that size that I sure most of them are visualizing and describing things far larger than what they saw. It’s a bit like reading fish tales about how large a fish someone caught! (-:

]]>