Comments on: recently read and enjoyed http://magickcanoe.com/blog/2007/09/26/recently-read-and-enjoyed-4/ a place where nature, photography and writing meet Sat, 30 Aug 2008 07:59:34 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.2 by: bev http://magickcanoe.com/blog/2007/09/26/recently-read-and-enjoyed-4/#comment-182576 Sat, 29 Sep 2007 11:37:10 +0000 http://magickcanoe.com/blog/2007/09/26/recently-read-and-enjoyed-4/#comment-182576 Wayne - I agree -- that's a particularly nice spider. Very beautiful markings. Yes, we do mainly see Araneus in late summer or early fall. As you say, it could have a lot to do with the spider-hunting wasps. Also, it seems that these big spiders - Araneus and Argiope - do most of their growing once the grasshoppers become large and numerous. I suspect there's a strong tie between the size of the available prey, and the final growth spurt that seems to occur in the larger spiders as summer comes to an end. Yes, I like that idea of the animal taking on a plant name too! Agree about Doug's article, and about your comment about current conservation efforts. The whole playing field is changing as we speak. In the face of climate change, I feel it will take increasingly heroic efforts in order to preserve species through creation of wildlife corridors leading to havens where species can continue to exist. Unfortunately, this really hasn't been "built into" most conservation initiatives, so potential corridors have already been destroyed by human development. It's really incredible to see what a poor job we humans have made of our relentless expansion. Wayne - I agree — that’s a particularly nice spider. Very beautiful markings. Yes, we do mainly see Araneus in late summer or early fall. As you say, it could have a lot to do with the spider-hunting wasps. Also, it seems that these big spiders - Araneus and Argiope - do most of their growing once the grasshoppers become large and numerous. I suspect there’s a strong tie between the size of the available prey, and the final growth spurt that seems to occur in the larger spiders as summer comes to an end. Yes, I like that idea of the animal taking on a plant name too!
Agree about Doug’s article, and about your comment about current conservation efforts. The whole playing field is changing as we speak. In the face of climate change, I feel it will take increasingly heroic efforts in order to preserve species through creation of wildlife corridors leading to havens where species can continue to exist. Unfortunately, this really hasn’t been “built into” most conservation initiatives, so potential corridors have already been destroyed by human development. It’s really incredible to see what a poor job we humans have made of our relentless expansion.

]]> by: Wayne http://magickcanoe.com/blog/2007/09/26/recently-read-and-enjoyed-4/#comment-182574 Sat, 29 Sep 2007 11:05:18 +0000 http://magickcanoe.com/blog/2007/09/26/recently-read-and-enjoyed-4/#comment-182574 Wow - very nice <i>Araneus trifolium</i>. Do you also usually see <i>Araneus</i> species mainly in the autumn? I'm suspecting they show up then after the spider-hunting wasps disappear, which seems like an eminently wise thing to do. (BTW - "trifolium" would mean three leaves. I like the idea of an animal taking on the name accorded to a plant :-) .) Doug's excellent article brings up something that's bothered me too, pretty much the same thing that bothers him. The idea of environmental triage as a pretend necessity. Up until the last decade or so I'd have recommended setting aside and protecting from development large tracts of habitat. That would largely circumvent the need for picking and choosing among species to save. Now of course, with climate change and human-made impediments to wildlife movements, we can't even do that and hope to save ecosystems. Wow - very nice Araneus trifolium. Do you also usually see Araneus species mainly in the autumn? I’m suspecting they show up then after the spider-hunting wasps disappear, which seems like an eminently wise thing to do. (BTW - “trifolium” would mean three leaves. I like the idea of an animal taking on the name accorded to a plant :-) .)

Doug’s excellent article brings up something that’s bothered me too, pretty much the same thing that bothers him. The idea of environmental triage as a pretend necessity.

Up until the last decade or so I’d have recommended setting aside and protecting from development large tracts of habitat. That would largely circumvent the need for picking and choosing among species to save. Now of course, with climate change and human-made impediments to wildlife movements, we can’t even do that and hope to save ecosystems.

]]> by: bev http://magickcanoe.com/blog/2007/09/26/recently-read-and-enjoyed-4/#comment-182503 Thu, 27 Sep 2007 12:11:57 +0000 http://magickcanoe.com/blog/2007/09/26/recently-read-and-enjoyed-4/#comment-182503 Dave - Yes, for sure! - Doug - You're welcome. I see you're getting some neat comments to your excellent post. - robin - I love that bee photo. It really puts you *there*, which is something I always look for in photos. Dave - Yes, for sure!
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Doug - You’re welcome. I see you’re getting some neat comments to your excellent post.
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robin - I love that bee photo. It really puts you *there*, which is something I always look for in photos.

]]> by: robin andrea http://magickcanoe.com/blog/2007/09/26/recently-read-and-enjoyed-4/#comment-182428 Wed, 26 Sep 2007 21:44:54 +0000 http://magickcanoe.com/blog/2007/09/26/recently-read-and-enjoyed-4/#comment-182428 These are great links, bev. I checked that bees in the dahlia pic, and you are right it is grand! These are great links, bev. I checked that bees in the dahlia pic, and you are right it is grand!

]]> by: DougT http://magickcanoe.com/blog/2007/09/26/recently-read-and-enjoyed-4/#comment-182427 Wed, 26 Sep 2007 21:38:40 +0000 http://magickcanoe.com/blog/2007/09/26/recently-read-and-enjoyed-4/#comment-182427 Hi Bev- Thanks for linking to my post. I checked in here early this morning before you had posted this. Later I noticed my blog traffic was way up for the day- and a lot of it was coming in from your site. Only then did I realize that you had a new post up with a link to me. Thanks, and thanks for the kind words. Hi Bev- Thanks for linking to my post. I checked in here early this morning before you had posted this. Later I noticed my blog traffic was way up for the day- and a lot of it was coming in from your site. Only then did I realize that you had a new post up with a link to me. Thanks, and thanks for the kind words.

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