Even parasites have nightmares Some experts assert that the most common lifestyle in nature is that of parasitism. (Read Rachel Nuwer’s interview with ecologist Kevin Lafferty “Parasitism is the Most Popular Lifestyle on Earth” for more on this.) The world of arthropods is no exception. I’ve mentioned before that mankind’s deadliest opponent in nature is the synergistic combination […]
parasites
Posted inLife + Outdoors
HumBug: Even Parasites have Nightmares
Some experts assert that the most common lifestyle in nature is that of parasitism. (Read Rachel Nuwer’s interview with ecologist Kevin Lafferty “Parasitism is the Most Popular Lifestyle on Earth” for more on this.) The world of arthropods is no exception. I’ve mentioned before that mankind’s deadliest opponent in nature is the synergistic combination of mosquitoes […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
HumBug: Things that Need Bugs
I didn’t expect to see a lot of insects but it was sunny today so I went for a walk along “my” stretch of the Van Duzen River. I saw exactly two flies, a lone wolf spider and some flying things too tiny and far away to identify. I did see a couple of creatures […]
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The 25 Days of Crustmas
There’s big excitement in the online crustacean nerd community. Alison Young, co-director of the California Academy of Sciences’ Citizen Science Program and Humboldt State alumnus, just invented the Twitter hashtag game #25DaysofCrustmas. The rules of the game are simple. Fellow nerds post a crustacean picture and/or interesting crustacean fact each day of December up to […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
HumBug: It’s a Jungle Out There
It rained this morning, giving me an excuse to not mow and enjoy the little English lawn daisies a little longer. Small flowers attract small critters and there was drama aplenty among the blades of grass. First off, the zombie dung flies (Scathophaga stercoraria) are back right on schedule. The fungus Entomophthora muscae infects some […]
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HumBug: Ticks
As the song says, “Spring is in the air.” It fills my mind with visions of birds migrating, flowers blooming and ticks! I was reminded of this today taking a photo of a local alligator lizard in my back yard. I am not a person who says, “There is room for every living thing in […]