Technically we’re halfway through National Invasive Species Awareness Week, but it’s good to get a reminder partway through. Everyone gets super excited about things when they start, and then the excitement tapers off as time goes by. So consider this a mid-week boost! Also, don’t forget about the multi-page comic on invasive species I did last year, which you can read here. And now: relevant links!
What can I say? I love these Muppet birds! I know we’re just anthropomorphizing their giant nocturnal eyes and wide, insect-catching mouths, but indulge our squees a little, okay? I tried showing two of my favorite behaviors of this bird, the still camouflage mode, and “Hey! Leave me alone!” fluffbird excitement.
This is where I get into some of the history elements of natural history. I love the stories the land tells as I walk along its contours. Whether it’s the basalt formed by massive lava floods, or the hollows left in forests where the roots of blown-over trees once grew, or the temporary tidepools carved in the sand by the ocean along my coastline, the land tells me what has been, what is, and perhaps what may still come to be.
Species portrayed: Canada goose (Branta canadensis), North American river otter (Lontra canadensis), red fox (Vulpes vulpes), common cattail (Typha latifolia), American crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos), American hazelnut tree (Corylus americana)
This topic came up in a conversation I had some time back, and since there’s still plenty of confusion about what a horn is vs. an antler, I drew up this handy-dandy one-page guide! Also, as a side note keratin horns degrade relatively quickly when exposed to the elements, which is why you don’t really find fossilized horns (other than the bone cores attached to the skull) whereas fossilized antlers are common.
A couple of notes on common names of the species I chose: first, mountain goats aren’t actually goats! They’re the only living member of the genus Oreamnos; the only other member went extinct at the end of the Pleistocene, about 13,000 years ago. Also, pronghorn antelope aren’t true antelope. Not only is the pronghorn the only surviving member of its genus, it’s the only surviving member of the family Antilocapridae. So both mountain goats and pronghorn are the last remnants of groups that were much more numerous during the last Ice Age, and we are fortunate to still have them in part because they help give us some idea of what their extinct cousins may have looked like, something we don’t always have with extinct species.
This was prompted by a Twitter thread a while back which consisted of a bunch of people making up “That’s Amore/That’s a Moray” parody verses for the fun of it. As usually happens when folks play with this pun, it was mostly one-shots of “When [something an eel does and you observe it] that’s a moray!” I decided I wanted to take this further and do a parody of the entire song, as closely as I could. I did still take a few liberties, and it’s not full length due to space constraints, but you should be able to sing this in its entirety to the original melody.
I also wanted to take the opportunity to dispel some myths about moray eels. While yes, they can deliver a nasty bite if you really, really mess with them, for the most part they’re pretty shy and don’t want to be bothered. They’re also small enough that they aren’t going to see you as a potential meal, even if those pharyngeal second jaws are pretty freaky looking at first!
Finally, I have an exciting announcement! I have officially opened a Redbubble store, and this design is the first one available there, mostly as prints and stickers. You can check it out by clicking on this Redbubble link right here.
I’m not as much of a gardener as I’d like to be, but I have a few pots of Pacific bleeding heart that I like to see bloom every year. Still, someday I’d like to have a house with a garden, and maybe fill the yard with some native wildflowers as well. In the meantime there are always seed catalogs to daydream over, and native plant sales to wander for inspiration.
Species portrayed: chocolate lily (Fritillaria camschatcensis), Pacific rhododendron (Rhododendron macrophyllum), pearly everlasting (Anaphalis margaritacea), western red cedar (Thuja plicata), Pacific bleeding heart (Dicentra formosa), Cascades blueberry (vaccinium deliciosum), western blue-eyed grass (Sisyrinchium bellum), deer fern (Struthiopteris spicant)
You should mark this date on your calendar, because this is officially the first piece of fanart I’ve ever drawn, Lord of the Rings or otherwise. No, really. While I’ve appreciated other artists’ works, I think I’ve always felt a little intimidated by the concept of going outside of my comfort zone (natural history.) But I was re-watching the movies recently, and thinking about the enormity of climate change and other ecological disasters, and this ended up being the result.
For those who aren’t big LotR nerds, the Earth-on-fire in the center of the Eye of Sauron should be a pretty obvious in its symbolism. And yeah, we’re looking out over the plains of Mordor, though of course the quote comes from much earlier in the storyline, before anyone can actually see it. So the background looks pretty terrifying and overwhelming. But look at the foreground, where Frodo and Gandalf sit. The log is inscribed with “estel”, the Quenya (high elvish) for “hope”, and against it leans Anduril, the sword of Aragorn that was forged from the shards of Narsil, which itself was the sword that cut the One Ring from Sauron’s hand. And then to the right, the gentle but persistent light of Eärendil’s star, which was given to Frodo by Galadriel and which gave him light at a time of great darkness.
The quote is from early in the journey to return the One Ring to the Crack of Doom–its place of origin–to be destroyed. I think of these words quite often when I am feeling discouraged about the ecological state of the planet, both as a whole system and as individual places and habitats. In all the billions of years of life here, I happened to be born into this moment as a human being, on the precipice of great destruction. Yet I maintain hope, because with hope comes creativity and the strength to continue; it is all too tempting to fall prey to nihilism and despair. My hope is not untempered by realism, of course, but it is the guiding light that keeps me going, that if there is any chance to improve things even in the smallest way, then I am driven to do whatever I can to make that happen.
I do some volunteering in my area with the Junior Duck Stamp program. I thought since it’s the perfect time to get kids involved in it that I’d make a comic to spread the word! I wish I’d known about it when I was a kid, because this would have been right up my alley. Still, it’s fun getting to be a part of the effort now. If you don’t want to type out that entire link, you can just navigate to it by clicking http://www.fws.gov/birds/education/junior-duck-stamp-conservation-program.php
I’m still getting the hang of the settings on my new scanner, so bear with me as the image quality may shift and change over the next few weeks. At least the colors are better!
It’s time for another nature-themed word find! If you’re in need of a break, why not take a few minutes to figure this puzzle out? Also I know “tectonic plates” is two words, but due to space I wanted to make very sure that people knew they were looking for the entire term, not the two words in separate places.
I’ve been busy getting to know my Epson scanner, with rather a learning curve involved. I just realized I can take away the bluish tinge by adjusting the white balance, but I decided a bit of blue was appropriate. If you’re a teacher or other such person who wants to print a few of these out for students and you want a nice, white version, contact me at dkcissel(at)wyntkan(dot)com.
