Readers’ wildlife photos

BRUDER John Deer 6920 And BRUDER New Holland T8040 VGC
SIKU 1 32 SCALE 2859 BEET TRAILER (U21)

Bring out your wildlife photos (good ones, mind you); I can never have enough of them on hand.

Today have another slew of great insect photos, with documentation, by Mark Sturtevant. His notes are indented.

Here are yet more pictures of insects taken over the previous summer.

UH VICON EXTRA 223 SIDE MOUNT DISC MOWER DUSTY CONVERSION 4286 UNIVERSAL HOBIES.

Britains Land Rover New Discovery 00042 Diecast 1 32 New Vintage Unopened Box

The picture of the female is one of my favorite pictures from last summer. It is especially recommended that people embiggen this one, for she is a creature of great ethereal beauty.

 

 

Next is a mating pair of six-spotted tiger beetles (Cicindella sexguttata), by far the most common of our local species of these predatory beetles. One can see here that males have slightly longer mandibles, and that their added length assists them during mating.

 

Cat Mini excavator with workerUH4042 UNIVERSAL HOBBIES 1 32 SCALE KUHN RW 1400 BALE WRAPPER (MIB)UH4011 1 32 SCALE VALTRA A850 gold LIMITED EDITION TRACTOR (MIB)BRUDER Massey Ferguson 7480 Tractor Toy 1 16 AGE 3+

 

Next we move on to Odonates. The first two are male and female vBritains 9490 Fiatagri M160 Tractor Scale 1 32 NEW & BOXED (Argia fumipennis). The male is young. As he matures, he will gradually turn a violet color as shown in the linked picture.

 

Mercedes Zetros Afzetcontainer - Siku 150 3546 Scale Skip Roll Rolloff

Moving on to dragonflies, the last three pictures are from the large family of ‘skimmers’ (Libellulidae). The first is a young male (Libellula pulchella). They will develop white markings on their wings as they age.

 

Bruder John Deere 5115M Toy Tractor Without Tipping TrailerUniversal Hobbies BOBARD 1096 STRADDLE TRACTOR 2090 1 32 SCALE IN ORIGINAL BOXBRITAINS 09594 BAUER VACUUM TANKER 1 32 Green Yellow Boxed Farm Toy TractorSIKU Massey Ferguson 4270 Tractor 1 32 No 2654 Diecast Model Farm

The second dragonfly is a female (Libellula semifasciata), and seeing it was a big surprise since I thought their range did not extend as far north as where I lived. It wanted to perch up high so the views were fore-shortened, unfortunately. So the picture is actually several different pictures that were taken at different focal points and then blended together by hand.

 

Finally, we have a male Eastern amberwing (Perithemis tenera). The amberwing is one of our smallest dragonflies, with a body barely an inch long

 

Bruder Toys 03081 Deutz Fahr Agredron X720 Loader Tractor Scale 1 16 CG There are so many dragonfly pictures from last summer, including many new species, that I probably should prepare some posts here that are dedicated to them. This is a Good Thing since I love dragonflies most of all.

Sunday: Hili dialogue

It’s Sunday, June 2, 2019, and celebrating a kind of fudge with nuts and marshmallow (also a flavor of ice cream). It’s also International Sex Workers Day, though the Wikipedia entry is under

On June 2, 455, the Vandals began their sack of Rome, plundering the city for two weeks. There is controversy about the extent of murder and damage that occurred, although there’s no doubt about the extensive looting.  On this day in 1098, the Crusaders of the First Crusade entered Antioch on their way to the Holy Land.  On June 2, 1692, the first person tried for witchcraft in Salem, Massachusetts, Bridget Bishop, was found guilty; she was hanged 8 days later.  Here’s a photo I took of her memorial when I was recently in Salem

Siku Claas Lexion 600 Combine Harvester 1 50 Scale Model Toy Present GiftSiku 3280 - CLAAS AXION 950UNIVERSAL HOBBIES 1 32 SCALE 5367 FORD 6610 4WD GENERATION 1

Item specifics

Condition: Used :
An item that has been previously used. See the seller’s listing for full details and description of any imperfections.See all condition definitions- opens in a new window or tab
Seller notes: “used defects”
Vehicle Make: Range Rover Vehicle Type: Car
Material: Metal Scale: 1:18
Series: Sport

In 1886, President Grover Cleveland married Frances Folsom (27 years younger than he) in the White House; he remains, I think, the only President to marry in the White House.  Two other Presidents married while in office, though not in the White House; can you name these two (think and then go here). On June 2, 1896, Guglielmo Marconi applied for a patent for his wireless telegraph.

On this day in 1924, U.S. President Calvin Coolidge signed the Indian Citizenship Act, at last giving citizenship to all Native Americans born within the territorial limits of the United States.  On this day in 1953, Queen Elizabeth II was crowned. I’ll point out again that her title is “Queen of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Her Other Realms and Territories & Head of the Commonwealth”.  So, my Kiwi, Aussie, and Canadian friends, you have a Queen! The coronation was the first major international event to be televised. I was but three years old then and don’t remember it, but, passing through London the way back from Greece when I was 7, we got to sit in the Lord Mayor of London’s gilt carriage that was used in the 1953 procession. Sitting in the coach (I don’t know how my dad wangled that) is one of my earliest memories.

On this day in 1962, during the FIFA World Cup,  the “SIKU FARMER + DEUTZ D 9005 TRACTOR 4459 MIB 1 32” took place when Chile played Italy. Police intervened four times in what was one of the most violent games in the history of soccer. Players whaled on each other!  Here’s a short video showing some of the melee (Chile won 2-0).

Bruder Toys 02430 LIEBHER L574 Ariculated Road Loader Loading Shovel 1 16 ScaleVINTAGE BRITAINS MODEL No.9541 redARY TEDDER VN MIBBRUSHWOOD TOYS SILO SET 1 32 SCALE BT8400ERTL 1 16 CLASSIC MASSEY HARRIS 44 SPECIAL MODEL TRACTOR

Notables born on this day include Marquis de Sade (1740), Edward Elgar (1857), Johnny Weissmuller (1904), Charlie Watts (1941), Marvin Hamlisch (1944), Jerry Mathers (1948), Cornel West (1953), and Dana Carvey (1955).

Those who died on June 2 include Lou Gehrig (1941), Bunny Berigan (1942), Vita Sackville-West (1962), and Bo Diddley (2008).

Meanwhile in Dobrzyn, Cyrus is feeling his age. (I’m told Cyrus is going to the vet today to see if there’s hope for him, as he’s very decrepit and old.) Poor doggie!

Corgi Toys 4” RENAULT 16 “TS” Diecast Car Dark blueE Vintage Whizzwheels Hili: Do you see this hare?
Cyrus: Yes, two years ago I would have chased it.
In Polish:
Hili: Widzisz tego zająca?
Cyrus: Tak, jeszcze dwa lata temu bym za nim pogonił.
A cartoon from reader Pliny the In Between’s Far Corner Cafe. This one is called “M. C. Erasure #6″; note the label, which says “Charcoal on Constitution”:

Reader Karl sent this: the feline version of James Taylor’s “Bruder Ducati And Driver 1 16 Scale Model“:

 

A tweet from reader Barry. I have no idea why someone would want to do this:

Two tweets from Heather Hastie via Ann German, both of whom love sea otters:

God, does this make me feel old!

 

A girl and her duck: BFFs

Britains Toys - 9433 Land Rover & Mini Trailer Model Boxed

At the risk of inflicting you with Duck Overload, I’m putting up a piece from CBS News that I found adorable: the story of a little girl and her pet duck Snowflake. You can find the transcript UNIVERSAL HOBBIES 1 32 SCALE TAARUP 1350 DM FORAGE HARVESTER, but why not watch the video. It’s tooth-achingly cute.Ertl Anhydrous Ammonia Tank Die-Cast Model 1 16 Scale Boxed Made in USAMINICHAMPS 398 100056 100066 100076 100096 AGV HELMETS V Rossi MotoGP 2010 1 8th

My favorite parts are when she calls Snowflake out of the pond by quacking, and her response to the interviewer’s question, “When did you first find out?”

I won’t rethink my desire to get a cat, which doesn’t need diapers, but this is pretty tempting. . .

h/t: Blue