Monthly Archives: January 2014

Are Iowa Republicans a Bunch of Racists?

Posted on January 27, 2014 by the roused bear

There is a current news story about a contractor to the Iowa GOP posting a racism flow chart on the Facebook page of the party.  The chart was removed within a few minutes of it being discovered.  The story reported … Continue reading →

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The Spirit of Beauty

Posted on January 26, 2014 by the roused bear

Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection was first published on November 24, 1859.  This was a year and a few months before the start of the American Civil War. Henry Webster Parker was a … Continue reading →

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More Beauty in Nature

Posted on January 25, 2014 by the roused bear

We have seen that flies can be beautiful.  But there is beauty all around us in nature. Some would argue that flowers are beautiful because they need to be bright and colorful in order to attract pollinators.   That same … Continue reading →

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More Fly Beauty

Posted on January 24, 2014 by the roused bear

If you look around at nature you can find beauty everywhere, even in such an unlikely group as the flies.   Sure, the flower is beautiful.  But what about those red eyes?

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Beautiful Flies

Posted on January 22, 2014 by the roused bear

There is an interesting discussion over at the fly obsession blog.  Entomologist and dipterist Brian Brown is asking for suggestions for the title of “Most Beautiful Fly in the World.” “Beauty” and “Fly” are usually not used in the same … Continue reading →

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Winter Thaw

Posted on January 19, 2014 by the roused bear

I am not such a big fan of winter–it is not really a good season for macro photography.  We have had several days in a row with high temperatures below freezing.  But today it got above 50 F.  So we … Continue reading →

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This Might be a Little More Difficult

Posted on January 14, 2014 by the roused bear

In 2010 I spent some time taking photos of Formica exsectoides ants on the outside of their mound. With the boroscope, I might be able to take photos of the ants inside their nest. Assuming they let me…

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Why I Bought the Boroscope

Posted on January 13, 2014 by the roused bear

OK, so my last post was about buying a nerdy toy for myself–a combination microscope/boroscope. But I have these digger bees under my porch.  They make nests and provision them for their tiny larva. Wouldn’t it be kind of cool … Continue reading →

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My New Toy

Posted on January 11, 2014 by the roused bear

I bought a new toy to start the new year.  It is a microscope/boroscope with a usb cord connection.  It looks something like this: In fact, the photo was taken with video camera included.  The camera is low resolution–only 2 … Continue reading →

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Winter Macro Photography

Posted on January 5, 2014 by the roused bear

Part of the reason I don’t like winter are the reduced opportunities for macro photography.  Sure, there is melting snow and lichens, but the bugs and flowers are gone.  Fortunately I can find some subjects inside the house, like this … Continue reading →

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