Go on a fantasic voyage to discover all kinds of unbelievable, almost magical dramas playing out in--yep--your very own backyard! A gardening family and a pair of chickens bring you on an interesting and fun journey in this informative book. Click here to read my full review.

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It’s easy to understand misogynist Republican men if you view them in the context of the animal kingdom. Males, from fruit flies to men, have an anatomical limitation. They cannot produce eggs, and if they’re mammals like us, they cannot get pregnant or give birth. Their only contribution to reproduction is sperm. And sperm must leave a male’s body in order to fertilize an egg. This means that in the act of mating, males lose control of their most precious biological possession, their sperm. Once sperm leave a male’s body, they are under the control of the female. She can eject them, kill them, block them or allow them to fertilize her eggs. Females are scary creatures!

Among waterfowl, where rape is common, females have evolved vaginas with dead-end sacs, a kind of internal burial ground for an unwanted male’s sperm.
The only way males can try to control their sperm investment is by controlling the recipients—females! And males—insects to humans—do anything and everything they can to exert control and subvert female choice. (Of course there are many wonderful liberated men who think with their brains instead of the instrument below their belt, but those who want to make women’s bodies property of the state are not among them.)

Subversion tactics are seen most clearly in insects. Female insects mate with several males and store sperm in their sperm-storage chamber. Scientists have discovered that female choice goes on internally in the female’s reproductive tract. It is within the changing climate of this internal environment that hidden or “cryptic” female choice takes place, perhaps at the level of the ovum itself, in determining which sperm of which male, if any, will be allowed to penetrate the egg’s membrane to achieve fertilization. Such internal female choice may be going on in women, too!

So males across species engage in sperm competition and mate guarding to ensure that only their sperm fertilize their mate’s eggs and sire her offspring. Among insects, some bizarre tactics for ensuring confidence of paternity have evolved.

One tactic is the copulatory plug, a gluey substance secreted by the male to block the female’s genital opening, preventing a rival’s sperm from getting inside. The male damselfly has a kind of scooper on the end of his penis that he uses to scoop out previously deposited sperm before mating with a female. Some male fruit flies inject toxic semen, which thwarts rivals but also hastens the female’s death.

Men don’t use genital glue or sperm scoopers but they do use religion, laws and politics to achieve the same end – controlling women’s reproductive biology. The use of mutilating genital surgery in some 28 countries of Africa and the Middle East wounds about three million young girls every year. The current profusion of ultrasound and “personhood” bills being passed by Republican male legislators across the U.S. are the human equivalent of insects’ copulatory plugs. These men are probably no more aware they are acting out such a primitive biological scenario than are insect males. They are caught up in a form of mass hysteria reminiscent of medieval witch hunts and persecution of women. Indeed, the attempt to vilify Planned Parenthood is similar to medieval persecution of women who gave advice on preventing births.

If the current misogynist movement led by Republican men were not so dangerous and harmful to women and our entire society, it would make an interesting anthropological field study. It’s unprecedented in U.S. history, to see males, primarily in one major political party, using the legal process and available medical technology to turn back the clock, prevent access to, and even ban medical advances that benefit men as well as women. Yes, many women accept their subjugation and support these efforts. But would they if they understood that from a biological perspective, these men are acting as brainless as beetles? With this difference: Male insects are ou

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I’ve hiked alongside a black bear, who was fishing for salmon in a stream, in Alaska.  Maybe it was because I was with a group of people, but the bear didn’t scare me.  Put me in the same room as an insect and I am no longer fearless.  In fact, if my husband is near [...]

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One of the, if not The, deepest questions of the universe.

You have to start with what you believe is the force that is the creator of this life I believe.

Some think of GOD as a human type creature in who’s image we are created, with long flowing hair, robes to make him modest though he needs to hide nothing from his creations as I see it, and a celestial kingdom where he, or she in some cases, sits reining judgement down upon the works he designed and gave free will to.

I can not see that which created me in such limited form. I can not even envelope the concept of never ending or forever just because I am temporary in this form at least. I do however believe I was created from and by the “GOD” that has no limits and this is exactly why I think I am made in it’s likeness, BUT not in it’s totality, there are things missing if I am separate FROM God, God did not make me GOD, God, or even god, GOD made me human, GOD made everything else what it is too I believe but I think, like one atom in my body or even smaller than that, to infinity small, that part is still a part of GOD though never “GOD”, only a part, that the smallest part of me is still me, I am made in the likeness of and from GOD, I am alive, that smallest part of me is alive, GOD must also be alive if we are all part of everlasting life.

Conclusion; Life never begins, it is never ended, It IS!

Consciousness in itself does not prove to me that I am not alive.

The fact that when sperm and egg combine and the DNA messages combine to spark cell multiplication (The spark of life if you will) and a plan is put into affect to form a body which will make a human or any other living thing would seem to be life to me.

BUT it was life even before that! The EGG and the SPERM were also alive, donated by the life forms of at least two separate beings, who were made in the image of GOD, who is also alive.

GOD talks to all of us in GOD’s own way. Some hear “Him” like “He” was talking in their language and sitting having tea I suppose. Others see the “Great Spirit” manifest as all that surrounds us and all that can not be seen or even heard but that still is. I am more from that camp I suppose but still believe all is possible.

The right to life for me is hard to conceive when I believe that life is never ending. The right to life is not for me to tell you, you may or may not have though if you threaten my life I will not hesitate to use what ever is at my disposal to protect mine and stop yours!

The question to me is more the quality of the life you give rather than just letting all life happen. If all in creation is from GOD then even the worst of it is sacred and the Jaines may be correct and may have more in line with current Christian values than most think. But if we do not take into account what we offer, if a human is brought into this world through violent action that threatens the life that brings it who is the killer here? The mother who was raped or is too young and will surely die from the birth or the entity being born who would kill it’s mother, most assuredly it would be the rapist but can we take his life either? I would say it is not my place to judge any of these unless they are me. I WILL FIGHT FOR MY LIFE! But a Mother must make the call of giving herself for another in my view. It may seem selfish or unjust but it must be hers with as much help and support from all sides as she can get. Advise and support but not Judgement and in the end her decision as final carrier of that which will always be alive to enter into this world.

If you believe in eternal life you will not be sad for the soul who returns to it’s maker but wish it return another time

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Entomologists estimate there to be around a quintillion individual insects on the planet–and that’s just insects. Bugs are everywhere, but how much do we really know about them? Jeff Lockwood to the rescue! Professor Lockwood is answering all your bug questions–one at a time, that is. Send your question to him care of [email protected] and he’ll do his best to find you the answer.

Do bugs feel pain? Like, how does the exoskeleton work?

Well, it’s hard to know.  But then it’s hard to know what any organism experiences.  For that matter, I’m not even sure that you feel pain—or at least that your internal, mental states are the same as mine.  This is the “other minds” problem in philosophy.  At least other people can tell us what they feel (even if we can’t be certain that their experience is the same as ours), but we can’t even ask insects.  However, we can have three rather compelling lines of evidence that our six-legged brethren feel pain.

First, insects have a nervous system that resembles ours in many ways.  That is, they see, hear, smell, taste, and feel.  Many of our pains arise from pressure, shock, heat and other stimuli administered at high levels—and insects most assuredly respond to these bodily sensations.

Insects can even detect stimuli that are outside of our sensory scope.  For example, butterflies can see ultraviolet wavelengths and bees can detect the plane of polarization of light.

Next, there are relevant biochemical similarities between insect and human nervous systems.  At least some invertebrates possess endorphins and enkephalins.  These chemicals are opioids (think opium) produced by the body to alleviate pain and stress.  So the presence of these in insects suggests that they might experience pleasure/pain.  We also know that the mechanisms of neural transmission are similar in insects and humans.  This is one of the reasons that neurotoxic insecticides also poison you along with the cockroach in your kitchen.  In fact, the organophosphate insecticides are based on the nerve gases developed during World War II.  Kinda creepy, eh?

Finally, from an evolutionary perspective the awareness of pain is an enormously adaptive mechanism.  Feeling pain when you touch something hot allows a fast response—and a learning opportunity.  So it is unreasonable to assume that pain is unique to humans.  In fact, this perception might reasonably be expected in organisms whose survival can be augmented by the experience of pain, either as part of an escape mechanism or as a basis for the capacity to learn from past experience.  Insects have lots of things inflicting damage on them (fly swatters, bug zappers, lizards, bats, entomologists, etc.) and they certainly have the ability to learn (one experiment showed that headless cockroaches can learn—which is possible because insects don’t stuff all of their neural processing into their heads, like we do).  So it seems quite reasonable that insects would have evolved the capacity to feel pain.

About 30 years ago, an eminent insect physiologist addressed the question of pain in insects.   Vincent Wigglesworth (seriously, that was his name) argued that insects experience internal, visceral pain as well as pain caused by heat and electrical shock.  However, he inferred from observations that cuticular damage did not cause pain.  For example, an insect doesn’t limp when its leg is damaged.  And this leads to your question about the exoskeleton.

The insect’s exoskeleton is, well, a skele

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Leaves, leaves everywhere (and still falling)! This spiral of leaves took a little while to make but my kids really enjoyed helping construct it. In fact, when I ran out of steam they continued to enlarge it by adding more leaves themselves. Great outdoor activity for the fall if you have the time!




My husband noticed this big bug on our downspout while grilling supper last week. This was the first time either of us had seen praying mantis in person. What an exciting find! Of course, the kids and a couple of neighbor friends had to take a peek as well. Upon closer inspection we noticed the mantis was injured. The end feeler portion of one of the middle legs was missing.

Find more of this week's Wordless Wednesday (or Wordful) posts at 5 Minutes for Mom.

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Buzzzzz! Want to know a sure sign of late summer? Houseflies. Every time we open our doors an army of flies enters our home. Our flyswatter is in constant use, waging a seemingly unending battle against the pesky invaders. Honestly, if I was going to pick a creature to write a children's book about, the common housefly would be on the bottom of my list. But Tedd Arnold has managed to create a humorous and very popular early reader series about a special fly, a pet fly -- Fly Guy!

"A boy had a pet fly. The fly was named Fly Guy. Fly Guy could say the boy's name -- BUZZ!"

Despite the shiny, flashy covers, when I first saw the Fly Guy books I just could not understand the appeal. That bug-eyed, hairy Fly Guy character is anything but cute and cuddly. In fact, he borders on disgusting. But the disgusting, yucky aspect is part of his appeal. See, kids love him, particularly boys (even my girly-girl has been charmed by the flying pet). But, it took a recommendation from one of my friends for me to even crack one of the Fly Guy covers open. I'm so glad I gave Fly Guy a chance. The duo of the little boy named Buzz and his pet fly make a rather amusing team and both my kids are now devoted fans.

The first book in the series, Hi, Fly Guy! came out in 2005 and received the prestigious ALA Theodore Geisel Honor Award the next year. Tedd Arnold received the award again in 2010 for another book in the series, I Spy Fly Guy! The Fly Guy series is still going strong. This month, Scholastic released the tenth book in the series, Fly Guy vs. the Flyswatter! We're looking forward to reading that one soon.


Fly Guy Series List:
Hi! Fly Guy (Fly Guy, Book # 1)
Super Fly Guy (Fly Guy, Book # 2)
Shoo, Fly Guy! (Fly Guy, Book # 3)
There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed Fly Guy (Fly Guy, Book # 4)
Fly High, Fly Guy! (Fly Guy, Book # 5)
Hooray for Fly Guy! (Fly Guy, Book # 6)
I Spy Fly Guy! (Fly Guy, Book # 7)
Fly Guy Meets Fly Girl (Fly Guy, Book # 8)
Buzz Boy and Fly Guy (Fly Guy, Book # 9)
Fly Guy vs. the Flyswatter! (Fly Guy, Book # 10)


I'd love to review all the books in the series but I just don't have the time. Because we're in back-to-school mode, we picked Super Fly Guy (the second book in the series) to review this week.

9 Comments on Fly Guy Series by Tedd Arnold - Fly Swatter Bubble Blowing Activity, last added: 8/27/2011

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Every year I wait to see them. I saw my first one of 2011 on June 14, at dusk. It was just one lonely firefly, signaling its presence near a bunch of parked cars. For me it was an exciting moment. I am not even sure why. I just love the sight of these glowing insects; they mean summer is here. Their renewed presence means the species has survived yet another year and still exists to tell me it is June. But they are not really flies. So what are they?

Fireflies are actually winged beetles. The 2,000 species of fireflies that exist are found in temperate and tropical habitats around the world. They are also known as lightning bugs and even as glowworms (particularly in their larval phase) and they have these names because of their “conspicuous crepuscular use of bioluminescence to attract mates or prey” (per Wikipedia). In other words, they emit light at twilight to communicate with other insects. The light is produced by a chemical reaction that occurs within a special organ in their lower abdomen. Each species has its own pattern of light flashing to find mates.


Of course, I am not the only person who loves watching these bugs. There is a magic to watching children run through a field trying to capture fireflies. Professional institutions are also dedicated to the study of fireflies. The Museum of Science in Boston teams up with university researchers to study firefly sightings each year. Volunteers around the country help them count fireflies as a way of tracking their numbers. It seems that their population has been decreasing, and this could be due to environmental influences. There is even the Kumejima Firefly Museum in Okinawa, Japan, that is dedicated to this amazing insect. The museum celebrates the fact that there are seven species of firefly thriving on Kumejima because of the island’s clean ecosystem.

So, the next time you see some bug flying near you, please don’t reach out to swat it. Just keep an eye on it and you may be rewarded by the glow of a bioluminescent love signal.

Carol

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Now Playing -  Let There Be Drums by Michael Viner's Incredible Bongo Band  A gorgeous visitor on our screen door the other night....The east has so many bugs, most of them annoying and bitey, but this Luna Moth, which was almost the size of my hand is a clear highlight!I love its antennas! He hung out for most of the next day and was gone by nightfall. The ROUS FAMILY -     

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i'm so happy that these are done!!! and, i'm even more excited to ship them off tomorrow to liz so she can hang in them in her baby girl's room:) i am actually pleased with the way these turned out. i love the colors and the concept(s). i hope baby isabelle looks up at them and they make her SMILE:)
liz and i spoke today about doing a piece for her niece miley who LOVES cows! so, i'll be sketching some ideas for that this weekend. super excited for that one as well!:)
BTW~I WILL BE SELLING PRINTS OF THESE IN MY ETSY SHOP NEXT WEEK...STAY TUNED...

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Jam & Honey by Melita Morales, illustrated by Laura J. Bryant

Check out my review at Waking Brain Cells.

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When I made that humongous Moleskine post last week it took me back to France, to when I exhibited my Moleskines. Obviously I've been showing my sketch books online for the last few years. But before the exhibition in France few people had ever seen them 'in the flesh'. And, at first, I was quite reticent to show them. Specifically my 'spare' Moleskine. I had never ever shown anyone this book before. You might have seen a few of the finished drawings from it but that's it. The reason for that is because, apart from those odd finished pieces, my spare Moleskine is full of lists, quotes, lyrics, doodles and thoughts. And that's quite scary. I've always felt that peering into that book is a bit like finding John Nash's shed in the woods and opening the door.

But, to my surprise, many people at the exhibition really enjoyed seeing these pages. Yes, they commented on the obsessive content but it struck a chord somewhere with folk. So, I thought maybe I'd show you some here. The top spread is one of those pages. It's where I chuck everything onto a page for future reference. Then below are some of the drawings that came from those seeds.

Is this stuff of any interest to you? Cos there's loads more of it.

You know, there could well be a lot of posts this week because somebody is desperately trying to avoid doing their tax returns. So let me know if you want to see more.

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Tired of politics as usual? …

Vote for Wyatt T. Dawg !!!

 

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What the Ladybug Heard by Julia Donaldson, illustrated by Lydia Monks

All of the animals on the farm make their own type of noise, except for the little ladybug.  She never says anything at all.  That is until she hears two robbers planning how to steal the farm’s prize cow.  They know just where each animal on the farm sits and what noises they make so that they can find their way in the dark without alerting the farmer.  So the ladybug heads to the farm, tells the animals about the robbers, and comes up with a cunning plan to foil them.  Told in a wonderful romping rhyme and rhythm, this book has immediate appeal.

Donaldson has a great ear for rhythm and rhyme, never pushing it too far to become annoying.  She weaves in humor effortlessly.  The premise for the book is very clever, mixing animal noises with a barnyard mystery and a silent witness.  Monks’ illustrations are done in mixed media which makes them visually interesting.  The painted sheep has a wooly coat that is a photograph of wool.  The bushes around the farm are either photographs of leaves or fabric.  There is just enough of the mixed media to still have a very cohesive feel. 

Get this into your farm storytime and also for any insect unit or story time.  It is a winner of a read, just be prepared for plenty of animal noises and ask the audience to help!  Appropriate for ages 2-4.

Reviewed from copy received from Henry Holt.

Also reviewed by Pied Piper Picks.

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Like some Japanese pine, I think heavy weights have been placed on some of my thoughts to try and bend them into “Correct” shape but my acid personality, I fear, probably has eaten away the wires that holds them in place and I keep going astray ”c)~

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Almost every child I have ever had the pleasure of knowing has been fascinated by bugs, which usually also involved some form of "playing " with them... Yucky Worms by Vivian French, with pictures by Jessica Ahlberg, illustrator of the Toon Tellegen's marvelous forest books, the first of which is The Squirrel's Brithday and other Parties and Insect Detective, written by Steve Voake, author of

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I have made no secret of my general dislike of most creatures of the insect persuasion.

Some of them creep me out.






Some of them boldly invade my home every spring as if they own the place.












Still others pester me to the brink of insanity.







In fact, I am firmly convinced that the Universe sends all manner of said Creepy-Crawlies marching into my humble abode purely for Its own fits and giggles. (And for the record? I am not amused. Do ya hear that, Universe? Not. Amused.)

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