New Predatory Worm Species Discovered at Bodega Bay
A diversity of ribbon worms from Bodega Bay. Top row, from left: Cephalothrix hermaphroditica; Nipponnemertes sp. (a new species); Tetrastemma bilineatum. Second row: Siphonenteron sp. (a new species); Micrura verrilli; Zygonemertes sp. Third row: Riserius sp. (a new species); Tubulanus sexlineatus; Antarctonemertes phyllospadicola. Bottom row: Maculaura oregonensis; Oerstedia sp. (a new species); Lineus flavescens. (Maddy […]
Wild Wonder 2021 Supplementary: Insect Texture
In this follow-up to John Muir Laws’s 2021 Wild Wonder workshop about painting shiny insects, let’s look a bit closer and get into texture! Class session from 3 August 2021. Source ^(https://www.blogquicker.com/goto/https://johnmuirlaws.com/insect-texture/) #Wild #Supplementary #Insect #Texture
Sunday book review – Change Everything by Natalie Bennett – Mark Avery
I’ve had the .pdf of this book for many months and not got around to reading it until now. I wish I had got to it sooner as it is a good read and a good advert for green politics. I did turn to the last chapter, Greenism: A Complete Political Philosophy to start and […]
Orange County Eelgrass beds Before Dawn – The Tidepooler
Tide Pooling Log: Orange County Eelgrass beds Before Dawn August 7, 2024 Most of my tide pooling as a kid was on rocky shores where it’s easy to spot animals and there is an abundance of life. But recently, I’ve been educating myself about sandy and muddy shores and finally got a chance to visit a […]
How to Tell Our Local Turtles Apart
Pond sliders (Trachemys scripta) aren’t native to the Bay Area but have spread with the help of the pet trade. This one was spotted in Virginia. (bwood708 via iNaturalist ^(https://www.blogquicker.com/goto/https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/54804571), CC-BY-NC) As a California herpetologist and western pond turtle expert, I often joke about how I have the easiest job: identifying the one turtle species […]
Raccoon and Coyote
John Muir Laws demonstrates how to draw raccoons and coyotes using the keystone method, as well as comparing and contrasting these critters to see and render each one better. (Class Read More ^(https://www.blogquicker.com/goto/https://johnmuirlaws.com/raccoon-and-coyote/) Source ^(https://www.blogquicker.com/goto/https://johnmuirlaws.com/raccoon-and-coyote/) #Raccoon #Coyote
Sunday book review – The Migration Ecology of Birds (2nd edition) by Ian Newton – Mark Avery
This second edition of a book first published in 2008 is a masterwork (but its price is beyond most individual readers and so it will mostly be read in academic libraries). I have the first edition on my shelves and a .pdf of this second edition in my inbox. This fully revised edition (rewritten with […]
Kayaking Southern California’s Mudflats – The Tidepooler
Tide Pooling Log: Kayaking Southern California’s Mudflats August 19, 2024 Not all intertidal landscapes are as beautiful to explore as rocky shores. Some require a little more extra —- and a willingness to get dirty. After several days of visiting rocky and sandy shores, I decided to take advantage of the low morning tides by […]
The Pocket Forests Grow Thick
Beside the manicured lawn at Cragmont Elementary, a Berkeley Hills school overlooking the San Francisco Bay, is a small hillside patch of tangled trees and weeds—coyote brush, sage brush, wood rose, and California blackberries—that looks a bit like a shaggy patch left unshaven. It’s a place where kids are not encouraged to go on their […]
Guest blog – We need to talk about ALAN by Jonathan Wallace – Mark Avery
After studying zoology at university Jonathan was involved in ornithological research and conservation for a number of years in France, Scotland and West Africa. Subsequently he has spent most of his career as an environmental consultant, assisting industry in managing its environmental impacts. Wildlife, particularly insects, remain his first love however and he is a […]