The sky is a great prism through which God paints His masterpieces.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Thistle Valentine
Gaia so loves the thistle!
Each bloom she does adorn
With a tapestry of petals
and embroidery of thorn.
Be aware of the sweet thistle!
She stands beholden to none!
Her boquet's an enticement.
To taste her nectar and pollen.
Sweet thistle affair!
The once green stalk yet stands!
A skeleton of brown reeds
and withered prickly hands!
Behold brown thistle.
Not only thorn but seed is there.
She stands the weight of finches,
and launches them in the air.
Each bloom she does adorn
With a tapestry of petals
and embroidery of thorn.
Be aware of the sweet thistle!
She stands beholden to none!
Her boquet's an enticement.
To taste her nectar and pollen.
Sweet thistle affair!
The once green stalk yet stands!
A skeleton of brown reeds
and withered prickly hands!
Behold brown thistle.
Not only thorn but seed is there.
She stands the weight of finches,
and launches them in the air.
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Song of Spring
Winter's Solstice is here;
Time for wonderment and cheer.
The Spell of Winter's Breath
Will soon be broken.
And the Song of Spring
Will be Spoken.
MOTO
Time for wonderment and cheer.
The Spell of Winter's Breath
Will soon be broken.
And the Song of Spring
Will be Spoken.
MOTO
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Grandfather's Speak
A Timely Reminder
Grandfather's Speak
Originally uploaded by Dr Photo Moto
Three Johns are we!
Posing for posterity!
Even now we wonder and question.
Who will gaze upon this reflection?
Will someone look back when we are spirits?
Will more Johns follow in our stead?
Who will remember what we have said?
When we are gone; when we are dead.
Though our voice is stilled, our picture flickers.
So we proffer this advice with utmost urgency.
Be good to your posterity; label you pictures.
Far better now then posthumously!
Grandfather's Speak
Originally uploaded by Dr Photo Moto
Three Johns are we!
Posing for posterity!
Even now we wonder and question.
Who will gaze upon this reflection?
Will someone look back when we are spirits?
Will more Johns follow in our stead?
Who will remember what we have said?
When we are gone; when we are dead.
Though our voice is stilled, our picture flickers.
So we proffer this advice with utmost urgency.
Be good to your posterity; label you pictures.
Far better now then posthumously!
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Pretty Plumage
She's quite plain,
Not much to meet the eye,
He's rather pretty,
For a guy!
The male House Finch
Not much to meet the eye,
He's rather pretty,
For a guy!
The male House Finch
Monday, January 5, 2009
Model and Mimic
In nature nothing beats success. Some call it survival of the fittest. When bugs developed, bumble bees grew a stinger to punish their predators. The distinctive color of the bumble bee, yellow and black, became an ample warning of the danger carried in the tail of the bee. This yellow and black beacon said: "Don't touch or you will be stung."
It turns out that there are a number of bugs that immitate these colors but don't have a sting. The color pattern of yellow and black is sufficient to scare away many predators. The hummingbird moth is one such creature. The moth mimics the colors of it's model the bumble bee. It's all bluff and bluster for when the moth is threatened it flees!
There are other examples in nature of defensive mimicry. See photograph above. In butterflies we have the red spotted purple which mimics the beautiful Pipevine Swallowtail and there is the Viceroy which mimics the queen beauty of them all, the Monarch. In these cases the model carries a toxin that repels predators. By mimicing the coloring of the model these butterflies are able to scare away predators just by looking beautiful!
Mimicry is a fascinating adaptive tactic of wildlife that supports the notion of natural selection. It is found throughout the animal kingdom.
It turns out that there are a number of bugs that immitate these colors but don't have a sting. The color pattern of yellow and black is sufficient to scare away many predators. The hummingbird moth is one such creature. The moth mimics the colors of it's model the bumble bee. It's all bluff and bluster for when the moth is threatened it flees!
There are other examples in nature of defensive mimicry. See photograph above. In butterflies we have the red spotted purple which mimics the beautiful Pipevine Swallowtail and there is the Viceroy which mimics the queen beauty of them all, the Monarch. In these cases the model carries a toxin that repels predators. By mimicing the coloring of the model these butterflies are able to scare away predators just by looking beautiful!
Mimicry is a fascinating adaptive tactic of wildlife that supports the notion of natural selection. It is found throughout the animal kingdom.
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