Suzan Bellincampi
This lion won’t roar, but it could be considered king of the insect jungle.
Antlions are neither true ants nor are the little bugs lions. In fact, they are not yet even adults, but rather predacious insect larvae that have a big head and sharp spiny jaw. These terrorizing teenagers resemble a pill bug in a suit of armor.
I am no night owl. Late night and early morning I prefer to be communing with the sleep fairies. Occasionally though, I lose the battle for the zzzz’s and find myself awake in the darkness. Luckily in these occasional moments of sleeplessness, I am not alone. Screech owls, referred to as “a sluggish loathsome bird” in Roman mythology keep those of us with insomnia company.
It has been a berry fruitful season. We have been blessed with a bounty.
My chickens wish that we had a garden. It is not that they are avid vegetable eaters, although they do enjoy the produce leftovers that they get from our kitchencompost. Nor is it that they are looking to get a greenthumb. It is the protein from the garden that they desire.
Just because it can be pink and frilly, don’t assume that this animal is female.
Instead, you might want to inquire what the moon jellyfish, which can have hues of pink, purple, orange, or red, had for dinner. It seems that the light shade of color that these gelatinous bodies take on is a result of their meal choice. Carnivorous moon jellyfish that eat certain types of crustaceans show more orange, while those that prefer shrimp tend to have shades of pink or lavender.
Jupiter is the big man on campus in the August night sky. While not a star athlete, or even a star, it is certainly among the biggest and brightest.