The Assassin Bug is named not only for its indiscriminate feeding practices, but also for the dangerous mix of diseases it carries. These bugs will feast on any warm blood they can find, drinking up to nine times their weight in blood and they have a tendency to feed around its victim’s mouth earning it […]
In mid-August, 2001, I was on a chartered boat off the coast of Turkey. On day one, as the sun began to set, I heard an intense buzzing sound that filled the entire inlet we had settled in for the night. I asked the locals what the sound was and they said they couldn’t hear […]
Our houses act as unique ecosystems; the average home contains around 100 different species of arthropods. A team of researchers from the California Academy of Sciences, North Carolina State University, and the Natural History Museum of Denmark compiled a survey that aimed to study trends of insects living in our homes. They counted the number […]
We see butterflies all around us and they strike a sense of beauty and wonder every time. How can this beauty be tied to space exploration? Cassini, the NASA spacecraft that has captured vivid images of Saturn and changed our understanding of space, has also given us a new sense of beauty beyond anything we […]
Demanding, rigorous, lethal. Three adjectives that could be used to describe the job of a forager ant. Forager ants are the breadwinners. They are the soldiers to a colonies queen, tasked to sacrifice their life scavenging. Dying for the promise of a flourishing colony. Yet what is it exactly that makes these foragers so efficiant? […]
We now have a selection of unique insect displays not offered online at an exclusive store in San Francisco. Hi Ho Silver on Fillmore Street imports unique handcrafted sterling silver jewelry from Mexico and has a reputation for its high quality selection found nowhere else. Now they will carry an exclusive selection of framed insects […]
Fireflies, common around most of the United States, communicate with specific flashes of light. They use light for mating purposes. Each species evolved to have a unique pattern of flashes so individual fireflies can find mates of the same species. Along with finding mates, their flashes can do numerous things, such as warn predators about […]
Neonicotinoids, a type of insecticide, is one of the many factors responsible for the massive honeybee population decline. New evidence, however, shows that honeybees are not the only important pollinators this class of insecticide harms. Researchers believe that they are also harming butterflies and wild bees. Oilseed rape is a flowering crop that is […]
I have been experimenting with new pieces using dried flowers and trees. The Globe Thistle is a unique plant native to Asia and Europe and fell in love with its deep purple color and spherical flower head — plus its botanical name means “Hedgehog”. I created this display using an old Victorian print from the […]
The Black Widow spider may by the most well-known and the most feared spider is the world, but what may be less well known is that we actually only fear the female spiders of this family. With the distinctive black body and red hourglass shape of the abdomen it is hard to miss these deadly […]
When one thinks of a locust swarm we think of the Biblical Plagues, a divine intervention to punish humanity in a past far gone. But this biblical plague played out in the Great Plaines of the United States in a not so far gone past – the summer of 1875. Keeping with the tales of […]
I have three specimens available of the Framed White Witch Moth available on my ETSY store. This insect has the longest wingspan of any insect in the world and when flying, this moth is often mistaken as a bat. Their brilliant patterns and white to gold-ish coloring helps it blend in marvelously with their surroundings. […]
I will be selling at an ETSY holiday show in San Francisco Nov. 26-27th. Come and say hi. Kick off the Holiday Season as Etsy comes to life in this very special shopping experience! Come out and shop and support over 200 local artisans and small batch food vendors as the local San Francisco Etsy […]
If beetles had their own action drama series with scantly clad women and water rescues, it would be called Beetlewatch. A real beetle riding a Jet Ski is now available on my ETSY shop. Only one available right now.
If you visit Half Moon Bay, CA, a beautiful coastal gem just 30 miles south of San Francisco, be sure to check out the home goods store West Main Half Moon Bay. They sell really high quality home goods that are sourced mainly from the United States. The owner and interior designer, Samantha Renda, has […]