Tag: mr. nature

Good Afternoon, Mr. Spider

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Feeling somewhat weary today, I sat outside to have a cigar and rest from work. I wound up intently watching a small jumping spider wandering the grounds in search of… food? Love? Adventure? Or some combination thereof.

I am not an arachnopile, far from it–but I do like jumping spiders, with their quirky little movements. And most of them, if they see you, try to hide. I like bashfulness in a spider: much nicer than aggression. I watched this one execute a few jumps before he disappeared into the shrubbery.

If I ever have to build an ark, I’ll make sure to provide space for the jumping spider–if he hasn’t already provided it for himself.

My Grey Tree Frog Is… Green?

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There’s all sorts of nooze out there that I could write about, but let’s usher in the weekend with a sanity break, courtesy of God’s creative power.

The grey tree frog isn’t always grey. Sometimes he’s green. These frogs can change color, like chameleons.

I had grey tree frogs once. They tamed in a hurry and used to perch on my finger, like a parakeet, and snap up mealworms from my other hand. They also liked to sing all night, which really bothered my housemates… so I had to let my frogs go. *Sigh* They were good little guys, and I enjoyed their company. Certainly I miss them more than I miss those grumpy housemates.

‘The Very Strange “Shovel-Tusked” Elephant’ (2018)

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Image result for platybelodon

Behold the Platybelodon, aka “the shovel-tusked elephant.” It wasn’t quite as large as a modern elephant, but still too hefty for your living room–although living rooms had not yet been invented, so that’s no problem. And those elongated jaws helped this animal to catch its food–gnats and fruit flies–on the wing.

The Very Strange ‘Shovel-Tusked’ Elephant

[Stop! Get this guy outta here, he’s crazy.]

Sorry about that–I needed a laugh.

Anyway, here’s a very cool prehistoric animal that doesn’t get much press; but you can find out all about it if you click the link above.

Nature: A Wolf Spider’s Babies

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I have to confess to a touch of arachnophobia. But you have to admire the mother wolf spider’s care for her babies. Please honk if you have counted the babies. Imagine having to care for that many at once!

If a baby should fall off, the mother spider stops what she’d doing to look for it and get it back onto her back. You have to admire that.

This is Mr. Nature with a little bit of God’s stuff–a spider that parents like a mammal. Be kind: these spiders eat nothing but bugs that we’d just as soon be rid of.

Do Worms Have a Death Wish?

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Worms invade campus – The Wayne Stater

I have often wondered why worms crawl onto blazing hot sidewalks and fry themselves into oblivion.

Jambo! Mr. Nature here, to answer all our nature questions.

Going by what I’ve read, worms in the ground get thirsty and crawl out of the earth when it rains, because they need the moisture. Then it stops raining, the sun comes out, the sidewalk heats up, and it’s ballgame over for the worms. They find themselves too far from the grass and ground, and just can’t get back. If you pick them up and put them back, they’ve got a chance.

I was hoping for a more intriguing theory. This one does the poor worms little credit. And where would we be without them aerating the soil, etc.?

From now on I’m going to put them back.

Cobras, Beware!

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Jambo, bwana! Mr. Nature here; and today’s safari takes us to Africa to see the secretary bird.

This bird spends most of its time stomping through the grass on its ultra-long legs, flushing out small animals to eat. It seems to have a special fondness for poisonous snakes. The secretary bird can fly, but where’s the fun in that? Obviously the really good meals are found on the ground.

These are very dangerous snakes that the secretary bird hunts, kills, and eats. Bugs and mice are also on the menu, but apparently there’s nothing quite as tasty as a nice cobra. The birds are fast and skillful, and their skinny legs make difficult targets. The snake really doesn’t have a chance.

Mr. Nature: Red-Backed Salamander

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Really, I just don’t feel like writing nooze today. It’d just be more of the same old **** anyway, wouldn’t it?

Instead, let’s admire some of God’s handiwork–like, for instance, red-backed salamanders. Once upon a time you could find these little guys all over the place, you didn’t even have to go into the woods. Now it’s been years since I’ve seen one, even in the woods. I blame herbicides and pesticides for that: people love to drench their stupid lawns with chemicals.

Redbacks belong to a family of salamanders that’s been very common and successful in North America–the lungless salamanders. Yes, we said “lungless.” The embryos have lungs, the adults don’t. They breathe through their skin. God has not explained why He made them that way.

These pretty salamanders could be found under logs and rocks in people’s back yards and gardens, at the edge of the woods, on hillsides–any place where they could enjoy a moderately moist environment. There was always a temptation to take them for granted because they were so common.

And now, of course, we can’t seem to find any.

Intermission: A Busy Bird

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I am way behind today, gotta somehow write a Newswithviews column, so while I get to work on that, Mr. Nature has provided you with this nice video of a mother cardinal feeding one of her babies… one seed at a time. Looks tiring! It’d be so much easier if they could use bowls and spoons, but we know of no birds who enjoy those amenities. Anyway, you can enjoy this video while I tackle a column for tomorrow.

Bonus Video: Snake Plays Dead

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You have to hand it to the hognose snake. He’s not poisonous, but he pretends that he is; and if that doesn’t work, he plays dead. It must convince somebody, somewhere.

Bonus Video: Frog Changes Color

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(Enough with the nooze already!)

I love grey tree frogs. They’re very tame, they’ll perch on your finger like a parakeet and eat out of your hand… and they can change color. The frog in this video is green, but by and by he changes back to grey.

I had several of these once. They used to line up on a perch in my lizard cage and sing together. My housemates came after me with torches and pitchforks, so I had to let them go. The frogs, that is–not the housemates.

I know better now. I’d keep the frogs.