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avatar_Newt

Newt's noodles

Started by Newt, April 11, 2014, 08:46:49 PM

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Newt

Some paintings in oil, from a series I did called "Fragments".  All the paintings were done at approximately life size, from my own photos.  Unfortunately I didn't take pictures of all of them.





























Newt

Acrylic paintings from a series called "Herpetofauna."  These were all done at the same size, so they look a little more consistent.









Please let me know what you think!

KaraWildsong42

These are wonderful! I think your birds are my favorites. Although the highlights on the bat's fur make it look so fluffy and real!
'O bliss of the collector, bliss of the man of leisure!  [...] – and I mean a real collector, a collector as he ought to be – ownership is the most intimate relationship that one can have to objects. Not that they come alive in him; it is he who lives in them.' - Walter Benjamin

brontodocus

Those are all brilliant, especially your Herpetofauna series. Congrats, Newt! :)

Newt

Thanks, kara and brontodocus!

Newt

Some photos from yesterday:

I walked out the door and immediately saw a bunch of spiderlings clambering along a silk line.




Then I headed down through some hayfields; I saw a few more inverts here.  Dew on spiderwebs always makes a good image.


This American Lady (Vanessa virginiensis) kindly posed on a licheny branch.


Then into the woods.  The land snails were out in force.


These millipedes were making the beast with two backs and far too many feet.


This augochlorin sweat bee is visiting a Spring Beauty (Claytonia virginiana).


Green-striped phase of the variable Northern Cricket Frog (Acris crepitans).


Then I waded along a spring run. This big-eyed toad bug (Gelastocoris oculatus)was prowling the bank.


A Southern Two-Lined Salamander (Eurycea cirrigera), one of three under a single small stone at the edge of the stream.


There were plenty of water striders (which I grew up calling "spring keepers"); I think this is Aquarius remigis.


A finger-sized cranefly larva and an asellid isopod (I didn't even notice him when I was taking the picture) under another stone.


Speaking of craneflies, this one looked nice with the light shining through its wings:


Here's a larger one- wingspan close to 3 inches! I hesitate to ID a fly from a photo, but the distinctive wing pattern looks like Tipula furca.


I know I'm a lousy photographer; I'm just sharing these for the intrinsic interest of the subjects, not to try to claim there's any artistic distinction in these shots.  :))

KaraWildsong42

Thank you for sharing all the photos Newt! It's snowing here today, and I'm worried about many of the flowers that decided to pop up already; and the bees that were already out feeding on them. It's nice to see such variety of other creatures getting ready for their own Spring!
'O bliss of the collector, bliss of the man of leisure!  [...] – and I mean a real collector, a collector as he ought to be – ownership is the most intimate relationship that one can have to objects. Not that they come alive in him; it is he who lives in them.' - Walter Benjamin

Newt

Thanks Kara! Where do you live, if you don't mind my asking? April's too late for snow, by my reckoning!  :D


We're supposed to get a light frost here in Middle Tennessee tonight- hopefully the last of the spring!  I'm ready to get my tomatoes planted!  Spring came late and quick this year, after the hardest winter we've had in a long time. We had snow on the ground five weeks ago, but some of our wildflowers - the toothworts and trout lilies at least - have already bloomed out and set fruit.


KaraWildsong42

I don't mind, I live in Indiana.  ;D Even with our usually unpredictable weather, this is strange for us too. I have a whole vegetable garden ready to be planted but we had a long winter with maybe a week of Spring so far. I'm glad I decided to wait a little longer!  :o
'O bliss of the collector, bliss of the man of leisure!  [...] – and I mean a real collector, a collector as he ought to be – ownership is the most intimate relationship that one can have to objects. Not that they come alive in him; it is he who lives in them.' - Walter Benjamin

Newt

We don't even get snow every winter, but this past one we had several good snowfalls.  That ol' polar vortex did a number on this whole half of the continent.

Here are some hosses during a January snowfall:



And here's where a hawk ruined a towhee's day in March:






Newt

#10
Some photos from the farm, taken yesterday evening:


Eastern Tailed-blue (Cupido comyntas)



Scorpionflies (Panorpa species)
Male



Female


Green Lacewing (Chrysopa species)


Green Heron (Butorides virescens)



Solitary Sandpiper (Tringa solitaria)



Wood Duck drake (Aix sponsa)



and some dirty old deer (Odocoileus virginianus).

Newt

A few insects at my mother-in-law's place on Independence Day:





Violet Dancer (Argia fumipennis violacea) (I think)







Ebony Jewelwing (Calopteryx maculata) female







same as above, male







Question Mark (Polygonia interrogationis)







And I almost got a good shot of a deer! I swear it was in frame when I pressed the button...  :D

stargatedalek

great photos
I especially love the wood duck

Newt


Newt

#14
A couple of large flies from the farm:





A lordly Mydas Fly, Mydas clavatus, surveying his domain from a wilted beefsteak shoot.







A Hanging-Thief, Diogmites spp., watching for a nice juicy bee to devour.

brontodocus

Beautiful photos, Newt! 8) It's always interesting to see that some of the insect genera you posted (e.g. Cupido, Calopteryx, and Polygonia) are also distributed in Europe, only with different species.


Newt

Thanks, Brontodocus!  I've thought the same thing, seeing photos from you and Bugsnapz.  I haven't traveled much, but I did get to visit Japan a few years ago. It was very interesting seeing congeners of so many familiar eastern North American plants and animals.


This tiny Saddleback Caterpillar (Acharia stimulea) was crawling on my bench vise. They are said to have a very painful sting; I have managed not to experience it so far.



Newt

#17
I had a chance to take some pictures around a pond yesterday. I thought this photo came out very well: a pair of Green Darners (Anax junius) ovipositing at the margin of the pond:





Some more dragons:


Blue Dasher (Pachydiplax longipennis)





Widow Skimmer (Libellula luctuosa)





Common Whitetail (Plathemis lydia)





Some action shots of an Eastern Pondhawk (Erithemis simplicicollis) ovipositing; unlike the darners, she was going solo.





And just so you don't think I never take photos of vertebrates, here's a big, male Fox Squirrel (Sciurus niger) chewing on something in an oak tree. You can see some galls formed by cynipid wasps in the oak twigs behind him.









Newt

#18
Also, flies:


One of the many wasp-mimicking syrphids; in this case, I think it's a Toxomerus spp.[EDIT - a helpful Bugguide user ID'ed it as Toxomerus politus]:





And a Tiger Bee Fly (Xenox tigrinus), a common large fly that parasitizes Eastern Carpenter Bees.





It's also a wasp mimic of sorts, though it doesn't look it at rest; when it's flying, two white spots on the abdomen show prominently, making it look much like the Four-toothed Mason Wasp, Monobia quadridens, which is also often found near Eastern Carpenter Bee borings; it uses abandoned bee borings to make its own mud-walled chambered nests in.


Four-toothed Mason Wasp (Monobia quadridens):





Eastern Carpenter Bee (Xylocopa virginica):



Newt

I'll spare you all my flower, fungus, and unidentified hymenopteran photos from this weekend. Just a few bugs:


Clematis Blister Beetle



Hanging-thief



Now for some tetrapods:
a trio of American Bullfrog metamorphs (even at this age, they're the size of an adult treefrog)



a juvenile toad



Midland Watersnake and some sunfish



female Rubythroated Hummingbird feeding at Cardinal Flower



juvenile Little Blue Heron



While photographing the heron, I spotted a group of four raccoons - presumably a mother and three nearly-grown young- foraging along the bank:








Eventually the mother spotted me; she backed slowly away, keeping her eyes on me and growling, while the young made for a nearby sweetgum tree.