Ce qui embellit le désert, dit le petit prince, c'est qu'il cache un puits quelque part... from "Le Petit Prince"
Colorful Find: A rare, pink katydid
(AP) – 4 days ago
ALLENTOWN, Pa. — It's the prettiest bug in town — bubblegum pink, vanishingly rare and was likely headed for an early demise in a bird's beak.
That is until Kay Hrycko stumbled upon the shockingly pink katydid in the yard of her Springfield Township home on Tuesday.
"We were walking around looking at the logs and happened to see this katydid on one of the rocks," Hrycko said. "It was real obvious. We all said 'Pink!'"
Katydids typically are green to blend in with foliage, but occasionally one will have a mutation that renders it pink. While pleasing to the eye, the color makes it stand out like a daily special on a restaurant menu for predators.
"That will mark it as dinner for birds," said Chuck Holliday, a Lafayette College biology professor with expertise in insects.
After discovering the colorful critter, Hrycko collected it in a yogurt container and is keeping it safe inside. She said her 13-year-old son, Cody, hopes to take it to school next week for his science class.
The major difference between pink katydids and their more common green counterparts apparently is the lack of dark pigment called melanin, the same pigment that makes a panther black.
The coloration was first noted in scientific literature in 1878. The only known genetic study was published in 1916.
The U.S. name "katydid" comes from the male's loud mating call, produced by rubbing its forewings together — groups of three and four evenly spaced noises that people imitated as "Katy did. Katy didn't. Katy didn't. Katy did."
Pink katydids have been found, albeit rarely, from Pennsylvania to Michigan to Louisiana.
The pink colouring of some katydids is due to a condition called erythrism, an unusual reddish pigmentation that can affect an animal’s body, skin, feathers, hair or eggshells. It is caused by diet or a genetic mutation that either leads to the absence of a normal pigment or the excessive production of another. In katydids, the pink colouring might be a kind of camouflage that hides them on reddish or pinkish plants.
1. Cicadas -I love when they are really noisy during the day
2. Birds in the morning (those noisy ones when it's cool outside)
3. Crickets at night (winter is so quiet)
4. Fireflies (sadly they seem to disappear sometime in July - where do they go?)
5. Hummingbirds!!!
6. Huge perfect Tiger Swallowtails, the Virginia State Butterfly
7. Fireworks on the Fourth
8. Iced Tea
9. Most of all- coming into the house with the ac on full blast. You feel so thankful.
Kihansi Spray Toads
Make Historic Return
To Tanzania
Tiny toads, extinct in the wild, now reside in propagation center in Dar es Salaam after being bred by Toledo Zoo and Bronx Zoo. Toads destined to be returned to their native habitat.
Or even more modestly, this...
The owner of the "Candy House" in Joplin, MO was kind enough to give us a personal tour. We ate our samples but it was too hot to buy any chocolates.
Hey, are we on the right road? Doesn't look like a highway to me.
From: Susan V. Sinclair
August 5, 2010 at 1:20am
Re: Virginia C. BoswellYes, that is the exact poem. And I have proof that she wrote it. Mom wrote poetry for the Leanin' Tree card company for a number of years, and they published a card with this poem, crediting her as the author. I still have one of those cards. So if you wish, I could corroborate this directly with the Harraseetket Inn on your behalf.
Now I'm curious--how did you know of this poem and know that my mother was the author?
Susan
Susan V. Sinclair
August 3, 2010 at 2:23am
Re: Virginia C. Boswell
Hi, Jane--Yes, I am her daughter; sadly, she passed away a year ago on July 31. If you mean the poem that ends with, "...and treasures hide in sand," yes, that is her work. Let me know--I'd be happy to hear if this is the right poem!
"Come walk with me along the sea where dusk sits on the land, and search with me for shells are free and treasures hide in sand."
Surprise Meat Loaf
2 pieces whole wheat pita bread
3/4 cup milk
2 T ketchup
1 T dijon mustard
1 T Worcestershire sauce
1 lb. ground chuck
1 lb ground turkey
2 eggs, lightly beaten
Salt and pepper to taste
4 hard boiled eggs
1 package frozen chopped spinach, squeezed and drained
3 T ketchup for decorative topping
Process pita bread to crumbs. Mix with milk, add ketchup, mustard and Worcestershire. Soak at least 30 minutes. Add to meats with eggs and salt and pepper. Do not overmix. Press half of mixture into loaf pan. Spread a strip of 1/2 of the spinach down the center of meat. Line 4 hard boiled eggs lengthwise down center on top of spinach. Top with remaining spinach and then remaining meat. Decorate top with ketchup swirls. Bake at 375 at least 1 hour until internal temperature reaches 140. Enjoy hot, warm or cold.
