Don’t kid yourself– it’s still winter; even though the east coast is knee deep in snow and it is 70 degrees in FoCoLand…
Dead Frog
At least I *think* its dead. I poked at it with a stick and it didn’t move. Note that I put a quarter next to it on the frozen pond to show you how big this frog was or is. Whatever. Dead Frog.
Dead for sure
Desiccated frog on the shore. How did it get there? I’ve been to this pond many times and have never seen this before. This could be a normal thing thing perhaps if the water becomes frozen solid.
Dead Fish too
There are some that claim that the ice on the top of ponds can cut the amount of dissolved oxygen in the water and if there is a lot of plant growth and silt on the bottom it can spell death to any fish if the pond is iced over for several weeks. Then again some might say it is caused by “military testing of some kind, maybe some kind of death ray maybe some chemical, testing it on the animals with a view to possible future use on humans”
More like 4 inch diameter PVC pipes with a 1 inch steel pipe through the center (we hope) prior to filling with concrete. It’s an idea I’ve had for a while to make a printing press for intaglio plates. May or may not work…
Heavy cylinders
In this step, both cylinders are filled with concrete and allowed to harden. Some plywood end stock was fitted to each end to help set the steel pipe through the center. Whatever happens next will not happen until next year. See you then!
And in another corner, some project involving electro-forming:
This project is about electrochemistry, copper anodes and sulfuric acid; the idea is to coat various non-conductive surfaces with metal by a process called Electro-Forming. It’s how bronzed baby shoes were made (if you remember those.)
Some sort of plant pod
This is an example of a non-conductive surface that could be coated with metal. Maybe they could be made into earrings? After they are dried, the surface is coated with lacquer and, depending on a number of conditions I haven’t quite worked out yet, the surface is made conductive and then electro-plated. At this moment I have not perfected the method.
An Assassin Bug
Naturally I have a constant source of insects (dead or alive) to choose from. The coating process seems like it may require some intervals to properly get the job done with insects. The initial coating requires a freshly deceased subject such that the legs and antennae can be manipulated without breaking off.
Gold Bug
Or something like that. Sufficient time to dry out is important at this stage. I’m giving this guy at least a month to dry completely before I do the final coating.
Creator Hub break time
About this time there was a little diversion to make a few holiday projects with the Hub Crew at the Harmony Library. Hope to get back with more projects next year!
Posted in Art, Bugs, DIY | Comments Off on Projects going into 2015
At the last HOLA (or Hands On Live Animals) I was attempting to use my new magnifier app on my new smart phone to take a close-up picture of Phyllocrania paradoxa otherwise known as a Ghost Mantis. Just when I was getting the phone ready, the leafy looking bug decided to take off! As in fly away… He (and it was a male mantis) made a few circles at a height of about 25 feet in the air and then finally rested upon the shade near the window. He’s in the upper left of the window in the above picture but you can’t see him.
Ghost Mantis at the top of the window shade
Using the zoom function of my camera (Not my smart phone) I was able to get the above shot of the little ghost while he rested on the shade. Chris got a ladder to reach the pull chord for the shade and gently lowered the little bug-a-boo so he could safely be returned to his cage. All is fine, so I thought, but when I returned to the museum the following week I found out that 1) Chris got a job a CSU and is no longer employed at the museum and 2) The females in the mantis cage ATE THE ESCAPEE ! … I guess they were a bit pissed off that he wanted some time away from the girls.
From left to right: Dr. Gillian Bowser, Natural Resource Ecology Laboaratory, CSU; Dr. Emily Fischer, Department of Atmospheric Science, CSU;Dr. Sara Rathburn, Warner College of Natural Resources, CSU; and Dr. Paula Cushing, Curator, Denver Museum of Nature and Science.
This working group on Women, Population and the Environment offered the public a speaker series titled, “Exploring the Influence of Gender in Science and the Environment” We had to come because Dr. Cushing is an arachnologist who helped revise Spiders of North America: An identification manual. She had to sign my copy! Lots of young women science majors in attendance, none of them spider doctors.
Sponsored by: Women’s Services and Gender Resources, School of Global Environmental Sustainability, National he Renewable Energy Laboratory, and Ripple Effect.
Posted in Biology, Education | Comments Off on Science Time at Avo’s
Today was learn how to care for your giant millipede
Or these Blue Beetles
And Bees, can’t forget bees!
The new animal exhibit at the FoCoMOD has been constructed to help introduce visitors to species and their vital roles, to highlight the need for conservation, and to spark scientific curiosity. It features animals including Colorado native tiger salamander, tarantulas, leopard geckos, “Dumbo” rats, honeybees, and even a ball python named “Slinky”, an old favorite but not native to Colorado.
Posted in Bugs, Museums | Comments Off on Buggy Museum
Apparently things grow faster without soil because the plants don’t have to work so hard searching for food in the dirt (I guess?)
Some kind of experimental soil
Known as the “Green Hackerspace” or the “Warehouse”, this is the play area for environmentally concerned DIY folks to hang out and test some ideas in real space.
Green test bed
Located in the middle of nowhere with lots of working area to do stuff, this warehouse might be just the pace to get things done. Stay tuned!
The first Colorado State University club was started by this guy:
Clarence P. Gillette
100 years ago it was called simply “The Entomology Club” then it was changed to the “Gillette Club” in 1925. Somehow the students named it “The Gillette Infestation” for a time and then back to the Gillette Club by 1945. Now it’s called the “Gillette Entomology Club” which seems like a good compromise. We like to call it the G.E.C.
Fun things to do at the Bug Bash
With the Bug Petting Zoo, Bee Hive exhibition, Ask an Entomologist, Bee Pong, Bed Bug Bean Bag toss, and a bunch more!
Ghost Mantis on my arm
My task at the CSU Bug Bash was to show off some of the insects at the bug zoo. In the above photo the ghost mantis is walking toward my faded Black Sheep tattoo that was created by bed bug bites last month.
At last count there were at least 22 parlors in town where one or more tattoo artists apply their trade. I plan to visit them all some day just to add what I find on Roadside Mysteries because it is a mystery why there are really 22 tattoo parlors in a town with a population of a little over 140,000. While I have yet to visit any tattoo parlor I am fairly certain that if and when it happens I will not subject myself to indelible markings. Think Department of Corrections Category: Cross/Trible Tattoo on Right Forearm, Dragon Tattoo on Right Arm, D.C. Tattoo on Back. Identifying marks on the body. No! I won’t do it! However:
In the interest of science, I recently submitted to a rather unusual marking of my skin.
It’s a Bed Bug Tattoo!
I decided to get a tattoo of my favorite local bike shop brand : Black Sheep Bikes. Their logo is a sheep. Yes, I know it’s supposed to be a BLACK sheep, but red is the only color a bed bug knows. So, what are Bed Bugs?
Bed Bug Tattoo artist of the genus Cimex
A bite from a bed bug can cause skin rashes (the redness in color important for tattoos), various allergic symptoms (it’s a chance you have to take) and possible psychological effects (who could tell?) . The little buggers need human blood to survive and after their bite and the resulting color change due to irritation on the skin the markings could be used as body art to some extent: It’s a Win – Win situation. Bugs get fed, You get art!
If you would like to have a bed bug tattoo I have illustrated some steps you will have to follow in order to do this right.
1) Select the artwork
I have chosen to get a tattoo of the company logo for the Black Sheep Bike Company located right here in Fort Collins, Colorado. If you go to the website of the Black Sheep company, at the top of the site are the words “Black Sheep” and there’s a little graphic of a sheep. It’s kind of cool, and only those that are “in” to custom bikes will recognize it for what it is. There are other logos out there, but some are easier to work with than others, so read further before you choose the artwork for your tattoo.
2) Choose a suitable mask material
Here’s the thing: The bed bugs are going to have to bite in specific areas of your skin in order to create an image that is recognizable. The mask allows the bugs to do their work in the interest of art and science. In this case I am using an Avery Badge Label #5895 for the mask material. The adhesive backing on the Avery label will help keep the mask in place during feeding and it will also help keep the label on the computer screen if you carefully remove the backing on each corner of the label before attaching it to the screen.
3) Trace the artwork onto the label
This is fairly easy. The label paper is thin enough that you can see the screen image through the paper. A pencil works well for this purpose.
4) Cut the mask
This is the hard part. You have to cut away the part of the image that you want to transfer to your skin. It’s best not to choose a logo that is too complicated. Also, if your image includes any kind of lettering (text), the cutout on the non-adhesive side should be a mirror image of the text.
In the above example, I used a single edge razor blade. You may find it easier to use one of those X-Acto type cutting knifes; I couldn’t find mine, so I used a razor blade.
5) Find the place where bed bugs live
In most developed countries in the 1950’s, bed bugs were almost unknown as human pests due to the use of strong insecticides such as DDT. Now you can find them lots of places in the U.S. but since some say that bed bugs could be infected by as many as 28 human pathogens, you may want to check out a few “clean” bugs from your local entomologist. Hey, I know where there are clean bugs! They live at the Insectary of course. We visited there in 2011. Time to go back and check out some bugs.
6) Prepare yourself for the bite of your life!
Here I am in the entomology lab with my right arm exposed. In my left hand is a Mason Jar full of little starving bed bugs who haven’t had a good blood meal in months! The top of the jar is covered with a light mesh material and on top of the mesh is the finished Avery label with the black Sheep logo cut out. Check the clock! You need to hold the inverted jar on your arm for at least 25 minutes to ensure that all the bed bugs get at least one bite!
7) Pain in the Name of Science
No, not too bad actually. You can feel the little buggers bite into your skin, but it’s not anything that I would consider painful. Bed bugs are typically night feeders, so their bites usually will not wake you while you are asleep. These guys were very hungry and they got down to business right away. In 25 minutes it was over!
‘8) OK, so where’s the tattoo?
After the required 25 minute ordeal, you must slowly and carefully lift the jar off your skin to make sure that the bed bugs have time to remove their blood sucking sippy straws. This is a critical step as you don’t want to harm the bugs and you don’t want used insect mouth parts left in your skin.
So, where is the tattoo? As far as the bug art is concerned, it is up to YOU to get your skin rash on. Any number of things could happen. It might take a few days for the full color to develop. It might itch like crazy. Don’t scratch the tattoo as it might become infected!! Wash your arm thoroughly in the area of the bites just to stave off infection.
If I get any weird skin reactions, I shall report them, otherwise, I’m out of here for now. Damn, the Tour de Fat was last week and I haven’t bloggered it yet!
Or was that 4:20? I can’t remember. Anyhow, the CU-Boulder campus cracked down:
Can’t visit CU without a permit
… and if you did get in and managed to walk over to the Norlin Quad you would have found something fishy. Apparently the CU grounds crew applied some real stinky fish fertilizer on the quad the night before.
On the CSU campus, it was calm and quiet
A few Friday night parties and some more organized music events west of College Avenue were happening like the Cheba Hut “Toasted” Subs party on Laurel Street.
This Dope Guard Dog
stood at the doorway entrance to a medical marijuana grow warehouse in Boulder just to make sure we wouldn’t come any closer. I took this picture months ago but couldn’t find an appropriate place to place it in the blog until now.
Dead Frog
Dead for sure
Dead Fish too
