I just love red velvet mites—their soft, plush coats, their Shar-Pei wrinkles, that eye-popping red. Until now, all I’d really seen of their behaviour was eating midges, aphids, and other small insects. But recently I saw something quite astonishing for the first time. Continue reading Field journal: Sumo mites
Author: nevillepark
Field journal: More spiders in pinecones
A nice routine I have fallen into over the past several months is spider-hunting while catching up on the podcast The History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps. And so
“Like Rodney Dangerfield, obsessive collectors get no respect. The word ‘trainspotter’, which refers to a railway enthusiast, is, in British English, synonymous with ‘loser’, and there is indeed something slightly tragic about someone who spends all their free time looking for things the rest of us find pointless.”
Me:
Me: ಠ___ಠ
Aaaanyway, here’s a bunch of spiders and whatnot I’ve found on recent winter excursions. Continue reading Field journal: More spiders in pinecones
Field Journal: A Sunnyside pinecone
A few days ago, suffering from cabin fever, I went down to the Sunnyside boardwalk to flip rocks and see what I could find. Pickings were meagre at first, but I struck pay dirt with a pinecone! Pinecones will now be part of my winter spider-hunting repertoire. Continue reading Field Journal: A Sunnyside pinecone
The 2020 Kibitzer Prizes
Is there like an IgNobel Awards but for the Pulitzer?
Like for all the stuff we jokingly say should get a Pulitzer, like the raccoon green bin investigation and the story about men getting into the bath balls last.
— Neville Park (inactive) (@neville_park) September 29, 2018
What are the Kibitzers? The Kibitzers are to journalism as the IgNobel Prizes are to science. They reward reporting that captures human nature, current events, and the world around us in a way that leaves you asking, “What the fuck did I just read?” Many pieces are genuinely unique and useful; others, not so much.
Throughout this hell year I’ve been avoiding the news for my sanity, so I’ve obviously missed a lot. Late nominations are heartily welcome.
Arachnews: September 30, 2020
I’M BACK, BITCHES. In the latest roundup of all things spider, scorpion, harvester, mite, and more:
- arachnologists on livestreams and podcasts
- #PruittData retractions and other developments
- research on venom, silk, agriculture, ecology, and more
- new species from around the world
- …and more!
Arachnews: July 22, 2020
In this week’s fortnight’s roundup of arachnid-related art, news, and science:
- fantasy art
- new books
- court cases
- picky black widows
- the effects of Arctic climate change
- tarantula trafficking
- tons of new species
- and more!
Arachnews: July 8, 2020
In the latest roundup of arachnid art, news, and science:
- the American Arachnology Society’s first online conference
- a leading taxonomy journal in peril
- research about venom, ecology, and endosymbionts
- new species from around the world
- …and more!
Arachnews: June 23, 2020
In this…*glances at date* *cough*’s edition of Arachnews:
- the latest on synthetic spider silk
- new research on social spiders, cannibalism, venom, and tick-borne disease control
- taxonomic tangles and new species
- …and more!
Field Journal: Humber Bay Shores Park
In early May, jealous of all the UK people posting their Pardosa observations, I headed to Humber Bay Shores Park early one morning to see if our native Ontario wolf spiders were out yet. They were not. However, I did find lots of other arthropods! A couple of second-timers—almost as exciting as first-timers. Continue reading Field Journal: Humber Bay Shores Park
Arachnews: May 31, 2020
We’re back, baby. In the latest roundup of arachnid news, media, and science:
- arachnological organizations’ statements on #BlackLivesMatter
- arachnologists on livestreams
- research on extreme sexual dimorphism, spider collecting techniques, and tailless whipscorpion senses
- new species from around the world
- and much more…