the *poo*pusher*

if you know me at all...you know i take pictures of 'scat'.  poop.

it's part of my wildlife education!
i'm a self taught Poo-ologist.
(or is it a Poopologist? Crapologist? Shitologist?)

you'll know which critters have been visiting, by learning to recognize their scat.

you can even tell what they've been eating, or if they're herbivores or carnivores.

(need i ask if you care? well, if you do, take a look at this book "What Shat That?" by Matt Pagett.)

anyway, i'm getting sidetracked.

emo is an indoor kitty.

he's only been outside twice, under strict supervision!

(he'll be 4 months old on the 6th of December.)

emo uses a kitty litter pan.

we ceremoniously toss his poop out back, towards the woods.

(we do this 2 - 3 times a day. he poops a lot!)

a few days ago, sam hollered for me to grab the camera & head out back.

a Dung Beetle was frantically rolling one of emo's POO away!

"first come, first serve!"

this particular *poo pusher* was racing along,
hoping that no other of his kind would attempt to rob him of his bounty!

NOTICE the LONG CURVED HORN (male)

and the way he PUSHES that poop along...with his scooper!

at least we use the fragrance free & dye free litter. no additives. 100% natural.
we don't have to worry about the health of these amazing beetles...
OR their larvae, that feed on this excrement.

i recorded this little Tumblebug in action!

it's only 28 seconds.

check it out!!

ok, enough of this shit, i mean poop!

Always watch where you are going. 

Otherwise, you may step on a piece of the Forest that was left out by mistake. 

(Winnie the Pooh)

stay cool.  be safe.

laura

more fungi. winged insects. more berries.

6.15.12  at  5:50 am

 STILL

so many mushrooms...

such a variety of colors, shapes, sizes...

popping up all over the yard...at the edge of the woods.

"You'll miss the best things if you keep your eyes shut."  

~Dr. Seuss

pumpkin pie anyone?

this one reminds me of a sea urchin.

this looks like it's covered with tiny stones.

and

the

redundant

mushroom.

FUNGI on FUNGI

~O~

yesterday,  we went blackberry collecting again...

in the field...where the blackberries are growing wild all over the place.

it was so sunny...i couldn't see the butterflies on the camera's screen...

i was relieved when i uploaded them to the computer, and saw that they came out fine!

a Variegated Fritillary

Variegated Fritillary & a little yellow butterfly...maybe a Whirlabout

along one of the trails, i spotted this BRIGHT iridescent green beetle.

it was pushing something along...rolling it. 

but it got scared when it realized i was there...and started to run.

it looked like animal POOP...that it was rolling along.

a female dung beetle

when i got home, i looked it up...

it's what i thought...

a DUNG BEETLE!

also known as a 'tumblebug'.

did you know they ONLY eat animal feces?!

after rolling & burying their dung balls, the females lay their eggs in them.

(when i hear the words Dung Balls in my head...i can't stop humming the  AC/DC song...

know which one i'm talking about?)

they're very beneficial to our environment,

as they eat what other animals leave behind.

they are useful recyclers!

Dung beetles can be found on every continent except Antartica!

the males have this horn on top of their heads!

they look pretty prehistoric...have a look...i think you'll agree.

http://www.fcps.edu/islandcreekes/ecology/dung_beetle.htm

and one more tidbit of information on these amazing insects:

there is a species of African Dung beetle that navigates 

by the polarization patterns of the moonlight.

ok...i have decided that these beetles are at the top of my list for LIKES of bugs.

they're good for the environment.

they look cool.

they have a fondness for poop.

(i need to clarify that...no, i don't eat poop. never have. but i DO take pictures of scat.)

and they have a connection to the moon.

OK...

back to the berries.

i got a little sidetracked.  i think these dung beetles are the coolest!

after collecting about 8 cups of blackberries...we headed home.

the yellow lantana had a few butterflies feeding.

a Gulf Fritillary

a Long-tailed skipper

some type of banded skipper.  this butterfly was tiny. under and inch.

SO with EIGHT cups of FRESH blackberries...

i found myself in the kitchen...again.

baking.

TWO cobblers. one for us and one for sam's mom.

no, i haven't learned to enjoy baking...i'd rather be doing just about anything else.

but these cobblers ARE SO EASY...mouth watering-ly good...

especially warmed up with ice cream on top!  yum.

~O~

this is long enough.

i hope you made it to the end.

because milo has a gift.

she brought it to the back screen door.

well...cats do what cats gotta do.

poor lizard.

i asked her to please let it go.  she did.  good kitty.  and the lizard scurried away. whew.

"Prowling his own quiet backyard or asleep by the fire, 

he is still only a whisker away from the wilds."

~Jean Burden

stay cool & be safe.

laura