3:00 snapshot #948, 949

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3:00 snapshot #950

On Thursday I left work a little early to go do my taxes. Here I am puzzling out how to pay for parking--a new system had been installed since the last time I was there. By the way, if anyone in the Boston area--especially small business people, artists, musicians, and such--needs someone to help them with their taxes or other money-related issues, please contact Diane O'Brien, my tax lady for more than a decade now. In sad news, since I flaked out on making an appointment ahead of time, I had to go solo, cheating us out of our annual tax date.

You know how for a while I was posting snapshots that looked like stills from horror movies? There are a lot of creepy places that I get myself into while doing pest control. It would be hard to judge which was creepiest, but this place is definitely a finalist:
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100 More Species: #2 Bilobed Looper

Bilobed looper Megalographa biloba

This plain brown medium-sized moth would have gone completely ignored if not for the snazzy markings on its wings. As it turns out, the common and scientific names both refer to the double-lobed, silvery white "stigma" (really, not making an Easter joke) this animal has on its forewings. The other notable feature of this moth is its natural range: from Canada to South America. Surely part of the reason for the looper's broad range is the broad range of plants that its plump green larvae can eat. The inchworms grow by feeding on important crops like alfalfa, cabbage, and lettuce, as well as ubiquitous weeds like dandelion and plantain. The caterpillar can even feed on the toxic foliage of the tobacco plant.

Quincy Animal Shelter

One of my good zookeeper friends left a year or so ago to become the director of the Quincy Animal Shelter. Yesterday I visited her, and the animals there.
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