280 days of Urbpandemonium #168

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Dad's late summer visit

My dad came to visit last Saturday and we went to a place with the problematic name of Squaw Rock Park, in Quincy. It was right above the beach and high enough to give us a nice view of the city across the harbor.


The only real "nature" picture I took on the walk was of this lovely line of white birches at the ridge of the park.


I set the googlemap app to find us a "pub," and it found us "The Irish Pub." I was a little tentative based on the outward appearance, but it was perfectly fine inside. We were the only people in there who were not 1. Irish or 2. playing Keno. I love my father's Saturday visits!

Trip to another zoo

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280 days of Urbpandemonium #169

Most of the animals that live in the soil of New England are native to Europe. When Europeans began taking resources from the New World back home, the ships were heavy with beaver pelts and other valuables. To balance the ships in the harbors, soil would be loaded on board in the European port, then dumped on the shores of the American port. Any millipede, isopod, ground beetle, earthworm, or other soil-dwelling creature that could survive the trip had a good chance of surviving in the new continent's rapidly human-altered landscape.

But not this one! I was surprised to learn that this millipede came from the opposite direction. The greenhouse millipede Oxidus gracilis* is native to Asia, and probably traveled across the Pacific in the root balls of imported plants. Greenhouses are wonderful incubators for all kinds of creatures. This millipede is found virtually everywhere in the United States--this individual was living among it's kind and some European isopods, in the soil and worm castings underneath a trash barrel.

*I'm gonna punt this one folks. What do you think they meant by "Oxidus?" Gracilis means slender.

Setting the stage with candles

This is just a couple pictures from our zookeeper meetup last week.


We've had these "star and moom" floating candles since before we moved in. This was a perfect place for them.


This is a candle that's supposed to keep mosquitoes away. It seems to have attracted and entombed at least one crane fly.


Flames at the end of the night, casting a soft glow on the last few guests.

Random spider post

Here are some spiders that I either couldn't identify, or I figured they were probably ones that I'd shown in the 280 project already. Spiders are always good anyway, so enjoy:


This little one has bagged a honeybee, complete with saddlebags loaded with pollen.


This beauty is probably a male Agelenid spider, but I didn't get a shot of the eye arrangement to be sure.


I noticed this cross orbweaver at a cookout yesterday. I forget that not everyone is as excited to see them as I am. I should carry a container to rescue unwanted spiders from ungrateful homeowners and party hosts.

Random puppy post

I looked up from my puppy minding duties to find that Diana Ross was missing! After some searching, I discovered her sleeping in the slim space underneath our propane grill.


Then Stevie Wonder saw me laying on the ground and had to come over and get involved.