fifi’s grafitti

scribblings from historic downtown McKinney, Texas: altered art, local color, flora, fauna, cemeteries, irrational commentary, improbable-and-unlikely diy home projects

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Category: nature

gentle dragon

2 October, 2008 (09:14) | bugs, Fauna, collin county, nature | No comments

Green Clearwing Dragonfly
I’m fascinated by bugs, especially when I can view one close up. I don’t know why I grew up disliking them, or why I was terrified of spiders. (I still despise cockroaches, though.) Is it a Western cultural thing to see insects and reptiles as evil things? It seems most of the aliens […]

never eat anything larger than your head

29 September, 2008 (09:20) | Fauna, Seasons, collin county, nature | 1 comment

Squirrel with pecan. I’ve heard people saying it’s going to be a cold winter in North Texas, but really, Senor Squirrel, is that any excuse to stuff your face this way? And Dude, your oral hygiene sucks. Brush those teeth once in a while. Eeeeew!

tiny garden denizens

7 September, 2008 (09:47) | bugs, Fauna, birds, nature | 3 comments

Above: Ruby Throated Hummingbird (female or immature male) — Below: Asian Tiger Mosquito

The hummingbirds don’t seem to visit our feeders when they’re stationed close to the house, so I don’t often get a chance to photograph one. This little cutie pie stayed motionless just long enough for me to get a couple of […]

lightbugs

7 June, 2008 (08:57) | nature | No comments

fireflies in the night, exchanging flashes,
fireflies in the night, what were the chances they’d be sharing love before the night was through?
The fireflies are back! About two weeks ago the outdoor floodlight burned out, leaving the yard in nearly pitch darkness. The light is really high on the house and difficult to change, so it’s […]

Araneidae & a rainy day in McKinney

13 May, 2008 (09:48) | nature | No comments

A very pretty spider I saw in the garden yesterday. I had just got down on my hands and knees to shoot this, when I felt something stick into my knee. I didn’t see any stickers growing there, so I leaned on my elbows even closer to the web, trying to steady the camera. Suddenly […]

caterpillar bits

5 November, 2007 (12:25) | nature, Uncategorized | No comments

Two of three caterpillars that were defoliating my mom’s penta plants yesterday. I think they will become swallowtail butterflies. The green ones will be predominately black and the brown one will be yellow (I think). Today the brown one has disappeared. One of the green ones is still feeding voraciously and the second one is […]

tombstone spider

30 October, 2007 (08:35) | cemetery, collin county, Texas, nature | No comments

I’ve got to remember to bring my macro lens with me next time I go shooting cemteries. These quiet places are ideal worlds for many small life forms. Here’s a nice jumping spider I chased round and round the headstone trying to capture a likeness. I might have missed the little critter but for the […]

my zoological alter ego kicks in

11 June, 2007 (10:01) | altered art - assemblage, nature | No comments

It’s got a stinky name, but this pretty little bug is a good guy to have in your garden….maybe almost as good as ladybugs. I saw a tiny spot of red (less than 1/8 inch) moving among decomposing leaves and clods of mud and was able to get a few shots before I lost it. […]

o, happy day

22 March, 2007 (09:00) | nature | No comments

In Texas blue is the color of joy.The bluebonnets are peeking through!
Some days I don’t know whether to carry my camera or my art journal with me. Some days I just say “forget them both.” Yesterday I picked my camera because the sky had turned dark and I hoped to shoot a couple of white […]