#september2012

[jonnysinsectcatalogue]

Spiny Leaf Insect - Extatosoma tiaratum

Having one of these armored insects crawling around on the palm of your hand is a really special experience. Perhaps crawling isn’t the right word, wobbling or swaying is more accurate. As I mentioned in the previous post on this insect, this spiny insect wobbles to mimic a leaf blowing in the wind. This tactic is much more effective while hanging onto a tree branch.  Fortunately, we didn’t have any plans to eat this insect. It also was in an arched position as well, trying to keep us away by resembling a scorpion. Using insects like this one, the Hissing Cockroaches and an Annam Walking Stick was a way to introduce first year students to the diversity of insects and showcase how some of the more exotic insects (this one being native to Australia) and how they adapted to the environment. While I’m biased, I think the Giraffe Weevil would be another good insect to showcase, but it lives on the island of Madagascar, so good luck finding one and bringing it in.

The females of this specie are much larger than the males and have sharper spines and armor to protect them. As a trade off however, this makes them heavy, slowing down their movement (no problem) but rendering their already small wings useless (problem?). Males on the other hand get to keep their wings and can use them to fly or scare predators by flashing them. Being able to fly also makes finding mates easier. They receive these wings during their final molt, similar to most adult insects like Cicadas, and just like Cicadas, they like to hang off of branches and greenery while they shed. When the female undergoes her final molt, she retains the curled abdomen and a much more armored shell. Hmmm...it’s possible this Stick Insect was a female and thus kept it’s tail curled for that reason, but I’m not sure this one was done molting; other images of female stick insects show me that they can grow even larger. Fondly enough, they start off as tiny twigs that mimic Ants so predators leave them alone before taking on their arborous look. They’re also remarkably fast while they’re young, slowing down as they gain more armor. 

As a final note, if Spiny Leaf Insects can’t find each other at all in the wild, the female can actually lay eggs that are effectively clones of herself. Certainly a useful strategy to help dispersal. I wonder how much influence the phenotype (gene expression through the influence of the environment) has in a situation like this, I mean, for things like color, shape, textures, etc. Stick Insects survive the best when they can all hide among the trees, but the environment has a strong influence over this. Check out some of the different color morphs if you can.

Since these insects technically belong to U of T, I’ve labelled this image with the mantis logo. Pictures were taken on September 19, 2012 within the labs of the University of Toronto with a Samsung Galaxy Glide

[monsieurjerome]

Back to work! #newseason #newman #newlook #neweverything #iwish #monsieurjeromearchives #september2012 #streetstyle #mensfashion

[expatmichael]

My last visit to Key West, a friend had something to do with this art gallery. I just started to be able to wear that T shirt again this summer though I cut the sleeves off. Key West is magical when you hang with the locals and don’t just do typical tourist stuff. But my friend doesn’t live there anymore and we no longer speak. Life evolves, more tans to get, more tans to fade. The cycle of life when you’re middle aged and think about how time has passed and what’s in store for the future. #september2012 #keywest #artgallery #greatshot #tan #endofsummer (at Key West, Florida) https://www.instagram.com/p/B1e1_b9I4J4st-WwIsfHo_qSeQ3JUnjPpdTmWo0/?igshid=fdodt24z84lu

[stephysavonbeauty-blog]

#mothersday #motherslove #neverforgotten #2012 #september2012 #sands #tommys #love #sonordaughter #family #mykids

[telrphistory]

Devbait

Tel: “Devi? Devi? Where are you, my dear?” Tel searched around the factory for Dev, feeling he perhaps was still around somewhere. “Are you here?” Tel held a tray of cupcakes that Sharderai had prepared earlier.   Dev:  Dev wandered out of a bathroom, his broken horn now wrapped in white bandages. They didn’t do anything, but the pressure they gave made his head feel a little better.   He rubbed his eyes a little and sighed, he hadn’t been sleeping much from the pain and the ringing in his ears. Perking up at the sound of Tel’s voice, he peeked around the corner.   “Tel?”   Tel: Tel smiled when he heard Dev’s voice. He ran over to the other man and stopped short of dropping the cupcakes everywhere so he could hug him. He looked up at him, relieved. “Devi… I… I had Evalana bandage your horn… before… Um… How are you feeling? Where’d you run off to?! I expected you to stay in the guest room I put you in and you’ve been… I was worried…”   Dev: “I just had some… Things to do.” He smiled for a second, looking away. “I’m sorry.”   He looked a mess. His normally well-groomed hair was fluffy and he hadn’t even bothered to put his suit back on, just the white shirt and his red boxers.   Tel: Tel sighed a bit and brushed him off a little. “Oh, look at you, you’re such a mess.. Here, take one of these.” He held out the tray. “And we’ll go and get you cleaned up, hm? You hardly look yourself, my dear.”   Dev: He nodded a little, taking one of the cupcakes and peeling the paper off, nibbling it. “I don’t feel like myself…” He spoke through bites, watching Tel. His tail swayed behind him some.   Tel: Tel gently led him to the guest room to get his clothes on and comb his hair. “Can’t have you walking around the factory pants-less, love, we’re technically in public… until we go up to my personal rooms. Which we could do.”   Dev: “No one will say anything… And it’s not like I’m naked.” He followed obediently, finishing his cupcake along the way. “Unless you want me to be naked?” He tried his best to smile coyly, though it seemed a little pathetic.   Tel: Tel grinned and chuckled a bit. “Only if you’ve time… And I’m sure you’re not feeling up to it.” Tel led him into the guest room then set down the tray of cupcakes, then turned around. He wrapped his arms gently around Dev and kissed him, running his fingers up into his hair. He made sure he was touching the other side of his head, not the side with the broken horn.   Dev: He returned the affection, wrapping his arms around Tel’s waist and pulling him close. He shut his eyes and sighed through his nose contently.   Tel: Tel pet his hair and pulled back slowly, looking up into his eyes. “I wish he’d give you a break… I wish… I only wish you could stay with me forever…” He halted for a moment before turning around and getting a comb and a bit of gel. “Come here, sit in the chair and I’ll do your hair nice for you.”   Dev: Dev moved and sat where he was told, looking down a little. “There’s no rest for the wicked, right?” He smirked a bit, pulling at some of his bangs, wondering when they’d gotten so long.   Tel: Tel smiled a bit, having read it from him. He picked a pair of scissors out from a drawer. “And, my dear, along with all the language, dance and other interesting classes I took, the multi-talented magical man that is me can also cut hair."   Dev: He frowned just a little. “Don’t cut the too short… In fact, maybe they’re fine how they are.” He looked a little nervous now, not sure how he felt about getting scissors so close to his head and his broken horn.   Tel:“Oh gosh, Devi, it’s just a haircut. I’d only take a bit off the ends. Looks like you haven’t had one in a while.” He took a little squirt bottle and started squirting Dev’s hair down.   Dev: He shut his eyes as his head started to be sprayed. “Only the ends…” He muttered and sighed a bit. It was true, he hadn’t done this in a very long time. Not since… Since before the accident in fact.   Tel: Tel smiled and went about his work cutting the ends of Dev’s hair. Once he had snipped everywhere, not caring about the guest room rug that other people clean, he pulled out a blowdryer and dried Dev’s hair. He leaned over his shoulder and nibbled his ear a bit. “Sexy.” He whispered.   Dev: A small blush crept over his face from the nibble. “Now what do you think you’re doing…” He smirked a little, grabbing Tel and pulling him down on the bed with him. “You won’t get away with that, you know.”   Tel: Tel laughed as he was pulled down onto the bed. “Aaah! I didn’t think you’d move so quick~” He chuckled and reached up to rub Dev’s good horn affectionately.   Dev: He breathed in sharply, the feeling of Tel stroking his right horn making him shiver a bit. “I’m not paralyzed, you know.” He smirked and trailed a hand down Tel’s side.   Tel:“Nn… Ooh. I know you aren’t” He grinned and pulled him closer by his shirt, touching their noses together a bit. “Hehe~” He turned his head and gave him another kiss, sliding the hand downward. “Do you have time?”   Dev: “For you, I have all the time in the world.” He grinned, the hand he’d used to touch Tel’s side wandering lower until a few of his fingers slipped into the waist of his pants.   Tel: “As long as you won’t get in trouble, love.” He muttered, smiling. His hand slipped down Dev’s pants and curled around his member. He rubbed it gently, aggravatingly slow. “So you want it, do you? You want me?” He grinned.   Dev:  He groaned at the feeling of Tel’s hand working him. “Nnnn Tel… You tease.” He whined a bit, his hand dipping all the way into his pants and giving his ass a tight squeeze. “Of course I want it.”   His face flushed a little as he felt his already half-hard cock begin biggering from the attention it was receiving.   Tel: Tel, still grinning, slipped himself down under Dev and brought it out, almost immediately closing his lips around it. “Mmm…” He groaned a bit, playing his tongue around it and sucking hard on the head. After a moment, he took his mouth off and gave a little sigh.  "Take me,“ He said with a smell whine. "Hard. The wall, the bed, the floor, the chair, the desk… Anywhere… Everywhere…”