This week, our first-ever video sprog blog. (Yeah, I know, I’m going to have to turn in my Luddite card now.) Because it’s hard to do silkworms justice unless you can watch them squirm!
Recall that these silkworms (who you’ve already seen in pictures) hatched from eggs that came home last June and stayed in the refrigerator until spring (when mulberry trees are nice and leafy).
Dr. Free-Ride’s better half warns that the silkworms are slightly out of focus in this video. I remind you that here at Friday Sprog Blogging, we make a point of protecting the identities of the very young. Yeah, that’s right, I meant them to be blurry! I don’t want these wee caterpillars to have to deal with creepy internet stalkers!
Category Archives: Critters
The very hungry Free-Ride caterpillars.
A few weeks ago, the Free-Ride family welcomed some new members.
About 14 new members (although it can be hard to get an accurate count when they’re squirming around).
Friday Sprog Blogging: life science from two points of view.
It being spring and all, the Free-Ride offspring sometimes get that wistful why-aren’t-we-4H-kids? look in their eyes.
Not that there aren’t critters aplenty in the back yard. The younger Free-Ride offspring sizes up the ladybugs and looks for a jar with holes in the lid that would be appropriate as a ladybug barn. (Then, I point out that the ladybugs are needed in the garden, right where they are, to keep the aphid population under control.) Most mornings, we have a delightful selection of colorful birds hopping around and eating (bugs, one assumes) right out our window. There are enough gastropods to set up a snail racetrack (although I’m not sure we could get licensed to accept bets on the races).
But these children seem to want more. This morning, they presented me with pictures of the sorts of critter encounters they’ve been dreaming of.
Friday Sprog Blogging: the environment.
This morning, over breakfast, the Free-Ride offspring and I discussed the environment. You can hear the conversation (that crunching is from English muffins). The transcript is below.
A chat with Uncle Fishy about beekeeping.
Frequent commenter, sibling, and bon vivant Uncle Fishy recently set up a backyard beehive, but lately he’s been worried about the bees. This came up in a recent online chat:
Dr. Free-Ride: So, what’s worrisome about your bees?
Uncle Fishy: i dont know if they’ll make it
Dr. Free-Ride: 
Uncle Fishy: there were fewer coming out to sting me last night
Uncle Fishy: maybe it was just past their bedtime
Dr. Free-Ride: Maybe they had better things to do than sting you again
Mythical Pet Shop.
As promised, a picture from the elder Free-Ride offspring:
There’s a sale on Chinese dragons and hypogryffs! I don’t know if it’s related to the economic downturn, though.
Sometimes the world smacks you upside the head.
And sometimes it happens right across the street from my favorite aquarium. With a smack that’s slightly squishy.
Sea Notes provides the details:
Friday Sprog Blogging: fish fry.
This Friday marks the first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere. Accordingly, in SprogCast #5, the elder Free-Ride offspring marks the change of season by describing a local release of trout-fry.
You can download the sound file and pretend that the bathtub sounds are the gentle tides of the lake. The discussion is transcribed below.
Crystal jellies.
One of the jellies we saw during our February visit to the Monterey Bay Aquarium is especially important to biologists. The crystal jelly (Aequorea victoria) is not only an interesting critter in its own right, but also serves as a source of green fluorescent protein (GFP), used to mark genes.
Passing thoughts on nature documentaries.
We’ve been watching some episodes of Blue Planet here, marveling at the beautiful cinematography, as well as at how emotionally gripping they can be.
Especially in the Frozen Seas episode, I found myself feeling almost wrung out by the dramatic roller-coaster. This is definitely nature red in tooth and claw (and blood-soaked maw), although as my better half points out, there’s actually rather less on-camera carnage than you might expect from the narration.*