Day 5023: Brave Pink Geranium & Dragonflies.

"Pink Geranium": photo, acrylics & digital collage.

 

                                                                       

  

Want music?

    Click: Jada Monroe, Too Late To Leave.

Unimportant, very small news ...

I confess I haven't spent due time in my little garden. A while back, I stuck the stem of a broken geranium into the soil of a nearby pot. Not very gently, just shoved it in. Geraniums seem to be a very patient lot and put up with errant gardeners? Recently I noticed the stem had grown considerably.

Look how far she has traveled. I think she's aiming to join some red geraniums across the patio.

This is the view from the red geraniums, of the advancing pink geranium. I'm going to double-dip and make today's art in honor of the brave pink geranium. I did warn you that it was Unimportant, very small news, right?

With wings like blades and eyes sharper than any hunter, dragonflies rule the skies as nature’s ultimate mosquito killers. According to Smithsonian Magazine, dragonflies have a hunting success rate of up to 95 percent, making them one of the most skilled predators in the insect world. They can consume between 30 and 100 mosquitoes in a single day, earning them the nickname “mosquito hawks.”

Dragonflies contribute to mosquito control throughout their life cycle. As aquatic nymphs, they prey on mosquito larvae and pupae, sometimes consuming more than 100 larvae in a day. Once they emerge as adults, they continue their mosquito hunt in the air, using their sharp vision and ability to hover and dart to catch prey mid‑flight.

Their presence around ponds, lakes, and marshes provides natural pest control. Beyond mosquitoes, they also feed on flies, gnats, midges, bees, butterflies, and even other dragonflies, making them vital for maintaining ecological balance.

 

  

 

A 4+ minute video, gorilla/baby, here.

 

 

Just because ...

Asian Fairy-bluebird  (Irena puella)

Tuesday's Smiles ... 

 

Hoping you see all the good things in your day.

  

 

 

Day 5022: A True Heroine & A Bee's Brain.

"Split Personality": China marker drawing, junk collage.

 

                                                                       

  

Want music?

    Click: Jada Monroe, One More Day.

2GN2S

This photograph was taken in 1900. The woman in front wasn't a nanny or a maid, she was one of the personal bodyguards of the King of Dahomey, an ancient West African kingdom (modern-day Benin) famed for its fierce female warriors: the Dahomey Amazons.

Standing over 2.5 meters (8'2"tall), according to reports of the time. She was said to lift a grown man with one arm and possessed strength and endurance that bordered on mythical. Her skill in combat was legendary.

Yet, colonial exoticism tried to reduce her to a spectacle. The British press wrote of her as though she were a sideshow attraction: "This dark-skinned beauty... will soon visit our major cities," they reported, failing to recognize they were witnessing not a curiosity, but a living legend.

Her name was Ella Abomah Williams — also well known as Mme Abomah, and history has largely forgotten her. But her story reminds us that true heroines often walk among us, unseen by those who don't know how to truly look.

Tiny brain, massive intelligence.

A bee’s brain may be as small as a sesame seed, but it can recognize and remember human faces — proving that nature never stops amazing us. Every tiny creature plays a huge role in our world. Protect bees, protect life, protect nature

 

  

 

A 5+ minute video, Horsefly,  here.

 

Just because ...

Orange-headed Thrush

Monday's Smiles ... 

 

Hoping you see all the good things in your day.

  

 

 

Day 5021: The Dalai Lama Visits Tustin! & Burrowing Owls.

"Movie Memories": junk papers collage.

                                                                       

  

Want music?

    Click: Jada Monroe, Done.

The Dalai Lama Visits Tustin!

Just an ordinary beautiful Saturday in Orange County. 

I was washing dishes and checking the neighborhood.

I find out a lot from that window vantage point. 

A Honda I didn't recognize pulled into a parking space in front.

As is my duty, I looked to see who was inside.

He took his time but I assumed it might be a lady. 
Then, the Dalai Lama got out of that grey Honda.

I am a fan, so of courseI recognized him immediately.

Eventhough, he was dressed in his disguise attire.

A faded flowered shirt and baggy pants.

The kicker was that he wore both a belt and suspenders.

He opened the car back door and retrieved an envelope.

He clicked the remote, locking the car,

as he walked off to a nearby residence.

I just checked and his car is still there.

I'd love to chat, but I'll respect his privacy.

(* This is one of my very avorite blogs)

Burrowing Owls emit a hissing or rattling noise from inside their burrows when threatened. The sound helps scare away predators because it is very similar to that of a rattlesnake (Burrowing Owls often use rattlesnake burrows for shelter)

 

  

 

A 4+ minute video, You didn't know ...  here.

 

 

Just because ...

Blue Dacnis

Sunday's Smiles ... 

 

Hoping you feel all the good things in your day.