Stuff And Things

Thought I’d clear out a few photos, etc. in a post prior to my surgery tomorrow…

While doing a bit of last-minute mulching in the back, I came across this little guy, below. Plume moths are cool, but they’re small and hide in the grass, so photographing them is difficult. This one was okay with settling on my hand, and stayed there while I went to get my phone and find a little fading sunlight to take the picture. I haven’t added to my insect photo pages lately, so this will be a nice addition:

6091 – Grape Plume Moth (Geina periscelidactylus)

Memorial Day weekend took us up to Chicago area for a wedding, and at the last minute I realized that the Twins would also be playing in Chicago the same time. I was able to take in the Friday night game from the third row of right centerfield at The Cell on a clear, cool evening. While it was a good game, the only runs the Twins scored were in the first inning, when I was still a couple stops away on the “L” red line. The Twins ended up losing 3-2, but haven’t lost a game since.

action from the bottom of the second inning

I’m still actively collecting Twins baseball cards, but things have slowed a bit. Lately I’ve managed to add a few new players to my certified autograph card collection, among those Jim Perry, shown below, along with another Bert Blyleven AU, my 62^nd and 63^rd different Glen Perkins AU, and some Justin Morneau and Joe Mauer jersey cards.

clockwise, from top left: 2005 Topps Pristine Legends Personal Endorsements #PEA-BB Bert Blyleven (auto); 2005 Upper Deck Artifacts Autofacts #PE Jim Perry [298/599] (auto); 2007 Upper Deck Ultimate Collection Ultimate Write of Passage #WP-PK Glen Perkins [13/60] (auto); 2015 Topps Heritage Clubhouse Collection #CCR-JMA Joe Mauer (jersey); 2006 Topps Turkey Red White #TRR-JM Joe Mauer [94/99] (jersey); 2008 Upper Deck SP^x Winning Materials SPX die cut #WM-MO Justin Morneau [090/150] (jersey); 2008 Upper Deck A Piece of History Franchise History Gold #FH-30 Joe Mauer [67/99] (jersey); 2007 Topps Chrome Refractor White #348 Glen Perkins [003/200] (auto)

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The Moth Whisperer

Okay, one question a person might ask me regarding photographing insects is, “Why moths?”  Good question.  I guess it comes down to:

• there are so many varieties; well over 11,000 have been identified in N. America
• identifying them can be an enjoyable challenge.  Thanks, Moth Photographers Group and BugGuide
• they mostly hold still (and will sometimes allow handling), or are a fun exercise in patience and stealth
• they don’t sting, bite, or emit an odor (not a huge consideration, but still)
• there is a broad appeal — many are quite beautiful

Like I mentioned in my previous post, it became somewhat of a game at band camp to collect a moth in the early morning and “wear” it on my shirt.  Eventually, it became a burden when some of the kids there began bringing them to me, but I had an opportunity to photograph a lot of those, too, if I wasn’t busy with other things, and could educate the kids about some of the ones of which I had previous knowledge.

 Here are a few of the better photos from last week — hopefully I can add them (and the many others) to my insect website in the near future.  Enjoy!