Day 6 Illustration Challenge

I haven't been sticking to my goal of one a day, but I have been sticking to working as quickly as possible and finishing each illustration in a single sitting.


 

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SWARMING DADDY LONGLEGS! The explanation behind the creepy phenomenon

So, fellow nerds, what's with this video circulating on Facebook and Youtube?



First of all, these are not spiders. They are harvestmen or daddy-longlegs. For those of you who remember the ol' mnemonic device for taxonomy, King Philip Can Order Fresh Green Salad (Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus and Species), these critters, like spiders, scorpions and ticks, are in the class Arachnida. However, harvestmen belong to their own order, Opiliones.

So what's the difference?

1. Harvestmen have a single cephalothorax and a single pair of eyes. True spiders have a narrow "waist" that creates two segments, the cephalothorax and abdomen.
2. Harvestmen have a single pair of eyes. True spiders most commonly have eight eyes, however they can have no eyes, or as many as 12 eyes.
3. Harvestmen are nonvenomous.
4. Harvestmen have no spinnerets, so they do not spin webs.
5. Harvestmen are older than spiders--the oldest fossil, from Scotland, is at least 400 million years old. True spiders are about 300 million years old.
6. Harvestmen are omnivores--they eat dead stuff, bird droppings, fungus and small arthropods and slugs.

Finally, the question every one is asking. WHY DO THEY DO THIS? They mass for defensive purposes, and to keep themselves warm. Harvestmen possess a pair of stinky glands called ozopores; when they mass, the combined smell can be quite disturbing. Swarming also makes them appear larger. When disturbed, the entire throng will sometimes bob and sway--a truly unsettling effect.

Learn more about harvestmen/daddy long legs:

http://spiders.ucr.edu/daddylonglegs.html

http://www.newsweek.com/video-science-explains-why-thousands-daddy-longlegs-swarmed-house-312362

http://mentalfloss.com/article/59455/15-fascinating-facts-about-daddy-longlegs

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EASY BUTTERFLY ORIGAMI INSTRUCTIONAL VIDEO AND BOOK

Video step-by-step directions for folding patterns from my new book, "Easy Butterfly Origami" featuring 30 bold full-color patterns designed to accurately portray the dorsal and ventral sides of some of the most beautiful butterflies from around the world!

Fun facts about behavior and distribution accompany each butterfly model!

From the vivid green Cairns Birdwing to the striped Tiger Swallowtail and the Blood Red Glider, these beautiful butterflies feature a kaleidoscopic array of colors and patterns. Includes simple instructions for folding, and perforated pages for easy removal.

Many butterflies have iridescent patterns on the top, and drab undersides for camouflage while they rest with their wings folded up. The origami patterns in this book are specially designed to highlight the diversity of species--when folded, the models accurately portray the variation in the insects' top and bottom views.

Each butterfly model is accompanied by fun facts about behavior and distribution. For example, did you know that the Mountain Alcon Blue butterfly tricks ants into feeding and protecting its caterpillars? Other caterpillars, like the Moth Butterfly, are carnivorous and feed on ant larvae and pupae.
 
List of butterflies included in the book:

1. Apollo
2. Black Swallowtail
3. Blood Red Glider
4. Blue Morpho
5. Boulder Copper
6. Cairns Birdwing
7. Chestnut Tiger
8. Claudina
9. Cleopatra
10. Colorado Hairstreak
11. Common Buckeye
12. Dead Leaf
13. Emperor of India
14. Malachite
15. Malaysian Clipper
16. Mocker Swallowtail
17. Monarch
18. Moth Butterfly
19. Mountain Alcon Blue
20. Noble Leafwing
21. Painted Beauty
22. Painted Lady
23. Pansy Daggerwing
24. Peacock
25. Purple Spotted Swallowtail
26. Queen Purple Tip
27. Red Flasher
28. Shining Red Charaxes
29. Tentyris Forester
30. Tiger Swallowtail

You can order your copy at: http://store.doverpublications.com/0486784576.html

More information: www.doverpublications.com

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