Oh, I see what you’re up to, PZ. Your stealth attack, meant to divide my loyalties and my loves, was clever. Cats vs. Rocks! Declare rock the winner, and Dana and her cat-loving rock fiend friends will have no choice but to admit rocks are cooler than cats!

It was a nice try, my friend. Bravo. Well played. However, you were pwned before you posted. Continue reading “Geology is Best With Kittehs!” →

This is another UFD from Eskered, and I think it is my favorite. I teased it a while back, saying “There’s one, especially, that geologists are going to identify with. It’s definitely our kind o’ bird.” RQ hazarded a guess as to what that might be. It was an excellent guess, but rocks are only one aspect to being a geologist.

The other is, of course, beer. Continue reading “Unidentified Flying Dinosaur: Geologist Bird” →

So here’s one from early this spring. I thought it was one of the strangest flowers I’d ever seen, which is why I spent at least fifteen minutes on my knees in the grass with it, trying to get adequate photos of it. Continue reading “Mystery Flora: Decidedly Odd” →

For a good time, Google “sopka.” Seriously. Wow.

That’s just one of the many delights you’ll encounter. Absolutely do not miss this astounding lenticular cloud over Kljuchevsky Sopka. Haawt.

These are going to be dead easy for you, but they are tremendously exciting for me. This is because, when I go to Oregon, the local birds usually say, “Not a bloody chance, mate” and fly into hiding. This time, though, many were quite willing to pose. Perhaps it was the lovely Goldener Oktober weather. Maybe they were taking pity because I’d quit smoking, or thought I only had months to live. I don’t know. Whatever the reason, I’ll go with it. Continue reading “Unidentified Flying Dinosaur: Sunflower Lovers” →

This is a common little flower, and I don’t imagine it will tax your powers of identification overmuch. And it’s not like I haven’t got a great many flower photos featuring much more spectacular flora. But this single, simple blossom down by the Marys River is one of my favorites.

I must have seen these a thousand times. But I’ve never really stopped for them before. I didn’t even see this one, but Lockwood did, and mentioned it, and there’s just something about this half-hidden bloom, a solitary survivor at the end of summer. It was nestled calmly amongst dying plants and brambles. It looks completely unconcerned about the coming winter.

And it’s unremarkable, as I said. Thousands like them every year. They’re ubiquitous, so common you don’t really notice them. Not until they’re the only flower left on a riverbank. Then you stop for a closer look. Let’s zoom in. Continue reading “Mystery Flora: Purple Pinwheel” →

We have a reader who’d like an ident on this gentlesnake:

And another off-topic; but I know this is the place for mystery stuff to get a positive ID!

Any Herpers here? Found this sunning itself, completely oblivious to the killer kittehs prowling about, in my driveway this morning (central Mississippi) About 10-11″ long. Pretty sure it’s Storeria dekayi – DeKay’s Brown Snake – but would like to be sure before I let it chew on my fingers.

I’ve no idea meself. I can identify garter snakes, and rattlesnakes, and if I see it move, I can tell you a sidewinder from a normal slitherer. But this, no. And someone’s fingers are at stake. Also, they go by the handle Comfychair, which is a name to warm the heart of any Doctor Who fan. So, my darlings, can you help?