For the final crustacean of May and the “really not a crab” prompt for #InsertAnInvert2024 I have opted for a far more common (and frankly less terrifying) little creature than the suggested species (that even our crustacean expert called “absolute abominations”). This little cutie on the other hand, is a freshwater water flea. Daphnia longispina is a planktonic crustacean of the 🧵1/n
My good deed for the day - I rescued this beautiful little Holly Blue from a watery end this evening.
Think it’s a female but hard to tell with wet wings.
Found her upside down in a puddle on the Comber Road surrounded by cherry blossom (like a scene from “Melancholia”).
Picked her up and carried her to the nearest bush that was still in sunlight. It was hawthorn but there was ivy higher up.
Hope she survives the night 🤞🏻🦋
For the #InsertAnInvert2024 prompt “not long, not limbless” the truly ornate Elvis worm! In 2020, scientists discovered 4 types of scale worms, with shimmering lavender, blue, & orange exoskeletons, which looked like they were wearing sequined jumpsuits like Elvis Presley! They named these worms Elvis worms. These species in the genus the genus Peinaleopolynoe are called P. goffrediae, P. mineoi, P. orphanae, and P. elvisi. 🧵1/n
The next prompt for #printerSolstice is Triadic Colours, or 3 equidistant colours on the colour wheel. I went with secondary colours: orange, purple & green. My Lino block print of 2 Pisaster ochraceus, generally known as the purple sea star, ochre sea star, or ochre starfish, on a bed of kelp, is hand-printed on delicate white Japanese paper with bark inclusions. 🧵1/n #starfish#seastar#ochreStarfish#invertebrate#sciart#purpleSeaStar#PisasterOchraceus#kelp#MastoArt
Urda buechneri is a species of potentially parasitic isopod from the Middle Jurassic of Germany that was described by @mcranium et al. in 2023. The paper that describes U. buechneri also discusses how the genus Urda fits on the isopod family tree and how the associated fossils relate to the extant isopod family Gnathiidae.
Last week I finished the small cicada drawing and this week I’m running the prints I will ship to patrons this month! There’s still time to join at the $2/month tier if you’d like one. You can learn more here:
Another recent #invertebrate print for #InverteFest: my #linocut hummingbird clearwing moth (Hermaris thysbe) seeking pollen from cherry blossoms! The olive-headed burgundy moth has transparent wings (though colour can be variable). It beats its wings rapidly to hover above flowers, like a hummingbird, meaning it is often confused with a hummingbird or bee.
Good morning Trilobite! This is one of a series of prints of one of the ubiquitous and wildly successful trilobites, prehistoric creatures which lived for hundreds of millions of years, carved by hand in linoleum, printed onto lovely Japanese washi papers and collaged with papers in different colours. 🧵1/2
The green part of this oak leaf didn’t get the “autumn memo” because of the activity of Ectoedemia heringi leaf miners.
The miner blocks off the chlorophyll return valves in the leaf with the help of some bacteria, extending the growing season for the larva 🐛
For the #SciArtSeptember prompt rebirth it’s my immortal jellyfish!
Turritopsis dohrnii mis the only known animal to be able to revert to its younger colonial stage after having reached maturity. The full-grown T. dohrnii jellyfish medusa, if it gets stressed, or old & sick, can revert back to the polyp stage, form a new polyp colony & start all over.
It’s been a while, but going to be doing more than just cat photos again (Thanks #Idalia for making me miss #Invertefest 🤬). The Stained Glass #Moth, #Samea castellasis.