About

Disclaimer: This blog is rated “G” for “Geek” due to gratuitous use of Latin names, graphic floral displays, and some nerdity. Those with geek intolerance may feel slight nausea or severe migraines upon viewing this blog. Consult a doctor before viewing with children.

A good friend and fellow scientist, from a different perspective.

I have raced storms.  I have petted bumblebees.  I have been pursued through rain forests by bee suitors and bee aggressors.  I have been stung, bitten, and pinched by animals all around the world.  I am a barefoot runner, a mountain hiker, and a wild food forager.

I seem to have a knack for finding adventure abroad and in my own backyard, including bats in my bed, triathlons, and Aboriginal camping trips.  My goal in life is to be outside and to be learning about it and this blog is where I share it all: stories, fun facts, photography, illustrations and more!  I am a field biologist, and I am (usually) standing out in my field (doing science to it!).

There are some tall tales out there, my friend.

Some of them are true.

I am also a taxonomist by training, so I love to identify things and name things.  If you have some species you would like identified, you can let me know in an email (firefly041300 at yahoo dot com) or a comment, and I will do my darnedest to figure it out for you!

All the photos are mine unless I state otherwise.  I’m perfectly happy to borrow from the internet, but I’ll always cite a source in the caption, either with a “courtesy of” or “photo by”.  I’d be chuffed if you do likewise.

(Oh, and before I go, I should mention that I love bad puns too.  There might be a few peppered about, hope you’re not allergic.)

Here’s a description of the categories on my site:

Interesting Interactions — true biological stories about interactions between organisms, either within or between species (aka nifty biological facts to share at parties, or “Did you know”s)

Stories — stories from field work, travel, and life as a biologist and total nature nerd, either from my life, or shared from friends and colleagues

Nature Poems — poems with some reference to nature, sometimes more pertinent than others

Recipes — tips on how to forage for your own food, how to prepare wild things, or natural remedies

Illustrations –Drawings of mostly animals, sometimes comedic

If this is your first time here:

I think my most popular post was: Ant Nest Architecture: featuring molten aluminium

and my funniest (maybe) was: Pepe le pew