Going Bug-Eyed! Two New Art Works

Bugs
Original Digital Art - Roger Smith 2014
See it here.

Bugs Drawing
Original Study - Roger Smith 2014
See it here.

Two New Prints - Clouds, Bugs and Goats

Cloud Bug
Roger Smith, 2013
Buy a print here

Cloud Bug (framed)
Roger Smith, 2013

Apocalypse 2
Roger Smith, 2013
Buy a print here

Morning Rambles In Queenstown

It's not usual that I feature the photographic portfolios of other photographers on this blog but the exception is the work of Frank Starmer.

Frank lived in the same condo as I did,Queens, which is as its name suggests in Queenstown, Singapore.  I would often seem him trudge off in the morning with his camera gear and tripod as he went in search of insects and particularly spiders.  He is still doing so and generously puts his work online and allows non commercial sites to share it.

Bee Harvesting - Frank Starmer

Morning Butterfly - Frank Starmer

Hoverfly - Frank Starmer

I always find it interesting that two photographers in the same environment can respond to their surroundings in totally different ways.  Frank takes macro images using special lens to capture the structure and colour of nature while I chose to focus on the broader visual aspects of Queenstown.  Both in our own way recording the things that inspired us about Singapore life.

Diamond-Tipped Mandibles

It is the change of season here in Auckland; one day it is cool and the next a balmy 23 degrees with an autumnal sun.

This seasonal variation has triggered a number of metamorphic responses in the garden and also it would appear, in the pantry.

There is a report in today's online news about the increasing number of bugs being found in stored food.  Here I was thinking that the extra crunch in my morning muesli was a new ingredient dreamed up by Hubbards Foods, but perhaps I was mistaken?

Larder Beetle - cereals with extra crunch?

Entomologists have been most reassuring describing the caterpillars of the Indian meal moth, warehouse moth and Mediterranean flower moth as "perfectly edible" .  I am still not convinced that I want them in my diet.

Insect infestations are nothing new and in tropical climes such as Singapore the challenges of keeping food stuffs and household commodities pest-free are equally daunting.

Spraying for cockroaches was an ongoing exercise and according to a Singapore pest control service there are some 35 'greeblies' that are honing in on your food and furniture at any one time.

The aptly named Larder Beetle for example has a penchant for cheese.  I can't help but think that this must be a rather anorexic bug as cheese does not figure highly in the Singaporean diet.

I also observed the dogged persistence of a very small ant on the then Tanglin campus of UNSWAsia. This creature was so small that it could get inside through the screw top of a sugar jar.

While I can't pinpoint this species it was a surprise to discover that I had a namesake in the Singaporean ant world.  Roger's Ant, or Hypoponera punctatissima as it is known to its friends, wanders around aimlessly leaving no trails; an aptly named creature!

According to the bug scientist quoted in the article today, these insects can "chew straight through any packaging - they've got diamond-tipped mandibles. Once you've got them, you've got them"

So this autumn, or Fall as my friends in North America call it, we shall keeping a close eye on the pantry to ensure that no such infestations occur. 

Related articles

• Online 3D insect sleuth tells friend from foe (newscientist.com)

A Bird In The Hand

Every morning, just after the break of dawn, the crows navigate their way down the MRT line from their city roost to the heartland.

They are dark, silent birds at this hour; avian stealth bombers heading out on a predefined mission.  At this hour too the volume of rail traffic is reduced although later a train comes at three minute intervals, packed full of commuters.

I am not sure that I expected so many "European species" of fauna when I arrived here.  It was a revelation to discover crows, , sparrows, squirrels and swallows but this was because of my own naive perception that such species did not exist in the tropics..

The word 'tropics' conjures up colourful butterflies, larger than life insects, spiders and lizards.  These are certainly here in abundance as is the verdant foliage of the fast growing tropical plants; red-trunked palms, large shade trees and the orchids of every hue.

According to Wikipedia Singapore has 60 species of mammals, 365 species of birds, 107 species of reptiles, and 28 species of amphibians.  It is estimated that some 11% of species are introduced including the Rock Pigeon, House Crow, Javan Myna and Eurasian Tree sparrow.  They have adapted so well to their new environment that they consistently rank in the top 20 of any avian census.

I too have adapted well to my Singapore environment but my time here is coming to and end and so tomorrow I pack away my PC, in preparation for my return to my first winter in four years - not a happy thought!

With the aid of my recently of my recently purchased laptop I hope to add a few more entries to this epistle before we leave Singapore at the beginning of July.

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• Clever crows can use 3 tools (cbc.ca)