An Inordinate Fondness

March Carnivalia

/ Ted C. MacRae / 4 Comments

It’s a new month, and that means a new crop of blog carnival issues. I have my favorites that I follow, and since I’m not hosting anything this month (for once!) I thought I’d give you my take on these newest editions.

Circus of the Spineless is the undisputed king of invertebrate blog carnivals as it approaches its semi-centennial issue, and Matt Sarver at The Modern Naturalist introduces each contribution in Circus of the Spineless 48: Cabinet of Curiosity with a quote or image dusted off from the cabinet of scientific curiosity. Book lungs, honey pots, crusty love, hairstreaks, hot tigers (beetles, that is!), giant snails, monarchs, caterpillars, and shocked crayfish top the bill this month.

…botanical carnivals are like a box of chocolates: You never know what you’re going to get, but it’s bound to be delicious!

I have a fond spot in my heart for Berry Go Round, as it was the first blog carnival that I ever hosted. This month, Sally White at Foothills Fancies offers a delicious assortment of botanical treats with Valentines for Plant Lovers (BGR #25). My favorite are the white orchids (of course), but the stunning Arisaema photographs and two very interesting fossil plant posts also piqued my interest.

I don’t have a contribution of my own in this month’s Festival of the Trees, but I promote it anyway because it always offers such an exquisite blend of botanical learnings and passionate, almost spiritual writing. Trees evoke something deep in the human psyche, and this reverance is on full display in the quotes used by Jeremy at The Voltage Gate to introduce the posts in Festival of the Trees #45: Voice. Don’t believe it? How about this teaser?

If you were living just across and if I were a tree
In that yard,
I’d delight you with fruit,
I’ll be watered with your glimpse,
just look at me in ardor,
I’d bear the sweetest fruit for you.

…or this one?

I can’t imagine what it must be like to be tree-bereft, or tree-oblivious. I’m sure I’ve not been as open-hearted as I could be with trees, but I’m learning, and they are great teachers.

I’ve often considered Carnival of Evolution to be the most erudite of the blog carnivals that I follow, and Carnival of Evolution #21: The Superstar Edition by Kelsey at Mauka to Makai proves it. Eight of the issue’s contributors are finalists for Research Blogging Awards and one is an award-winning journalist. See what some of the best science bloggers have to say about biology’s biggest superstar (Darwin, of course) and all manner of terminal branches on his tree of life – from bacteria to fish to birds to mammals. I’ll be trying my own hand at the cerebral challenge of hosting this carnival’s next edition on or about April 1st – it would appear I have a tough act to follow.

Don’t forget – An Inordinate Fondness (my favorite carnival!) will make its first journey away from the homesite this month, with issue to be hosted by Amber Coakley at Birder’s Lounge.  Submissions are due by March 15.  Issue #4 of House of Herps is also scheduled for mid-March but apparently still needs a host.  If you’ve never hosted a blog carnival before, why not give this one a try (every blog carnival host was once a newbie)?  If you have hosted a carnival before, you already know how to do it – why not help?  Submissions for this one are also due by March 15, and you can send them to the home site.

Copyright © Ted C. MacRae 2010

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Beetle Love

/ Ted C. MacRae / 6 Comments

An Inordinate FondnessIt seems like it has been a long time coming, but the Inaugural Issue of An Inordinate Fondness, the monthly blog carnival for the world’s most diverse group of animals (um… beetles), has finally made its debut! I can’t tell you how much pondering, pleading, fretting, and tweaking went into bringing this newest of blog carnivals to fruition, but it was all worth it. My sincerest thanks to everyone who helped me along the way (especially Seabrooke, Amber, Jason, and Mike) and to all who contributed for this first issue. I hope you’ll take a moment to stop by and check out the many fine contributions. If you love beetles, you’ll love this issue. If beetles haven’t exactly turned you on before, maybe you’ll find a new appreciation for them after experiencing the collective passion of the contributors. If you’ve written a post about beetles, perhaps you’ll consider participating in AIF to be hosted by Amber at Birder’s Lounge. I recommend this handy submission form, or contact Amber directly if you prefer. The submission deadline for issue is March 15, 2010.

House of HerpsAlso, Jason over at xenogere has just released House of Herps #3- The Time Machine. Jason has shown himself to be a natural talent at blog carnival hosting, and this edition is no exception. In his unique, singular style, Jason guides you on a trip through time to visit reptiles and amphibians of the past, present, and future.

In celebration of the debut of An Inordinate Fondness, I close with this preview of a feature that CBS did on Christopher Marley for the program “Sunday Morning.” Here is a man who not only shows the same passion for these fascinating animals that many of us feel (though I’m not sure I would characterize Titanus giganteus as “dangerous”), but also has the talent to channel his passion into exquisite works of art (sorry about the commercials!).

Vodpod videos no longer available.
More about “Sunday Morning – Preview: Beetle Art“, posted with vodpod

Okay, after hosting three blog carnivals in the past 4 weeks, I think I’ll go hibernate for awhile!

Copyright © Ted C. MacRae 2010

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Triple Quiz

/ Ted C. MacRae / 14 Comments

Photo Details: Canon EOS 50D w/ Canon 100mm macro lens, ISO 100, 1/250 sec, f/20, MT-24EX flash w/ Sto-Fen diffusers.

  1. Entomology Quiz: Name the beetle.
  2. Botany Quiz: Name the plant.
  3. History Quiz: Name the location (yes, attentive readers will be able to deduce this).

While you ponder these questions, please make note of two upcoming blog carnivals:

  • Circus of the Spineless – I’ve waited almost a year to host issue #47 of this venerable blog carnival – look for its appearance early next week.  Send me your submissions by January 31 if you want to be included in this issue – ossified homeotherms need not apply.
  • An Inordinate Fondness – The inaugural issue of this monthly blog carnival devoted to beetles is set to debut in mid-February at the home site.  Post submissions are already starting to come in, so don’t miss this chance to be a founding participant.  Submissions are due by February 15 – either by email or using this handy BlogCarnival submission form.

I’ve discovered a few more interesting blogs since my last blogroll update – the following are definitely worth a visit:

  • Biodiversity in Focus Blog – A new blog by graduate student Morgan Jackson.  Amazing photographs of stilt-legged flies (Diptera: Micropezidae).
  • BunyipCo – David Rentz writes about entomology from Queensland, Australia, with a focus on orthopteroid insects and the rain forest.
  • I Love Insects – Entomology student and insect enthusiast Erika Lenz really loves insects.
  • nbell.dk/BLOG – A relatively new blog by a dragonfly/butterfly enthusiast in Denmark.
  • Forest Fragments – Just a stone’s throw from my backyard, the staff at Washington University’s Tyson Research Center has begun a blog about their 2,000-acre experiment.
  • Exploring the Remnants – A brand new blog from Aaron Brees, who explores Iowa’s natural history.  Drop by and give him a jump start.

For those really interested in exploring entomology-related blogs, Anna Miller has provided nice descriptions of her Top 25 Entomology Blogs.  Yes, I made the list, as did most of the other usual suspects, but you might find one or two that you didn’t know about.

Copyright © Ted C. MacRae 2010

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Badges are up at AIF

/ Ted C. MacRae / 7 Comments

Sidebar badges are now available at An Inordinate Fondness (AIF).  Several styles are offered, each available in three ready-to-use sizes plus the original if custom sizing is desired.  Help promote AIF by placing the badge of your choice in your blog sidebar—all available styles and sizes, as well as detailed instructions for use, can be found at AIF Badges.  Here is the one that I’m using:

All beetle images © Robert Perger, http://www.coleop-terra.com/

As a reminder, the first issue of AIF will appear at the homesite in mid-February.  The deadline for submissions is February 15, but submitting earlier is highly encouraged.  Also, we have hosts lined up for Issues (March) and #4 (May) but not #4 in April.  If you would like to host the April issue—or any other future issue, please send an email indicating the month of your choice.

Copyright © Ted C. MacRae 2009

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Do You Have “An Inordinate Fondness”?

/ Ted C. MacRae / 23 Comments

Last week I mentioned that I had been thinking about starting a blog carnival devoted exclusively to beetles.  Actually, I’ve been thinking about it for some time now, but following up on the idea apparently needed a catalyst.  That catalyst came last week when Amber Coakley and Jason Hogle announced the debut of House of Herps—another specialty nature blog carnival, focusing on reptiles and amphibians.  I supported the idea of a herp carnival when Amber first mentioned it, and she responded to that support by actually going out and doing it!  Amber penned a guest post on Nature Blog Network called House of Herps: The Origin Story that described in fascinating detail the process that she and Jason went through in creating a new blog carnival.

Well, the story that Amber told and the details she provided were enough to convince me that I could do it, and the many comments I got on my post last week mentioning what I was thinking about convinced me that I should do it.  The screenshot above is a first peek at the home site of nature blogging’s newest carnival, An Inordinate Fondness (AIF)—the monthly blog carnival devoted to beetles.  The name honors J.B.S. Haldane’s perhaps apocryphal riposte when queried about what his studies of nature’s diversity had taught him about the Creator (a quote made even more famous by the breathtakingly beautiful An Inordinate Fondness for Beetles, written and illustrated by my friends and colleagues, Drs. Charles L. Bellamy and Arthur V. Evans).  Some of you may recall that the alternate name, “Beetle Bacchanalia,” also received strong support (even edging out AIF in raw vote count).  However, while both names imply unbridled passion, I eventually decided that AIF better described the nature of that passion and added historical context.

Even though the AIF website is up and running, the first issue is not scheduled to appear until mid-February.  The reasons for this are primarily personal—I’m already slated to host House of Herps #2 on Jan 18 and Circus of the Spineless #47 on Feb 1 (does this make me a carnival hosting slut?).  There are also still a few things I’d like to have in order before AIF debuts—primarily a badge.  Seabrooke Leckie has offered some help in this regard, and I’ve got a few ideas of my own, but please don’t hesitate to let me know if you’ve got ideas as well.  In addition, I’m hoping this will be the start of getting the word out so that by the time Feb 15 (first issue submission due date) rolls around there will be enough submissions on hand to make the inaugural edition a memorable one.  Lastly, I’m hoping to recruit volunteers for hosting future editions—AIF will be a migrating carnival, dependent upon a community of science and natural history bloggers to keep it going.

My deepest thanks to Amber, Jason, Seabrooke, and Mike Bergin for their very helfpul and supportive comments.

Copyright © Ted C. MacRae

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