promised: potty post!

There is a fascinating world of poop out there. If there's a word for the science of poop, I wish I knew it. I've discovered that potty things exceed simple excretion - it's also a science of knowing that leaving your camera in the car when stopping at a restroom will guarantee some pretty awesome bugs. Of course the standard rule is that you must photograph said creatures prior to entering the restroom or they'll be gone by the time you get out. There's the standard "poopology" that when searched will tell you how to determine when your pet bird's health is at risk (yep, minty green droppings in certain grouse could mean pneumonia and death within 48 hrs). There's also the "bird poop" that really isn't poop at all, so much as... moths! (linked photo taken in the RGV in May of 2003) Or caterpillars! And in the time-honored tradition of rolling poo, it's hard to beat the classic dung beetle.

It's a little bit of everything that this post will be addressing... with pictures!

The moths that look like poop were out and about while we were in Concan.



At least one dung beetle was out and about, rolling its prize at Cook's Slough.



And of course, there's a bathroom adventure for everyone. This Painted Lichen Moth (Hypoprepia fucosa) was clinging to the bathroom wall at Kickapoo Cavern State Park



Now, this next snippet is courtesy of Candy McNamee, one of our fellow explorers in Concan, whose lemon tree is host to Giant Swallowtail Butterfly (Papilio cresphontes) larvae. Growing up, the Meyer lemon tree in my yard would occasionally have an extra large bird dropping as well, but I never got such amazing photos!



On a non-poop related note, the mystery twig that would not let go of the concrete wall at Utopia's park/lake thing turned into a caterpillar of sorts. Any ideas, anyone?