Archive
Please note:
This is an archive of Shawn's Blog and contains posts from between 2004 and 2014. It will not be updated in this format.
If you're interested in seeing what Shawn is up to, please visit DeArmond.net
This guy here is a Decorator Crab. It mastered the art of disguise by picking up various life-forms and sticking it on its shell. It can crawl across the reef, but when it holds still it's practically invisible in plain sight. Pretty cool.
Spot the butterfly yet? This guy was one of a kaleidoscope of Golden Hairstreak butterflies that I watched erupt from the ground, fly around for a bit and then apparently disappear as they land. The ground was covered in similar-colored leaves so that you really couldn't tell what was a leaf and what was a butterfly... which is, of course, the point if you happen to be a butterfly with an evolutionary will to survive.
I'm sure it's happened to you. You've been using some application (probably Microsoft Weird or PowerPointless) and the spinning colorful beach ball appears. Usually it just goes away, so you wait, and wait, and wait. It doesn't go away.
Here's one more from my vacation to ECCO. The Common Buckeye. I wonder how the animal feels about having the word "Common" in its name. Humans are by far the most common primate. What if we were called "The Common Human"? Well, I'm glad the Buckeye is common. It's really pretty. The markings on the upper wing surfaces are quite striking. If they weren't so common, they'd probably be considered one of the most beautiful butterflies in the US.
Here's another photograph from my trip to Family Camp at ECCO. They have this great pond on site that is just SWARMING with dragonflies. I've never seen so many concentrated in one area. I've never seen so many different species in one area either. Off the top of my head, I can think of nine species of dragonfly (not including damselflies) that make their appearance. This one, the Widow Skimmer, is by far the most common. In fact, there are more widow skimmers here than all the rest of the species combined.
Ah, is there anything more generic than a time-lapse photo of a cascading waterfall? Probably not, but I don't care; it's pretty. This particular cascading waterfall is an upper section of Luis Creek.
One of the most frequent remarks that people make about my web site is that they didn't realize how much effort can go into setting up and shooting a photograph. In the today-world of digital photography, each individual photograph doesn't cost any additional money.
I'm going to list some terms and I want you to raise your had if you've ever heard of them. Raise two hands if you understand their meaning. RSS, Podcast, Web Feed, XML, Syndicate. Anybody? Hopefully by the time you finish reading this, you will not only understand them, but be excited about using this one more thing that makes the Internet so cool.
Check out this little guy. It's cool when animals cooperate with you. I didn't even have to pick him up and place him on the rock. He decided to take a stroll of his own accord.
God makes the coolest flower gardens. He doesn't need pesticides, chemical fertilizers, irrigation, or neat evenly-spaced rows. All He had to do is create the system of evolution and then wait.
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