Outdoor Hour Challenge: Challenge #27 Insect Round-Up

I know this week we were supposed to be looking for bees but I have a favor to ask.

I decided that I have far too many unidentified insects and I might as well just post the photos here and let anyone who has any idea what they are, please let me know the names or at least a direction. :)

I am *so happy* that we are finishing up our focus on insects because I get very frustrated with not knowing particular names. I know I should be happy to have had the experience with observing them and also the time to browse through my insect field guide and on the internet. My boys are content with just spotting and observing. I am not content.

Here are the photos:

This one is a shiny blue and there seems to be lots of them crawling in the garden. I find them mostly under the leaves of my green beans and strawberries.

This guy is fairly good size and has a beautiful red splotch on his back.


I know I see these all the time but I don't have any idea what they are called. They are the biggest of the bunch.
EDIT: Bordered Plant Bug or Largus succinctus
(Thanks to Dana!)


This one is sort of like the blue one but still different.


This one has a round body and is really black and blue iridescent.


This one I thought at first was a spider but it only has six legs. The legs and the antennae are striped and he was carrying that black thing as he climbed around on the butterfly bush. He was very fast. (You may need to click the photo to enlarge it.)
EDIT: Some sort of Assassin Bug
(Thanks to Dana!)

Okay, that is my collection of photos that I have yet to identify. As you can tell, I see a lot of insects when I am out watering in the garden.

We didn't see a single bee today when we went outside but the boys knew where to go look so I know they have been observing them in the garden. One son says that he always sees bees in the lavender and the other said he thinks they are always on the butterfly bush. I think just knowing where to look for the bees is valuable. I am not worried....the bees will be back later I am sure.

Thanks in advance,
Barb-Harmony Art Mom

Movies in the making

Actually I don't know if they were making a movie. It may be an ad. However this scene was being filmed in Leicester Square, attracting lots of interest from the lunch time crowd.

Outdoor Hour Challenge #28 Dragonflies and Damselflies

This summer has been filled with lots of dragonflies and damselflies and it has made me more aware of the variety of life we have all around us that we sometimes forget to notice.

Here is a great website that will help you with your state’s dragonfly and damselfly identification. http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/distr/insects/dfly/index.htm
I learned how to tell a dragonfly from a damselfly this summer. Here are some facts that should help you in your identification.

Dragonflies

1. Generally strong fliers
2. Eyes touch on top of the head
3. Forewings and hind-wings are of different shape
4. At rest, the wings are held away from the body at an angle of approximately 180°

Damselflies

1. A weak, fluttery flight
2. Eyes are well separated
3. Forewings and hind-wings are of similar shape
4. At rest, the wings are held close to the body

Outdoor Hour Challenge #28
Focus on Insects-Dragonflies and Damselflies

1. This week read about dragonflies and damselflies in the Handbook of Nature Study, pages 401-408. You also may enjoy reading page 400-401 about the insects of the brook and pond. Remember our focus right now is on insects so if you don’t find a dragonfly or a damselfly to observe, you can always look for other insects to study.

“A pond without dragonflies darting about it, or without the exquisitely iridescent damsel flies clinging to the leaves of its border would be a lonely place indeed.”
Handbook of Nature Study, page 401

2. Your 15-20 minutes of outdoor time this week can be spent looking for insects. If you have access to a pond, this would be a great week to make a short trip to the pond’s edge to make some observations. If you are sticking close to home and in your own backyard, look for any insects that you can observe. Remember to look under rocks (carefully if you live in snake country), under logs, on tree trunks, on the backsides of leaves, inside a flower, in a flowering bush or tree, and even in your window sill.

3. Give the opportunity for a nature journal entry. Dragonflies and damselflies are lots of fun to draw. Here is a website that tells you step by step how to draw a dragonfly…try it together as a family.
http://library.thinkquest.org/J001401/bug%20drawings/howtodrawthedragonfly.htm (or you could just Google “how to draw a dragonfly”)

4. If you are keeping a running list of insects you have observed during this focus period, add any new insect names to your list. This is our last week to focus on insects in the Outdoor Hour Challenges. It might be enjoyable to take a few minutes this week to review the insects you have learned about and observed during the last seven weeks with your children. If you have a list of insects that you have observed, make sure it is complete before we move on to something new next week.

5. Post an entry on your blog sharing your experiences and then come back to the Outdoor Hour Challenge post and add your blog link to Mr. Linky. All the challenges are listed on the sidebar and top tabs of the Handbook of Nature Study blog.

If you would like to print out this challenge, here is a link to the PDF file for you to download.
Outdoor Hour Challenges #28 Dragonflies and Damselflies
(complete set of insect challenges #22-28 in one document)

You may be interested in other insect challenges here on the Handbook of Nature Study:
#22 Butterflies
#23 Moths
#24 Crickets
#25 Housefly
#26 Ladybugs/Aphids
#27 Bees

Winter Wednesday - Winter Insect Study
Ants (Spring)
Mosquito
Moths and Fireflies
Crickets, Grasshoppers, and Katydids
Leaf-Miners and Leaf-Rollers

Weekend Video - Lucky

It's taken a while for me to find a favorite summer song this summer, but it finally arrived in the form of "Lucky" by Jason Mraz and Colbie Caillat. I was just introduced to Jason Mraz's music (by my daughter, Josie) and it's fun, melodic, and relaxing, but it's the catchy tune and harmonies and the richness of Colbie Caillat's voice in particular that make this rather sweet song about your true love being your best friend (or vice versa) such a winner.

Apologies for the rather pedestrian video up top, but for some reason the official video of the song has not made it to YouTube. Needless to say, with such a wonderfully romantic theme there are plenty of tribute versions where you can just feel the pleasure of expression, such as with the duo of AJ Rafael & Cathy Nguyen, seen here performing in a bathroom!

Bigboymigoy and proud2bmorena did an equally good job:

As did Jessica Roscoe and Brent Rice:

And Llex and Andrea had particularly promising visuals for a summer video, but perhaps needed just a little more practice:

As always, I'd love to hear your vote for best tribute. And have a Happy Labor Day Weekend!

Skywatch Friday - Holidays

Returning home from holidays with hundreds of others.

Take a visit at other skywatchers today.

Warners and The James Dean Cult --- Part One

Two-thirds of James Dean’s starring work in films was yet to be released when he died on September 30, 1955. The only evidence of his stardom was East Of Eden, and the success of that led to one-sheets prepared for Rebel Without A Cause in which Dean was tagged Overnight Sensation with a future assured playing leads. Never before had a star departed so prematurely. Rudolph Valentino rose, peaked, and began his decline before death intervened and conferred immortality. Son Of The Sheik followed and became rallying point for fans bereaved. Youth snuffed out was (is and always will be) the stuff of morbid fascination for the young surviving. They’ll not be denied a last glimpse. MGM would have shelved the unfinished Saratoga but for letters begging a screen farewell for Jean Harlow. Her older films revived wouldn’t do. Viewers wanted to ponder her closer to the end. The problem was collecting admission for such autopsies without looking ghoulish. That high wire is traversed yet when expensive projects lose a principal just before completion (or release). Warners might well have dug out their Dean files when Heath Ledger died suddenly last January, for what was this but corporate history repeating itself? Would The Dark Knight be all-time Number Two ($491,702,478 so far) had he lived? There were ginger steps over how to sell it. Director Terry Gilliam called WB white sharks shamelessly capitalizing on Ledger’s passing. There’s no easy out when a thing like this happens in merchandising. For all the acclaim given his performance in The Dark Knight, it seems unlikely that Heath Ledger will become a (death) cult figure on the order of James Dean. Times and circumstances are different. The mad rush for Dean echoed frenzied reaction to Valentino’s exit, even as that event flashed hotter (near riots as he lay in state) and burned out quicker. Dean’s built over months after September 30, was nourished with fresh product (Giant being released a year after he died, followed by The James Dean Story in 1957), and lasted longer. He was his own best advance man for the romance of sudden death. It’s fast and clean and you go out in a blaze of glory, said Dean when reporters raised the possibility of early demise on a racetrack. And what of these disquieting poses he’d struck when it seemed photographers recorded his every waking moment? Peering through a noose or nested in a casket, Dean looks intent on getting to the other side ahead of his audience, as if a ticket to cult immortality had already been purchased and he was just waiting for fate to cash it in. Plenty of omens creeped out viewers in hindsight. Dean appeared with Gig Young (as shown here) on behalf of traffic safety in a spot intended for Warner Brothers Presents, the ABC series that played for a single season in 1955-56. It was part of a segment promoting Rebel Without A Cause and was filmed on September 17, 1955, but never televised. Two other promotions featuring Rebel players were broadcast on Warner Brothers Presents (Natalie Wood on October 11 and Jim Backus on November 1), but the Dean footage was shelved and not seen until it was included in The James Dean Story, released nearly two years later.

James Dean attended a preview of Rebel Without A Cause within hours of doing the safety spot. Warners’campaign was progressing and references to Dean were very much in terms of present and future tense. A new star was born and there would be many triumphs to come. By October, however, those one-sheets were being sniped over with regards Dean becoming the star of the year, little realizing that he'd become precisely that within a few short months, despite events of September 30. Initial reaction was skittish. The Motion Picture Herald’s Selling Approach column tried putting showmen at ease. We believe that because James Dean was killed in an automobile accident a few weeks ago is no reason why his success as a star should not go on. Don’t encourage your audience or any others to have any such qualms. It is one of the utterly mistaken notions of our industry --- so let’s keep his talent alive on our screens! This was November 5, and Rebel was filling houses everywhere it played. Establishment critics meanwhile weren’t giving Dean a pass just because he’d died. Bosley Crowther at The New York Times cited monotonous Brando imitating among Rebel players, JD not excepted. The perceived apathetic attitude of the American public toward motion pictures inspired a group of Allied Theatre owners to launch their so-called Audience Awards, ballots for which would be filled out in lobbies and tallied by showmen. The "Audies" were essentially grassroot Oscars, a democratic alternative to votes cast by Academy insiders. Elections held during Fall doldrums would culminate in a television spectacular (that never happened) comparable in its impact to the Academy Awards television show, followed by bookings for winning films during notoriously slow pre-Christmas weeks. Among those selected was Tab Hunter as Most Promising Personality for Battle Cry and James Dean as Best Actor for East Of Eden, the latter of which took WB unawares. When I attempted to book "East Of Eden" for a repeat run, I was advised that it had been withdrawn from distribution, complained one exhibitor. A rush order went out to place more James Dean at theatre’s disposal. On December 17, Warners announced a reissue double-bill for East Of Eden with Battle Cry (ad here), their first recognition of a posthumous surge. Incoming letters rose to 8000 a month, many asking for Dean bric-a-brac. Teens nationwide sought the red zippered jacket Jim wore in Rebel Without A Cause. When studio replies suggested it could be had for $22.95 from Mattson’s Hollywood clothier, their having supplied the original, kids made a run on the place. Dean ranked Number One on Photoplay’s popularity poll by Spring 1956, and high school students in thirty-two cities picked the late star as their fave. The run-up to Giant was becoming feverish. Director George Stevens took his usual forever editing that long, long feature, trying cultist’s patience. Warnings were issued that he’d best not cut a frame of Dean’s performance. It’s absolutely weird, said the veteran helmsman. Rebel Without A Cause meanwhile not only maintained but was doing splendid repeat business. Eventual profits of $3.9 million against a modest negative cost of $1.4 put it right behind WB’s biggest hits of 1955, Mister Roberts and Battle Cry. With Giant in the much anticipated offing, was it any wonder so many Dean followers refused to believe he was really dead?

A weird new phenomenon is loose in the land, said TIME magazine on September 3, 1956 (the none-too-flattering article was called Dean Of The One-Shotters). It seemed Dean-mania was getting out of hand. Mainstream bastions took note and were unanimous in their disapproval. The bandwagon that looks disconcertingly like a hearse mirrored concern with an overlay of withering sarcasm. These were journalists, after all, who’d been in the game for years and weren’t about to be taken in by such morbid folly. This is really something new in Hollywood --- Boy meets Ghoul. Were they as miffed over rival magazines selling out aforementioned one shot tributes to Dean (such as vulture pickings shown here)? Ezra Goodman reported for LIFE. Delirium For Dead Star headlined his condemnation of Dean-inspired excesses. By September 24 when the article was published, there were plenty. Humphrey Bogart spoke for an establishment Hollywood ready to apply brakes. If he had lived, he’d never have been able to live up to his publicity, said the actor. Sick of it all George Stevens minced fewer words as Giant’s premiere drew close and he realized many were looking to his epic for a Jimmy fix and little else: A few more films and the public wouldn’t have been so bereft. He shortly would have dimmed his luster. All this as loosely hinged fans insisted their idol walked among us yet. Was Jimmy hiding out in Mexico to conceal disfiguring injuries sustained in the accident? Those sufficiently gullible could hope. Grown-ups expressed concern now that TIME and LIFE sounded their majority’s alarm. Shouldn’t Warners be engaged in healthier enterprise? A still breathing if overworked Tab Hunter suggested they might, as two 1956 releases proposed that ersatz heir to Dean’s following, and boxoffice. Tab, however, lacked JD’s intensity and tragic grandeur. His dreamboat was no substitute for Dean’s storm tossed dramatics, despite the "promising" Battle Cry, and besides, Tab showed all intentions of staying alive to enjoy underpaying benefits of Warners stardom. The Burning Hills and The Girl He Left Behind borrowed Dean’s co-star and hopeful good luck charm Natalie Wood to play opposite Hunter, her Rebel Without A Cause appearance foregrounded in publicity for both. A sadder would-be successor to Dean was nakedly ambitious Nick Adams, his wholehearted immersion in the JD cult raising not a few eyebrows within industry circles. There were two fan magazine tributes under his byline, for which Nick relished mail going up by two hundred letters a week after the first one was published. They’d been close, you see. Jim left Nick poems he’d written, plus scarves, shirts, and belts, none of which the latter was disposed to share with fans. I sleep with a loaded .32 automatic and a .45 automatic in my house. I keep all the stuff hidden in a big strong steel box locked in the attic. Adams hauled the bounty downstairs to pose Dean-like with his treasures, as shown here. I have police protection --- the cops check my house eight to ten times a day.

Giant would open in October 1956, but theatres and drive-ins toward the back of the line made do with limited engagements Warners permitted of Rebel Without A Cause with East Of Eden. James Dean photos came with admissions to many of these, and showmen noted grosses equivalent to first-run business. October also saw the release of soundtracks via MGM Records with Art Mooney and His Orchestra playing music from Dean films. If we know the teenagers, they will go for it, by the millions, said The Motion Picture Herald. Warners meanwhile soft-peddled JD in Giant publicity. Their pressbook referred to him, as before, in the present tense. You’d never know the actor had died after reading press releases the studio prepared. Giant looked to audiences far beyond membership of the Dean cult, whatever that group’s anxiety to see it. Contracted billing required Elizabeth Taylor and Rock Hudson in favored position, but theatre men knew where their bread was buttered, thus marquees, including the Chicago one shown here, brazenly sold Dean as Main Attraction. Newspaper ads were as culpable. Dean’s image alone represented Giant in the Pantheon’s bid as shown here, plus his name was elevated to position above Taylor and Hudson. This sort of exhibitor free-styling was commonplace as everyone sought to cash in on the Dean wave at its height. Boxoffice magazine divined reality in its October 13 review and spelled things out for whoever booked Giant. It is the presence and popularity of James Dean that will prove the most potent factor in attracting ticket buyers, particularly from the teenage groups. Discomfort over a phenomenon bordering on psychosis was offset by prospects of cash in the till. It is his name that will bring the bobby-soxers in droves and will stimulate them into seeing the picture time and time again. Sure enough it was teens pulling four-hours of Giant on repeated shifts. Bolder Dean devotees liberated poster materials out front, valuable publicity in itself for some situations. Minneapolis’ Radio City Theatre found its Giant display minus a James Dean head one morning, prompting rewards to be paid upon its return and placement of a sheriff’s detective to guard a replacement bally. The warning sign now posted (above) was both enticement to purloining fans and those who’d not yet paid admission to see what all the fuss was about. Dean’s relatives were dragged off Indiana farms to thump on Giant’s behalf. His aunt, uncle, and a cousin showed up at an Indianapolis drive-in opening in late November and were duly recognized for service to the trade. It seemed a departed James Dean had no peer, let alone competition, for first placement among teen idols. That would change, and soon, as many theatres coming off Giant playdates changed marquees to herald their next attraction --- Elvis Presley and Love Me Tender.

The Outdoor Life: My Cure for the Blahs

Regular time outdoors is my cure for the blahs. As a culture, I think we tend to forget the healing power of outdoor time. In many homes, watching the Nature Channel has replaced the experience of discovering the excitement of observing a new bird at our own feeder or a butterfly sipping nectar in our flower pot. Video games have replaced tree climbing and rock throwing. Organized sports have replaced jump roping and ball bouncing on the back sidewalk. IPods have replaced listening to a bird's song and the wind's rustling of the leaves as we walk along.

Our world has become smaller because of advances in technology but many of us don't even know our own neighbors. We have stopped associating on front porches while swatting at flies and moths and mosquitoes in order to be more comfortable in our air conditioned houses. Our lawns don't have as many dandelions or as much clover as they once did. What is a childhood without making a wish and blowing dandelion seeds on a hot summer's day or trying to find the four leaf clover while laying in the cool grass?

Does all this new technology and being busy with activities make us happier? Would spending some time outdoors playing and exploring together as a family bring us more satisfaction?

I dare you to give it a try.

Barb-Harmony Art Mom

Mickey or Panda?

Mickey Mouse in the underground. Or maybe its a giant panda. What do you think? Panda or Mickey?

Gothic Revival Wallpaper

Illustration: Wallpaper design, 1840s.

This startling Gothic wallpaper design was produced in the 1840s. Today we would find it hard to contemplate living with such a definite design statement on our walls. However, this wallpaper design was produced to make that very statement.

This is a relatively early Gothic Revival design, though not to be confused with the eighteenth century Gothic Revival. Most of the popular inspired wallpapers were about ten years away and so this piece is perhaps more faithful to the original concept of the Victorian Gothic Revival, later designs were softened and the architectural references were relaxed in order to appeal to a larger market.

The design was probably produced for a library, or possibly dining room, two areas of a nineteenth century house that were traditionally considered to be mainly male domains. The statement that the wallpaper was supposed to be making was that the occupier of the house had scholarly leanings and was to be considered to be of a serious, if somewhat traditional intellect. However, as this is such an early wallpaper design in the Gothic style, it should also be seen as to a certain extent cutting edge, if not vaguely revolutionary, in decorative terms at least.

Illustration: Wallpaper design, 1840s.

The Gothic style of decoration was by no means staid and formulaic in the 1840s. It was considered new, bold and daring. The accepted style of the age was still considered to be classically inspired, particularly within interiors. France still set the trends in interior furnishings, but Britain was beginning to flex its newfound economic strength and individuality and wanted an interior style that it could call its own. This inevitably was to be Gothic. A style that was to be a catalyst for more than half a century of British design inspiration that would include within its sphere: William Morris; the Arts & Crafts movement; Liberty; and a whole host of designers that were to inspire and energise individuals and movements around the world.

Further reading links:
The Gothic Revival (World of Art)
Gothic Revival
Gothic Revival A&I (Art and Ideas)
The Origins of the Gothic Revival (Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in Britis)
Victorian and Edwardian Furniture and Interiors: From the Gothic Revival to Art Nouveau
Gothic Revival: An Essay in the History of Taste
In Pointed Style: The Gothic Revival in America, 1800-1860
Gothic Style
Victorian Gothic House Style: An Architectural and Interior Design Source Book
A. W. N. Pugin: Master of Gothic Revival
The Gothic Tradition (Cambridge Contexts in Literature)

Outdoor Hour Challenge Poll Results

The polls have closed and it looks like the new focus area will be centered around clouds. After looking in the Handbook of Nature Study, I am really excited about all the possibilities for this focus in the weeks to come.

Here are some ideas after reading through the climate and weather section of the Handbook of Nature Study.

Differences between climate and weather
Different cloud identification
Water Forms (including dew, frost, fog, rain, sleet, snow)
Year Long Weather Study....just like the tree study but for the weather!
Simple weather experiments that will draw interest to the everyday weather
Atmosphere

"Water in its various changing forms, liquid, gas, and solid, is an example of another overworked miracle-so common that we fail to see the miraculous in it."
Handbook of Nature Study, page 808

I wanted to thank the tremendous number of people who voted in the poll for taking the time to help me pick a direction for the Outdoor Hour Challenges. It makes it feel more like a community of fellow students and observers. If you voted for a different focus, please know that I have taken note of which topics came in a close second and third and you can be sure we will be focusing in those areas soon.

Everyone has weather and climate so this focus area should fit everyone's local area. :)

Barb-Harmony Art Mom

Queen of Hearts

Ate too many tarts. Oh dear!

Nature Study: Caution and Encouragement

Found this old photo of the boys in 1998 when we were out on a hike...way too cute.

Ramble, ramble, ramble....prepare yourself to hear my honest words....straight from my heart.

It is the start of a new school year and so many homeschooling moms have now decided to add nature study as part of their plans. Wahoo! That makes my heart happy. See me smiling? :)

One thing I want to caution against. In our zealousness to offer a valuable study to our children, we may get caught up in the details. What kind of notebook? What sorts of pencils? What particular field guide? How can I teach my child to draw in his notebook? Although these are all great questions, don't get sidetracked from your goal of actually completing nature study.

If you are just starting out, please make your goal to enjoy the time outside with your children. If after you have the time outdoors exploring and discussing and taking in the air and your child feels inclined to draw in a nature journal, great. If you took the time to go outside and explore and discuss and take the air and that is all you ever do....you are still successful.

It is great to have an overall plan for getting outside and observing and learning with your children but try to leave some room for spontaneous experiences during your daily life as well. The best nature studies happen when the subjects come to you. If you are not open to the experiences because it is not your official nature study time, you will miss a perfect learning opportunity.

Don't squeeze the life out of your nature study by structuring it too much.

Remember to learn about nature from real life.

Which do you learn more from? Looking at pictures of clouds in a book or from the real clouds in the sky over your own home? Books are a great resource but get your children outside and looking for themselves at what is in their own yard or neighborhood. In the Handbook of Nature Study, Anna Comstock encourages us to look for nature close to home, right outside our own back doors. We don't have to travel far to find something of interest. Every child should know about the trees, wildflowers, birds, insects, mammals, and rocks in his own backyard. Start simply and stay close to home and your nature study will take on new meaning.

The ordinary things that we see every day as we step out our own door take on greater value when we know a little bit more about them.

Help your family get started by going outside with them.
I think it is an unreasonable expectation to send your children outdoors by themselves to do nature study alone. A healthy respect for nature is something that is learned and becomes a habit over time. If you are just starting out with nature study, your example is vital in setting the pattern for them. Get on your knees and look under a rock carefully. Show them how to look closely at a flower's parts by doing it yourself. Model how to be quiet and listen to the sounds of your world because they may not know what a crow sounds like or what that buzzing is in the bush without you being there to tell them. Sit quietly on the grass or on the steps of your house and watch what is going on in your own yard. Be curious about the ants on the sidewalk and the weeds in the grass.

Here is an entry I wrote awhile back that I keep thinking about. It is such a simple idea to get your family started with nature study. If the Outdoor Hour Challenges are not on your plan this year for school, why not try this simple idea? It may just spark some interest in your family.

Nature Study the Gentle Way

End of ramble.
Barb-Harmony Art Mom

Great Ideas to Share: Nature Museum and More

It amazes me what great ideas we all come up with together and then are willing to share. Here is a great idea from a reader that she shares on her blog:
The Museum
They have taken the idea of a nature journal and made it into a great visual "museum" for their family. Her son was a reluctant nature study and nature journal student until he read the Boxcar Childrenbook that told about how they made a museum. Ellie's children were inspired to take the idea and apply it to their nature study.

I love this idea and I have already cleared a spot on our school area wall to hang some of our sketches and ideas until they find their way into the nature journals...which for my boys are binders. Thanks for sharing your idea Ellie.

Last week, Melissa shared a fantastic entry on nature study on her blog, In the Sparrow's Nest. She explains in her entry Carving out Time for Nature Walks the many benefits of nature study in each and every family. She challenges us all to make it a priority and to view getting outdoors and observing all the living creatures around us as important as math and reading. I couldn't agree more. Thanks Melissa for sharing your heart with us all in your entry. I encourage all that have not read this entry yet to pop over and take a few minutes to be prodded to do more with nature study.

I am always so inspired when I read the Outdoor Hour Challenge links each week. Each one is a gem to me. I encourage you if you have a few minutes to check out some of the links at the bottom of each Outdoor Hour Challenge. You will not regret it.

Thanks for all the great ideas.
Barb-Harmony Art Mom

Peace 4 Sale!

I was going to comment yesterday on how the peace symbol had become as much a pop-cultural and fashion accessory as anything meaningful but decided to resist the cynical thought. That was until I went into Blockbuster minutes after writing yesterday's post and saw the above display - a day after noticing the peace symbol hoodies at Target! Sadly for Gerald Holtom the peace symbol was never copyrighted.

My head is spinning

Do try this at home.

Sign of the Times

British anti-nuclear protesters in 1958. Uncredited photo from Corbis

Ironically, one of the most notable anniversaries of the year seems to be slipping by almost unnoticed. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the peace symbol. The iconic sign was developed in 1958 by Gerald Holtom, a professional designer, artist, and conscientious objector in Great Britain.

 It was originally designed for Britain’s Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. (In fact, the symbol is a combination of the semaphore signals for the letters "N" and "D" - standing for Nuclear Disarmament.) However, it quickly spread worldwide, and has since become universally known to represent peace rather than simply nuclear disarmament. After 50 years, though, the sign is as much a symbol of hope as any kind of realistic eventuality. Still, it's the hope that keeps us going.

I’ve been looking for great or iconic pictures featuring the peace sign and have so far come up pretty much empty handed. So any suggestions are welcome.

A skywritten peace sign above folk singer Arlo Guthrie during a 1969 show at Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts. Uncredited photo from Corbis

Amusements

Good news. I am away in the sun.

This was a shot taken in Soho London.

Hummingbird Moth or White-Lined Sphinx Moth

Another gift this morning....a hummingbird moth or a white-lined sphinx moth. (click this link for a better look at what we saw this morning)

I heard this guy in the skylight of the kitchen last night but I couldn't get him to come down so I could see what sort of moth he was. This morning as I was sipping my morning cup of coffee, he buzzed right over to collect some nectar from the vase of flowers on my kitchen table. Can you believe that? We all watched as he hovered around the flowers and then up over the table. This was our first experience with a hummingbird moth and it was fantastic.

He flew up to the ceiling and landed in the corner. Please excuse the really ugly background for this beautiful moth. We re in the middle remodeling our living room and he landed right in the dusty corner where we are sheetrocking....of course.

I pulled out my Handbook of Nature Study and I was surprised to find that there is a complete section on hummingbird and sphinx moths, pages 320-325.

"The have long, rather narrow, strong wings which enable them to fly with extraordinary rapidity. ...Their colors show most harmonious combinations and most exquisite contrasts; the pattern, although often complex, shows perfect refinement.....Most of the sphinx moths have remarkably long tongues, which are sometimes twice the length of the body."
Handbook of Nature Study, page 321

This was a very interesting insect to read about and I will be on the look out now for more of them. I read in the Handbook that they especially like petunias, morning glories, and nasturtiums which are all planted in my new garden from the spring!

Another gift....thank you.

Barb-Harmony Art Mom