I was sorting through some pictures on my phone and computer and came across these. I had meant to write a post about them or rather a couple of posts. I'll just tell a bit because they were fun.
The first two pictures are hopefully ones that everyone can actually see. (And no, they are not of last night's lunar eclipse.) They were taken by my brother-in-law last summer when he and his wife were in Ruidoso, New Mexico. I think he took them around midnight one evening. They are obviously the night sky. And they reminded me of the book that I read last summer by Lori Rader-Day, Under A Dark Sky. I shared my thoughts about that book here.
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| Midnight Sky - Ruidoso, NM |
There are a couple of dark sky parks in New Mexico, though none in the Ruidoso area. In case you're not familiar with Ruidoso, it's in the southern part of New Mexico and has probably the closest 'actual' mountains to our home in Central Texas. And then when you come down out of the mountains and go a bit further west, you come to the beautiful White Sands National Monument. You can see the shimmer of the sands when you are still pretty high up on the mountain highway.
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| Midnight Sky - Ruidoso, NM |
The next couple of pictures are of some truly odd looking bugs and I took them on my driveway here in Central Texas. I have not looked up these bugs to see what they are, but the pest control guy was at our house soon after for our regular service (we have lots of scorpions, snakes, rodents, ants, centipedes, etc.) and I showed him the pictures that I had taken. Asked him if he had seen these before. I think he had seen some similar to the second picture - the black and white bug - but not the one just below. Kind of looks like Spiderman's costume, right?
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| Odd Texas Bug - maybe he loves Spiderman? |
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| Odd Texas Bug - looks like a mosaic |
So, here ends my 'fun' picture session. Hope you enjoyed it! At least I wasn't showing snake pictures or scorpion pictures, right?
I love it when people share unusual photos. The bugs! Wow. Although I don't much envy you the snakes and scorpions. And that's The Plough in the 2nd. dark sky one, is it?
ReplyDeleteYes, I think we call it The Big Dipper, but I'm fairly certain that the picture includes it.
DeleteI love the night sky photos. Thanks for sharing them! The insects are certainly eye-catching (and for me, cringe-inducing)!
ReplyDeleteThey were smaller than they appear, of course. Not sure if they are the 'biting' kind. I didn't ask them. LOL
DeleteHonestly, I think these are some of the strangest bugs I've ever seen. I hope to visit a night sky park some day--the idea of an area lacking artificial lights at night fascinates me. Evidently, your brother-in-law found a good location for night viewing, even if not in an official park.
ReplyDeleteYes, he was in a little community outside of Ruidoso without street lights, etc. I bet you've seen a few 'odd' bugs in LA too. Ha!
DeleteWhoa, those bugs are crazy!! I wouldn't want to come across them near my house.
ReplyDeleteAh, well - they were fairly mild. We've had scarier ones, both outside and inside. Ha!!
DeleteI loved the night sky pictures and the bugs are very different. Odd that they both visited your driveway.
ReplyDeleteWell, we have a lot of bugs around here. I just took the pictures of these because they were ones I hadn't seen before.
DeleteI kept running outside last night to look at the eclipse. It was really awesome, as in awe inspiring at it's peak. Everything was so clear like your pictures. I have seen the "mosaic" bug but I don't know what it is. Some kind of beetle. I have never seen the other, so colorful.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't stay up late enough to see the eclipse. We head to bed early around our house because we get up so early. Glad you enjoyed it. If you end up finding out about that beetle, let me know. I'm just curious.
DeleteGreat bug find Kay!
ReplyDeleteAll I did was walk outside with my phone and say - well, look at that. Ha!
DeleteJust love the dark skies photos! White Sands is on my list of places to visit. We get to New Mexico every few years to see my husband's brother &family... though they are up in Santa Fe.
ReplyDeleteI've never seen anything like those bugs... and hope I never do! ;-)
Oh, now, JoAnn, there are bugs in Florida too. Ha! Yes, White Sands is lovely. Hope you get to see it on one of your trips to NM.
DeleteOh, how I wish I was better at night photography! I love those pictures and have seen some gorgeous dark skies while traveling, but my phone just doesn't capture all the stars.
ReplyDeleteIcky, icky bugs!
Yes, I think that would be a cool thing to be able to do. I just found those bugs interesting. Since they weren't in my house, not so icky.
DeleteThose are some crazy looking bugs! Especially the last one. I love the starry skies. We spent a lot of time last night staring up at the sky watching the lunar eclipse. The Tornado was beyond excited about it.
ReplyDeleteOh, I bet The Tornado was excited about the eclipse. That moon was so big (or it seemed that way).
DeleteCool constellation shots! I wish there were more dark sky areas to go star-gazing in closer to where I live. And that spiderman bug is crazy! I love it. :)
ReplyDeleteYes, Spiderman was who I immediately thought of with the colors on that bug.
DeleteI enjoyed "Under a Dark Sky" and it's through this book that I know the dark sky park. And those bugs are fascinating though I won't go near them!
ReplyDeleteI had not ever heard of dark sky parks either - until I read UNDER A DARK SKY. I've discovered they are all over the place. Great concept.
DeleteThe night sky photos are very cool. The bug pics? Not so much! Eeww. I hate bugs. We're in scorpion territory, too, but I've never really seen any. Thank goodness I've never had any in any of my houses. *Shudders*
ReplyDeleteOh, I have definitely had them in the house. I've only been stung once. One learns to never pick up a bit of fluff from the floor with the bare hands. Always use a kleenex or paper towel. Ha!
DeleteWe've had scorpions here for the past three years. I think the drought brought them out. Two were in my house! My pup found one and ignored it. So much for protecting me.
ReplyDeleteYes a drought will bring them out and into your home. Glad the pup ignored it - those stings hurt a lot and your pup isn't very big. If you see one and try to get rid of it, remember that those tails can sting even after the scorpion is dead.
DeleteBugs are right up there with scorpions and snakes... sorta! Cool sky shots.
ReplyDeleteWe just have to put up with them, as you know, Nan. Not much you can do. I just don't want them in my house. I know I can't control the outside.
DeleteMy house has plenty of bugs, but I mostly don't see them. Hazel will ask if the wasps are around, and we tell her they are sleeping this time of year (prob in the house, but we don't tell her that!).
DeleteI hope the wasps are sleeping - ha! I hate wasps. Got stung a few times when I was a kid.
DeleteOh gosh, as soon as I looked at those first two pictures, I just saw black until you told me what they were and then I could definitely see the night sky. Very cool!
ReplyDeleteI thought they were pretty nice. Thanks, Lisa.
DeleteKay those bugs are crazy looking! I was shocked when we had the first scorpion in our home. Yikes. We didn't get those in Dallas. Love the night sky pictures!
ReplyDeleteWe really didn't have so many when we lived at other houses in the area, but this house is a different story.
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