Welcome to the 11th edition of Circus of the Spineless.
This is the first time I've ever hosted a blog carnival. Putting it together has been an interesting experience - I just hope I haven't left anything out!
I couldn't think of a clever theme to link all the posts, so I've divided them into 'Mostly Words' and 'Mostly Pictures'.
MOSTLY WORDS
Heliconid Puzzle
Science and Sensibility asks "Did forest islands or Dr Moreau's Island generate the present day distribution of Heliconius?".
Getting High
Aydin of Snail's Tales tells of a molluscan discovery on a Turkish peak in Gallandia annularis: a snail above the clouds.
Exploding Jellies
Perceiving Wholes explores the factors behind soaring scyphozoan populations in The Jellyfish Takeover.
Exploding Snouts
Tony at Milk River Blog writes about Snouts, a group of butterflies of which I was previously ignorant.
Exploding Welshmen?
At Rigor Vitae, Carel illustrates ancient invertebrate biodiversity in Exploiting the Cambrian Explosion.
Beware Ambush #1
Rurality has found some Odd Bugs lurking amongst the petals.
Beware Ambush #2
The Burning Silo holds more information about the very same bugs, so Meet the Phymata and then get to know them better There's also a post about Monarchs and Swallowtails (see also 'Fatal Beauty' below).
Fatal Beauty
Via Negativa spins a tale of Love and Death at the Milkweed Saloon.
Six legs good, eight legs better
The Voltage Gate tells us Why Spiders Aren't Insects.
Sexual Appetites
A Blog Around The Clock fearlessly tackles the sordid topic of sex and cannibalism, complete with explicit videos!
Moonlighting
Cindy of Woodsong says "Things Are Hopping" in her house and garden. She also presents a superb photo of a Luna Moth (Actias luna).
Singapore's Shores
The Annotated Budak tells of marine invertebrates on the shores of Pulau Subar Darat aka Big Sister's Island. See also 'Mostly Pictures' below.
Nursery Crime
Pablo of Roundrock Journal causes Panic in the woods.
Space Invaders
The Invasive Species Weblog offers two posts. Moth Balls concerns the political fallout caused by Operophtera brumata in Massachusetts; Their Name Is Mud Too is about the molluscs invading San Francisco Bay. See also 'Mostly Pictures' below.
Lubberly Plumage
Mike of 10,000 Birds admires the vivid colours of a grasshopper in Avast Ye Lubber.
Texan Twosome
Jay from Ocellated offers two posts from the Davis Mountains of west Texas: The Hunt Begins For An Entomological Mystery and Cassus Roadside- Skipper.
Isn't it a bit late for spring cleaning?
"Today, I vacuumed my vines" says Nuthatch at Bootstrap Analysis. On a more serious note, she also recommends this post which includes info about declining moths in the UK.
Sweet & Sour Flies
In A Somewhat Old, But Capacious Handbag you'll find a post about cutting edge research at the Institute of Pissing About: The Condimentary Preferences of Drosophila.
MOSTLY PICTURES
Cindy at Bug Safari presents a series of photos showing an Australian Prickly Stick Insect shedding its skin.
Over at Thomasburg Walks, Pamela appeals for help with identifying a Bumblebee (or mimic?) that appears to be feasting on a carnivore scat.
A DC Birding Blog presents a selection of photos of Invertebrates at the Arboretum.
The Annotated Budak presents a collection of photographic posts, titled Spider stares, Brown butt, Peat swamp invertebrates, Simi cat and a Strange insect.
MissPrism recommends some stunning pictures that she found at http://pishmo.com/macro/. Does anyone here speak Russian?
Urtica shares a cicada pic from her Flickr photostream.
Science Boy celebrates the appearance of the season's first bumble bee.
Finally, there's a new Flickr group called Circus of the Spineless set up by yours truly.
COMING SOON!
The host for the next edition of Circus of the Spineless is Sunbeams From Cucumbers.
Looks great!
Posted by: jbruno | Monday, 31 July 2006 at 05:11 PM
Roger - Thanks for putting together COTS -- it looks terrific. What a good idea to put up a thumbnail of each blog entry. I'm looking forward to reading all of them as soon as I have a few minutes. Thanks for all of the time and effort!
Posted by: bev | Monday, 31 July 2006 at 05:15 PM
Hey, thanx for including me in the Circus. In an amazing coincidence, I will be hosting the Festival of the Trees tomorrow at Roundrock Journal. Stop by if you can!
Posted by: pablo | Monday, 31 July 2006 at 06:29 PM
Awesome job, thanks for taking the time for putting this together
Posted by: David Winter | Monday, 31 July 2006 at 11:21 PM
Great job, Roger! Thanks.
Posted by: Pamela | Tuesday, 01 August 2006 at 12:47 AM
Thanks for including me!
Posted by: Cindy | Tuesday, 01 August 2006 at 05:14 PM
What a great job. I like the way you included previews of the blog pages.
Thanks for sending out an email about hosting the carnival.
By the way, I LOVE your beach pictures. :)
Posted by: lene | Thursday, 03 August 2006 at 04:22 AM
Wonderful job and I like the quick snapshots which give a nice feel for the different sites!
Posted by: Paul Decelles | Sunday, 06 August 2006 at 05:23 PM
sorry it took me so long to comment, but I love your presentation- very fresh and unique... well done Roger :)
Posted by: Cindy | Sunday, 06 August 2006 at 08:19 PM
sorry for the multiple track-backs too.. I need more coffee! ;)
Posted by: Cindy | Sunday, 06 August 2006 at 08:42 PM