David Winter • Feb 17, 2013 •
The ailing laptop on which I write these posts has developed a new symptom - a non-deterministic keyboard. So, I hope you'll excuse me if I just paste a link and get on with something less annoying than trying to write a post via a cellphone. It'... Read More
David Winter • Feb 03, 2013 •
The most common jumping spider in our garden, Trite auricoma, with the remains of it most recent meal... a smaller T. auricoma: Cannibalism, animals eating members of their own species, is a pretty common and widespread behavio... Read More
David Winter • Jan 27, 2013 •
Last year, at about this time, I wrote a little about our native bees. Though I'm glad to have done my little bit to promote the existence of these all too anonymous members of our natural heritage I've always felt a little embarrassed&... Read More
David Winter • Jan 20, 2013 •
I got some good news this week - a paper I'm an author on was accepted for publication pending some minor revisions. That's great because career advacement in academia rests largely on what we publish, and this is a good paper that I'll be happy to add... Read More
David Winter • Jan 13, 2013 •
Just a photo today, but a pretty awesome one I reckon. An inbound bumble bee from my parents' garden in the Wairarapa: (~50 out of focus shots from same session not shown!) … Read More
David Winter • Dec 09, 2012 •
At last, Dunedin has managed to arrange a proper summer day for a weekend. The extra heat and sun saw plenty of bugs out and about, and I spotted plenty of familiar critters (native bees, cicadas, drone flies and magpie moths) for this fir... Read More
David Winter • Dec 02, 2012 •
I should have known that the little challenge I put up last week wouldn't so much as wrinkle the brow of the bug-blogo-sphere's best. The Atavism's two homes means there were two winners. Ted MacRae of Beetles in the Bush chimed in at he blog... Read More
David Winter • Nov 25, 2012 •
OK, here's a chance for the bug nerds to show off. A photo of a strange-looking beast I recently ran into: The challenge to readers is to answer the two questions that went through my head when I first uncovered the creature (1) What... Read More
David Winter • Nov 18, 2012 •
Regular readers will know that I've been pretty slack in posting here in recent weeks. Just the same old boring reason - lots of "real" work to get done and, as much as I enjoy it, blogging necessarily floats to the bottom of TODO lists. But I was sho... Read More
David Winter • Aug 05, 2012 •
Christie Willcox wrote a nice article this week on how one small group of organisms called "vertebrates" first evolved to live on land. Since you are a vertebrate who lives on land, you should probably go and read Christie's piece. I wouldn't want you, however, to go around thinking those first fish to leave the ocean behind were pioneers … Read More