My latest trip to the cottage, located near Haliburton, Ontario, yielded a handful of images of various insects.  Unfortunately, except for the carpenter ants (which I am very familiar with, as I lay siege to their nest in my home), I cannot positively identify these critters.  Any help in their identification would be greatly appreciated.  Click on the image to see it in full size.

Below, dozens of carpenter ants were found busy at work, removing grains of wood from a railroad tie.  They would disappear into the hole, return to the exit, and then drop a small piece of wood onto a tiny pile.

This looks like it's related to a dragonfly...

The exoskeleton shed from an insect coming out of nymph phase.  Note the webbed wings... this guys is the stuff of nightmares.

While wiping my glasses, this green insect clinged to my lens.  I snapped a shot just before he flew away.

A moth, dead on the window screen of the cottage. 

All images copyright Bill Litshauer, 2010.

The $26.7 billion supplemental medicine industry received a much-needed kick in the ass.

Results of a new investigation by Consumer Reports, released yesterday, warn consumers to avoid 12 supplement ingredients that have been linked to cancer, coma, heart problems, kidney damage, liver damage, and death.  

Consumer Reports worked with the Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database, an independent research group that evaluates the safety and effectiveness of nutritional supplements, to develop this list.

Consumers might be attracted to dietary supplements because they're "all natural" and don't contain the synthetic chemicals found in prescription drugs. But they might be getting fooled.  Hidden drugs and steroids have been detected in more than 170 supplements since 2008. Hazardous ingredients have been known to turn up in dietary supplements marketed for weight loss, bodybuilding, and sexual enhancement.

More than half of the adult population in the U.S. take supplements for a variety of reasons -- to stay healthy, lose weight, gain an edge in sports, or to improve their performance in the bedroom. What many consumers don't realize is that the supplement manufacturers routinely, and legally, sell their products without first having to demonstrate that they are safe and effective. 

Because of inadequate quality control and inspection, supplements contaminated with heavy metals, pesticides, or prescription drugs have been sold to unsuspecting consumers. 

And FDA rules covering manufacturing quality don't apply to the 

companies that supply herbs, vitamins, and other raw ingredients. 

 

The following supplement ingredients are among those linked by clinical research or case reports to serious side effects.  They should be avoided at all costs. (source:  http://www.consumerreports.org/health/natural-health/dietary-supplements/supplement-side-effects/index.htm)

You can download the document here:

http://www.consumerreports.org/health/natural-health/dietary-supplements/overview/index.htm

Ever see the movie Avatar, with those giant flying creatures called the "toruk"?  Here's the real-life version:  Draco Volans.

Biophilia_curiosus wrote:

"The crazy part is that those lines you see running through the wings like veins are actually its ribs! Evolution did a number on these guys.

They can expand and contract their chests at will to glide great distances. We were only able to catch females as they were laying their eggs. All we could do is watch as the males soared overhead."

These "dragons" are an average length of just under a foot, and the females are larger than the males. They don't have true wings, but instead glide from tree to tree by extending their ribs outwards. When the ribs are stretched out, the skin between each rib forms a large flat surface on each side that the lizards use to slow and control their gliding descent. Using their "wings" the flying dragons can glide over distances of over 25 feet.

Both males and females have a gular flap below their chins which can be extended and may serve as a type of rudder in controlling their flight. Fully grown flying Draco volans measure just under a foot in length with a "wingspan" that could be anywhere up to ten inches.

Draco volans eat insects that they find on the trees in which they live. Their diet typically consists of ants and termites which they catch on their tongues.  Males will claim a "territory" of two or three trees, patrolling and protecting the area as they glide from tree to tree.

It seems that, if you look hard enough, you can find many of history's mythical creatures right here on Earth.