Janet Brien's photos with the keyword: spotted

A couple of years ago, just a day before my birthday, Steve and I got to go to a special event near our home. The show specialized in a type of horse which was bred by Romany people in Europe. They are generally spotted and quite short--the height of a pony--but sometimes the size of a normal horse. The show also had a few of my favorites, the enormous Drum Horses, which were originally bred by the Royal Stable in London for the Queen of England for parades and processions. Think of a spotted Clydesdale or Shire and you've got it right. This stunning stallion did not win his class but I thought he was incredible!!

Note: my latest garden article is up! :D Part 9—Dreams of a Big Flower Garden: We Have A Pumpkin Patch!! A few years ago, Steve and I went to a nearby county fair and we had a lot of fun taking pictures of the farm animals. One of the sows had an enormous litter of piglets and we spent a long time cooing at their cuteness! I learned something today about the word "Ungulate". I always thought it meant "hooved mammal", but that's not entirely correct. Wikipedia gives this definition: "Ungulates are a diverse group of large mammals, most of which use the tips of their toes, usually hoofed, to sustain their whole body weight while moving. The term means, roughly, "being hoofed" or "hoofed animal". As a descriptive term, "ungulate" normally excludes cetaceans, as they do not possess most of the typical morphological characteristics of ungulates; recent discoveries indicate that they are descended from early artiodactyls, and thus are directly related to other even-toed ungulates such as cattle, with hippopotamuses being their closest living relatives. As a result of these discoveries, the new order Cetartiodactyla has been proposed to include the members of Artiodactyla and Cetacea, to reflect their common ancestry; however, strictly speaking, this is merely a matter of nomenclature, since it is possible simply to recognize Cetacea as a subgroup of Artiodactyla." I had no idea that whales were considered to be ungulates!! My apologies for not being around much lately. The garden is keeping me very busy, along with everything else going on right now! Explored on June 11, 2014, highest placement, #2.

3 more pictures in notes above! :) You know, I think the insect population on our property is conspiring against me featuring Milkweed blossoms as my Picture of the Day! Granted, I have a "top down" view that I featured the other day, but these flowers are amazing when seen from the side too, and deserve top billing!! When I arrived at our now-dry pond, where the largest concentration of Milkweed flowers bloom, I saw a tiny white butterfly flitting about from blossom to blossom...and all thoughts of flowers flew out of my head. BUTTERFLY!!!!!! *hyperventilating begins* You know, someone really ought to get a video of me taking pictures of a butterfly. It would be totally hilarious. Creeeeeeep.... *click*... creeeeeeeeep.... *click*... *butterfly giggles and gives me a raspberry before flitting off to a flower a hundred feet away* *Janet comes up with a dozen new good-natured expletives...after all, butterflies are skittish! :D* Creeeeeep ... *click*.... creeeeep... *click* ... *butterfly cackles evilly and flies to the next state* *more good-natured expletives, big sigh, fingers crossed that maybe one will turn out* I used to try frantically aiming all over the place as a butterfly zoomed everywhere...FORGET IT! :D I won't bother anymore unless they are being at least a little consistent in their travels! (um, fat chance!) :D Anyway, I had a wonderful time with this butterfly. It actually hung out long enough for a wonderful series of images! Robert Anson Heinlein (July 7, 1907 – May 8, 1988) was an American science fiction writer. Often called the "dean of science fiction writers", he was one of the most influential and controversial authors of the genre in his time. He set a standard for scientific and engineering plausibility, and helped to raise the genre's standards of literary quality. Wikipedia: Robert A. Heinlein Explored on July 25, 2013. Highest placement, page 1 (#20).

This image was taken at the Josephine County Fair on August 20, 2011.

[best appreciated at full size against black] This little guy was found walking up and down long stems of straw and here he's arrived at the perfect spot to open his wings and fly away! Awwww...don't go! The party was just starting!! Cucumber beetles come in both a striped and spotted variety, though we've only seen the spotted ones around here. They may resemble ladybugs, but they are not beneficial and instead, are very destructive to crops and ornamental plants, including their namesake, cucumbers. If you would like to know more about these beautiful beetles, Wiki has a page here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cucumber_beetle This image was taken in March, 2012.

Last night I found this darling ladybug on the floor in our bathroom, and at first I thought it was dead. But then I thought I saw it move, so I carefully picked it up and stared at it as it lay on its back in the palm of my hand. After about 10 seconds, I saw a leg twitch and then another. Then all six legs were waving around, antennae moving, and this guy was doing his best to flip over! Hooray! I decided to keep him overnight and turn him into a star! In the morning, I took him out and let him crawl out onto a leaf, and got this picture to remember him by! :) Maria Flemming was born in Venezuela, raised in Canada, and is a world-traveler, author, poet, and law student.