Wayne's Word Index Noteworthy Plants Trivia Lemnaceae Biology 101 Botany Scenic Wildflowers Trains Spiders & Insects Search  INDICES:   Trivia Notes   Alien Species   Humorous   Remember When   All Facebook Notes   Wayne's Trivia Notes #44   © W.P. Armstrong    All Facebook Notes & Images    Published Occasionally On Facebook Go To Latest Trivia Note On This Page Wayne's Trivia Note #937 Changed My Mind On Identity Of Above Small Mantid A small mantid in laundry room. I originally thought it was a ground mantid but later concluded that it was a juvenile praying mantis, especially after finding its molted exoskeleton. It appeared particularly friendly and didn't want to leave my hand when I tried to release it outdoors! Wayne's Trivia Note #938 My obsession with serpentinite outcrops in central & northern CA mountains & foothills of Sierra Nevada began with locations of rare & endangered native plants. Hypotheses for origin of life makes this rock even more fascinating. In my humble opinion, precisely how these "building blocks of life" in thermal oceanic vents were self-assembled into protocells 4 billion years ago is conjecture, or at best, hypothetical.   Alkaline Vents & Serpentinization   Wayne's Trivia Note #939 The shamel ash, also called evergreen or tropical ash, is a very invasive weed. The presumed parental tree next to my house showers the neighborhood with winged, airborne seeds that spin in the air like miniature helicopters. Often by the time you spot one under a tree or shrub in your yard it is already well-established & difficult to remove. Wayne's Trivia Note #940 This summer I am sharing my 2nd crop of ripe 'Verte' figs with numerous clusters of large, hungry, fig beetles (Cotinus texana).   Wayne's Word Beetle Page #3   Wayne's Trivia Note #941 People go to Arizona's Lower Salt River to observe & photograph wild horses. I went there to attract & photograph honeypot ants and the wild horses came to observe me! All text material & images on these pages copyright © W.P. Armstrong