Your Lame Comic

 Hey, Dondi. I see you.

Chadokuga

The chadokuga (チャドクガ, literally "tea poison moth"), Euproctis pseudoconspersa (tea tussock moth, family Lymantriidae), is a Japanese moth whose caterpillars are a notorious local hazard.  The final-instar larva is about 27 mm long, pale yellow-brown with a row of black tubercles and a white lateral stripe, and it lives in groups, neatly lined up feeding on the leaves of tea (Camellia sinensis) and other Camellia-family plants such as camellia and osmanthus. Its real danger is not the visible long hairs but 300,000–500,000 microscopic barbed stinging setae (about 0.1 mm each) clustered on the black tubercles. These detach on contact with skin or clothing — or drift on the wind — and cause painful, itchy dermatitis, with welts appearing within 2–3 hours and a delayed rash 1–2 days later. The stinging hairs persist on eggs, cocoons, shed skins, and even the adult female's tail, so people can be stung during winter pruning without realizing it.

Key facts:

• Distribution: Japan (Honshu southward), plus Korea, China, and Taiwan
• Generations: two per year; larvae emerge April–May and August–September; adults in June–July and October
• Overwintering stage: eggs

•Treatment: peel off embedded hairs with tape, wash with soap and water, and see a dermatologist if itching persists

Casey Cooper ("The Glory Road" series)

I have a wonderfully diverse readership. I am so proud to know many of you as friends, and not just as readers... kind, clever, and hopelessly lame. My kinda people! 

I have mentioned many times that the purpose of this blog is to highlight my readers... share their photos, interests, careers... anything and everything. Casey Cooper is a writer. He also calls himself a bard at times, but rules are rules around here, Casey. Sorry. (See signage at bottom of post.)

Order/more info here (Amazon): https://tinyurl.com/bp84w9j7

Order/more info here (Amazon): https://tinyurl.com/bp84w9j7

Order/more info here (Amazon): https://tinyurl.com/bp84w9j7

As the son of a jazz musician turned high school college prep English teacher, Casey grew up exposed to more jazz in daily life than most, and more corrections to his grammar as well.

His first introduction to Sci-Fi was Star Gate by Andre Norton, and he was hooked.

After retiring from his day job in early 2020, he began composing a concept album of fantasy stories using songs he had written in previous years. After recording, he felt the urge to write an accompanying novel, and "The Glory Road" series was born.

A member of the South Carolina Writers Association, he lives with his two trusty cats, Liv and Simon (both rescues).

Liv, a six-year-old lavender tortie

The look of someone who knows she's beautiful. (Elizabeth Taylor had lavender eyes. Imagine an entire coat the same color.)

Simon, an orange tabby.

Why does Simon look like he wants to overturn

a fragile knickknack? 

https://soundcloud.com/casey-cooper-2

https://www.facebook.com/people/Casey-Cooper-Author-Bard/61561062296448/

Deactivated?

 

Seriously? This extremely lame, tame, and painfully boring comment of mine was deactivated for violating TOS? Makes no sense. My guess is that "slapping them in the face" is interpreted as a physical threat perpetrated by Mr. Logical Counterargument (because we all know that adjectives and nouns have arms and hands and can slap a face.)

Faith Mission Baptist Church

Thank you, Luke.

Delivery

Thank you, Luke.

A Mosquito Drinking the Blood of a Fer-de_Lance

The fer-de-lance (Bothrops asper) is widely considered the most dangerous snake in the Americas, responsible for 50–80% of all snakebites in Central and northern South America.  Its venom is hemotoxic, causing severe tissue necrosis, internal bleeding, and potential organ failure; while untreated mortality was historically 10%, modern antivenom has reduced fatality rates to less than 1%. 

However, survivors frequently suffer gangrene and amputation due to the venom's tissue-destroying effects. 

Geographically, this pit viper is found from southern Mexico to northern South America, including countries like Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, and Venezuela. 

It thrives in tropical rainforests, plantations, and areas near human habitation, often hiding in leaf litter or undergrowth where it can easily encounter people. Its aggressive defensive nature and proximity to human settlements make it particularly lethal compared to other venomous species.