The majestic pair!

A few posts ago, I had waxed poetically about a female spider that had visited my desk. When I posted on SpiderIndia to get her name, address and phone number, I was rudely informed by Janaki Turaga and Dr Amit Chakraborthy that what I had seen was the male!

Vikram Gupchup, who met the lady while I met the gent!

Telamonia dimidiata , or the ‘Two-striped Jumping Spider’ as it is commonly called, is a Salticid or jumping spider. As you could make out from my rhyme, the spider jumped everywhere.

This spider has been wrongly featured in an internet hoax where it is supposed to be lurking under American toilet seats, bite you and then you stumble off and die – Ha, what cock & bull about this lovely harmless spider which is not recorded to have ever hurt anybody.

This spider shows sexual dimorphism – the male and female do not resemble each other and could each be mistaken for a separate species.

The gentleman we have already met on my blog.

I would now like you to meet the lady!

See Madame Telamonia here from this post by Vikram Gupchup.

The lustrous eyes of the sensous lady! (Photo - Vikram Gupchup)

A different spider I would have thought, if I didn't know better! (Photo - Vikram Gupchup)

The Telamonias nest in between leaves. Janaki Turaga tells us of her fascinating encounter in the forests of Andhra Pradesh in 2007.

“Here are Telamonia dimidiata Male and Female. They were building their nest in the monsoon. The female is sitting on their (under-construction) nest web.

As I approached, the male fended off  the threat – my camera and was making his way back to the nest web and his lady. It seemed to me that he was guarding the nest and had successfully driven off  the threat-my camera and me.

Just to show of his virility, he jumped on my camera and then on me and jumped right back on another leaf – where I was able to photograph him and this is that shot.

The male Telamonia, similar to the one in my poetic post! (Photo - Janaki Turaga)

The nest web leaf was at a much higher level. Actually I had disturbed these two while I was photographing some insects . Anyway, this guy jumped down on me and chased me out, and climbed up the hibiscus plant and joined his lady right up on the leaf.

His lady love was none too pleased to meet my camera! But here is the shot!

The female’s eyes were incredible and you can see one of her fangs: this photo was really up close and personal!

The female defends! (Photo - Janaki Turaga)

Exactly two years later now in 2009 I wonder whether I had disturbed a courting or mating activity. But the female was already working on the nest.

I am not very clear as to the parental division of labour  in this species. Does the female spin the nest web before mating? To my mind back then it appeared that both the male and female were nesting together and the male had warded off an attack on them!”

I am sure that this lady would have driven me to even more sublime rhyme, just look at her lustrous black eyes! And golden-green cuticle.

A gorgeous babe. Definitely qualifies for an Angelina IMHO!

Meet The Butterfly! Series

Since this blog is (supposedly) about butterflies, I would like to blog more about them. I do understand though that I have a mixed audience.

So for those new to the world of biodiversity, I intend putting up informative shorts about butterflies and moths. These will make the blog easier to follow if I post something specifically about butterflies! I hope these ‘primer’ posts will be of interest in themselves.

Nightingales

Beautiful must be the mountains whence ye come,
And bright in the fruitful valleys the streams wherefrom
Ye learn your song:
Where are those starry woods? O might I wander there,
Among the flowers, which in that heavenly air
Bloom the year long!.

Nay, barren are those mountains and spent the streams:
Our song is the voice of desire, that haunts our dreams,
A throe of the heart,
Whose pining visions dim, forbidden hopes profound,
No dying cadence, nor long sigh can sound,
For all our art.

Alone, aloud in the raptured ear of men
We pour our dark nocturnal secret; and then,
As night is withdrawn
From these sweet-springing meads and bursting boughs of May,
Dream, while the innumerable choir of day
Welcome the dawn.

Robert Bridges

Bridges (1844-1930) was a doctor and also Poet-Laureate of England from 1913-1930.

This poem refutes the traditional premise that a work of art is created by being inspired by beauty. It tells of the power of unsatisfied desire to move the nightingales to matchless song – a more telling commentary on the human condition than most nature poems.

The real bird itself is the Common Nightingale (Luscinia megarhynchos) a song-bird and flycatcher found in Europe and South-West Asia and migrating in the winter to Africa.

The bird’s name means “night-songtress” but it is the male that sings to attract a mate and defend its territory.

Nightingales have often appeared in traditional lore and the arts—again, usually because of their song.

The poet John Keats thought of the bird as a carefree spirit, free to sing in “full-throated ease.”

In “Ode to a Nightingale,” one of the finest poems ever written, he wrote that he longed to:

Fade far away, dissolve, and quite forget….

The butterflydiaries ‘Scribbler’ awards go to….-

Avdi, she who brings eggs that be rotten to her feast, hath given me ye famous award.

The Superior Scribbler Award!

As is the case with awards, ye olde “you scratch my @%$e, I’ll scratch you%’$” rule applieth.

I hereby proclaim ye grande old rules for all to follow:-

Each Superior Scribbler must in turn pass The Award on to five most deserving blog friends.

Each Superior Scribbler must link to the author and the name of the blog from whom he/she has received The Award.

Each Superior Scribbler must display The Award on his/her blog and link to the original post at The Scholastic Scribe which explains The Award.

Each blogger who wins The Superior Scribbler Award must visit the original post at The Scholastic Scribe and add his/her name to the Mr. Linky List. That way, we’ll be able to keep up-to-date on everyone who wins This Prestigious Honor.

Each Superior Scribbler must post these rules to his/her blog.

Shince ve ar awl Indian and my blohg, excuz pliss, is of naturalist caste, you know…

So though I am enjaying sew menny good blogs – by penniless Roshmi-amma, Gilpa (Rosie)  Sharg, Mr farce, Miss-tedious Kadduji, LS didi, ty ‘notso’ nice, the finer noisy note and so menny udders…

the awards naturally going to these blogs…

(long roll of drumbeats….)

Madras Ramblings

There was a literary flowergirl of Madras
who had quite a cute little …  😉 blog
who wrote of birds and  things so passe
as a spider, plant, dragonfly and frog.

Rocksea & Sarah

With his lady love in Italy
Rocksea may enjoying be
but he hasn’t lost the knack
of describing nature or  scenery

Shtories & shtuff

“Mera Bharat is mahaan enough!”,
proclaims this naturalist undercover.
because of matunga-kaapi,  chai-shai, shtories and shtuff
but no mention of forgotten courser!

Anush Shetty’s journal

In Anush‘s Livejournal
you never know what are the new treats
photos, anecdotes, delights eternal
culture, running, tech-stuff, tweets

Small Wonders

Yuwaraj, photographer extra-fine
sneak previews nature’s party
records cute little colourful vignettes
and blog-posts them in Marathi

There, that be done, begone all of ye and propagate five little scribblers each….