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Moth Of The Day #107

Chinese Character

Cilix glaucata

From the drepanidae family. They have a wingspan of 18-26 mm. They tend to inhabit hedgerows, scrub and open woodland as well as gardens. They can be found in Europe, Asia Minor and North Africa.

Variety of patterns in the Coccinellidae family

i hate my vegetable #myvegetable

(source)

Thin-Spined Jumping Spider (Tutelina elegans), female, family Salticidae, Illinois, USA

photograph by KJ Bluma

[PHOTO TAKEN: JUNE 12TH, 2023 | Image ID: A photo of a brown horsefly with eyes that go from dark green to red, with two bands of red going across, on a car window, the underside reflected in said window /End ID.]

i hate that every time i look for color studies and tips to improve my art and make it more dynamic and interesting all that comes up are rudimentary explanations of the color wheel that explain it to me like im in 1st grade and just now discovering my primary colors

Top Tips for Clues, Red Herrings, and Breadcrumbs

One of the most important parts of writing MYSTERY is figuring out what to do with clues and red herrings - and how to use them effectively. Here’s some advice that’s never steered me wrong: 

Hide the real clue before the false ones! Most people, so by extent your readers and your sleuth, tend to focus on the last piece of information presented to them. A good strategy is to mention/show your real clue and then quickly shift focus. 

Do a clue cluster! Squeeze your real clue in among a whole pile of red herrings or other clues, effectively hiding it in plain sight. This works especially well with multiple suspect mysteries. 

Struggling to think of what a clue could be? Try this list: 

Physical objects: Letters, notes, tickets, emails, keepsakes, text messages, diaries, etc. 

Dialogue: voicemail recordings, overheard conversations, hearsay, gossip, rumours. All of these can hold grains of truth! 

Red herrings distract and confound your protagonist and your reader, so you should be careful not to overuse them. Well balanced, red herrings should lead your characters down false paths to create confusion, tension, and suspense.

Contradictions! Have characters claim they did so-and-so at such-and-such a time, but other characters have evidence that contradicts this.

Balance! Avoid a clue that’s so obvious it’s like a neon sign saying “Look at me, I’m a clue!” but don’t make it so obscure it’ll be missed entirely. A good clue should leave a reader saying “Damn, I should have noticed that” 

Ethiopian Wolf (Canis simensis) at Bale Mountains, Ethiopia. Barbara Evans, 2017.

This was one of the tiniest dragonflies I have ever seen, and they were all over in the Masai Mara.

The closest species I have found is the Wandering Glider (Pantala flavescens), but that doesn't seem quite right. The dragonflies I saw were darker and more metallic in tone, with gold-ish patches at the base of their wings. But I was still glad to learn about Wandering Gliders, because they are found all over the world and seem to migrate incredible distances, even crossing the Himalayas. Isn't that amazing? You can read about them here.

The Maghreb Red Fox kinda looks like those AI images of foxes where they’re made to be overly cutesy, with big, round eyes, oversized ears and slightly odd proportions;

None of these look like real creatures???