Sunday, September 4, 2011

Which of these items don't belong?

I'm always amazed at the way some creatures are camouflaged in nature. The disguise is so good that sometimes its hard to see the camouflaged object even when it's right in front of your very eyes.

For example:

Can you find the Greater Anglewing katydid in this picture? (It's a leaf mimic. Hint: look for the legs.)


And how about the tree frog in this picture?

We humans, on the other hand, do a pretty good job of putting things out there that are not the least bit camouflaged and that stick out like a sore thumb. Here's an example of two of the more bizarre bits of discarded waste that I have come across during my trips out and about this year:

Okay, finding beer cans along the edge of the road is not terribly uncommon (unfortunately), but I had never heard of Bud Light with tomato-clam cocktail juice in it before (there's also salt and lime included), so that made this one especially strange. All of these flavors together are apparently "the perfect combination," according to the can. Blech!! Found in rural West Virginia.


Now here's something you don't see every day - the original king of the Dark Side right out in the middle of the woods. Well, his head anyway. Have you figured it out yet?


I rotated the picture 180° so it's not upside down anymore. It's a Darth Vader mask. Hanging upside down in some trees. What in the world?! Found in Scioto County during the Amorpha Borer Beetle expedition.


What kind of odd things have you found while you're out and about in nature?

7 comments:

Kelly said...

...I thought I felt a disturbance in the Force. That explains it.
(The tiniest thing I ever found was a "Dawn" shoe that was about a half inch long. Those dolls were from the early 70s, so I think it had been there a long time. --or maybe a little Fairy had lost it along the way.)

rebecca said...

Funny, Budweiser and clam was a popular drink where I was in rural Saskatchewan a couple years ago - I wonder if someone from the Canadian prairies was passing through?

Jain said...

Double Blech! on the Chelada but the Anglewing makes up for it!

Red said...

Rather sadly I have found a number of camps left by homeless people. Although I feel compassion for the homeless, some of them can leave a disgusting mess.

KaHolly said...

I cover a lot of area here in Cape Breton, and come upon a lot of trash. We carry bags to clean up after people when we can. So disgraceful!

Anonymous said...

You found Darth Vader'a mask and I found his light sabre. What will fall out of space next?

Diana

Heather said...

Kelly - I knew you would get a kick out of the Vader mask. While I never LIKE finding trash, it is kind of interesting to find dated trash from a by-gone era. (Just like this Vader mask will be in another 20 years or so.)

Rebecca - I don't know the origins or the cultural significance of the Chelada. Notice how we both mentioned it being from "rural" areas? I think that gives us somewhat of a clue...

Jain - Wish I could say that I spotted the anglewing, but that credit goes to eagle-eye Jim McCormac.

Red - That is an unfortunate thing to come across. Sometimes trash and litter forces us to come face to face with some parts of our society that are really struggling.

Karen - That's a good idea to carry bags along. I don't understand how people continue to litter. Is it laziness? Carelessness? Worse? Thanks for being a clean-up crusader!

Diana - Maybe Luke Skywalker's hand will be next? Can't be far behind the mask and the saber...