neither skeleton nor wizard

There is one random white pod in the O. asellus tub who i called "white baby" when it was tiny, but... it is no longer a baby!!

A Chilean anemone porcelain crab (Allopetrolisthes spinifrons) in Elqui, Chile

I had a purple passionflower in a pot for my boss and had brought it inside to give it to her, and it was sitting on the floor and I was watching it and it startled the hell out of me because watching closely, I saw that it was moving.

It had been suddenly brought into a low-light environment, and there was a window off to the side. and I saw the end of the vine gently swaying, triangulating the light source, and the tendrils extending as the plant reached toward the light coming from the window

Emperor Shah Jahan’s wine cup, 1657,

The cup is shaped like a gourd with the handle carved into the head of a ram. The base features acanthus leaves radiating out from a lotus flower which is raised to form a pedestal for the cup.

The different features of the cup reflect the variety of cultural and artistic influences that were welcomed at the Mughal court. Persian in their cultural background and Indian by adoption, the Mughals were also open to new ideas from the West.

Jesuits at the Mughal court, entertaining futile ideas of converting an Empire, were welcomed for their learning; ambassadors and merchants for their exotic gifts and promises of trade.

Craftsmen-adventurers were especially welcomed for their skills and knowledge of unfamiliar technologies.

The use of a gourd form for the body of the cup is Chinese in inspiration, while the lotus petals and sensitivity of animal portraiture are characteristic features of Hindu art. The ideas of the pedestal support and the use of acanthus leaves are also European in origin and parallel similar elements in the decoration of Mughal architecture during Shah Jahan's reign.

Yet for all its eclecticism, with features from China, Iran, Europe and India, the art of the Mughals achieved a brilliant unity. This unity is perfectly exemplified in the jade cup which entered Shah Jahan's treasury in the last year of his reign and now provides such strong visual support to the legend of the dynasty's splendour.

Made in the Imperial workshops

White nephrite jade,

Length: 18.7cm, Width: 14cm

Little Grebes aka Dabchick (Tachybaptus ruficollis), female with chicks, family Podicipedidae, West Bengal, India

🌈Feast your eyes on the dazzling colors of the rainbow leaf beetle (Chrysolina cerealis)! Though this insect is widely distributed across Europe, it’s seldom seen. Growing up to 0.5 in (1.3 cm) in size, this critter feeds on plants including ivy, roses, and thyme. It prefers to inhabit montane forests at elevations of up to 1,970 ft (600 m).