Another Monday post of random photos I've saved. The wild grapes ( Vitis californica ) on the fence are changing color, as are the trees in the background on a foggy weekend morning. This is dragline silk. It is used for safety lines and web construction. It is the strongest type of spider silk, which they can suspend themselves from and escape predators. Spiders, depending on species, can produce up to seven different kinds of silk. There was a raven convention near the gas station the other morning. Speaking of birds... the photo doesn't really show how different these hen egg yolks were. Both grocery store eggs, different brands, neither organic. The difference has nothing to due with freshness, it's due to the hens' feed. Foods rich in carotenoids like alfalfa, corn, leafy greens, produce deeper orange yolks. Feed lacking colorful plant matter, like grain based ones, lead to paler yolks. While the darker y...
