drlaughingmantis.bsky.social
Laughing Mantis Studio
Pittsburgh, PA. breast cancer scientist, artist, woodworker, naturalist, native plant enthusiast, gardener, gamer, husband, dog dad.
Full portfolio on IG @laughingmantisstudio
270 posts
3,306 followers
894 following
Regular Contributor
Active Commenter
comment in response to
post
Getting ready to release #4 that just hatched!
comment in response to
post
And this excellent @nextpittsburgh.bsky.social article by Andy Moore gives a lot more history, research, and context!
nextpittsburgh.com/environment/...
comment in response to
post
This was my original story in @publicsource.org: www.publicsource.org/zebra-swallo...
comment in response to
post
Just perusing through your native plant photos. :) this one reminded me of some NE aster shots I took this week! Yes, really. I grew them from seed under light in my basement. Then took them in and out trying to harden them while avoiding freezes. They’re so confused 😵💫 😂. I was shocked.
comment in response to
post
More great info! Thank you so much!
comment in response to
post
That’s great to know! Although these deer will keep coming back over and over. City deer… haha. I had read that oenothera are deer-resistant. That clearly does not apply to starved urban deer. 😂 or just bad internet info
comment in response to
post
Bonus: I get to make dog walkers laugh when they go by. 😂
comment in response to
post
Yes the “stairs” were haphazardly thrown together today. Squirrels will ruin it regularly anyway.
comment in response to
post
Wow. Here in Pittsburgh (6B), they haven’t even emerged from the ground yet!
comment in response to
post
Aw thanks for sharing, Kate! I appreciate you!
comment in response to
post
lol I took that same photo
comment in response to
post
Nice catch ;)
comment in response to
post
Purely based on my 1 successful attempt at doing exactly this: don’t give up hope on them if it takes FOREVER for them to pop out. Haha. Mine took like a couple months to germinate (I tried scar vs non-scar, fridge cold strat vs fall sow). But everything ended up growing after a few months.
comment in response to
post
Next 2 stages of glue up. Since body is glued, I 1st did the bottom wing, pressing them toward center with cauls. Then repeated with forewings. You can see the cauls (a superglued scrap and a wedge) in the second photo to apply clamping force. The pieces interlock at the body creating a pivot point.
comment in response to
post
1 step of glue up has begun. I usually find it helpful to glue at least 1 piece to serve as a stable reference when I go to glue the rest. Tiny errors are additive (especially with over 300 individual pieces of wood). So it’s best to take it in stages. I’ve never had a stress-free glue up. 😂
comment in response to
post
On to the alcohol dyes!
#scrollsaw #woodworking #intarsia #monarch #butterfly
comment in response to
post
Demonstration of homemade iron acetate (vinegar+0000 steel wool) stain. I’ve had this stuff sitting in the shop for a year+ with no loss of potency. After the steel wool mostly dissolves, I run it through a tshirt or coffee filter. Some maple turns shades of gray. Walnut and red oak turn black.
comment in response to
post
Time to cut a riser to add some depth to the body.
comment in response to
post
Such a satisfyingly tight fit!
Cue obligatory gratuitous comment by my wife (or any Michael Scott fans).
comment in response to
post
1st step of glue up has begun: tacking in the little bits with cyanoacrylate so I can shape them as part of the larger sections. #woodworking #butterfly #intarsia
comment in response to
post
Some of these pieces are tiiiiny. Cutting those on a scrollsaw is…fun. But hey , it’s better than reading the news.
comment in response to
post
And still more to cut…
comment in response to
post
Beautiful shots!
comment in response to
post
Thanks for sharing!
comment in response to
post
Thank you so much for the unexpected share!
comment in response to
post
I didn’t know this when the adult visited my pawpaws and laid her eggs, but apparently they’ve been missing here in Pittsburgh, PA for almost a century. It ended up quite a big deal! Such a cool experience learning to raise the cats too.
nextpittsburgh.com/environment/...
comment in response to
post
Ooh nice. Following for hopeful follow ups! I have ~30 zebra swallowtail chrysalises I hope eclose this year!
comment in response to
post
Thanks for the share! It was a good day amongst a sea of bad ones lately!
comment in response to
post
This was epic. Thanks for sharing! It answers so many questions the lay public would have like “why are we wasting money studying squid?!” 😂
The mountains of foundational work behind basically everything in modern medicine is astounding. The public needs to know this.
comment in response to
post
Haha thanks for the note. I do know this but many might not. FYI this is my pawpaw story: www.publicsource.org/zebra-swallo...
comment in response to
post
Ope. Maybe not. Looks like PA is just out of range. For now… haha