Moth Of The Day #117

Physarum sp. by Jim Oehmke

Just a reminder about fatphotoref.com—it exists!! I'll be updating with new photos next week and hopefully more regularly after that. Request access by going to bit.ly/fpraccess 💙🧜‍♀️ happy mer may!

Moth Of The Day #106

Urania Swallowtail Moth / Green Page Moth

Urania fulgens

From the uraniidae family. They have a wingspan of 70-85 mm. They tend to inhabit tropical environments. It is found in Central and South America.

Image ID: a close-up picture of a spider. It’s looking up at the person taking the photo with its head tilted. It’s mostly mottled brown with two iridescent green patches on the front of its head. It has 4 round eyes, with the center pair being larger than the outer two. You can kind of see a silhouette of a person in the reflection of its eyes. It has little tufts of hair all of its body, with two larger tufts on either side of its head. Frankly, it’s adorable. /End ID

Bold Jumping Spider (Phidippus audax)

March 27, 2023

Southeastern Pennsylvania

girls love to eat soup

Computer wiring tunnel inside an abandoned coal power plant.

Photo by Bryan Buckley

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” 

an appreciation post for pigeons, please? <3

Let me give some of my fav (and underappreciated) pigeons!

Philippine Green Pigeon (Treron axillaris), family Columbidae, order Columbiformes, Zambales, Philippines

photograph by Gid Ferrer

Ashy Wood Pigeon (Columba pulchricollis), family Columbidae, order Columbiformes, Nepal

photograph by Rita Rossi

Pheasant Pigeon (Otidiphaps nobilis), family Columbidae, order Columbiformes, found in New Guinea and nearby islands

photograph by Jindřich Pavelka (500px)

Scaled Pigeon (Patagioenas speciosa), family Columbidae, order Columbiformes, Costa Rica

photograph by Memix Photography

Cinnamon-headed Green Pigeon (Treron fulvicollis), male, family Columbidae, order Columbiformes, Singapore

photograph by Hong Yijun