Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Monday, October 31, 2011
Halloween Spiders
Blake Newton, UK Extension Entomology
I've been seeing lots of spiders in Halloween yard decorations this year. More than ever it seems like! If you live in Kentucky, you can see a bunch of them all at once along Louisville's famed Hillcrest Avenue, whose residents go all out for the holiday (you can see a YouTube video of Haunted Hillcrest Highlights from 2009 here).
The problem with some of the Halloween spiders that I see, though, is that they don't always look very scary, even when they are supposed to. I think the key to making your Halloween spider scarier is to make it a little more realistic. A simple way to do this is to apply one of the most basic facts about spider anatomy to your decoration project: a spider's legs are on its head (cephalothorax) and not its abdomen.
To illustrate this, let's compare two cartoon spiders:
Spider 1
Spider 2
As you can see, both spiders are nearly identical, except that Spider 1 has its legs incorrectly attached to it abdomen, rather than its head, as in Spider 2, which shows a more anatomically correct configuration.
Obviously, both of these spiders are very simple, but to me Spider 2 looks not only more realistic, but also creepier, all because of the position of its legs. I think that this is related to the reason why we find spiders scary in the first place: the fact that their legs are attached to their heads instead of their "bodies" makes them appear very alien and bizarre to us.
So the next time that you are buying a spider decoration, or making your own, pay attention to the position of its legs. By attaching the legs to the head instead of the abdomen, you'll be taking 8 simple steps toward a more realistic, and scarier, Halloween decoration!
I've been seeing lots of spiders in Halloween yard decorations this year. More than ever it seems like! If you live in Kentucky, you can see a bunch of them all at once along Louisville's famed Hillcrest Avenue, whose residents go all out for the holiday (you can see a YouTube video of Haunted Hillcrest Highlights from 2009 here).
The problem with some of the Halloween spiders that I see, though, is that they don't always look very scary, even when they are supposed to. I think the key to making your Halloween spider scarier is to make it a little more realistic. A simple way to do this is to apply one of the most basic facts about spider anatomy to your decoration project: a spider's legs are on its head (cephalothorax) and not its abdomen.
To illustrate this, let's compare two cartoon spiders:
Spider 1
Spider 2
As you can see, both spiders are nearly identical, except that Spider 1 has its legs incorrectly attached to it abdomen, rather than its head, as in Spider 2, which shows a more anatomically correct configuration.
Obviously, both of these spiders are very simple, but to me Spider 2 looks not only more realistic, but also creepier, all because of the position of its legs. I think that this is related to the reason why we find spiders scary in the first place: the fact that their legs are attached to their heads instead of their "bodies" makes them appear very alien and bizarre to us.
So the next time that you are buying a spider decoration, or making your own, pay attention to the position of its legs. By attaching the legs to the head instead of the abdomen, you'll be taking 8 simple steps toward a more realistic, and scarier, Halloween decoration!
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Friday, September 16, 2011
UK At The Half
A "UK At The Half" segment--read by "Touchdown Kentucky" Carl Nathe, aka the voice of UK Football--featuring the Entomology Department's 120th Anniversary is scheduled for broadcast during Saturday's UK vs UL game! Listen for our segment, and go Cats!
After the game, we'll post the audio segment on our website.
Visit Carl Nathe's official media hub here:
http://uknow.uky.edu/users/carl-nathe
After the game, we'll post the audio segment on our website.
Visit Carl Nathe's official media hub here:
http://uknow.uky.edu/users/carl-nathe
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Sept 8: 120 Year Celebration
Join us this Thursday (Sept 8, 2011) from 6-9pm at the University of Kentucky Singletary Center for the Arts to celebrate the Department of Entomology's 120th Anniversary! The FREE event begins with a reception (refreshments included) from 6-7pm, where you can meet your entomologists and take a guided tour of our Art of Insect Illustration exhibit that is currently on display in the adjacent UK Art Museum. Also on hand will be historical artifacts and a live insect zoo.
Then at 7pm, Dr. Gary Miller (USDA) will present "Worms, Castles, & Boiled Shirts: Insects and the Civil War." Dr. Miller will be followed by UK's Urban Entomologist (and world termite authority) Dr. Mike Potter who will give "The History of Bed Bugs - with Lessons from the Past."
Read more about our 120th Anniversary here:
http://www.ca.uky.edu/entomology/dept/120years.asp
And here is the press release for the Sept 8th event from UKNOW:
http://uknow.uky.edu/content/uk-entomology-celebrates-120-years-sept-8
Friday, August 26, 2011
2011 Kentucky State Fair: 4-H Entomology Winners
Blake Newton, UK Extension Entomology
The winners of the 2011 4-H St. Fair insect collection competition have been chosen, and they are currently on display at the Kentucky St. Fair in Cloverville. We had a lot of very nice collections this year, with 27 total entries. Congratulations to all of the winners, and to everyone who participated!
Here are the Class Champions for each project:
1st Year (Class 687): Cody Hart, Metcalfe County
2nd Year (Class 688): Gabe Stephenson, Grant County
3rd Year (Class 689): Leslie Pike, Larue County
4th Year (Class 690): Sandra Brock, Harrison County
And the overall Grand Champion for Entomology was also Leslie Pike from Larue County.
Learn more about making a 4-H Entomology Collection.
The winners of the 2011 4-H St. Fair insect collection competition have been chosen, and they are currently on display at the Kentucky St. Fair in Cloverville. We had a lot of very nice collections this year, with 27 total entries. Congratulations to all of the winners, and to everyone who participated!
Here are the Class Champions for each project:
1st Year (Class 687): Cody Hart, Metcalfe County
2nd Year (Class 688): Gabe Stephenson, Grant County
3rd Year (Class 689): Leslie Pike, Larue County
4th Year (Class 690): Sandra Brock, Harrison County
And the overall Grand Champion for Entomology was also Leslie Pike from Larue County.
Learn more about making a 4-H Entomology Collection.
Monday, August 22, 2011
New Facebook Page: Kentucky Bugs
Like us! Become our friend!
We've just created a new Facebook page called Kentucky Bugs. It is maintained by extension Professor Dr. Lee Townsend, and it is regularly updated with pictures of insects and other arthropods that are seasonally active. It's an easy way to learn about Kentucky insects, and it can keep you updated on those creatures that are out-and-about during different times of the year.
Visit Kentucky Bugs here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kentucky-Bugs/262237810453730
We've just created a new Facebook page called Kentucky Bugs. It is maintained by extension Professor Dr. Lee Townsend, and it is regularly updated with pictures of insects and other arthropods that are seasonally active. It's an easy way to learn about Kentucky insects, and it can keep you updated on those creatures that are out-and-about during different times of the year.
Visit Kentucky Bugs here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kentucky-Bugs/262237810453730
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