Black Widow Spider (Latrodectus Mactans)

Here are several pics of this cobweb weaver. It often builds a tangly and sticky web from holes or cracks in the walls. It can live in abandoned burrows or other dry hideouts. It has well adapted to the new megopoli and can be found through much of the Los Angeles basin. There's at least 2 of these around here. One has a complete hour glass and the other a broken hour glass. They usually live to one year (some live longer). They may feed on hundreds of insects in that year. A female will mate in the autumn with the much tinier male. After mating most of the time she will eat her mate; hence the spider's name. Females to 3/4 inch long and males multi colored (with hourglasses) to 1/4 inch long. They can have maybe a good 25-40 cream colored eggsacs containing hundreds of spiderlings. In the food web most of the spiderlings don't make it. They leave the mother's web probably within a month and some have been known to "balloon" in the wind to start a web in a new location. This spider will attack and enmesh much larger prey with its silk. Maybe 12 kinds of widows in the US probably more across the globe.

GOTTA BRUSH THOSE TEETH!

The mouth after 300000 ciggies

Some mouth examples. Included is cancer of the lip an unfortunate side effect of pipe smoking.

Gotta "chaw" that tobacco!

Joe Camel Marlboro Man "blues" II

More revealing pics. Nicotine + chemicals effect different people differently. But, there's a price to pay from the first one.

Joe Camel Marlboro Man "blues"

Where do the ciggie companies take people after 10-15 years? Here are some pix that may help.

Outer Space II

Some more outer space pix. Here's the beautiful nebula dubbed "creation." A generalized outer space pic. Near some star clusters, exists black holes...they suck in everything including light. What would be on the other side?

Outer Space I

Here is some examples of viewing universe with different telescope wave lenghths. Some comet pix. Some pix of stars...old stars are giant and orange color. Young stars tend to be blue.

Nebula pics

Here are some beautiful pics of the many, many nebula in the universe. There are still many mysteries to be discovered as to the nature of the universe and alternate theories as to how it began.

Restaurants of "antiquity" in Los Angeles I

Several older restaurants. Philippes has good "french dipped" sandwiches. Yours truly remembers the "Nippa Hut" which was near Alvarado @ 3rd. Excellent Thai food. May have closed in the late 1980s. Others that come to mind: Pantry downtown, Cliftons downtown, Duck Press, Sambos, Magic Pan Restaurants, Clearwoods North Inn Rosemead (naked lady statues), Farrel's Ice Cream, Feel Goods in Washington Bl Pasadena, Flaming Skewer (may still be in Whittier), Dinos and Scarantinos, etc.

Local Birds VI

Here's the black crow and mockingbird. Crows found in flocks well up to 50 and can be seen flying at sunset. The "caw caw" a familiar sound. They like to pick up shiny objects and can learn to use tools for obtaining grub. The mockingbird amazing in that it can imitate 100s of other birds' calls. They can also be heard singing at nite often through the wee hours of the morning. They seem to sleep at irregular times (?)....pretty common in the basin. They, too, probably are omnivorous.

Local Birds V

Here's another hummingbird. Here are some robins and warblers. The western robin is less red in complexion than its eastern counterpart. Sometimes these seen flying around human dwellings. They go for ground bugs and worms. The warbler has a very charming sing song sound. Often these heard in moderate elevations in the mountains. They have a brilliant yellow complexion.

Local Birds IV

Another swallow pic. Here are some finches and hummingbirds. Finches can be seen in flocks of 20 or more. Often they are in low level bushes and nest somewhere in there. Hummingbirds may come in greens, reds, purples...multi colored possibly. They have been seen in the Basin more of the entire year suggesting that this is their home. Their nests are really tiny to maybe 3 inches wide and 1.5 inch hole inside. The mother will remain stone inactive warming the eggs below. Yours truly saw one, blue colored, guarding the little nest on a job site in May.