Chad Norman » Nature

Giant Millipede Found in Backyard

Chad Norman — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 00:57:02 +0000

For weeks we’ve been finding dried-up dead millipedes here at our new home, so we were pumped to finally stumble upon a live one! This giant millipede, narceus americanus, was living under a leaf-covered plastic bag buried deep in the mulch. The boys loved touching it and watching it curl into a tight protective ball. My one-year-old, being the ever brave outdoor girl that she is, gladly touched it too – but once it started moving, she wanted nothing to do with it. Here are a couple shots next to a U.S. quarter for scale (they get up to 4 inches long!)

Viceroy Butterfly Hatching from Chrysalis

Chad Norman — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 03:42:27 +0000

Yesterday, during one of our evening backyard games of kick-fly, we stumbled upon a monarch viceroy butterfly emerging from its chrysalis. Needless to say, this stopped us in our tracks. We all watched as this minute-old insect slowly dried its beautiful wings and prepared to take flight. My mother-in-law taught me everything I know about monarchs, so I was surprised to see the chrysalis attached to a willow tree rather than some milkweed (now I know this is because it’s a viceroy), but this little guy must have found plenty to eat. I like how you can still see some of the caterpillar’s pattern on the empty chrysalis – so cool! About an hour later, it was gone…

Update: Thanks to reader Kelly for telling me this is a viceroy, not a monarch!

Fleeting Footprints

Chad Norman — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 00:48:31 +0000

Playing front porch dodgeball with the kids delivered these sweet little prints across the beaded planks. I couldn’t resist a quick photo between rounds…

The Great 2010 Charleston Snowpocalypse

Chad Norman — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 07:14:50 +0000

The snow came, and the snow went. It was that simple, but it helped to make what I’m sure will become one of the most memorable weekends in our family’s story. Charleston’s first snowfall in over 20 years crashed the party on Friday, blowing everyone’s mind in the process (look at that frozen marsh below!) Our kids hadn’t really ever seen snow before, and are still recovering from the madness. On Saturday, Jen performed Serenade with the Charleston Ballet Theatre, which was her first time on stage since 2002 (what a rock star!) Sunday was Valentine’s Day, and Monday was Presidents Day. Seriously, I need another weekend to recover! But hey, what did Ferris Bueller say, “Life moves pretty fast…”

A Lonely Mushroom in the Woods

Chad Norman — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 02:05:25 +0000

Over the weekend, the boys and I were at our favorite old climbing tree near the observation tower at Palmetto Island County Park. That day we were joined by this little red mushroom, who was pretty happy to see us. Anyone know the species?

Signs of the Twipocalypse :: @Campmor

Chad Norman — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 21:15:30 +0000

Since the ’80s, I’ve been using the primitive Campmor catalog as my defacto guide to outdoor gear. In recent years, my purchases have moved online, but I still love getting that tissue-papery off-white zine. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised to see a giant callout to the @Campmor Twitter account, but there’s still something that doesn’t feel right about it. Should we really be plugged into the Campmor marketing machine when we’re on day three in Bryce Canyon? Hmmm, on second thought, this Twitter addict thinks maybe we should. Have a great weekend everyone!

Our Banana Spider of the Year

Chad Norman — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 04:39:26 +0000

We love our resident banana spiders, and each summer we chart their progress as they move around in search of the perfect spot. Back in July, a giant female setup shop in a vast expanse of empty space near the marsh. She built her web about five meters above the ground and is still there as I write this. She attracted 2 males and a female, who together patrolled a giant swatch of our backyard airspace for the better part of 2 months. I’ll miss her when she runs from the cool temperatures to come, so today I made sure to take a photo of our banana spider of the year.

Tree Froggery

Chad Norman — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 03:03:05 +0000

Ahhhhh, tree frogs and bokeh make for nice bed fellows…

Not Quite Free

Chad Norman — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 12:31:20 +0000

I still have not read Chris Anderson‘s book Free: The Future of a Radical Price, most likely because it is still sitting in my Amazon cart. The book examines the economy of free, and how it is evolving in today’s market. Whenever he speaks on this topic, as I saw him do at SXSW, he always gets grilled about why the book itself is not free (pssst, it is if you want to read it online). It’s not free because Chris needs to feed his family, who are apparently eating really well – Check out the price increase for “Free” that awaited me when I logged in today:

And yes, I’ll probably still buy the book!

Some Decent Sun Beams

Chad Norman — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 02:03:15 +0000

Rays, beams, streaks – call ‘em what you want, they are always nice to see. The boys and I ate dinner with this evolving show off in the distance, partially obscured behind a thunderhead over James Island. We thought they were cool because they went up instead of down – maverick sun beams.