December 26 2020
This handsome chap is a late bloomer.
Like a lot of us, the regal moth has a troubled youth. Known as a hickory horned devil before transitioning, this moth usually hangs out around nut-producing trees that we don't use in our arrangements. So, it's a minor mystery how it showed up at the shop.
Compare with our friend giant leopard moth.
Tweet CommentsSeptember 15 2020
Say hello to our neighbor Snacks.
May 28 2020
You already know.
Tweet CommentsMarch 08 2020
Yo no sé.
Tweet CommentsOctober 11 2019
Ello!
Tweet CommentsAugust 29 2019
February 22 2019
January 05 2019
We have a pretty sweet terrarium in our kitchen at the LoCoFlo Studio. Our friend Irene picked it up on the side of the road a few years ago. It has showcased many wedding dioramas featuring calacas (Mexican skeletons) and has been home to several pupae (totally Kafkaesque - majorly).
This winter, some new tenants moved into the terrarium: The Oothecae (check out the pronunciation). Ootheca are egg cases where baby praying mantises gestate.
These nut-like cocoons frequently hitch a ride on evergreen branches that come into the shop - especially arborvitae. Anytime we see them, We clip them off and store them in our terrarium until Jess can remember to bring them to Bloomhouse. (Praying mantises are good for flower farms: They eat bugs that are harmful to flowers.)
Brittney was the first on the staff to identify the oothecae, and (because she's weird) had the word "ootheca" as part of her normal vocabulary. However, she mispronounced it saying "oo-oo" like a monkey. Or like ululate, which I did after learning more about the little time-bombs I thought were benignly hanging out in our kitchen..
When LoCoFlo MVP Kira told me the warmth of the shop might trick the baby mantises to hatch early, I had a mini freak-out. After some quick math (5 oothecae x 200 baby praying mantises per ootheca = LoCoFlo shop disaster) I threatened Jess with Trumpian revenge if she did not transport the oothecae to her farm before they exploded:
Gross!
Tweet CommentsApril 15 2018
What has two thumbs, starts out as a woolly bear, and turns into a leopard?
This guy (without the thumbs).
Compare with our friend regal moth.
Tweet CommentsApril 01 2017