Happy New Year!

Day octopus, Octopus cyanea, camouflaged against colorful corals.

Here is an excellent example of how an octopus can change colors to match its surroundings. Not only did it match the neutral beige, brown and gray colors but it even matches the purples.

Antique mounted tray of callippe fritillary, Speyeria callippe.

With a background in chemistry, I’m always on the lookout for a good science photo. This is a photo of an old tray of mounted butterflies all of the same species. Collecting insects was more common 100 years ago than it is today. Collections of multiple individuals like this were used to study the variation within a species. These are all very similar making a wonderful repetitive pattern. Photo available at iStockphoto.

I recently returned from a trip to Indonesia. This is one of my favorite photos that I took. It is of a man repairing his outrigger canoe while his son plays in the surf. It was taken in the small village of Yenwaupnor on Gam Island, West Papua, Indonesia.