Readers’ Favorite is proud to announce that “There’s a Bug in my Blossom” by J.C. Donaho is a Silver Medal Winner in the Children – Non-Fiction category in our 2015 International Book Award Contest. J. C. Donaho is pictured receiving the Silver Medal from Mark Wayne Adams at the awards ceremony held in Miami in November.
J.C. Donaho and Mark Wayne Adams
I am linking to a detailed explanation of how dragonflies are able to detect and then intercept other flying insects. Researchers at Howard Hughes Research Institute installed tiny reflectors on dragonflies to track their body movements while hunting. Those reflectors were then followed by special cameras that send that tracking data to computers for analysis. They found that dragonflies are good hunters because of their ability to anticipate the movements of their prey and calculate accurate interception routes. I found it interesting that dragonflies approach their targets from below to avoid detection. Jet fighter pilots sometimes use that same technique. 
These behaviors are far more complex than expected in an invertebrate and have implications for the study of human behavior.
The article from is Phys.org is here.
Fan mail from a 10 year old young lady who appreciates good reading! Thank you!
Fan mail from a ten year old reader near Washington D.C.
The Picture Book Review likes my book! “..this book dazzles, entertains, and educates…” Check it out at thepicturebookreview.com!
It’s fun when a reviewer understands the concept of the book! Check out what The Children’s Book Review.com has to say.
“..The text is clear and concise and multi-layered in a way that appeals to beginning readers through to advanced readers—or beginning readers sharing in a reading session with a parent or teacher. Large bold type with easy words and short sentences are ideal for an easier reading experience. More advanced readers that are ready for smaller text and eager to digest more information and fun facts on bugs are offered a deeper learning aspect as Donaho delves further into the natural world and shares specifics on the bugs found in each of his photographs..”
New! You can have your signed and personalized copy of There’s a Bug in my Blossom shipped anywhere in the US for $15.00. For more information email us. [email protected]
Clearly this guy is an artist. However, I believe even I could get pretty good at this with some practice. This looks like great Sunday morning fun for parents or grandparents. Thank you Nathan Shields for this great idea and video.
One of the hard l
essons new zookeepers must learn is how to catch animals. I was always amused to see it happen. The animal runs and the zookeeper chases. It is how we are wired. The animals zig and zag until the zookeeper is exhausted. It doesn’t matter if the chase involves a dog, zebra, goat or a butterfly. Catching up is very difficult to do. Four legged animals have a distinct advantage in speed and maneuverability. Flighted animals an even greater advantage. If you are starting in the rear you have already lost! You have to get in front of the animal to be successful. That is how cowboys would stop a cattle stampede in the early cattle drives. Cowboys would ride as fast as they could to get to the front of the stampede to try to turn the lead animals slowing the rest of the herd. It is impossible to stop a stampede from behind.
I sometimes find myself chasing after a photograph too. Trying to follow a flitting butterfly, a zooming dragonfly, a soaring eagle or even a sunset often ends in frustration. The trick is to observe, learn habits and place myself in the right spot at the right time.
Last Monday morning I was trying to capture a shot of this beautiful Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly in my brother’s garden in Memphis. The lure of the chase was strong and a natural instinct. I caught myself chasing. I would get tired of waiting only to move to another spot and see it feeding. I would then try to follow it as it flew around the yard. After a few minutes of no luck I stood back and watched. Soon the butterfly’s feeding pattern became apparent. There were two levels to the garden with zinnias blooming in an upper section and then down in a low area. This butterfly was flying a loop between the two areas. The flight pattern was not readily apparent because part of the loop took it over a back fence into another yard. The butterfly would disappear. It left the upper flowers, flew over the fence and then reappeared to feed on the lower flowers. It did this over and over. Being in the right spot with the camera was now much easier! When the butterfly flew over the fence at the upper level, I moved to the lower area and waited. It reappeared pretty much on schedule, and I got my photos. The butterfly also spent more time on the flowers in front of me, because I was already set up and part of the landscape.
Part of being a photographer, a wildlife observer or being a zookeeper is staying ahead of our targets. Take the time to learn animal habits, observe them in the wild and then go for the photograph. That pre-planning will pay off in the long run. Just remember, “Don’t chase the goats!” 
Readers’ Favorite 5-Star Rating!
“There’s a Bug in my Blossom should get even kids who hate or are scared of bugs looking in flowers to see who’s in there. There’s a Bug in my Blossom is both educational and a lot of fun, and it’s highly recommended.” – Readers’ Favorite
Endangered cricket rediscovered by insect expert’s 7 year old son..
This story about the endangered Scaly Crickets on the beaches at Pembrookshire in the United Kingdom is a lot of fun. I believe kids have an advantage when it comes to seeing things. Adults tend to take a broader view. I know I do. Kids look at a scene and can break it down into segments. And within those segments they can see details that we adults miss. I’m trying to regain that skill now as an adult. But I find that I still miss a lot until I take a photo and zoom in on it with the computer. Then I see all that I missed in the initial scan. I could attribute missing details to older eyes, but I believe there is more to it than that.
After raising four of my own, there is no doubt that kids are very perceptive and observant. Can I as an adult regain that wide eyed vision of a child? I sure hope so. I’m working on it.