What the Spiders Taught Me

Exploring the world of arachnids and nature through the photography and art of Shannon Bowley

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Tag Archives: friendship

What The Spiders Taught Me

December 17, 2011by bowleyshannon 2 Comments

On the 13th of January, 2011, a friend I’d made over Facebook sent me a rather lengthy private message.  It was no ordinary message, but neither was the man who’d […]

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fears, perspective, phidippus, phobia, Spiders

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Artwork

Commissioned painting of Anolis proboscis, adult male and female, with male displaying for the female in a courtship ritual.
Commissioned painting of Anolis proboscis, adult male and female, with male displaying for the female in a courtship ritual.
Digital illustration of Dendrobates "azureus", a poison dart frog.
Digital illustration of Dendrobates “azureus”, a poison dart frog.
Ameiva ameiva My latest painting, a species of reptile I'd seen recently in Panama. I'd tried to capture the highly aware adult males on a few occasions, but they always bolted off just as I hinted interest in them.
Ameiva ameiva My latest painting, a species of reptile I’d seen recently in Panama. I’d tried to capture the highly aware adult males on a few occasions, but they always bolted off just as I hinted interest in them.
Julie asked if I could work something up to represent La MICA for the upcoming 'Mammal Meetings'. This was a lot of fun to do! Ballpoint pen and watercolors - finished in Adobe Photoshop CS3
Julie asked if I could work something up to represent La MICA for the upcoming ‘Mammal Meetings’. This was a lot of fun to do! Ballpoint pen and watercolors – finished in Adobe Photoshop CS3
Platalea ajaja - Roseate Spoonbill - Acrylics, Gouache - 2014 Subject was painted from a reference photo found via Google images. I'd love to shoot the species in it's habitat to get my own references!
Platalea ajaja – Roseate Spoonbill – Acrylics, Gouache – 2014 Subject was painted from a reference photo found via Google images. I’d love to shoot the species in it’s habitat to get my own references!
Canis lupus - The Grey Wolf Traditional-Watercolor
Canis lupus – The Grey Wolf Traditional-Watercolor
Selasphorus rufus (Rufous Hummingbird) Digital
Selasphorus rufus (Rufous Hummingbird) Digital
Tersina viridis (Swallow Tanager) Traditional - Watercolor
Tersina viridis (Swallow Tanager) Traditional – Watercolor
Snail Kite (Rostrhamus sociabilis) Digital
Snail Kite (Rostrhamus sociabilis) Digital
Digital painting of the endangered, Ecuador endemic 'Proboscis anole', Anolis proboscis. Anolis proboscis is one of three species of anole known to sport such a nasal appendage, belonging to the Anolis laevis group. These lizards have only recently been more fully described, as scientists went years without finding them. Deforestation is a primary threat to their population and the distribution of this species is currently thought to be very small, with the individuals that have been found living within a relatively limited area. James and I went on a long walk to find this species one night, in 2011. While we didn't find the long nosed male...James somehow managed to spot a female in the trees above. I am always astounded by his ability to find creatures! The females are beautiful...and rather different from the male in coloration, being mostly green or brown and not sporting the extension on the snout. The males actually change color, too - a lot about them reminds me of chameleons. Digital
Digital painting of the endangered, Ecuador endemic ‘Proboscis anole’, Anolis proboscis. Anolis proboscis is one of three species of anole known to sport such a nasal appendage, belonging to the Anolis laevis group. These lizards have only recently been more fully described, as scientists went years without finding them. Deforestation is a primary threat to their population and the distribution of this species is currently thought to be very small, with the individuals that have been found living within a relatively limited area. James and I went on a long walk to find this species one night, in 2011. While we didn’t find the long nosed male…James somehow managed to spot a female in the trees above. I am always astounded by his ability to find creatures! The females are beautiful…and rather different from the male in coloration, being mostly green or brown and not sporting the extension on the snout. The males actually change color, too – a lot about them reminds me of chameleons. Digital
Bothrops osbornei - Osborne's Lancehead Pencil
Bothrops osbornei – Osborne’s Lancehead Pencil
Hoopoe Lark - Alaemon alaudipes
Hoopoe Lark – Alaemon alaudipes
Digital sketches.
Digital sketches.
A series of silly animals, sketched. Digital
A series of silly animals, sketched. Digital

Flickr Photos

Carabus nemoralisWeevilsGhost Snail!CaterpillarCarabus nemoralis
More Photos

Arachnids

Adult female Argiope, preparing to deposit her eggs on a silk sheet.
Adult female Argiope, preparing to deposit her eggs on a silk sheet.
Male, emerged from his retreat for the nights hunting
Male, emerged from his retreat for the nights hunting
Strophaeus, or possibly Idiophthalma
Strophaeus, or possibly Idiophthalma
Adult female, living in a tree
Adult female, living in a tree
The first scorpion I had ever found and photographed!
The first scorpion I had ever found and photographed!

Reptiles and Amphibians

A clubrid groundsnake, Atractus dunni, coiled up
A clubrid groundsnake, Atractus dunni, coiled up
One of 400 species of Pristimantis known to exist!
One of 400 species of Pristimantis known to exist!
A tiny froglet, Pristimantis Mindo. This is a new species only recently described.
A tiny froglet, Pristimantis Mindo. This is a new species only recently described.
A tiny froglet, Pristimantis Mindo. This is a new species only recently described. Only about the size of my pinky nail!
A tiny froglet, Pristimantis Mindo. This is a new species only recently described. Only about the size of my pinky nail!

News & Updates!

Completed a 2 week trip out to Enterprise, Oregon. A new blog post featuring photos from the trip will be up soon!

Also, be sure to check out James's new website for prints!

www.PrimevalNature.com

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Lycosa erythrognatha, a beautiful male wolf spider of fair size. They are always a treat to find wandering through the undergrowth, typically easy to find during the night via eyeshine. I'd forgotten to share a bunch of Ecuador photos taken during our honeymoon trip a few months ago! I will post more here, soon. #Lycosa #LycosaErythrognatha #WolfSpider #Arachnid #Spider #LoveForTheUnloved #Neotropical #CloudForest #Arthropod #Portrait #Macro #MacroPhotography #UpClose #Canon #Canon80D
Refuge in the grip of winter. So glad to be out of the sea of white, finally. I'm sure the animals that made it through are even happier to see the green again. #Winter #Snow #Cold #Seasons #Quail #Birds #Refuge #Fluffy #Nature #Trees
James and I spent the day with Nancy of @sci.bugs and @bernardourea, talking entomology, going over some cool books she had brought with her and hiking around the forest reserve of @elseptimoparaiso here in Mindo, Ecuador. We found a variety of beetles, weevils, spiders, katydids and even a Aperostoma quitensis, a very cool snail I've only seen once before! Very fun day, it isn't often we get to hang out with other people that are passionate about bugs, especially a proper entomologist. I learned a lot in just a few hours. #Entomologist #Books #Science #GeekingOut #NatureNerds #Nature #Bugs #Moths #Beetles #Weevil #Katydid #Biology #Biodiversity #Neotropics #CloudForest #Hiking #Explore #Ecuador #ElSeptimoParaiso #SeptimoParaiso
Dendrosophus carnifex, a tree frog that is frequently seen near bodies of water. Pretty common, but always cute. I think this is a female. In situ, although she hunched and flattened herself once I inched closer. She is also perched on one of the large bromeliads on the ground. They seem to flourish even in disturbed habitats, utilizing manmade pools and ponds, so threats to their existence don't seem to be a major issue, th as thankfully! #DendrosophusCarnifex #Dendrosophus #TreeFrog #Frog #Amphibian #Ecuador #NeoTropics #CloudForest #Biodiversity #Herpetology #Macro #MacroPhotography
One of my favorite spiders here in the cloud forest - a male Cupiennius, a type of wandering spider frequently encountered at night, when they are perched on broad leaves. They will pounce of insects or other spiders and consume them. Unlike some Phoneutria spiders, the venom of Cupiennius is not a big deal for a human, the effects are like the sting of a bee. I'd know, as I was accidentally bitten by a female when I touched a leaf she was sprawled out on. She thought I was some kind of prey item and latched on to the side of my hand for a few seconds. I swear once she realized I was something WAY bigger than she had planned on biting, she flipped out. I remember her suddenly letting go of me and dropping to the grass, flailing around like crazy before hopping away in a hurry! 🤣 I've got a lot of catching up to do here! The past two weeks saw me laying in bed after a tooth infection, which led to the removal of all my wisdom teeth. We are extending our trip in Ecuador to make up for lost time. #Cupiennius #WanderingSpider #MaleSpider #Spider #Arachnid #Macro #MacroPhotography #CloudForest #Nature #LoveForTheUnloved #Ecuador
Not used to seeing this happen with conifers, but is it ever beautiful. A trip to Leavenworth, WA might have been the last time I'd witnessed the fall colors of our native Western Larch. These are Oregonian deciduous trees, the golden colored ones will drop their needles and tough out winter bare. They are extremely cold hardy. I just love the color contrast! #LarixOccidentalis #WesternLarch #Tamarack #Forest #Trees #Oregon #Mountains #Canyon #Fall #Autumn #SeasonalChanges #PNW #Nature #Outside
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