Whether I am at home or at the cabin I am never sure what books I will be using or reading. Since it is summer I am always pulling out a but or two on insects or plants.
Moths seem to be dominating our lives more than in previous years. Last year Susan became more interested in moths, dare I say addicted. Yes, I am guilty of introducing her to the dark side of the insect world. But I still needed to use my moth book. To resolve this I gave her a copy of her own. Now we can each page through our own copy of the book and work on identifying moths. I highly suggest this book if you live in the northeastern part of North America. There is another volume for the southeastern states and one in the planning for the Pacific northwest.
Throughout the year it not just moths that draw my interest, but all insects. Having taught entomology at Fish Lake, the Eastern Michigan University field station north of lapeer, Michigan I am always drawn to insects. Seeing interesting insects can be like seeing old friends, or finding something new.
In addition to insects and plants there are always interesting lichens to see. Lichens are those wonderful little critters that are a symbiosis between a fungus and an algae. With lichens we are talking about my addiction. With well over 1,000 species in North America I have an almost never ending challenge ahead of me. Having seen some 40% of the North American lichens I have some hope of seeing many more in the future, which might involve some traveling. This is unlike moths where I have seen (and photographed) less than 5% of the 12,000 North American species.
Then again, there is always time for reading for pleasure, with no goals in mind, simply because the topic and writing is a joy to read. This is the case with a recent purchase on Cecil Rhodes (as in Rhodesia and Rhodes scholors). Not only do I get to ready a well annotated book on a historically significant person, but it is also written by my cousin Robert Calderisi who ties me to both reading and family. So, if you are interested in a fun and complex book to read I suggest that you get this.
Finally I am once again reading through the two volumes on the genealogical history of Peschici, Italy, the town where my grandfather was born. Four years ago I used these two volumes to find ancestors going back to the late 1590s, but I also used them for my TED talk on epidemics and pandemics. For anybody with family from Peschici this is a marvelous resource.
Well, I guess that everything has come full circle. More tomorrow.
Michael's Place 