Posts Made By: Tim Chandler

These are still blooming in our pond, every few days another plant will flower.

The fish are jumpin' and the cotton is high...

Try Ken at
http://users.kricket.net/ken/rings/rings_main.html
His email is [email protected]

He made me an adapter for a Zeiss microscope head, and has made other adapters for other brands as well.

If you have a good quality microscope head, it can turn out quite well and for a LOT less! Further, buying microscope eyepieces is cheaper, and many of them are very good quality.

I did not need any optical corrector to bring the Zeiss microscope conversion to focus on either an Apex 127 Mak-Cass or an 11" SCT.

Happy Binoviewing,
Tim

They are still considered as sort of a "specialty" item by the vast majority of people who have only experienced "cyclops" mode, so the market isn't very big, and the economic laws of supply and demand rule.

Think about binoculars. Literally millions of people own and use binoculars, yet you'll still have to pay $300-$400 or more to get a really decent pair (depending on your definition of "decent"). Only a few thousand people own and seek binoviewers. And they require just as tight or tighter tolerances and engineering challenges than binoculars, which make them expensive to design and fabricate. I guess it's sort of a chicken-and-egg thing, if there was more demand for binoviewers, the price would come down as more manufacturers saw the opportunity to make money. But there won't be a larger demand for binoviewers, until the price comes down...

Those of us who now have the "true religion" must "share the faith" with the "unconverted"! I know I will never (willingly) go back to using one eye, at least not for very long.

Kurt,

Looks like it could be a species of water snake, genus Nerodia (formerly called Natrix). In your area (wherever that is) there could be several species. Do a Google on "Nerodia" and look at Images, they are quite variable in color, generally getting darker as they age. Some of them are quite vicious biters (I speak from experience here, LOL), but not poisonous.
http://wildlife.wisc.edu/courses/301/herptiles/snakes/thumbnail_pages/northern_water_snake.htm
http://www.herpjournal.com/2003/Kansas_03/5_05_03/fullsize/diamond_1_1.JPG
http://www.amazilia.net/images/Herps/Snakes/NWaterSnake.htm

Tim

Yes, cicadas have three simple eyes (ocelli) and the two big compound eyes. Nice photo!
Tim C.

Good picture! Those are Monotropa uniflora, commonly called Indian Pipe, Ghost Plant, Corpse Plant, and many other names. It's an albino flowering plant, not a fungus.

Here's a page with more info than you probably wanted to know, you can also Google for more images of this interesting plant:

http://www.acorn-online.com/hedge/pipe.htm

That's Prunella vulgaris, a member of the mint family called Selfheal.

Looks like Neriene radiata, member of the sheetweb family Linyphiidae, one common name is Filmy Dome Spider.

Ron,

My guess would be Araneus cavaticus, also called Barn Spider and probably other common names. I think they can vary some in exact coloration and markings, FWIW. Here's one I think is the same!

Tim