A bug in my coffee cup

February 10, 2025 by Howard Dale Posted in Wildlife & Animals Leave a comment

As is my habit I’d got up and had a coffee. After reading for a bit, I decided I wanted another as I was about to fill up my cup again, I noticed that the cup was inhabited by this bug.

It’s brown marmorated stink bug. It’s an insect in the family Pentatomidae, native to China, Japan, Korea, and other Asian regions. In September 1998, it was collected in Allentown, Pennsylvania, where it is believed to have been accidentally introduced. The nymphs and adults of the brown marmorated stink bug feed on over 100 species of plants, including many agricultural crops, and by 2010–11 had become a season-long pest in orchards in the Eastern United States. In 2010, in the Mid-Atlantic United States, $37 million in apple crops were lost, and some stone fruit growers lost more than 90% of their crops. Since the 2010s, the bug has spread to countries such as Georgia and Turkey and caused extensive damage to hazelnut production. It is now established in many parts of North America and has recently become established in Europe and South America.

It’s armored and is quite hard to kill and if you try it emits an unpleasant smell. As in all stink bugs, the glands that produce the defensive chemicals (the smell) are located on the underside of the thorax, between the first and second pair of legs. The smell has been characterized as a “pungent odor that smells like coriander.” The stink bug’s ability to emit an odor through holes in its thorax is a defense mechanism evolved to prevent it from being eaten by birds and lizards. However, simply handling the bug, injuring it, or attempting to move it can trigger it to release the odor.

Reports on human cases are rare, but the stink bug’s body fluids are toxic and irritating to the human skin and eyes. One case of keratitis has been reported in Taiwan. So, it’s probably not a good idea to touch one. Since it’s an invasive pest I should probably killed it. But I don’t like to kill anything, even bugs. So, I just took the mug outside and ejected the bug.

I’m glad I spotted it before I filled the cup though!

Taken with a Sony A7IV and Venus Optics Laowa 85mm f5.6

Views from my house and in my garden

February 9, 2025 by Howard Dale Posted in Buildings/Structures, Landscapes, Trees Leave a comment

The title says it all. I woke up early after a snowfall. The light was interesting, so I braved the cold to go outside and take a few pictures.

Taken with a Sony RX100 MVII.

Along the Pocantico River

February 8, 2025 by Howard Dale Posted in Landscapes Leave a comment

Sorry for showing yet more snow pictures. We had about five inches of snow a week or so ago and since then it’s been very cold, and the snow hasn’t had a chance to melt. The last couple of days have been significantly warmer and the snow has now virtually disappeared.

I volunteer at the Briarcliff Manor-Scarborough Historical Society, which is located on the lower level of the Briarcliff Public Library building. The Pocantico River runs right by it. I took these pictures while walking to work one morning.

Taken with a Sony RX100 MVII.

House on the Corner of Wolden Road and Ellis Place, Ossining, NY

February 7, 2025 by Howard Dale Posted in Buildings/Structures Leave a comment

houseoncornerofwoldenroadandellisplace-1-of-1

I’m not entirely sure why I took this picture, but something about this house caught my interest.

I think it was probably all of the little bits and pieces: the ornate metalwork (or maybe it’s some other type of material) at either end; the birdhouses, one on one of the uprights, the other on a pole on the porch; the creatures on either side of the door; the faded blue “Peace in the World Panel; The fire hydrant (is it real or merely decorative; the two blobs to the left of the stairs. The one on the right looks like some kind of wirework sheep (or maybe a bear?). The one on the left looks like a ceramic blue blob (is it some other creature that I can’t recognize? Maybe some kind of seal), or is it just some kind of abstract sculpture?); a child’s toy to the right of the stairs; and finally, the inevitable US Flag.

So many questions?

Taken with a Sony RX100 MVII.

Presentation on the Congregation Sons of Israel

February 6, 2025 by Howard Dale Posted in Buildings/Structures, Houses of Worship, People Leave a comment

In the preceding post I wrote about the Congregation Sons of Israel Cemetery. In it I mentioned that I had learned about the cemetery from a presentation on the synagogue organized by the Briarcliff Manor-Scarborough Historical Society. Shortly afterwards I realized that I had not done a post on that presentation, so here goes.

This year the Briarcliff Manor Scarborough Historical Society has organized a number of presentations on the Village’s Houses of Worship. The presentation took place, Wednesday, November 13, 2024, at 7:00 pm at the Congregation Sons of Israel (CSI). Mr. Irwin Kavy presented a comprehensive history of the synagogue. A highlight of the presentation was when Mr. Kavy showed a time capsule that had been found in the building that previously housed the synagogue. He also showed and described the contents. The presentation ended with a lengthy Q&A that provoked an enthusiastic response from the participants. A video of his presentation is now available courtesy of Mr. Kavy and the CSI.