Tuesday Tunes – The 17-Year Cicada – Sleepytime Gorilla Museum

 Fun Stuff, Insects, Tuesday Tunes  No Responses »
Apr 262011
 

Ryan FleacrestThe internet and the Midwest are all a tizzy over the pending emergence of this year’s 13-year cicada brood (brood XIX if you’re interested). These periodical cicadas go more than a decade living underground feeding on the sap of tree roots, only to emerge en mass to partake in a massive jam session/rave/orgy. Different years feature different broods emerging in different areas and composed of at least 1 of the 4 different 13-year cicada species (leading to some interesting questions regarding what’s a brood and what’s a species when there is hypothetically little gene transfer between broods). On top of the 13-year cicadas, there are 3 species of 17-year cicada, of which brood I is expected to emerge next year.

These insects with prime emergences serve as the undivisible subjects of a song which some might consider a little odd.

 

 

This song was actually the inspiration for the Tuesday Tunes feature and was the first song I added to my playlist. Someday I hope to witness and photograph a magicicada emergence first hand, but for now I’ll have to count on those near the epicentres to share this emergence!

 

This song is available on iTunes – The 17-Year Cicada – Of Natural History

Tuesday Tunes – The Bug Song – Stompin’ Tom Connors

 Fun Stuff, Insects, Pop Culture, Tongue in Cheek, Tuesday Tunes  1 Response »
Apr 192011
 

Ryan FleacrestIt’s been brought to my attention that I’ve missed a Canadian musical icon: the sweet dulcet tones of  Stompin’ Tom Connors! Most may know him for his Hockey Song, but when he’s not singing about sports or condiments, he’s paying an homage to those pesky bugs.

 

 

Stompin’ Tom really is one of the great lyricists, with some truly fantastic songs. The Bug Song is right up there, and bound to buzz around your head for another day or two at least, despite the rather negative tone towards our six-legged friends!

 

This song is available on iTunes – The Bug Song – Stompin’ Tom Connors and the Moon Man N****e

Tuesday Tunes – Butterfly – Mariah Carey

 Fun Stuff, Insects, Pop Culture, Tuesday Tunes  No Responses »
Apr 122011
 

Ryan FleacrestAlright, it’s time for another fluffy pop song in the Tuesday Tunes line up. I’ve managed to hold back the swarm of honeydew producing artists since Valentine’s Day, but there are a lot of entomological songs coming out of the pop industry, so they’re going to creep in once in awhile!

Butterfly was the second single off of Mariah Carey’s 1997 album of the same name. This album also featured the hit track Honey, which disappointingly doesn’t feature bees or anything else entomological.

 

 

I hear Mariah Carey is currently gravid; I wonder what host plant this butterfly is looking to deposit on? Fleacrest, out!

 

This song is available on iTunes – Butterfly – Butterfly

Tuesday Tunes – Moth’s Wings – Passion Pit

 Fun Stuff, Insects, Pop Culture, Tuesday Tunes  4 Responses »
Apr 052011
 

Ryan FleacrestIt’s that time of the week again, and I’m keeping it short and sweet as I work on a couple of other posts (I promise, they’ll be out soon… seriously this time). Today’s piece has seen some love in pop culture, being featured on the TV shows such as Gossip Girl and Big Love, and on the big screen during Life As We Know It. Of course they’ve hit the real big time with a feature here on Tuesday Tunes!

 

 

Alright, they also win points for one of the most random videos featured, and that’s saying quite a bit… How come I never find tomatoes or carrots suspended from trees while I’m collecting in the summer? Wrong neck of the woods I suppose. Well, that’s it for this week, but join me next week as we continue to explore the musical landscape in search of sweet insect songs! Fleacrest, out!

 

This song is available on iTunes – Moth’s Wings – Manners (Bonus Track Version)

Tuesday Tunes – Outdoor Miner – Wire

 Fun Stuff, Insects, Pop Culture, Tuesday Tunes  No Responses »
Mar 292011
 

Ryan FleacrestMany artists write their music about the insects which are commonly encountered; ladybeetles, butterflies, the occasional ant or dragonfly. Very few go that extra step and talk about relatively obscure insects of modest economic importance. When it’s not a beetle but rather a fly, well, that’s like icing on the cake.

Today I bring you a song by the British band Wire. Now, this is where it gets a little ironic, as the fly featured in the song Outdoor Miner is the serpentine leaf miner (Liriomyza brassicae), which although one of the most cosmopolitan Agromyzidae (Leafminer Flies), isn’t found in Britain (as of 2007, 29 years after the song was released). The serpentine leaf miner doesn’t generally result in large crop losses, but can create cosmetic damage which makes roadside sale more difficult. Wire has managed to record the life history of the fly through their lyrics, describing the leaf mining patterns indicative of the fly as well as the pupation behaviour (dropping from the leaf to pupate in the soil, and being born again figuratively speaking). Seems like an awful lot of biology for one song eh?

 

 

Maybe I’m over-interpreting the lyrics a little, but even the lowly silverfish gets the nod! Wire must have had an entomologist on the payroll; excellent! Fleacrest, out!

This song is available on iTunes – Outdoor Miner – Chairs Missing (Remastered)

Tuesday Tunes – The King Beetle On A Coconut Estate – Mewithoutyou

 Fun Stuff, Insects, Life as a Grad Student, Pop Culture, Tuesday Tunes  3 Responses »
Mar 222011
 

Ryan FleacrestIt’s been a crazy couple of weeks here as I work to wrap up my MSc thesis. By the time you’re listening to today’s tune I should have everything finished up and submitted to my advisory committee, and barring any major revisions will be well on my way to completion. I love what I do, but I’m definitely looking forward to a bit of a break soon to relax and do some more blogging and photography!

Today’s song is definitely entomologically related, and it’s about as crazy as I feel right now. In fact, the album it’s off of pretty well sums up the past few weeks for me: “It’s All Crazy! It’s All False! It’s All A Dream! It’s Alright”. I’m banking on that last statement coming true…

 

 

Hopefully I’ll stop being lame and get back into a more regular posting schedule soon. I’ve got a bunch of topics and ideas that I want to share and expand upon, just haven’t had the time or the energy to do so. Stay tuned for all sorts of fun stuff in the near future! Fleacrest, out!

 

This song is available on iTunes – The King Beetle On a Coconut Estate – It’s All Crazy! It’s All False! It’s All a Dream! It’s Alright

Tuesday Tunes – Dragonflies – Red House Painters

 Fun Stuff, Insects, Pop Culture, Tuesday Tunes  No Responses »
Mar 152011
 

Ryan FleacrestWell, this week I don’t have anything witty or pressing to pass along. Busy time of year, and a new major Diptera paper was just published which I’ll be going over soon! Until then enjoy Dragonflies by Red House Painters.

 

 

This song is available on iTunes –Dragonflies – Red House Painters I

Tuesday Tunes – Mardi Gras Special

 Fun Stuff, Insects, Pop Culture, Tuesday Tunes  No Responses »
Mar 082011
 

Ryan FleacrestIt’s party time down in The Big Easy, with eusocial gatherings in the streets, plenty of ethanol being wasted (i.e. not being used for insect preservation) and females displaying mammary glands for petroleum-based jewelery (or so I’ve heard). In celebration, here’s the Dukes of Dixieland playing the entomological fight song, “When the Ants go Marching In”!

 

 

Wait, you mean it’s actually about SAINTS, not ants? And it’s a traditional funeral song? Shit. Well, in that case, enjoy EL-P featuring New Orleans resident (and Academy Award Winner) Trent Reznor – Flyentology (I think I might start referring to myself as a Flyentologist now…)

 

 
I’m off to eat some pancakes and pączki with some Jack Daniels Syrup. Fleacrest out!

These songs are available on iTunes – When the Saints Go Marching In – Timeless, The Classic Collection

– Flyentology (Cassettes Won’t Listen Remix) – Single – El-P

Tuesday Tunes – Firefly – Breaking Benjamin

 Fun Stuff, Insects, Pop Culture, Tuesday Tunes  1 Response »
Mar 012011
 

Ryan FleacrestJust when the snow seemed to be melting, the mercury dropped and we woke up to find some fresh new snow here in the Great White North (how I wish that was an ironic nickname). I’m pretty tired of snow now, and longing for the warm summer nights spent sitting in a field watching beetle asses phosphoresce! There’s nothing that can beat the laser light show put on by fireflies (family Lampyridae) when trying to unwind in the summer with beer in hand… Mmmmm, cold beer on a warm night… Ok, so maybe this wasn’t the best song choice after all!

Breaking Benjamin is one of my favourite bands, and the fact that they have an entomologically themed song only makes it better. Their music always takes me back to undergraduate summers working on the farm and checking the woods for insects! Damn, spring can’t come soon enough!

 

 

Now that I’ve gotten myself all worked up with spring fever, better get back to work. Enjoy the last few weeks (or optimistically days) of winter, and check back next week for a sweet new insect song!

This song is available for download on iTunes — Firefly – We Are Not Alone

Tuesday Tunes – Butterfly Caught – Massive Attack

 Fun Stuff, Insects, Pop Culture, Tuesday Tunes  9 Responses »
Feb 222011
 

Ryan FleacrestThere are a lot of insect songs out there, but as you may have noticed, the videos that go along with those songs don’t always feature their namesakes. The music video for today’s song however, goes above and beyond, and makes the insect the star of the show!

In fact, because this insect is so heavily featured, get ready to compete for some BioPoints! The first person to correctly identify the family (5 pts) and provide an educated guess on the genus (5 pts) of the insect in question will score some points towards a framed photo from the Biodiversity in Focus library! Also, if you know what species of insect is illustrated on the lead singer at the end of the video, another 5 pts is yours!

I find tattoos fascinating works of art, and there are some pretty spectacular biology tattoos out there! Entomological tattoos however seem to be much scarcer (other than the much loved butterflies which everyone likes). So, if you can provide proof of an entomologically-related tattoo (throw a link in the comments section), I’ll give you 25 Biopts for your dedication!

Let the challenge begin!

This song is available on iTunes – Butterfly Caught – Collected

UPDATE: To get BioPoints for the tattoos, the tattoo needs to be on your body. Googling “bug tattoos” won’t work (2 pts to Don J. for trying it though and making me modify the rules).

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