Category: Small World Underfoot

This is a catch-all for inspirations, illustrations and creations made while paying closer attention to the smaller things in life. Often overlooked, little details reveal a much larger story if you take the time to notice them. I find countless denizens of the Underfoot provide me with hours of discovery and enjoyment as an artist and naturalist. You just have to remember to look down.

As you become more familiar with the tiny world at your feet, you begin to appreciate its larger impact on the world. You start to notice small changes, new arrivals, population changes, and other interesting clues to what drives the environment around us.

I hope you enjoy some of my observations and illustrations. My hope is to share my creations and discoveries so others have a chance to discover and appreciate for themselves the tiny world at their feet. If you are interested in any prints or commissions, please feel free to contact me.

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Equisetum telmateia

A Horsetail for the ages.

This is Equisetum telmateia. Or more accurately, this is a late spring, newly emerge fertile stem of the Equisetum telmateia. Its a herbaceous perennial, native to British Columbia, and I found this one growing on the side of Burnaby Mountain.

I remember my dad telling me all about this species as a kid. We use to see a lot of it growing around the edge of Magic Lake on Pender Island where my grandparents lived. It was a neat little plant you could pull apart and put back together like a puzzle.

It’s pale yellowish, non-photosynthetic, spore-bearing, fertile stem only lasts a short while before dying right back and being taken over by the more familiar green, herbaceous, photosynthetic, sterile stems.

At the top of the stem is the cone-like, reproductive portion of the plant, called the strobilus. It is comprised of row upon row of hexagonal spore-bearing structures. Each little hexagon produces thousands of tiny spores.

When released, a spore will start to grow into a new plant, which is either bisexual or male. Sperm are produced by the new plants, complete with tiny flagella, and swim through the water in search of female plants. Once fertilized, the plant will grow to maturity, starting the cycle over again.

Having existed since the Devonian era in the great Carboniferous period, horsetails are true living fossils. There are only about twenty species of horsetail in the world, all in one group, or genus, known as Equisetum. Ten species are found in British Columbia, and six of these exist on Vancouver Island and in the Lower Mainland.

Horsetails are a part of a unique group of plants, halfway between primitive plants like mosses, and more highly evolved flowering seed plants (angiosperms and gymnosperms). Horsetails produce spores, like ferns and mosses, not seeds. Yet Horsetails have specialized vascular tissues for conducting water, food and minerals through the stem, unlike the more primitive bryophytes or so-called ‘lower vascular’ plants.

400 million years ago saw the planet dominated by these lower vascular plants, which at the time included species that grew as tall as buildings. In fact forests existed for so long, and grew so large, their remains provide the bulk of the world’s coal beds.

As for any beneficial uses, sorry folks, despite centuries of use in traditional medicine, there is no evidence that Equisetum has any medicinal properties.

However the stems are coated with abrasive silicates, making them useful for scouring (cleaning) metal items such as cooking pots or drinking mugs, particularly those made of tin. Equisetum hyemale, rough horsetail, is still boiled and then dried in Japan to be used for the final polishing process on woodcraft to produce a smoother finish than any sandpaper.

– Aaron

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Oniscus asellus vs. Armadillidium vulgare

Is it a Sowbug or a Pillbug?

A lot of the species we come into contact with on a regular basis at home, in the garden, or out out for a walk, are introduced species. Some become invasive and make headlines, causing obvious and recognizable damage to the environment. While other species quietly do their thing, making themselves right at home in their new environs, blissfully unnoticed.

Take the wood louse, er.. sowbug.. pillbug.. no no, roly-poly. See, this is when binomial scientific names comes in handy. It seems every locale has their own common name for these critters. This however is dually confusing because we are in fact dealing with TWO surprisingly different animals. So let’s clear this up.

Sowbugs, Oniscus asellus (oniscus from ancient Greek for small donkey) and Pillbugs, Armadillidium vulgare (you guessed it, armadillo-like. Vulgare means common). Both were inadvertently introduced to the New World from Europe, probably on trans-atlantic ships, several hundred years ago. Sowbugs and pillbugs are similar in appearance and their common names are sometimes used interchangeably.

*The three photos above of Armadillidium vulgare were taken from the web. I know I have some great photos of pillbugs, somewhere.. but I can’t seem to find them.

Both are terrestrial, soil-dwelling crustaceans that belong to the order Isopoda. They are the only crustaceans that have adapted to live a completely terrestrial life. However, just like their cousins.. shrimp, crab, lobster and crayfish.. they have gills which need constant moisture, so they tend to live in moister northwest climates.

The sowbug has a pair of tail-like projections which extend from the rear of its body, while the pillbug does not have any extreme posterior appendages. The pillbug can roll up into a tight ball when disturbed, whereas the sowbug can sort of fold itself in half, kinda. This is why pillbugs are sometimes called “Roly-Poly” bugs.

They do not bite, sting or transmit disease. They are harmless to humans. They primarily feed on decaying organic matter, but sometimes nibble on things in the veggie garden. Like all crustaceans, they go through a molt 4 to 5 times during an average lifespan of 3 years.

So now you know. Tell a friend. Pick one up and take a closer look next time you run across one of these terrestrial isopods.

– Aaron

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Lichens

Those who lichen.. lichen a lot.

So lichens are cool. I mean, what’s NOT to lichen? Composite organisms consisting of both a fungus and a simple photosynthesizing organism like algae or cyanobacteria. Up close, lichens reveal an amazing array of colour and tiny networks.. daunting if your plan is to try and draw the darn thing.

But I’m a sucker for patterns.. especially naturally occurring ones. Lichens are just that! Big ol mess of repeatin patterns. And I’ll admit, this is probably the one organism that I just couldn’t (still haven’t) fully wrapped my head around. Soooo much fine detail!

As a subject of study and appreciation lichens, no matter the type, really try and draw you in to their labyrinth of detail. I start to feel this obligation to share EXACTLY what I’m seeing in person. This is when I remind myself, that this is why the photograph was invented.

But as abstract inspiration, the possibilities seem endless. So I guess, here is a first look at a few of my attempts at capturing the lichen world.. and I might as well toss some learnin out there too.

As in all my posts, I take all my own photos with my trusty Samsung Galaxy S9 (cutting edge technology folks).. no editing, just some cropping. All of these lichens were observed within a 15 minute radius of my house in Burnaby, British Columbia, with the exception of the two photographs below. The yellow crustose lichen was found on a south-facing rock at the peak of Whistler Mountain, and the grey crustose lichen was found growing at Lighthouse Park in West Vancouver.

Lichens are grouped into three main types:

  • Foliose – which have a leaf-like appearance.
  • Fruticose – are highly branched, either hanging or standing up.
  • Crustose – are the ones that look like a crust that has formed on a surface like a rock or tree trunk.

The algal (or bacterial) component is the autotroph in this relationship. It supplies the nutrients to the organism through photosynthesis. The fungus protects the algae from desiccation and also provides it with a means to grow and attach to whatever substrate.

..and if you enjoy being bombarded by Latin and scientific terminology, do yourself a huge favor and look up lichen taxonomic classification or Lichen Growth forms and internal structures. Good times my geeky friends!

They are slooooooow growing and everywhere. It is estimated that 6% of Earth’s land surface is covered by lichens. And they are not a picky lot either. Some lichens were exposed to Martian atmospheric conditions in the lab for a period of over 3 weeks in 2012.  Despite the weak atmospheric pressure, lack of protection from cosmic radiation, bitter cold and alien atmospheric composition, some species not only survived, but continued to grow and function with relative normality! Lichens can even grow on plastic.

Hummingbirds and other nest building species use lichen for nest building and camouflage. Lichens can even be used in making dyes and perfumes, as well as traditional medicines.

Lichens are eaten by many different cultures as well, though its generally when times are lean. Lichens are not very easy to digest and contains minimal nutritional content. And of course, a few lichen species are eaten by insects and larger animals such as reindeer. Remember kids, no reindeer, no Christmas!

So love a lichen! A delicate, yet resilient organism that’s been practicing unchecked socialist behavior in our forests, across our tundra, and on the sides of volcanoes since the beginning of time (or at least since the devonian). Living in mutually beneficial, symbiotic, cross-species, relationships. Buncha single-celled hippies.. chillin, sharin.

– Aaron

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Sinodendron rugosum

The Rugose Stag Beetle

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but when it comes to learning about biology, binomial nomenclature is where it’s at. Scientific names can tell you so much about an organism. Take Sinodendron for example.. sino for nose, and dendron for the Greek work for tree or branch-like. The species name rugosum, is Latin for ‘full of wrinkles, folds, and creases.

So there you have it. We’re off to a really good start. It is an organism that has a thing on its nose and it’s got wrinkles.. and sure enough, Sinodendron rugosum, sometimes called the rhinoceros beetle, has a horn on it’s nose and a rugose carapace. They are more accurately called Rugose Stag Beetles because the mandibles on the male, which may be as long as the body, are branched and bear a resemblance to the antlers of a stag. However, upon closer inspection, I think this little guy more closely resembles teenie tiny triceratops.

I always grew up thinking rhinoceros beetles were relegated to Europe, with a few of their exotic cousins residing in the jungles of Central America or Africa. Not so.. they are found on every continent except Antarctica.. and this species is in fact a native to British Columbia. He is the first of his species I’ve ever come across, so I’ll try and keep my excitement in check.

I found this little guyon a walk in early July of last year. It was around 7:00pm when I spotted him crawling under a piece of bark on a large fallen alder trunk in the woods near my home. At only 8mm in length, it first looked to be just another common LLB (little brown beetle).. until it caught the light! It turns out that the rugose carapace it’s sporting is also incredibly shiny, almost metallic. The small undulations on its back twinkle like tiny, jet-black jewels.

Like all Stag Beetles, members of family Lucanidae are highly sexually dimorphic. Males feature enlarged head modifications while females, usually smaller in size, do not. Despite its slow speed, S. rugosum is very strong for its size. Like all Stag beetles species, it seems to defy normal physics with its ability to grab on and hold tight with its clawed legs. This comes in handy when males fight eachother in the presence of females.

They are primarily nocturnal and feed on plant matter (alder, birch, maple, oak trees). Females will lay eggs on tree bark and in short order, tiny crescent-shaped, white larvae hatch and begin to tunnel inward, creating pupal chambers. This ultimately damages the tree, buy hey.. they’re soo cute! Who’s a cute little triceratops? Yes, you are..

– Aaron

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Pentidotea wosnesenskii

Exploring Saysutshun on Newcastle Island and getting reacquainted with the Pickle Bug.

Just got back from our first mini-trip since the pandemic hit. A few days in Nanaimo, British Columbia to visit family and a day to explore Saysutshun (Newcastle Island Marine Provincial Park). The island is just a short foot-passenger ferry ride across the harbour from downtown. It was a nice warm, overcast day to pack a picnic and spend some time exploring the intertidal zone during a perfectly timed low tide.

Beautiful little ecosystems, teeming with invertebrate marine life and many species of algae, ring this protected marine park. Almost 30 hectares of this 360 hectare island is easily accessible foreshore. You don’t have to walk far from where the ferry drops you off to start exploring and discovering some pretty funky wildlife.

..and if you head down to the intertidal and flip-over a rock* or find a patch of Pacifc Rockweed (Fucus distichus) riffraff, you’re sure to come across one of these little guys chillin, waiting for the tide to come back in. The Rockweed Isopod, Pentidotea wonsnesenskii.

*Please remember to return any rocks you flip over to as close to its original position as possible.. many of the organisms in these small communities are slow moving and very slow growing. If different areas of the rock are left exposed, sedentary species may have to start growing from scratch, become easier prey or even die. Leave it like you found it.

Usually found clinging to its namesake algal species, trying to keep cool and not dry out during the low tide, the Rockweed Isopod is a harmless, prehistoric looking, non-decapod crustacean. It has seven pairs of very strong legs, perfectly suited to hang on to just about anything, despite living in a habitat prone to strong currents and and extreme exposure.

It is known by a few other names.. Vosnesensky’s isopod, Kelp isopod, Olive-green isopod, Green isopod and the Pickle bug. They are typically an olive-green colour, but can also be tan, brown, yellow, black or pink.

Their colour depends upon the type of algae that they are associated with. Their body colour can change with time, but scientists do not yet understand how this happens; but, it is not related to their diet.

Back home, in Vancouver’s English Bay, rockweed isopods are a little harder to come by. My favourite spot to sit and draw, near the foot of Dunbar on Point Grey Road, has a few. The local colouration, seems to be dark brown to jet-black and back in 2019, I had a chance to sketch the subject.

As you can see, I didn’t quite finish it. I was planning to fill it up and add some more info.. but honestly, I had forgotten all about this drawing. Thankfully, my recent trip reminded me, and maybe I’ll take another crack at sketching this neat little marine invert again soon.

– Aaron

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Vespula alascensis

Northern Common Yellowjacket.

I’m tackling a new organism here with my good old Windsor & Newton watercolours. I love any excuse to use yellow and black together.

Did you know queens are the only members of the colony able of surviving the winter. In April or May, the queen begins each season by selecting a suitable location to constructs a small nest. It then raises sterile daughter offspring. These sterile workers then take over the duties of enlarging and maintaining the nest, foraging for food and caring for the offspring while the queen functions only to produce more eggs.

– Aaron