These line drawings aren’t some kind of code or ancient writing, they represent spider webs that have been  in my backyard in recent days. The circle represents the web and the radiating lines represent the support structures.  At the center of the circle is a dot that represents the 1-cm diameter spider (probably a cross […]

(Updated 10/2/16: fixed broken links, added ink drawing image. Updated 7/21/17: added link to KQED Deep Look video) The nodule on this valley oak tree (quercus lobata) is not an oversized acorn or fruit, but is an interesting case of parasitism. A wasp larvae induces the tree to make the nodule — called a gall […]