Saturday, September 30, 2017

Cicada of Leesburg Florida

Finding a cicada in my Leesburg, Florida back yard was a bit of a surprise! You see, the last time I saw a cicada anyplace was in Middleburg Hts., Ohio back in 1965! That's over 50 years ago. Back then, the cicadas were emerging in scores from holes in the ground near the creek bed off Big Creek Parkway aka Brookside Parkway.

Cicada of Leesburg, Florida
Cicada of Leesburg, Florida
It was late in the afternoon of September 27, 2017 when I spotted the cicada hanging out near my A/C unit at the back of the house. A couple of brown anole lizards were checking it out and probably wondering, "how do we swallow that?" I was wondering whether Hurricane Irma might have blown this cicada into my Leesburg yard from some place else as I had also seen a Florida Leatherleaf Slug in my front yard. Both the cicada and the slug were curious creatures I hadn't seen before the hurricane blew through.

Researching this cicada online, I found much mention of the 13-year and 17-year life cycles of those cicadas that will emerge in large quantities. "These periodical cicadas (Magicicada spp.) do not occur in Florida." The University of Florida has detailed information on the cicadas that are prevalent in Florida. Would you believe that there are reportedly 19 species of cicada prevalent in Florida?

It is interesting to note that male cicadas have the timbals or sound-producing organs while female cicadas are mostly mute. All cicadas can produce some soft sound by the rustling of their wing flips.

In an April 2016 First Coast News article online, it was reported that the 17-year cicadas were due to "emerge from their dirt feast and hit the east coast, including Florida, according to Martin Cook, a master gardener with the University of Florida IFAS extension office in Jacksonville."

Cicada of Leesburg, Florida
Cicada of Leesburg, Florida

17 Year and 13 Year Periodical Cicadas

Check out the page dedicated to the Magicicada periodical cicadas, aka 17-year and 13-year cicadas. There is plenty of fascinating information on the different broods. I wonder how they know what cicada is what? Like, how do you tell if that cicada was an annual one or was waiting for the 17th year to emerge?

Got cicada mania yet? The annual cicadas of North America are discussed separately from the periodical cicadas.

Annual Cicadas of Florida

Trying to identify this particular cicada has been a bit of a challenge in that there are so many different species of cicadas that can be seen in Florida. Who seriously knew? Checking the information on the different Florida varieties, I came to two different species that might be this one.

#15 which is the Neotibicen lyricen engelhardti (Davis, 1910). "The Dark Lyric Cicadas have the darkest coloration of all the Lyric cicadas. Their mesonotum is almost entirely dark brown/black. They have a 'soda-pop pull-tab' or keyhole shape on their pronotum."

#23 which is the Neotibicen tibicen tibicen (Linnaeus, 1758). It is referred to as the Swamp or Morning Cicada which "are known for their rounded, humped back. Their coloration varies from mostly black and some green to black, brown and green. Their collar is usually black, but can include green."

Can you identify this cicada of Leesburg Florida? Have you seen any cicadas in your yard? Hey, let me know ... I'm curious!

Friday, September 29, 2017

DMCA Take Down Notices on Pinsdaddy

It has been a challenge filing my DMCA Take Down Notices against the website of Pinsdaddy who illegally took probably hundreds of my copyrighted images for use on their website, without my permission. The challenge has come into play that there is a lot of passing the buck or passing the DMCA Take Down Notice on to somebody else to handle.

I am not the only copyright holder affected by this copyright infringement! It is concerning that many of the images used there do bear the copyright imprints of the respective owners yet, Pinsdaddy thinks it is OK to use those copyrighted images!!

Autumn Beauty Sunflower - Copyright JaguarJulie Ann Brady
Autumn Beauty Sunflower - Copyright JaguarJulie Ann Brady
I first completed an abuse report with Cloudflare using their online abuse form. Cloudflare responded very quickly to the submitted report, supplying me with additional information:

ABUSE FORM ON PINSDADDY TO CLOUDFLARE

abuse@cloudflare.com
Cloudflare received your copyright infringement complaint regarding: pinsdaddy.com
Please be aware Cloudflare is a network provider offering a reverse proxy, pass-through security service. We are not a hosting provider. Cloudflare does not control the content of our customers.
Accepted URL(s) on www.pinsdaddy.com:
http://www.pinsdaddy.com/jaguarjulie-pinterest_gkiiz3R7BbA2IibC5mVlOgvUYAlR3d0GITH%7CNC5ln84/
Hosting Provider:
-----------------
OBENETWORK, SE
Abuse Contact:
--------------
legal@evoluso.com
We have notified our customer of your report. We have forwarded your report on to the responsible hosting provider. You may also direct your report to:
1. The provider where pinsdaddy.com is hosted (provided above);
2. The owner listed in the WHOIS record for pinsdaddy.com and/or;
3. The contact listed on the pinsdaddy.com site.
Note: A lookup of the IP for a Cloudflare customer website will show Cloudflare IPs because we are a pass-through network. The actual website is still hosted at the hosting provider indicated above. If the hosting provider has any questions, please have the hosting provider contact us directly regarding this site. Due to attempted abuse of our complaint reporting process, we will only provide the IP of pinsdaddy.com to the responsible hosting provider if they contact us directly at abusereply@cloudflare.com.
Regards,
Cloudflare Abuse

I next sent my DMCA Take Down Notice on Pinsdaddy to legal@evoluso.com as recommended by Cloudflare. However, that email was returned with a bad email address. I next sent the DMCA Take Down Notice on Pinsdaddy to abuse@enom.com. After visiting evoluso's site, I found an abuse email for them of ab@evoluso.com to which I then forwarded the DMCA Take Down Notice on Pinsdaddy.


DMCA TAKE DOWN ON PINSDADDY TO ENOM

Thank you for contacting us. Your email has been submitted to our Compliance Department, #ABUSE-14995.
PLEASE DO NOT REPLY TO THIS EMAIL as this email box is not monitored.
Please note that due to the volume of complaints received, unless we need additional information, you will not receive a reply or update from us. Please be assured that we take abuse very seriously and investigate every incident that is reported.
Regards,
Compliance Department
www.enom.com

I received this reply from Namecheap although I did not send the DMCA Take Down Notice on Pinsdaddy to them. I think perhaps Cloudflare had sent it to them for me.


DMCA TAKE DOWN ON PINSDADDY TO NAMECHEAP


abuse@namecheap.com
Hello,
Thank you for your email. Please note that Namecheap is not the owner of the domain name mentioned. We are simply the Registrar it is registered with. Please contact the domain holder regarding your request. You can find their contact details using any Whois tool, e.g. at http://whois.domaintools.com/pinsdaddy.com . If Whois details are hidden by WhoisGuard, feel free to send an email to the protected email address (like ****.protect@whoisguard.com). It will be forwarded to the real email address of the domain holder.
You may also address the issue through the company that provides hosting services for the domain name in question since they are responsible for the content being displayed on the site or transmitted through it.
It appears the hosting company is currently hidden by Cloudflare. Hence, please be advised to submit an abuse report at the following link: https://www.cloudflare.com/abuse/form.
Additionally, if you believe you are a victim of an Internet crime, or if you are aware of an attempted crime, you can file a complaint through Internet Crime Complaint Center at https://complaint.ic3.gov , who are in the best position to fully investigate any such issue across any/all service providers.
If your copyrighted content is being made available without the authorization on the reported website, you may submit a DMCA notice with us. The relevant DMCA takedown request requirements are available at https://www.namecheap.com/support/knowledgebase/article.aspx/9198//dmca-takedown-request-requirements . Please note that we will be able only to forward your complaint to the domain holder. We cannot remove any files as the domain is only registered and not hosted with us.
Please let us know if you have any further questions or concerns.
------------------
Regards,
Alexander Neustroev
Legal & Abuse Department
Namecheap.com

One of my copyrighted images taken without my permission to use on Pinsdaddy:

Autumn Beauty Sunflower Cluster - Copyright JaguarJulie Ann Brady
Autumn Beauty Sunflower Cluster - Copyright JaguarJulie Ann Brady
Read more about this copyright infringement of Pinsdaddy who took, without permission, the copyrighted images of Jaguar Julie Ann Brady.

UPDATE: On October 27, 2017, I received this response from Enom.com after resubmitting my DMCA Take Down Notice to them on Pinsdaddy. It surely seems somebody is giving the copyright holders a runaround!

DMCA TAKE DOWN ON PINSDADDY TO ENOM

Enom Copyright copyright@enom.com
8:24 PM October 27, 2017

Hello,

Thank you very much for your notification. After researching this matter, we have found that Enom, LLC. is not the webhost, internet service provider, or administrator for the reported domain. Given that we are not the webhost for this domain, the allegedly infringing material identified in your notification does not reside on eNom’s servers. Accordingly, we do not have the technical ability to remove or disable specific items of objectionable content.

Again, due to the limited technical sphere in which Enom operates, we do not believe that we are the correct party to contact regarding this matter. In this instance, we suggest that you contact the party operating the website or the party hosting the website to have this matter properly resolved. A "ping" of the website you indicated often reveals the IP address of the party which probably hosts this website. You may then use https://www.ultratools.com/tools/ipWhoisLookup or another similar tool to identify this party.

Thank you again for your report, and please do not hesitate to contact us should you have any further questions.

Regards,

Enom
5808 Lake Washington Blvd
Suite 201
Kirkland, WA 98033

Sunday, September 24, 2017

Florida Leatherleaf Slug

All creatures big and small ... and, God made slugs! This morning I found a Florida Leatherleaf Slug slithering across my walkway at the front of my Leesburg home. At first glance, this critter looked like small dog poop or perhaps a stogie! Before getting too close to it, I next thought millipede. As I focused my eyes further, I saw a slime path and two antenna and thought a snail that lost its shell.

Florida Leatherleaf Slug
Florida Leatherleaf Slug - Leesburg Florida
This is the first Florida Leatherleaf Slug (Leidyula floridana) I have seen here in Leesburg. What is curious about this species is that it does not have a slimy upper body but actually appears like a velvety suede fabric.

Florida Leatherleaf Slug - Leesburg Florida
Florida Leatherleaf Slug - Leesburg Florida
Checking the University of Florida's website on this type of terresterial slug, the photo shows a lighter-colored slug as shown in Figure 17. A particularly interesting fact about the slug:
"Most slugs are hermaphroditic, possessing both male and female sex organs. Thus, at least in some species, a single individual can inseminate another slug, can be inseminated by another, and can even inseminate itself!"
Florida Leatherleaf Slug Underside - Leesburg Florida
Florida Leatherleaf Slug Underside - Leesburg Florida
As I touched the Florida Leatherleaf Slug, it contracted to a rather compact shape. I then turned it over to have a look. You can easily see the genital pore, anal slit and foot. In the photo above, you can also see the mucus or slime secreted from this slug.

What to do with this type of slug? Reading more about it on the UF site, it seems this species is a pest to plants! I did find it heading towards my front yard garden although I'm not sure where it came from. It's possible Hurricane Irma blew it into my yard. One thing I know for sure is that I don't think I can ever order escargot again!

Saturday, September 23, 2017

Pinsdaddy Copyright Infringement

Are you a blogger or online writer who likes to use images for your articles? Do you observe due diligence when selecting free, non-copyrighted, stock images to use in those articles? It was brought to my attention today that Pinsdaddy is promoting people's copyrighted images for use as stock images. These images have been taken, without permission, from various online sites and posted on Pinsdaddy.

It appears that Pinsdaddy is akin to a content scraper who scraped copyrighted images from Pinterest to use on their website. You see mention of "Pinterest" in the titles of the stolen images when you click on them to come to the download page. Very concerned how Pinterest has been an enabler for content theft and copyright infringement!! I never was very keen on Pinterest just "taking" our copyrighted images for posting to their website and garnering the genuine traffic that our websites and blogs with OUR copyrighted images should be receiving directly.

JaguarJulie Autumn Beauty Sunflowers

JaguarJulie Ann Brady COPYRIGHTED Autumn Beauty Sunflower
JaguarJulie Ann Brady COPYRIGHTED Autumn Beauty Sunflowers
Copyrighted Image Stolen by Pinsdaddy
Shown here is just one of many of my copyrighted images being used without my permission on Pinsdaddy http://www.pinsdaddy.com/jaguarjulie-pinterest_gkiiz3R7BbA2IibC5mVlOgvUYAlR3d0GITH%7CNC5ln84/5

In this copyrighted image of mine of Autumn Beauty Sunflowers that I grew in my sunflower garden, you can clearly see my copyright at the bottom of the photo.

Pinsdaddy Search : JaguarJulie -- Copyrighted Images -- Composite

JaguarJulie Copyrighted Images Illegally Used on Pinsdaddy
JaguarJulie Copyrighted Images Illegally Used on Pinsdaddy
Shown above is a composite photo that I assembled with some of my copyrighted images being illegally used on Pinsdaddy. As you are looking at the copyrighted images revealed in a search on Pinsdaddy, many of the same images repeat multiple times which makes the viewer think there are more images there than there are. As I searched on September 25, 2017, I was not finding certain copyrighted images of mine that I had found the day before. Something is faulty with the Pinsdaddy searches or they are changing the search tags to HIDE stolen copyrighted images!

Google Image Search : Pinsdaddy JaguarJulie -- Copyrighted Images Stolen

Google Image Search : Pinsdaddy JaguarJulie Copyrighted Images
Google Image Search : Pinsdaddy JaguarJulie Copyrighted Images
In the above screenshot image from a Google image search, more stolen copyrighted images of mine are found by searching: site:pinsdaddy.com jaguarjulie


Google Image Search : Pinsdaddy JulieAnnBrady -- Copyrighted Images Stolen


Google Image Search : Pinsdaddy JulieAnnBrady Copyrighted Images

In the above screenshot image from a second Google image search, even more stolen copyrighted images of mine are found by searching: site:pinsdaddy.com julieannbrady

Pinsdaddy Ignores Copyright on Images


Google Image Search : Pinsdaddy JulieAnnBrady Copyrighted Sunflower Image
Google Image Search : Pinsdaddy JulieAnnBrady Copyrighted Sunflower Image
In the above photo of a sunflower I grew in my garden, you can clearly see "Copyright Jaguar Julie Ann Brady" at the bottom right of the photo. Clearly, Pinsdaddy is blatant in its arrogant disregard of people's copyrights!

Pinsdaddy Took Images From Pinterest

Checking for my images on Pinsdaddy, it is curious how this website is attributing Pinterest in the filtered results: http://www.pinsdaddy.com/jaguarjulie-pinterest_gkiiz3R7BbA2IibC5mVlOgvUYAlR3d0GITH%7CNC5ln84/


Pinsdaddy Incorrect Photo Attribution on Copyrighted Images

And, when you click on one of my copyrighted images, it brings you to the download page with the stolen image and gives you a guide for the attribution of the stolen image!

Copyrighted Image Stolen by Pinsdaddy - Incorrect Photo Attribution
Looking at the supplied photo attribution information, the copyright owner is not the attribution, but blogspot.com!

WhoIs Pinsdaddy -- Who Is Hosting


pinsdaddy registrar abuse contact email whois
Pinsdaddy Registrar Abuse Contact Email: abuse@enom.com
Pinsdaddy is hosted by enom.com. If you find your copyrighted images being used illegally there, you can submit an abuse form through https://www.cloudflare.com/abuse/form and email your DMCA take down to abuse@enom.com.

UPDATE: After filing my DMCA take down notices on September 25, 2017, I returned to the Pinsdaddy website to do further searches to find my copyrighted images with different search terms. It seems something was not working with their search function!! All of my search terms were truncated to 3 letters; e.g., searching on "brady" I got "bra" which was obviously not what I was searching for.

DMCA Take Down Notices - Some Stolen Copyrighted Images

Compiling the data from Pinsdaddy of stolen copyrighted images and matching that up with my official publications with my copyrighted images is time-consuming and not particularly rewarding. Here are just some of the stolen copyrighted images:

#1 Photographs of autumn beauty sunflowers taken from sunflowers I grew in my Jacksonville FL garden from seed that can be viewed at the URL below. There are a number of my copyrighted images that bear my "Copyright JaguarJulie Ann Brady" which were taken without permission to post on Pinsdaddy -- it appears they took ALL the sunflower photos that I have been posting to my Google blog!

http://jaguarjulie.blogspot.com/2013/05/colorful-autumn-beauty-sunflower.html

STOLEN COPYRIGHTED IMAGES ON PINSDADDY
http://www.pinsdaddy.com/fall-sunflowers_hYkNBN1j4F0TLH0ZluMDqxdO59vBPqkQgfx5EK0M0fg/
http://www.pinsdaddy.com/julie-ann-brady-blog-on-colorful-autumn-beauty_gyH*esk8tVd6z3yGbaxN%7ChkyHWl0oKAnnDZqTGLgpVM%7Cp2ERbtnySlqyuMuf8xscfZ3G%7CpeCCTu*OVQRn9vG9g/rib1J9IFJbhiWTODBajF1e%7Cn2X*pQaY85fWtPDy7jonqPNGD1%7C4VCRTrYa1XvXpYFz%7CpU0IslVGbSlLgZF5dSw8l0ghUlud1aDNfwx893a3Cb*sJjx0MElYf37fJJo%7CnrC7%7CnbEPQgyJp2VYHgkvDsxpHbwy*61r8KE6FqW2Sa4wq3vfUPfGpeNjDZIxy2WvOcQLauJPwwkvMjFcB12vEA/
http://www.pinsdaddy.com/julie-ann-brady-blog-on-colorful-autumn-beauty_gyH*esk8tVd6z3yGbaxN%7ChkyHWl0oKAnnDZqTGLgpVM%7Cp2ERbtnySlqyuMuf8xscfZ3G%7CpeCCTu*OVQRn9vG9g/rib1J9IFJbhiWTODBajF1e%7Cn2X*pQaY85fWtPDy7jomGfIuKMeqCfylZKQX2YCmn5eH9tIsGLHLlNOICYkdXUJCAYAfX0%7CGfufizMl3xHjFr87eLUajqqLDPsfbEhHQs0JHpCrhVx%7C*gRL4y51ICHV0mEnCueooQYKYSujr1aX4wq3vfUPfGpeNjDZIxy2WvOcQLauJPwwkvMjFcB12vEA/
http://www.pinsdaddy.com/julie-ann-brady-blog-on-autumn-beauty-sunflower-pictures_hOqStMRjxfjP1jhkoAwWAPjhJpXtT9kHDD2xf1NuBzhKG1WN*X5eUXongYxu2ifHY6Ix6kARz*mfvNvdIMaPOQ/rib1J9IFJbhiWTODBajF1e%7Cn2X*pQaY85fWtPDy7jonrJQnkiJXIKFMQuawpkYiKAtzqCMYfkwcRfTv*MFDcTwG75nts3jGbJpQOMNx96Bcl8fHbbH8GTSdYEqvJ%7CvohQhlyUcBa7S3TG7XVd7%7CiWWd9pWAtoi%7Cfq*UZGWHWL5P4HBekqzKkisAAn1l6CkYI2k7CkUi06mWPvQRHYwK0tw/
http://www.pinsdaddy.com/autumn-sunflowers-related-keywords-amp-amp-suggestions_HXjvnNF3eqJwjP9lgQNWNs5E4uVkBXMRw3rdhNUff8iL%7CjHPKpnNWJ*EXG7dAWTWt65KHcxUJwcqW3*fqWx*tQ/rib1J9IFJbhiWTODBajF1e%7Cn2X*pQaY85fWtPDy7jolSczb4kAYmW7SKwWX4duDAgvc01klshf%7CB8NBpSxIoIq1EX5T9%7C*x9V%7CnDpI145XzuIoVwC5OLWjvuKchBj%7CsrFvL7aKin%7CNVY*UWiy4gJb8HIdBn8r*9lRB00QyAW6S%7COgW8Za8PYIbbfw7ODqRK7yezvdPDnVb0B1jXgdE6diw/
http://www.pinsdaddy.com/julie-ann-brady-blog-on-autumn-beauty-sunflower-pictures_hOqStMRjxfjP1jhkoAwWAPjhJpXtT9kHDD2xf1NuBzhKG1WN*X5eUXongYxu2ifHY6Ix6kARz*mfvNvdIMaPOQ/I3Rt*cscjUoBFGEfGxt*HCkC55pwPn87fv7fKrSZP*VCFr%7CvQCaHKl%7CVkrZJx8W8ucHp*PVJXMQNNXVvhbbXesNxosNfhmsRZnHVeTKig5pECTG4Despl4qpubkzGVkJ*XfTZjaodFxhGKEYxYFKXFqjITGi4Zd9wLPcdNYVyT1U*jl6awKEFMFRyP*%7CjY8vXJw20QmRf0V6Lph05fRtAg/
http://www.pinsdaddy.com/julie-ann-brady-blog-on-colorful-autumn-beauty_gyH*esk8tVd6z3yGbaxN%7ChkyHWl0oKAnnDZqTGLgpVM%7Cp2ERbtnySlqyuMuf8xscfZ3G%7CpeCCTu*OVQRn9vG9g/*M4agBmzLCUIMAG9*wZHSwaoakJCX2rWHV9eheyXoFqv*%7C3GgXfUl1azvBURfoAmKc1W4x3qoqxJt3xXVFneCk7WC4kNJNcm6X5tavdUiF%7CYjYMQzAjCk1MpMa6jUGW68cbfbI7T3pIWuiZ4j6phID0KLt6ARd3v6jW0BYqazpf3aGqOCRPwvZiRHad3c3H4*6rjfIpQXnloGQamSm28TA/
http://www.pinsdaddy.com/julie-ann-brady-blog-on-colorful-autumn-beauty_gyH*esk8tVd6z3yGbaxN%7ChkyHWl0oKAnnDZqTGLgpVM%7Cp2ERbtnySlqyuMuf8xscfZ3G%7CpeCCTu*OVQRn9vG9g/MYda4sJb3VDP0bll3AytR2PyeZX76rhy3nj3mwmDAoEYK9eyicUwRNhJRPVSXJrb5xbiY*6q5mOQz1%7CUaYAuBCxLLEcA1Z98b9DGaj9O2g6U7IDAI14xwcOCgyEQvCDU1btvbGYw3KBhflUa1CU4%7CPYGwQpcvhhs7UOc1V5j9dYwq3vfUPfGpeNjDZIxy2WvOcQLauJPwwkvMjFcB12vEA/
http://www.pinsdaddy.com/julie-ann-brady-blog-on-colorful-autumn-beauty_gyH*esk8tVd6z3yGbaxN%7ChkyHWl0oKAnnDZqTGLgpVM%7Cp2ERbtnySlqyuMuf8xscfZ3G%7CpeCCTu*OVQRn9vG9g/rib1J9IFJbhiWTODBajF1e%7Cn2X*pQaY85fWtPDy7jonJWy3QxvtdVWzHZGWfnCGKjVAOZfJxPSYaYD8ypvHAe918yQ7bdut*t78EQoe2bTOLXquum1cuG1sSr2mnw*2e1%7C5kI5cGbXggt7n1Pi3hJsNItN1QM%7CwRsBVnyIThyBEwq3vfUPfGpeNjDZIxy2WvOcQLauJPwwkvMjFcB12vEA/
http://www.pinsdaddy.com/julie-ann-brady-blog-on-autumn-beauty-sunflower-pictures_hOqStMRjxfjP1jhkoAwWAPjhJpXtT9kHDD2xf1NuBzhKG1WN*X5eUXongYxu2ifHY6Ix6kARz*mfvNvdIMaPOQ/*M4agBmzLCUIMAG9*wZHSwaoakJCX2rWHV9eheyXoFqSQcld3SuqpkKcWw68vxMkujNekaEhWkrmkE8GMkBtg1A*fBvyfZF2S14Ot*LRZh*YJ6EAHSJBHA3mLBsNuR4RQhlyUcBa7S3TG7XVd7%7CiWWd9pWAtoi%7Cfq*UZGWHWL5OMsZttYlZmkb0PxsdrQpWVfHsVg7ukSFYo2Ye0KvLxLA/
http://www.pinsdaddy.com/julie-ann-brady-blog-on-colorful-autumn-beauty_gyH*esk8tVd6z3yGbaxN%7ChkyHWl0oKAnnDZqTGLgpVM%7Cp2ERbtnySlqyuMuf8xscfZ3G%7CpeCCTu*OVQRn9vG9g/4nX3ja5jkI5k0fppNLgULlVvPpd53Bjwehv*5i5Pa8f5Wz%7Cw4uXkK6UcaPuwuxcK42CzuFd3iL535Ba8ikY*zDxtGu4ml5h3nlGe3*2huIy5LLi8p4oWUKY6MVpkH0JvUgciAHhFqO4bQbq3OBgYAS9D3HVbslyIMYgPq*kdoeswq3vfUPfGpeNjDZIxy2WvOcQLauJPwwkvMjFcB12vEA/
http://www.pinsdaddy.com/julie-ann-brady-blog-on-colorful-autumn-beauty_gyH*esk8tVd6z3yGbaxN%7ChkyHWl0oKAnnDZqTGLgpVM%7Cp2ERbtnySlqyuMuf8xscfZ3G%7CpeCCTu*OVQRn9vG9g/MYda4sJb3VDP0bll3AytR2PyeZX76rhy3nj3mwmDAoGE6Oc2CfvuELPlQuvY7bXgsmbKjOruiymTBOi5GoJ6aIYkKi%7CXiDt3%7CYAB7Jonj4MkzIGACwAR1mUKJcYknfUrKeq%7CD1aRtAMohpZBZBQAIwA199lUU*c8obXGDrK5w44wq3vfUPfGpeNjDZIxy2WvOcQLauJPwwkvMjFcB12vEA/
http://www.pinsdaddy.com/julie-ann-brady-blog-on-colorful-autumn-beauty_gyH*esk8tVd6z3yGbaxN%7ChkyHWl0oKAnnDZqTGLgpVM%7Cp2ERbtnySlqyuMuf8xscfZ3G%7CpeCCTu*OVQRn9vG9g/9Qat8WzxghIDUAeXMq4SH3wdyjcjQLDJkadsa3nUjqwk%7CbXnHp6knsbFxtaKtr7BCMapK2Qh%7CFRP2w%7Cnqi0UCvI29H*bB7ehBG%7C9xIYXc6PpTY9KNUCIGkuAeD0lanHsxmpAw%7CEZCFSNBBuuBv9R7Wgx25krU3J02%7CKFoti45Ukwq3vfUPfGpeNjDZIxy2WvOcQLauJPwwkvMjFcB12vEA/
http://www.pinsdaddy.com/julie-ann-brady-blog-on-autumn-beauty-sunflower-pictures_hOqStMRjxfjP1jhkoAwWAPjhJpXtT9kHDD2xf1NuBzhKG1WN*X5eUXongYxu2ifHY6Ix6kARz*mfvNvdIMaPOQ/rib1J9IFJbhiWTODBajF1e%7Cn2X*pQaY85fWtPDy7jonyXq7KlHYBGU4144F16qKGcXGmixc7i*WMCN3LBo67eKOT7VtoSCchmz37*uDTFIkNl%7CXVt9LnNJrW0FTWLuOzmSVX3fRgF2pGYN4f8ck3bup94dlifrqMPMCKDkWGkMt%7CSIkbGbPJZ7CVuWuq9febLfF6siXkg39kktgDQW6PPA/
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#2 Photographs of yellow gerbera daisies taken from sunflowers I grew in my Jacksonville FL garden that can be viewed at the URL below. There are a number of my copyrighted images that bear my "Copyright JaguarJulie Ann Brady" which were taken without permission to post on Pinsdaddy -- it appears they took ALL the gerbera daisy photos that I have been posting to my Google blog!

http://jaguarjulie.blogspot.com/2013/05/pretty-yellow-gerbera-daisies.html

STOLEN COPYRIGHTED IMAGES ON PINSDADDY
http://www.pinsdaddy.com/yellow-gerbera-daisy_Vy7usf2wVaIMHtabrX0kWIpiVie9WdXKAMW73ZT7ILo/
http://www.pinsdaddy.com/julie-ann-brady-blog-on-pretty-yellow-gerbera-daisies_ZTsWP1leCixa7x6N7FKIvyWsPN0eH1JQWRkfaiAXD6Ye4VeSOnnrTjxG0XGhPg2YIRy9BEH8m6zBD3pxhUMW7Q/VDZ8Z3l71zRLi5RMMFmL3cVOOj87lQJsFvvaShYRP3Z6Ms2LW3PKwzf42lfEM4WMr0fW4AqZeGdzWWxrppd5X3RKvUT7X9RYFeWpdHlyJP1LfTrZEQZ9ZMyj9DiYHQxyEfWJkELK26HVzGWzpJdL1uPYEeKHGej6*IT1fdAzvW4/
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http://www.pinsdaddy.com/julie-ann-brady-blog-on-pretty-yellow-gerbera-daisies_ZTsWP1leCixa7x6N7FKIvyWsPN0eH1JQWRkfaiAXD6Ye4VeSOnnrTjxG0XGhPg2YIRy9BEH8m6zBD3pxhUMW7Q/*M4agBmzLCUIMAG9*wZHSwaoakJCX2rWHV9eheyXoFq1%7C*DyaLZFss0azghjzsSSeof6lWF33BE4beagK%7CDgsKXM9qgrTZpWPAlIwWLj3lmBxr4gsEKVjTYnwXMfGu*iTE6vpANzLkHiajruWwAB2*Nkp1tGTjVuP5ubdazS%7Cg8/

Read more about the process of submitting DMCA Take Down Notices against Pinsdaddy to have them remove the stolen copyrighted images, from their website, of Jaguar Julie Ann Brady.

Monday, September 04, 2017

Black Rat Snake

A Black Rat Snake might make a good pet. It was early afternoon of May 3, 2016, as I was doing some painting and edging at the back of my house. I was wearing a pair of Crocs Primas with socks, so the top of my foot was not covered with a shoe. That was when I felt something on the top side of my right foot. I looked down at my foot to see a BLACK SNAKE resting there.

Black Rat Snake - Leesburg, Florida
Black Rat Snake - Leesburg, Florida
At first, I thought I had backed into a ladder and was careful so I didn't trip and fall. When I realized it was a snake, seemingly curled up and comfortable on my foot, I pulled my foot backwards and stepped away. It seemed to happen so fast, when my brain kicked in, and I loudly exclaimed, "what are you doing?"

Black Rat Snake - Leesburg, Florida
Black Rat Snake - Leesburg, Florida
The Black Rat Snake slowly moved away and then came up along side of the A/C unit and stopped. It was taking a look at me and probably wondering. I think I over-reacted and asked it again, "what are you doing?" I had never had an interaction with such a snake and maybe should have realized it wasn't posing me a threat, but was probably just curious.

Black Rat Snake - Leesburg, Florida
Black Rat Snake - Leesburg, Florida
When I first moved in, a neighbor was quick to tell me, "you have a black racer snake." As this was the first time I was seeing a black snake, I assumed it must be the black racer of which she spoke. However, doing a little research online, and noting the snake's mannerisms, I think this was a Black Rat Snake and not a racer.

Black Rat Snake - Leesburg, Florida
Black Rat Snake - Leesburg, Florida
I saw the Black Rat Snake a couple of more times after that first meeting. It seemed to hang out along side the A/C unit. One of the Comcast technicians told me that he too had a rat snake that liked to lie in his A/C unit pan where it was cool and wet.

Black Rat Snake - Leesburg, Florida
Black Rat Snake - Leesburg, Florida
On May 26th, I observed the snake coming through my back yard near the shed. Then, again, nearly two months later, on July 26th, I observed the snake slither across the street and disappear into the neighbor's yard.

I don't recall seeing the Black Rat Snake since then ... and noting that I now have moles tunneling around my yard. I rather wish that snake would come back! It supposedly is a timid snake that tends to avoid confrontation.

A couple of days ago, I did see a Juvenile Southern Black Racer coming up my driveway. So, maybe this adult snake will soon return. I'll let you know if/when I see it!

You know, I've surely seen my share of snakes in Florida. Check out my blog post in the Florida Scarlet Snake. In that post, I share photos of the Florida Scarlet Snake along with an adult Black Racer Snake, Common Garter Snake, and Water Moccasin Snake. Check out my other blog post on the Red Rat Snake for photographs of a really colorful snake. Oh, that Red Rat Snake was a lot less friendly than this Black Rat Snake!!

UPDATE! October 20, 2017, I happened to be looking out my back window one morning and saw something that caught my eye. It actually looked like a black stick standing up in the grass. I watched it and then saw it move. Ah, my black rat snake. Only thing? It sure was a lot bigger than my black rat snake of about a year and a half ago.

Black Rat Snake - Leesburg, Florida
Black Rat Snake - Leesburg, Florida
Take a look at the size of the body of this black rat snake. It is definitely a lot bigger than the previous snake. Could it be the same snake?

Black Rat Snake - Leesburg, Florida
Black Rat Snake - Leesburg, Florida
The head of this black rat snake is definitely a lot larger than the previous snake! I don't know that I have a family of black rat snakes under my house, but it is possible!

Black Rat Snake - Leesburg, Florida
Black Rat Snake - Leesburg, Florida
As I watched this snake move through the grass, I couldn't help but "marvel" at the length of it. I was wondering if maybe there was another snake moving along with it. The body just went on and on.

Black Rat Snake - Leesburg, Florida
Black Rat Snake - Leesburg, Florida
Researching black rat snakes, I read that they are considered medium-sized snakes. They can reach a length of 70 inches. I'd say this snake was very close to that length, easily being over 5 ft. long and probably closer to 6 ft.

Thinking back to this last sighting, that morning and the previous morning, I had been spraying a bleach cleaner around the stone at the A/C unit at the back of the house. I also had sprayed some distilled vinegar on some cat urine near my shed in the carport. I'm guessing that the smell of these cleaners possibly got the snake moving to another house.

It was a few months back, when I was walking around the back of the house, to the right of the A/C unit, that I smelled the most rancid, putrid smell. I thought something had died right there under the house. Thinking back to that smell, I really think it was the black rat snake emitting the odor as a defense against some perceived predator. I'm not sure whether that defensive gesture would come from another snake of the same species entering this snake's domain. Quite possibly!! So, that could mean two larger black rat snakes slithering around my lot. Watch where YOU step!!

Sunday, September 03, 2017

Juvenile Southern Black Racer Snake

The Juvenile Southern Black Racer Snake looks nothing like the adult Black Racer! Perhaps that is to give this snake a better chance to survive in that it resembles other more threatening snakes. It was early in the afternoon on a September Saturday when I noticed a smallish snake scurrying up my driveway. I couldn't tell from my kitchen window what type of snake, so I grabbed my camera and headed outside to get a closer look.

Juvenile Southern  Black Racer Snake
Juvenile Southern Black Racer Snake - Leesburg, Florida
Before I lived in Leesburg, I had lived in Jacksonville for well over twenty years. During those two decades, I had the opportunity to observe quite a few black racer snakes in my yard. For the most part, they weren't solitary, but were usually seen racing or scooting through my yard. Not this little guy!

Juvenile Southern Black Racer Snake - Leesburg, Florida
Juvenile Southern Black Racer Snake - Leesburg, Florida
I had never seen a Juvenile Southern Black Racer Snake before so it never occurred to me that this was a young black racer snake. Comparing the snake to the color of the driveway, it seemed to have a bluish-gray color offsetting the reddish-brown blotches. It was probably between 14 and 16 inches in length. Newborn black racers are about 9 inches in length.

Juvenile Southern Black Racer Snake - Leesburg, Florida
Juvenile Southern Black Racer Snake - Leesburg, Florida
This juvenile snake was extremely feisty. As it moved up the driveway, it had its tongue out and head up. It was raising its head, assuming a strike pose and did strike out at me a few times. I fully expected the snake to keep on scurrying and head away from me. But, it didn't.

Juvenile Southern Black Racer Snake - Leesburg, Florida
Juvenile Southern Black Racer Snake - Leesburg, Florida
After a few photos, the snake had scurried into my front yard garden and was resting near the trellis of my Confederate Star Jasmine. I snapped a couple more photos and then left the snake. Coming inside, I was curious to try and identify this snake. Not that long ago, I had observed a Water Moccasin in the grass across the street from my home. Judging from the "combative" feisty behavior of this little snake, I was thinking not a friendly snake I'd want to bite me.

Juvenile Southern Black Racer Snake - Leesburg, Florida
Juvenile Southern Black Racer Snake - Leesburg, Florida
Doing a lot of Google searches for speckled, mottled gray-blue and reddish-brown snakes, I found this little snake did resemble, a bit, a Dusky Pigmy Rattlesnake or a Prairie Kingsnake. I did research a variety of Garter Snakes, but didn't think that was the right snake. It was challenging trying to identify this snake because I wasn't sure how to describe its markings.

Juvenile Southern Black Racer Snake Dead
Juvenile Southern Black Racer Snake Dead February 22, 2018
I was having my A/C maintenance performed on February 22, 2018. When the fellow finished up using his hose, I found this Juvenile Southern Black Racer Snake dead in the grass. It had a small cut on its lower body. Such a shame!
The first website that I found which helped me to identify this juvenile snake was Snake Removal Trap which has a photo gallery of Florida snakes. On that page, there is also a closeup photo of a Juvenile Corn Snake which is similar to the Juvenile Black Racer Snake with it blotchy reddish-brown markings.

Juvenile Southern Black Racer Snake Dead
Juvenile Southern Black Racer Snake Dead February 22, 2018
The second website that confirmed the identify of this juvenile snake was Cambridge in Colour which has a couple of excellent closeup photos on their forum. That's when I was pretty sure I had the right snake as it looked like mine!

I was looking now for a Florida website to see more photos and information on this snake. I came upon UF's Florida Museum page on the Coluber constrictor priapus where it clearly states, "Juvenile southern black racers are blotched." Well, now we know.

A really excellent photo of the Juvenile Southern Black Racer Snake was found on the South Carolina Public Radio website by Kevin Enge of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's Fish and Wildlife Research Institute.

Juvenile Southern Black Racer Snake Skin
Juvenile Southern Black Racer Snake Skin January 30, 2018
Working in my front yard garden on January 30, 2018, I noticed a strip of shed snake skin under my Firecracker plant. I am quite sure it was from a Juvenile Southern Black Racer Snake and it is a good probability it was the same one found dead a few weeks later!
Researching this snake further, I learned this snake is not recommended as a pet because of its nervous disposition. It will readily bite to defend itself -- yes, I definitely got that part of its makeup! About four in ten of the juveniles will survive ... so that may explain why this snake starts off with the interesting markings ... to enhance its chance at survival.

If this snake was hungry, it came to the right yard! My front yard garden is occupied by a plethora of brown anole lizards and some skinks. I've seen snails, frogs and toads and beetles. As I work a lot out in my garden(s), I will be curious to see if this little fellow hangs around!

Want to see other Florida snakes I've observed? Check out my blog post in the Florida Scarlet Snake. In that post, I share photos of the Florida Scarlet Snake along with an adult Black Racer Snake, Common Garter Snake, and Water Moccasin Snake. Check out my other blog post on the Red Rat Snake for photographs of a really colorful snake.

Snakes on the internet? Yes, there are snakes to be found on the internet, but a bit different from the Juvenile Souther Black Racer Snake. The snakes of which I speak are the content scrapers who steal other people's copyrighted images and written content. Not only are they snakes about stealing people's original work, but they use their brand names to steal the traffic. DO NOT BE FOOLED! Be very careful if you decide to click through to that OTHER website that might have stolen my copyrighted image!

UPDATE: We have had a heat advisory for the past several days here in Leesburg, Florida. It is the afternoon of July 4, 2023 and pretty steamy for anybody who has been out at festivals for the Fourth of July! It was after 4pm when I stepped into the carport to gauge the heat and if I can sit out and have some green tea and not be overcome from the heat. That was when I glanced down at the concrete and saw this Juvenile Southern Black Racer Snake limp and not moving. I picked it up by its tail and noticed it had probably been brought in by a community cat and left for me to find. I decided to take a few photos and post them here. I especially wanted a particular reader to notice the whitish underbelly of the juvenile snake.


I flipped the juvenile snake over to show its top side and pretty gray and reddish markings.


As I was looking at the head of the juvenile snake, I was amazed at the patterns on its head. Take a closer look at the next image ... what do you see?


RIP little Juvenile Southern Black Racer Snake. 

Saturday, September 02, 2017

Awful Tasting Coffee Review

I recently purchased two different packages of ground coffee from my local Bealls Outlet that turned out to be some awful tasting coffee -- Dark Chocolate Decadence 100% Arabica Coffee by Coffee Masters and Michael's Gourmet Coffee Hawaiian Kona Blend Arabica Ground Coffee.

awful tasting coffee from bealls outlet
Michael's Gourmet Coffee Hawaiian Kona Blend Arabica Ground Coffee
Dark Chocolate Decadence 100% Arabica Coffee by Coffee Masters
Both of these ground coffees cost $4.99 a package with compare at prices of $8.00 and $7.00. I guess I am happy I didn't pay the compare prices.

Dark Chocolate Decadence 100% Arabica Coffee by Coffee Masters
What the package says about Dark Chocolate Decadence - "Our fine coffee is wonderfully flavored with buttery rich dark Belgium chocolate." I would agree that the package of coffee does have a distinct chocolate fragrance that smells like a Hershey's chocolate bar. And, the brewed coffee definitely has a chocolate flavor.

Reading further on the package, "if your tap water is distasteful due to hardness or treatment, consider using bottled water." Ah, that must be part of the problem?? I should have tried brewing a cup using some bottled water.

The chocolate taste of the hot coffee was interesting. I wouldn't say it was bitter, but I had an odd after-taste. With each sip, I kept thinking that I would prefer a hot chocolate and not a hot chocolate coffee. I more appreciated sniffing the package than drinking a cup of this brewed coffee.
Michael's Gourmet Coffee Hawaiian Kona Blend Arabica Ground Coffee

What the package says about Michael's Gourmet Coffee - "Michael searches the world over for the finest Arabica beans from the premier growing regions of the Americas, East Africa, Arabia and the Pacific Tropics."

When I first brewed this coffee, I had just finished off a package of Kauai Coffee Coffee, Ground, Dark Roast, Koloa Estate that I purchased at my local Publix. The Michael's Gourmet Coffee Hawaiian Kona Blend did not even come close with the flavor. It had a more awful taste than the Dark Chocolate Decadence.

Checking the package, it also suggests bottled water for best results! Who knew? I don't think I've ever used bottled water for my coffee unless maybe while on vacation in Mexico?

The flavor of this brewed coffee fell flat for me. The package says to use 2 tablespoons for 8 ounces of water which is what I did. Interesting that the Dark Chocolate Decadence suggests 1 tablespoon for 6 ounces of water.

My final taste test was to try half and half of these two coffee blends when brewing that cup of coffee. I definitely tasted the Dark Chocolate Decadence over the Hawaiian Kona Blend in that cup of coffee.

In my taste-testing, I also varied the creamer to try Coffee-Mate vs a Publix non-dairy creamer. It didn't seem to make any difference on the type of taste ... all cups of coffee I brewed had an awful tasting coffee.

The type of coffee that I normally drink is Seattle's Best Coffee Level 5 which is a dark and intense French roast. I don't do Maxwell House or Folger's coffees, but if those are the types of coffees you like, you might like the Michael's Gourmet Coffee.

There was an episode on the Today Show reviewing the best-tasting coffees. A variety of coffees from Ethiopia were touted on having the best tastes. Those packages of coffee were definitely a lot more expensive than $4.99 -- up to 3 times more a package! I've tried an Ethiopian coffee bean in the past and been satisfied with the taste. I think that will be the next "exotic" coffee I try to find locally.

I just went shopping at Publix and bought a package of Seattle's Best Coffee Post Alley Level 5, a dark roast that is smooth-roasted. It is a 100% Arabica coffee smoky and intense French roast with a "wonderfully smooth" side. That's what I had this morning with my Coffee-Mate. Now, this was a wonderful tasting cup of coffee.