In the Art Institute of Chicago

In the Art Institute of Chicago, there is a painting that stands out in my mind. It is the painting La Grande Jette by George Seuret. The painting features Parisians enjoying a Sunday by the Seine, a river near Neuilly. Many of the Parisians that are pictured are very well to do. Proven by the various activities and dress shown in this painting. As I look at this painting I view this painting I see ladies wearing nipped in corseted waists and bustles. Some of the activities to be viewed are boating and fishing. Other then well to do impictured in this piece there is a mixture of the social classes. Take for example the oarsman who seems to sit harmoniously with the middle to upper class lady and dandy next to him. Impicutred as well are prostitutes, who use the sport of fishing to hide their main reason for being there, which is to catch the soldiers who are standing on the bank as well. Off to the bottom right of this picture is a monkey attached to a leash. The leash h!eld by a l ady, who is part of the upper class stature. Kept as pets, Capuchio monkeys were all the rage in the day of Seuret. Although some skeptics say Seuret uses the monkey to licentiousness, and maybe even a coded message of hypocrisy that was a feature of French society in the 1880s. Seuret explored and used geometric landscapes in this piece. Many of the figures in La Grande Jatte are pictured in profile. This maybe a glimpse as to the influence of Ancient Egyptian Art, which during this period in time Seuret was studying. Having made many sketches from the Ancient Egyptian reliefs on his many visits to the Louve in Paris. La Grande Jatte was painted from 1884 all the way up till 1886. This two year masterpiece of Seurets is an Oil on Canvas, and is 81x 120(205x304cm). It is currently displayed in The Art Institute of Chicago. It is hard for some to believe that a man not quite thirty coul...

Mosquito Control With Birds and Other Natural Predators

Mosquito Control With Birds and Other Natural Predators When the topic of  mosquito control is discussed, thrown into the mix is usually a fervent argument for installing purple martin houses and bat houses. Stores that cater to bird enthusiasts often tout the purple martin houses as the best solution for keeping your yard mosquito free. Bats, which may not be the most beloved of mammals, are defended with the claim that they consume hundreds of mosquitoes per hour. The truth of the matter is that neither purple martins nor bats provide any significant measure of mosquito control. While both eat mosquitoes, the insect makes up a very tiny portion of their diets. Other animals might have an upper hand on mosquito control, particularly in the fish, other insect, and amphibian classes. Mosquito Munchies For bats and birds, mosquitoes are more like a passing snack. Multiple studies of wild bats have consistently shown that mosquitoes consist of less than 1 percent of their diet. In purple martins, the percentage of mosquitoes in their diet is slightly higher- about 3 percent, at most. The reason is simple. The payoff is small. A bird or a bat that feeds on insects must invest considerable energy in flying around and must catch the bugs in mid-air. Birds and bats are usually seeking the biggest caloric bang for their buck. Given the choice between a mosquito morsel, a hardy beetle, or a mouthful of moth, the mosquito hardly makes the top-10 list. An Efficient Mosquito Natural Predator Gambusia affinis, also known as the mosquitofish, is an American fish that is utilized by some mosquito control districts across the country as a very effective predator of mosquito larvae. As far as natural predators go, the mosquitofish is by far the most efficient natural predator of mosquitoes. The mosquitofish is a voracious predator. In certain studies, mosquitofish have been shown to consume up to 167 percent of their body weight in invertebrate prey, including mosquito larvae, per day. Mosquitofish, as well as small predatory fish such as guppies, can be quite useful in the reduction of mosquito larvae given the right conditions. Other Mosquito Consumers The closely related  dragonflies and damselflies  are natural predators of mosquitoes but do not consume enough mosquitoes to cause a significant impact on the wild mosquito population. Dragonflies are often referred to as mosquito hawks for an unsubstantiated claim of being able to kill thousands of mosquitoes. One thing that does make the dragonfly a better predator than most is that, in the aquatic larval stage, one of their food sources is mosquito larvae. Dragonfly larvae can sometimes live up to six years in this stage. During this phase of life, dragonflies do the most damage to mosquito populations. Frogs, toads, and their young tadpoles are often touted as excellent for mosquito control. In reality, while they do consume their fair share, it is not enough to seriously put a dent in vast mosquito populations. When frogs and toads do consume mosquitoes, it is usually after they have transformed from tadpole to adult.