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Phrynosoma
Inspired by the iconic round lizards of the American Southwest, these brass earrings are lifesized baby Phrynosoma platyrhinos, the Desert Horned Lizard. This species is found across the Sonoran and Mojave deserts. They bury themselves in sand as they await a meal of harvester ants, their favorite food. I came across these lovely lizards at Joshua Tree National Park, while conducting field research on Mojave desert plants.
Boat-tailed Grackle
Brass earrings to remind you of the marshy Gulf coast. Boat-tailed grackles (Quiscalus major) are a sleek and noisy member of southeastern coastal bird communities. This species has a nifty mating behavior, where a single male defends a small group of females (though, on average, only a quarter of the chicks he raises are actually his!). The species' whimsical audacity and unabashed proximity to urban areas along the coast lend them a level of familiarity and notoriety.
Luna moth
A spring and early summer icon, finding a luna moth in the woods feels magical. Its long "tails" of its hind wings are thought to disrupt the echolocation of bats, one of their main predators. Now called Actias luna, this was the first moth in family Saturniidae to be described in North America, by James Petiver in 1700. The genus name "Actias" is thought to be from the Greek "acti," meaning a ray or beam. The species epithet, "luna" means "moon." These lovely animals do really look like moon beams on warm summer nights. Made to order
Parrots
Brass and enamel earrings made in the likeness of Red-lored and Yellow-headed Parrots. These species are two of several that roost in the Oliviera community park in Brownsville, Texas, in the southern Rio Grande Valley. At sunset, a fanfare of chatter precedes a mad descent of colorful parrots that land in the trees and on the telephone wires of the park. This is one of my favorite experiences to date, and these remind me of my home in Texas and the people I got to share it with.
Chrysina gloriosa
Brass earrings lovingly crafted into Chrysina gloriosa jewel scarabs. This genus is near and dear to my heart. Only a few species make their way across the Mexican border into the American Southwest, and they reside in the mountainous habitats above the surrounding desertscape. Though they dazzle human eyes, their brilliant shells trick and bend the light in such a way that they camouflage via polarization! While I couldn't quite capture that level of intricacy, I had a lovely time recreating their brilliant greens and golds, painted onto a life-sized facsimile so that you may carry these lovely beetles wherever you roam.