International Rock Flipping Day '08

Today, September 7, 2008, is apparently International Rock Flipping Day. I had every intention of giving it a go. I planned to take the dogs down through the back field to the creek and flip some rocks in the creek or along the bank. You're bound to find some good stuff in the creek, right? But then a close friend who has been working out of town for the past few months finally came home, and she and her dog came over to catch up. Her dog is L's best dog buddy - I'm sure he's been missing him the past few months. (Z likes him, too, the way you like your bratty little brother's best friend.) The dogs ran and played and had a wonderful time (those photos will have to wait until tomorrow) but we never did get around to walking down through the back field. So, I looked for some rocks closer to the house to flip.

I started with the rock border around our front flower beds. Camera ready, I flipped my first rock and saw... (insert drumroll here)... nothing but dirt. Same with the second and third rocks. Under the fourth rock was a single pill bug. I didn't even take his picture. I mean, I can just imagine all the awesome shots people will be showing of crazy-looking bugs and brightly colored amphibious creatures. I didn't want to have an embarrassing little pill bug, so I kept going.

I flipped this rock along the fence line at the top of the training field. I was rewarded for my persistence with ants. Lots of ants. Um... not what I had hoped for. I didn't leave this rock overturned for too long - who wants lots of tiny little ants swarming over them? The next rock I flipped also had many many little ants. I decided to give one more rock a try.

At first I thought this one was a dud, too, and then I noticed the bright orange fuzz ball adhering to the bottom of the rock, right in the middle of this picture. I'm guessing that it is some sort of egg sac, but from what I have no idea. It was orange, though, and that's what counts. Thus ends Rock Flipping Day for me.

Updated to add Rock-Flipping Day Reports

Pohanginapete (Pohangina Valley, Aotearoa/New Zealand)
Blaugustine (London, England)
Nature Remains (Ohio, USA)
Pensacola Daily Photo (Florida, USA)
KatDoc's World (Ohio, USA)
Notes from the Cloud Messenger (Ontario, Canada)
Brittle Road (Dallas, Texas)
Sherry Chandler (Kentucky, USA)
osage + orange (Illinois, USA)
Rock Paper Lizard (British Columbia, Canada)
The Crafty H (Virginia, USA)
Chicken Spaghetti (Connecticut, USA)
A Passion for Nature (New York, USA)
The Dog Geek (Virginia, USA)
Blue Ridge blog (North Carolina, USA)
Bug Girl's Blog (Michigan, USA)
chatoyance (Austin, Texas)
Riverside Rambles (Missouri, USA)
Pines Above Snow(Maryland, USA)
Beth's stories (Maine, USA)
A Honey of an Anklet (Virginia, USA)
Wanderin' Weeta (British Columbia, Canada)
Fate, Felicity, or Fluke (Oregon, USA)
The Northwest Nature Nut (Oregon, USA)
Roundrock Journal (Missouri, USA)
The New Dharma Bums (California, USA)
The Marvelous in Nature (Ontario, Canada)
Via Negativa (Pennsylvania, USA)
Mrs. Gray's class, Beatty-Warren Middle School (Pennsylvania, USA)
Cicero Sings (British Columbia, Canada)
Pocahontas County Fair (West Virginia, USA)

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Photos

IRFD group on Flickr
IRFD gallery on Via Negativa

For the complete list of Rock Flipping Day posts, go to Via Negativa!