efriend

@efriend

Award-winning independent journalist and audio producer specializing in stories at the intersections of science, history, and nature. Based in North Carolina. 100% human, never AI

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Bluesky

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efriend@efriend· 19d

OK, this one is my favorite

Close-up of the red stalks and yellow orbs.

efriend@efriend· 19d

#FungiFriends

A small snail surveys a collection of twigs, leaves, and fungus.

An amber-colored, jelly-like mushroom growing in lobes from a branch.

Cup-shaped fungus with concentric rings of beige and brown.

Lichen and small cup-shaped fungus on a branch.

efriend@efriend· 19d

Looks like there's a party on this stick. #SlimeMold?

Base of a stick covered with undetermined growth, possibly a #SlimeMold.

Close-up of the sprouting #SlimeMold showing red at the base rising to a light yellow sphere. They are loosely clustered on a wet branch.

efriend@efriend· 29d

Nice hunk of #Lichen from today's dog walk

Fallen oak branch covered with multiple types of lichen including a wispy, frondy one and one that looks like tiny tubes with cups at the end.

efriend@efriend· Jul 6

Here's how some of these developed:

A cluster of slime molds looking like fluffy yellow lollipops sprouting from a log.

A single stalk of a slime mold with a fluffy yellow ball of spores at the end.

efriend@efriend· Jun 28

We've been in a terrible drought, too parched all summer for #SlimeMold to thrive, so I'm delighted to see all these little guys suddenly sprouting after yesterday's brief rain.

An unidentified reddish-gold slime mold sprouting from a log.

At least four globules of wolf's milk slime mold.

efriend@efriend· Jun 28

Small centipede curled up in a crevice in a rotten stump.

efriend@efriend· Jun 28

A light orange slime mold sprouting from a rotten stump.

Light orange slime mold sprouting from a rotten stump, alongside a small orange beetle that looks remarkably similar.

efriend@efriend· Jun 28

Young slime mold with roly-poly for scale. #SlimeMoldSunday #FungiFriends

Undetermined red blobs sprouting from a rotten stump with a gray roly-poly nearby, looking huge by comparison.

efriend@efriend· Jun 21

Wondering if this might be the start of a #SlimeMold, but it's very slow to develop. #FungiFriends

A pair of pale opaque globules of inderterminate origin growing from a fallen log.

efriend@efriend· Jun 12

Bet this guy thinks he's clever

Absolutely ginormous red Ford F150 backed into a parking space labeled "compact car."

efriend@efriend· Jun 1

Early morning chipmunk, a story in three acts

Zoomed in shot of a striped chipmunk running through grass alongside a low concrete wall.

Chipmunk climbing up the wall towards a tiny crack in the concrete.

Only the chipmunk's tail is still visible as it darts into the tiny hole in the wall.

efriend@efriend· May 25

#FungiFriends

Turkey tail fungi in striking shades of brick red and orange, growing along the length of a fallen log.

A medium white mushroom with delicate gills sprouting among leaf litter and ferns.

Milky white orbs on a rotten log. Possibly a young #SlimeMold?

efriend@efriend· May 25

An Eastern box turtle looking a bit annoyed among damp leaves

Same turtle from behind, with a particularly vivid yellow pattern on its shell.

efriend@efriend· May 25

We've seen bobcats on the #TrailCam before, but these are the clearest daytime shots yet.

efriend@efriend· May 25

#TrailCam

efriend@efriend· May 16

Peace & Blessings, y'all

Facebook post from SPCA of Wake County:
Peace & Blessings are so nearly feral we can't even handle them to get a picture, so we made you a drawing. This may honestly be the first time we've had longtimer gerbils. These aren't your typical
get-them-for-your-kids gerbils. They will bite your children. Blessings will attack you if you mess with his tunnels, Peace will attack you no matter what. The only safe way we've devised to clean their enclosure involves oven mitts and a bowl. There used to be a third gerbil, but - and this is real- they ate him. Which (understandably) traumatized their owner to the point they could no longer bear to keep them
Which brings us to today: a pair of gerbils out of a Stephen King novel, probably on a few watch lists, and definitely not getting adopted unless we do something drastic
So do you have no kids? Thick skin? A love for gerbils that surpasses their hatred for you? Please call us. Not your cup of tea? No problem. Maybe you can still help by sharing. After all, there's a lid for every pot.... right?
More info at spcawake.org/smallpets
C

Hand-drawn sketch of two gerbils (presumably), one grayish, one brownish, both grinning malevolently.

efriend@efriend· Apr 30

First turtle of spring! Always be #TurtlePosting

Eastern box turtle among pine straw and leaves.

efriend@efriend· Apr 23

Ok, two more

Chocolate tube slime mold looking like a small forest of muppet eyelashes sprouting from a log.

Wasp nest slime mold in an earlier stage that resembles shiny clusters of blackberries.

efriend@efriend· Apr 22

It's too dry for #SlimeMolds so far this spring, so here are some of my favorites from last year.

Trichia varia (possibly), looking a lot like baked beans on the underside of a log.

Wasp's nest slime mold with red fluff bursting out of tiny globes on stalks that hang off the side of an old log.

Bright yellow plasmodium sprawling across a fallen cedar tree in dramatic fashion.

Coral slime mold with delicate white tendrils in clumps on a damp log.

efriend@efriend· Apr 13

I'm excited to be co-teaching an audio workshop with the clever & capable Marc Maximov on May 30 & 31 at the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke. We'll be collecting stories of the #BullCity and crafting short, sound-rich audio snapshots. Join us! Details here: rsvp.duke.edu/event/95a9c6...

Picture of an audio editing session. Text reads: AUDIO SNAPSHOTS
TAUGHT BY: ELIZABETH FRIEND AND MARC MAXIMOV
Inspired by Jay Alison's Sonic IDs, this two-day workshop guides participants in recording, editing, and workshopping sound-rich audio snapshots around Durham, culminating in at least one polished short "audio postcard," with optional additional edits, and is open to all skill levels with some prior recording experience and access to basic audio equipment
2-DAY WORKSHOP: 5/30 & 5/31 SATURDAY & SUNDAY, 10 AM - 4 PM ET
Duke Center for Documentary Studies

efriend@efriend· Apr 12

Took advantage of NC’S lax laws on exotic animals to go see some critters

A fennec fox standing on hind legs looking cute.

Three-banded armadillo running around in sawdust.

Ostriches looking suspicious with rheas in the background.

Large sulcata tortoise enjoying the sunshine in a grassy field.

efriend@efriend· Apr 9

Looking through Discover Durham's gallery for possible photos to promo an upcoming event and I was delighted to find this shot of Audio Under the Stars from our Aug 2019 show. I think this was our last show at CDS. Love the purple and green vibe in this pic.