It’s that time again – Yes, Science Online is right around the corner (TOMORROW!!!), but we’ve got some business to take care of. I’ve done a bad job being on time (read: I’m two weeks late) with this post, but let’s get down to it anyways:

First up, the molluscs (because they’re my favorites!)

Wandering Weeta brings us a tale of love lost – well, it’s actually more like a love never found. You’d think life might be easier with a penis several times your body length, wouldn’t you?

Anna Tambour writes on P. G. Wodehouse’s use of snails in his writings (he was a British humourist – is it bad that I had to look that up?) It really gets one in the mood to wax poetic about molluscs (in case you needed an excuse.)

Last for the molluscs, I have a new-ish piece about cephalopod ink – and what it means to the cephalopods who see (or smell) it.

On to the Insects!

The Dragonfly Woman tells a tale of capitalism at its finest – the economy, trading entirely in insects, that arises when you mix a class science project with a free market.

John Callender at Carp Without Cars talks about plant galls, and the parasites that cause them. This post has a bunch of great photos of this easy-to-overlook phenomenon.

Some wonderful photos are up at the Birder’s Lounge, where Amber Coakley shows off her ability to woo a Mantis (hey, they’re holding hands! What was I supposed to think?)

At Wild About Ants, you can check out a set of photos that encompasses the entire life cycle of a colony of sweat bees (and the havoc that disturbing it wreaked.)

The last of the insect-related posts for this edition, check out Ted MacRae’s beautiful macro photography of a tiger beetle over at Beetles in the Bush. The more good photography I see, the more I wish I was good at photography!

I have one last arthropod-related submission this month – it’s a crustaceean! Check out Zen Faulkes’ piece on a very *handy* little lobster (you’ll get the pun after you see the pictures, trust me.)

From FishiLeaks (which is the cleverest blog title I’ve seen in a while,) we have an article on those beautiful reef inhabitants, the aquatic flatworms. Two words: Penis Fencing.

I know it’s been hard working reading all of the invertebrate greatness that this last month produced. Here, have some cute:

Thanks for reading!