It's tomorrow!

International Rock Flipping Day, that is.

Here's a handy badge for your blog. (Copy, save, and paste.)

We're looking forward to a good turnout this year; I hope you'll be joining us.

A quick reminder: if you've flipped rocks before, you know the drill. If not, here's what we'll be doing, from our host this year, Heather at "At the Edge of the Ordinary".

• Find a rock. Sometime around September 14, flip it over and record what you discover. You can flip more than one rock.

• You can record your findings in whatever way you prefer, whether that is through photos, videos, sketches, prose, or poetry.

• Share your findings in a blog post (and use the badge at the beginning of this post, if you like), or upload your photos to this Flickr group.

• Send me (that's Heather) your links by email or by filling out my contact form.

• ... I will collect all of your IRFD links and post them here for everyone to explore. You can then share them on your blog or social media (the hashtag on Twitter is #rockflip).

I (that's me, Susannah) will be monitoring the Flickr group, and will pass on the links to Heather.

Sunday is the Day itself, but it's ok to jump the gun if Sunday is impossible for you. I, for one, will be home expecting company all day Sunday, so we're heading to Cougar Canyon this afternoon to find some good rocks.

A likely-looking rock, at Boundary Bay.

And remember: be safe*, be respectful**, and have fun!

*One thing I (Dave Bonta) forgot to do in the initial post is to caution people about flipping rocks in poisonous snake or scorpion habitat. In that case, I’d suggest wearing gloves and/or using a pry bar — or simply finding somewhere else to do your flipping. Please do not disturb any known rattlesnake shelters if you don’t plan on replacing the rocks exactly as you found them. Timber rattlesnakes, like many other adult herps, are very site-loyal, and can die if their homes are destroyed. Also, don’t play with spiders. If you disturb an adjacent hornet nest (hey, it’s possible), run like hell. But be sure to have someone standing by to get it all on film!

**The animals we find under rocks are at home; they rest there, sleep there, raise their families there. Then we come along and take off the roof, so please remember to replace it carefully. Try not to squish the residents; move them aside if they're big enough; they'll run back as soon as their rock is back in place.