We had several of these guys come inside in October, only to find themselves trapped and spend days flying around the window screens, trying to find a way back outside. This one is dead: Look at those stripey antennae! That thread-like waist! That extended stinger(?) or is it an ovipositor?
This is a wheel bug, so called because of that protuberance on its back… Here’s another one – but this “wheel” has a flat tire…
These guys were all over the exterior of our house in October, trying to get into the interior. Here’s the view from the outside, looking down on the back of stinkbug: Nasty species – invasive, destructive to plants, persistent in its desire to be indoors, and most pointedly, downright smelly.
Found this caterpillar in the dirt the other day outside my house… Here it is (in the palm of my leather work gloves – the width of a finger may be seen blurrily in the background): I spent some time looking for matches on Bug Guide and in Garden Insects of North America by Whitney … Read more
Photographed this one before the leaves changed – a big gravid female. Look at the size of that swollen abdomen – much like my wife was on that same day!
Look what I found while out weed-whacking in the yard: (gloved fingers for scale) That’s the larva of the black swallowtail butterfly. This good-looking caterpillar is colloquially known as a “parsleyworm.” In these last two shots, check it out without and with the osmeteria (fleshy “horns” behind the head) everted in defense: The osmeteria get … Read more
This one popped up as I was splitting wood the other day. Here’s a very long beetle on fresh oak: As near I can figure, this fellow might be in the genus Calleida. I couldn’t find a perfect match, though.
We’ve got plenty of spiders out here in the Fort Valley. Here’s a look at one common species: a sweet momma grass spider striding along, carrying dozens of infant spiderlings on her abdomen: How many children can you count? A week or so later, I saw another one, with a similar load:
Last week, we featured an insect that got into the house. This week, three insects that found their way into our screened-in porch. Wasps have an uncanny ability to get in there and get stuck. We inadvertently nab at least one per day that way. Pencil eraser for scale.
Usually the bugs I photograph are outside. But this guy was on the leg of the coffee table in our living room! How he got in, I have no idea. Pencil eraser for scale.