Monday macrobug: Praying mantis
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!
insects
Monday macrobug: parsleyworm
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
Monday macrobug: long beetle
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.
Monday macrobugs: Wasp trio
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.
Monday macrobug: Walking stick
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.
Monday Macrobug: spotted pine sawyer
That’s an adult Monochamus clamator, the spotted pine sawyer, a kind of longhorned beetle. This one was on my deck this morning. My, what long antennae you have! “Give me a kiss,” the beetle says…
New macrobugs from the Bentley farm
It’s been a while since I’ve posted a “macrobug” photo. So here’s two for you: a harvestman (“daddy longlegs”), and a pelecinid wasp:
Cottonwood trees being consumed by caterpillars
In Waterton Lakes National Park, Alberta, my students and I camped under the shade of cottonwood trees… But some of the cottonwoods’ branches were looking a little thin… Caterpillars were munching on their leaves. And some trees had been completely denuded by the voracious little larvae: All three photos are taken on roughly the same … Read more
Dobsonfly
Here’s your macrobug of the week: a male dobsonfly we encountered last weekend, while making houseguests some pizza. What a beast! Envelope for scale: Adding a finger (not too close) for scale: A better perspective on the envelope, with a shirt button thrown in too: Lola looks intimidated as she contemplates this insect through the … Read more
Weekend critters from Shenandoah National Park
My penchant for macro photographer of small animals continues unabated. Here are some images from Saturday and Sunday along Skyline Drive and the Whiteoak Canyon / Cedar Run loop in Shenandoah National Park, Virginia: A fly with a hairy back of golden iridescence. Compare it to this one: Very similar in some regards, but check … Read more