Reconnecting with nature through hiking, camping, and paddling
Photographs of insects that don’t neatly fit into another category
I stopped to look around at the edge of a meadow in Powhatan State Park on a hot summer day. The sun was blazing, and most of the wildlife was laying low. That’s when I noticed this little beetle perched on the edge of a leaf. It seemed to be surveying the meadow, just checking things out to see what was going on. I managed to snap this photo just before it flew away.
Continue reading “Surveying the Meadow”
This week’s photo challenge is Ooh, Shiny! The concept is to photograph something that distracts you.
This family of aphids watches helplessly as one of their clan is ruthlessly devoured by their arch enemy, the ladybird beetle (aka ladybug). When you look at a ladybug it’s easy to forget they are savage predators.
This Ailanthus Webworm Moth was making its way among wildflowers when I saw it in early September.
At first I thought the beetle on this thin-leaved sunflower was a soldier beetle but something didn’t look quite right. Looking more closely I’ve identified it as a Pennsylvania Leatherwing Beetle. According to insectidentification.org, the Pennsylvania Leatherwing Beetle is highly beneficial in their predation of aphids. As a bonus, their quest for insect prey turns them into efficient pollinators.
I saw this fly walking along a palm leaf and decided to try out some macro shots. I wasn’t happy with any of the more traditional photos I took but liked this one, taken from the underside of the leaf.
This praying mantis was on a picnic table when I found it. I moved it to a pine tree where it began climbing as I began shooting.