ET, the movie

No, not the cute little alien of Speilberg fame. It's a movie of my ET stickbug. This is my first video, so it's not too thrilling. But it's been a lesson for me, just figuring out how to do it. (I'll probably need many repeat lessons. So Mr. Speilberg's career is in no danger!)

Pink mantis captured

...with my new camera, that is .

The plan is to carry my camera with me wherever I go, so I can take pictures whenever something catches my eye. So here's what grabbed my attention on the way into the bookstore:





Hee-hee! She's pink! 

The new camera

I took it to the arboretum this morning, (yes, while most other people were out shopping, I was wandering through the arboretum. I hate shopping, anyway.) I was eager to see how it did taking pictures of plants and bugs. I didn't realize until I downloaded them onto my computer that I didn't even have the camera set to high resolution. I will have to figure out how to do that for next time. Even so, I was pleased with its performance. So far, it has been easy to use, but I know there are lots of features I don't know how to use yet.

To complicate matters, things are changing regarding the way I need to upload my pictures to my blogs. That's why I had to make a bunch of little posts instead of one long one. So just keep scrolling down. When you get to the post about the tiny fly in the cactus flower, that's the end. 

Insects on the milkweed

Well actually, this little fly was near the milkweed. I was just happy to be able to take a picture of something so little.


Monarch caterpillar season is now in session.


A ladybug munches on a yellow aphid.



A little syrphid fly. 

The small stuff

I couldn't even tell this was a bug at first, it was so tiny.



Thanks to the macro, I could see it was a teeny tiny leaf-hopper of some kind.







This one wasn't as tiny, but it came out good. 

Bees, close up, and practically in focus!

I have always wanted to photograph bees carrying different colors of pollen in their "pollen baskets", but it was very hard for me to get them in focus. This new camera makes it much easier. Here's some very light creamy-colored pollen.


Some tomato-red pollen.

A bee-mimic fly..

With striped eyes!



It was the same size as a bee, but weird-looking. 

There's a tiny fly inside this cactus flower.

It's walking around on the pollen grains.


See? 

Mantis Monday for 11-13-06

I got this little plush praying mantis several years ago, during the Beanie Baby craze. It isn't an actual Beanie Baby, nor do I think there was ever a mantis character in their product line. But there were plenty of off-brand little stuffed animals trying to ride the wave of Beanie success, and I think this guy was one of those.

At this time, I have gone through just about all of my praying mantis-obelia for Mantis Monday.
I might have a few more little plastic ones, but they are likely duplicates or near-duplicates of others I have already posted. I do have one more rather elegant piece, but I'm saving it for a couple more weeks. And I have hopes for a revised version of Mantis Monday for next year.

Three's a crowd

I came upon a trio of grasshoppers this afternoon. The smaller males were making their way, slowly, to the large female. I didn't have a lot of time to stand there and watch them, but I did stay long enough for the male on the far right to lightly tap on the guy in front of him, as if to say, "May I cut in?", and then the front-runner slowly moved away.



As the male crept closer, the female suddenly drew her hind legs up sharply, and the male retreated somewhat, over the side of the fenceboard. I had to leave them at this point, and when I came back, they were both gone. Off to romantic hideaway, I hope.

Praying mantis comic

My aunt called this comic to my attention the other day. It was one of those classic "I saw this bug-related thing, and I thought of you," moments.

Frank & Ernest by Bob Thaves

Thanks, Heather!

A mantid in Oregon

I am finding lots of great bug photos online. It's easier than finding them outside, and just as addictive! Oregon Wild: Chinese Mantid

This guy has other bug photos in his blog, many of them snapped while they were flying. (I'm jealous!)

Mantis Monday for 11-06-06

Ground Mantids

When I was a kid, we had ground mantids in our yard. I didn’t really know that’s what they were back then, only that they were smaller and more elusive than the ones that lived in the bushes, and they ran really fast with their bodies held close to the ground, like tiny lizards.

I have seen very few ground mantids since then. My favorite sighting was in my beloved Death Valley, on my birthday, about 10 years ago. While exploring along the outskirts of a cinder cone, I spied some tiny mantids running on the sandy-lava soil. I marveled at their tiny size, considering it was November, and wondered whether they were young nymphs that hatched after the hottest part of the year had passed, or if they were adults, which most other mantids would surely be by this time of year. If they were adults, they were super small.



Unfortunately, this was before we had entered the age of digital cameras, and this was the best picture we were able to get at the time. I sent a copy of the photo to Death Valley, with a note asking for information about the mantid, but in the reply, they said they didn’t know anything about it. I can hardly believe it, but I haven’t even been back to DV since then. It’s been way too long. I dream of going back and finding the little desert mantids again.

A few years ago, I found more ground mantids on our trip to Paradise. I was able to catch one and photograph it through the jar.

Deroplatys Lobata sheds successfully

It's been 2 weeks since I brought the little bugger home. He* was very active until the other day, when he seemed like he might be ready to moult. I kept misting him and trying to keep him warm. This morning he finally shed.










And here is where I put his container to keep him warm...In Spike's cage!
She couldn't quite figure out what was in there.








* I don't know if he's really a male. I usually default to the masculine until I confirm otherwise.