A waking fly greets the new day.
“A day is a miniature eternity.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Believe every day that has dawned is your last.” – Horace
All Hail The Dawn!
7
Tag Archives: insect
Handsome fellow
A shot from last month. I couldn’t resist sharing this fine hawthorn shield bug sitting pretty on sedum flowers.
Over on the Shed Gallery blog, my last post as Artist of the Week is about some of the things that inspire my photography.
Maternity ward
Seeing this, one can understand why greenfly are public enemy number one in the garden. The aphid’s latest ‘baby’ has not even dropped to join its siblings yet, but another baby is already being pushed out. And the aphid ‘mum’ is feeding at the same time. Way to multi-task!
Over at The Shed Gallery blog today I am discussing some of my favourite images by other Shed creatives. And not a greenfly in sight, I promise.
Leaf hopper
It’s been a while since I posted something buggy, so here’s a little leaf hopper hanging out on a blade of grass. I liked the way the background has the same two colours as the grass blade only the other way up.
Little nymphs
Is this not a cute little thing? This is a psocid nymph, pottering about on a dogwood leaf. These are so small you hardly notice them, unless you spend a ridiculously long time staring at leaves, risking ridicule or at least benign amusement from your family.
This little nymph has a parasite in its belly, which I understand is very common for these little critters. But if you ignore the parasite, it tones quite prettily with its colourful Autumn environment. Perhaps that’s just me…
Pretty in yellow
Well, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. But to me this little yellow psocid, hanging out against a complimentary background, is a thing of beauty.
Its common name is rather less attractive – it is a bark louse.
Unlike its relatives who live as pests in the home, this critter eats organic matter in the garden and really isn’t interested in coming indoors. It is very small indeed, about the size of a garden ant.
Psocids in the garden are often mistaken for aphids, but they can be distinguished by their large jaws, resembling those of crickets, and long antennae. If you can squint closely enough. Really, these details can only be noticed with the aid of a macro lens, or a magnifying glass.
I took far too many shots of this little critter. I need just one for a panel I am working on. Which do you like best?
A last gasp of Summer
A beautiful sunny day today, if a little cold, and the hardy carder bees made the most of it. As did the hardy carder bee photographer.
Mystery river fly
I found this beautiful creature sheltering from the rain under one of the curlicues of our wrought-iron gate. It is some sort of river fly but I haven’t conclusively identified it more specifically. Any river fly experts out there? It has two long tails, unlike the common mayfly which has three, and apparently only one pair of wings. I found it nowhere near a river so I an guessing it is one of the river flies that will inhabit standing water. Anyway, whatever it is, it’s a beauty! Here’s a close-up:
Bush cricket again
It’s been a while since I posted a picture of the speckled bush crickets in my garden. They seem to have disappeared now – this shot was taken in July. I think it is an adult, although I am prepared to be corrected on that. Here it is taking a well-earned rest from the tiring task of peppering my mallow flowers with holes.
Loving the alien
An ant investigates a tentacled alien in a mauve world.
Focused Moments 