"Oh What A Tangled Web We Weave When First We Practice To Deceive."

Today's challenge was to make a photograph of a plant. I found this weed growing on the side of my neighbour's house and noticed the large webs that the spiders had recently spun. Upon closer observation, I thought it interesting to see how the weeds had been intricately woven into the web. I loved how the water drops reflected the light appearing as glittering crystal in the flower bed.

Mags.

Ewwwwww...You Stink!

Today's daily challenge was to make a photograph of an insect. Unfortunately, I didn't have an opportunity to photograph anything today so I am using a photo I took last week while on vacation.

This photo is of a plant that grows gourds. If you look carefully, you can see several stinkbugs in and around the plant. Like all true bugs, stinkbugs have no chewing mouthparts. Instead, they have tubelike beaks called rostrums attached to their heads. The rostrum has four thin, sharp needles in it.

Many stinkbugs sink their needles into plants. They use their needles to suck up the sap or juice that the plants use to transport and store food. Some stinkbugs stick their beaks into other insects and suck their body fluids. When not feeding, stinkbugs hold their beaks underneath their bodies between their front legs.

Like most bugs, a stinkbug has two pairs of wings. The back wings are so thin you can almost see through them. The front wings are thick and tough at the base and very thin at the tips. When a stinkbug rests, the tips of its front wings cross, forming what looks like an “X.”

Mags.

Another One Bites The Dust.....

It seems to be a daily ritual this summer: grab a glass of wine (or a martini, vodka and something, etc) and sit on the front porch to unwind after work and enjoy the beautiful summer. While this is all fine and dandy, the problem seems to by that I can only take a few sips of whatever it is I'm drinking before I have to pour it down the drain. The issue? Seems like I'm not the only one who likes to have the odd drink here or there....without fail, flies, bees and other flying insects seem to find their way into my glass. They usually last only a few second before they die from alcohol poisoning. This little guy lasted a good 5 minutes before he met his demise......I actually saw him doing the backstroke in my merlot.....

Mags.

Earwigs: Friends or Foes?

I took this photo of an earwig hangin' out on a flower a few days ago while working in the garden. When I was little, I used to be scared of them as I thought they were really creepy.

Despite their scary appearance and reputation, earwigs are not directly harmful to humans. In fact, they are often beneficial, acting as scavengers of decaying matter and predators of insect larvae, slug eggs, aphids, and other garden pests.

Adult earwigs are about 1.5 to 2.0 cm (1/2" to ¾") long and have antennae about half as long. The male has a large, curved pair, while the female has smaller, nearly straight ones. The earwig uses these during courtship and as a defence against attackers. Earwigs have a long, flat body with a tough, shiny, reddish-brown hard outer shell and prominent pincers (or forceps) at the end of their bodies. They do have wings but seldom fly. The female earwig can lay up to two batches of eggs per season and protects the nymphs (young earwigs) for the first two weeks, often chasing the male earwig away.


Mags.

The Great Debate

Friday afternoon....the weekend starts in a few mere hours. One of my coworkers shouts in excitement for everyone in the office to come take a look at something. We ran over to her desk and she pointed to the window behind her......is it a butterfly or is it a moth? While we debated back and forth, it suddenly dawned on me that this is the first photo opportunity that I had to capture an "interesting" creature. I quickly grabbed my P&S camera that I always carry in my purse and was able to snap a few photos of the insect resting on the glass. Meanwhile, the great debate continued amongst the women in the office. It ended up in a tie....3-3.

 

Any moth / butterfly experts out there? Can you identify what this is?

 

(For the record, my vote was "moth" as I felt the body was too fat and furry to be that of a butterfly).

Mags.

"Praying" For A Miracle

MAY 28, 2010

Thank you everyone who helped identify the bugs that are feasting on my lilies...I spent a good half hour last night holding a flashlight and picking the beatles out of the succulent lily leaves and crushing them (a solution presented to me via the world wide web). Imagine my frustration and disappointment when I found more of those bugs hanging off of the leaves this morning. That's it.....this is war!

I went to a reputable nursery in Georgetown this evening and spoke with the resident bug expert. When I explained to him my dilema and showed him a photo of the bastards, he led me to the bug killer aisle and explained all the different sprays, liquids and powders available. I'm concerned about accidentally harming neighbourhood animals with these solutions and was looking for something a little more "green" and easy to use. While all were "environmentally friendly", he presented me with one more option that peaked my interest. As he opened the fridge door, he handed me a bright, child's toy -like container. It was a praying mantis' cocoon. I was confused.....add MORE bugs into the garden? Mr. Garden Expert explained that Praying Mantises are exclusively predatory. Insects form the primary diet, but larger species have been known to prey on small lizards, frogs, birds, snakes, fish and even rodents; they will prey upon any species small enough to successfully capture and devour. Most species of mantis are known to engage in cannibalism. The majority of mantises are ambush predators, waiting for prey to stray too near. The mantis then lashes out at remarkable speed. Some ground and bark species, however, pursue their prey rather quickly. Prey items are caught and held securely with grasping, spiked forelegs. He instructed me to leave the "cage" in the sun and within a few days, hundreds of praying mantis are hatched. All I need to do is release them and nature will take it's course.

At this point, what's the harm in trying. It sure beats standing outside in my jammies in the middle of the night, shining a flashlight into the garden and picking and crushing bugs......wish me luck............

Mags.

Caught In The Act...............

MAY 27, 2010

After the heavy downpour and thunderstorm earlier this evening, I decided to venture out and capture some photos of the drenched garden. It wasn't until after I downloaded the photos that I noticed these two bugs going at it while the third one in the background seemed to be looking on. I'm not sure what these little pests are; however, am NOT to pleased that they seem to be destroying my lilies in the process. Anyone know what they are and how I can get rid of them?

Mags.