"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.

Busy as a Bee

I was watering my container plants early this evening when I spotted this bee busy at work trying to get the pollen out of this tiny, trailing Bacopa flower . After several hundred shots, I chose this one. I really liked how the wings on the bee seemed a bit iridescent.

Mags.

Hidden In Suburbia

After not having a lot of photo opportunities yesterday, I was dying to get out today and shoot pics with some new toys I recently picked up. I wasn't motivated by anything around me so I took a trip to Loafers Lake for a walk around. It's sad that I've never experienced this little gem of a park hidden in the suburban city I live in. Although the weather was hot, hazy and humid, we spent a good hour and a half walking the trails and I managed to capture some great shots. It was hard to decide which one to use. This conservation area was quite green in colour and I've vowed to return in the fall when the leaves are changing colour. This shot was captured in a marshy section of the lake. I was getting eaten by mosquitos (which I'm sure I'll pay for dearly later); however, thought it was a good shot with the reflection of the trees from the other side of the lake.

Mags.

Dead Like Fred

This is Fred. He is dead. Fred is a pesky fly . This uninvited house guest was flying around the house for a few days now just generally being a nusance driving us all insane with his incessant buzzing (similar to the annoying vuvuzelas heard in the World Cup soccer games). Ha Ha Fred. You're so dead. Look who has the last laugh now..........

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.