Catching the fleeting scenes of many splendored life
'Look closely. The beautiful may be small' — Kant

11 January 2012

Insects. Bees, Weevils, Beetles, Caterpillars, Damselflies, Bugs, Locusts and Flies

It's amazing how many insects you can bump into while wondering around a pond. It just takes a little patience to snap them.

Bee on a yellow clover flower
Bee on a yellow clover flower.
(© 2011 LightColourShade. All rights reserved)

Having fun in a snug place.

Mating weevils (Lixus angustatus)
Mating weevils (Lixus angustatus).
(© 2011 LightColourShade. All rights reserved)

This beautiful shiny insect does look like a jewel or a Christmas ornament.

Jewel wasp (Chrysura radians)
Jewel wasp (Chrysura radians).
(© 2011 LightColourShade. All rights reserved)

Gendarme beetle (Pyrrhocoris apterus)
Gendarme beetle (Pyrrhocoris apterus).
(© 2011 LightColourShade. All rights reserved) 

Brithys crini moth caterpillars feeding on sea daffodil leaves
Brithys crini moth caterpillars feeding on sea daffodil leaves
(© 2011 LightColourShade. All rights reserved)

Damselflies (suborder Zygoptera) are insects in the order Odonata. They feed on flies, mosquitoes, and other small insects. Although they look like dragonflies, the wings of most damselflies are held along, and parallel to, the body when at rest. Furthermore, the hind wing of the damselfly is essentially similar to the forewing, while the hind wing of the dragonfly broadens near the base. Damselflies are usually smaller than dragonflies and weaker fliers in comparison, and their eyes are separated.

Mating common bluetail damselflies (Ischnura heterosticta)
Mating common bluetail damselflies (Ischnura heterosticta)
(© 2011 LightColourShade. All rights reserved)

Red And Black Striped Stink Bug Graphosoma lineatum
Red And Black Striped Stink Bug (Graphosoma lineatum)
(© 2011 LightColourShade. All rights reserved)

Love affair.

Red And Black Striped Stink Bug Graphosoma lineatum pair mating
Red And Black Striped Stink Bug (Graphosoma lineatum) pair mating.
(© 2011 LightColourShade. All rights reserved)

Migratory locust Locusta migratoria on fennel stem
Migratory locust (Locusta migratoria) on fennel stem.
(© 2011 LightColourShade. All rights reserved)

The maggots of this fly consume dead tissue while leaving live tissue intact, and so were used in maggot therapy in the past, and today due to a resurgence of medical literature documenting their effectiveness. These flies lay eggs in cadaver tissue in the wild within hours after death. The developmental stage of their larvae in the cadaver can be used to accurately predict the time of death.

Common Greenbottle fly Lucilia sericata
Common Greenbottle fly Lucilia sericata.
(© 2011 LightColourShade. All rights reserved)

5 comments:

  1. Wow, what a great collection of photos, and a wonderful entomology dissertation as well. I used to have a collection of bugs as a child, but they are so much better caught in the act of being themselves.
    Thanks so much for this post.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks a lot, glad you liked them.
    I used to play with flies and cockroaches as a child since I was told they were harmful, until it dawned on me that it was cruel and unjust, and I never did it again.
    Anyway, I have more insect pictures coming up sometime soon.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Awesome! I love the cuddling weevels.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Beautiful photos and I love how you captured so many colours in each and every shot. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, glad you noticed my love for colours.

      Delete

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