Beetles & Bugs

[best appreciated at full size against black] There's an old, overgrown dirt road which parallels the gravel road up to our house, and this road travels next to the seasonal creek. It's shady and pretty here, and walking along one day I found a buttercup with a little friend atop it, feasting on the pollen! I got lots of cute pictures as it walked around and in the end, it turned away and flew off to another sunny destination! I hope you enjoy this collage! This image was taken in April, 2012.

[best appreciated at full size against black] The other day I posted an image of a budding Miniature Lupine. Right after I took that picture, I noticed something moving just ahead of me in the grass. I didn't have to look closely, because this guy is a good 1" long and he was ga-lumphing along like a walrus out of water being chased by a land shark! He's so chubby I thought the earth would shake as he moved by! When I looked at my pictures on my computer, I couldn't believe it! This guy looks just like a Graboid from one of my all-time favorite movies, Tremors!! He even looks like he's exploding out of the ground! In fact, I would not be at all surprised if they didn't use a larvae like this as a model. I have absolutely NO IDEA what this will turn into, but it certainly didn't behave like a regular caterpillar. It didn't have feet except at the hind end, and I think those were just for hanging by when it makes its coccoon. I think it might be some kind of beetle larvae? Whatever it was, it was freakin' me out! :D Cool Trivia Fact: My husband worked on many of the miniature special effects for Tremors!! Yay Steve!! This image was taken in April, 2012.

I don't know exactly what kind of beetle this is, but I usually see it on buttercups. If you happen to know what type this is, I'd love to put correct information here! :)

[best appreciated at full size against black] I am really excited about butterflies and every time I see one, I hope against hope that it will land close enough for me to take its picture. I've been having some great luck with my new camera, and I got some more the other day! I was up on our ridge line and noticed several swallowtail butterflies flying around the manzanita blossoms, and eventually one of them landed close enough for me to take some pictures! I wasn't able to get very close, but when I looked at this picture on my computer, I exclaimed, "HEY! This looks like the kind of picture Shannon would take! YAY!!!" I've uploaded two other pictures today and I hope you'll visit them too! Thanks to all of you who have visited and have left comments and favorites! I try to go to all of your pages within a day or two and is a highlight for me to see your beautiful photography! :) NOTE! I have finally updated my profile and I hope you'll take a look to find out a little more about me and how important all of you are to my experience here on Flickr! Janet's profile (sfhipchick) This image was taken in March, 2012.

On our property, I have seen about half a dozen types of butterflies and skippers, and the most common of all is this one. Next is the Common Ringlet , which is an off-white butterfly. The others, which are actually colorful and beautifully patterned...I rarely see or they flit around me laughing before flying away while tears stream down my face. To all of you reading this who are saying, "What's the problem?! There are LOTS of beautiful butterflies everywhere for ME!!" ...I would like to get into a pillow fight with you right now!! :D I shouldn't complain because this skipper IS pretty!! But I would love to see more COLORFUL butteflies please! :D :D The Propertius Duskywing is a type of butterfly called a skipper, which is in-between a butterfly and a moth. Skippers have stocky, hairy bodies like moths, and knobs at the end of their antennae like butterflies (unlike the lovely feather-like antennae of moths). When resting, they also tend to hold their wings differently, with the hind wings flat and the fore wings up over their body. However, this one is holding its wings moth-like; butterflies tend to hold their wings up over their body. This Duskywing is found in the Pacific Northwest from British Columbia to Baja, California; larval caterpillars eat oak leaves, and adults feed on flower nectar. If you would like to know more about Duskywings, Wiki has a list of links here: Wiki: Duskywing . For more information about Skippers, Wiki has a wonderful page here: Wiki: Skippers .

One morning I went out to enjoy the birds and the warm sun rising in the sky. As I was wandering around the meadow, I found lots of subjects to photograph. While I was taking a picture of a poison oak flower, I noticed a bit of movement and on a leaf nearby, I found this little friend peering at me. I got to take this one picture before he hopped into the grass and was gone. Isn't it wonderful when you can get a nice picture with just one take?! This image was taken in April, 2012.

This hoverfly was so intent on wolfing down pollen that it didn't mind me getting as close as I wanted to. Nice for practice, I got over a dozen shots and a handful that turned out nicely. This one is my favorite because of the shallow depth of field. Hoverflies are also known as "Flower Flies" or "Syrphid flies" and there are over 6,000 species found world-wide except Antarctica. They often have coloring which mimic bees and wasps, but they are harmless. They are a beneficial insect and eat garden pests such as aphids and leafhoppers. Hoverflies get their name from their ability to hover in place, and often do so when visiting flowers for the pollen and nectar they enjoy. If you would like to know more about these pretty flies, Wiki has a very nice page here: Wiki: Hoverfly

When Steve and I went to the emu ranch back in May, I found out instantly that the entire property was covered with wonderful things for me to photograph. I found this Boxelder Bug crawling on a shrub about 5 minutes after I got out of the car! :D Boxelder Bugs are native to North America and got their name from the tree sap they most like to eat, that of the Box Elder tree. However, they also love Maple trees and also Oak trees, which is the predominent tree that we have growing on our property. These bugs are common house pests, and find their way through any cracks in windows and doors, and then congregate on the walls and ceilings during the colder winter months. When disturbed, they release a "pine"-like odor, and also smell that way when squished! (We call them Pine Sap Bugs!) If you would like to know more about these bugs, Wiki has a nice page here: Wiki: Boxelder Bug

What could get better than finding not one but TWO beautiful Ornate Checkered Beetles on this gorgeous Oregon Checker Mallow?! This pair was so busy eating pollen that they paid no attention to me and I was able to take as many pictures as I wanted! I've always been happy that these beautiful beetles are so common here, because I see them all the time. Their scientific name, "Trichodes" means "fuzzy" and I couldn't agree more with that name! They appear smooth if you don't get a close look, but through a macro lens, it's amazing how hairy they are--you can see the pollen sticking to all the fuzzy hairs on their bodies! These beetles are native to North America, and more common in the western half of the U.S.

This image is a little bit blurry but I really love how this guy is poised on the edg of the leaf. It took off an instant after I took this picture and I love it when I get a picture of a nervous bug! :D

This is one of the common insects we have climing around on our hillside and up along our ridge. They are a kind of stink bug, which translates to: don't touch or you'll get sprayed with a noxious juice!

Tanbark Borer Beetles are fairly large, about 1/2" in size, and are in a group of beetles called Longhorn Beetles for an obvious reason! We have many types of these beetles on our property, which are native to Eurasia, but are now found here as well!

Have you ever tried to identify an insect or plant before? It can be so frustrating. Take this lovely little beetle, for example. I spent a solid hour searching high and low, through my books, on the internet, searching Google Images, through Bug sites...and I can't figure out what this one is called! It's no wonder that insect identification is so hard: there are over ONE MILLION identified insects and an estimated 30 MILLION that are yet to be identified! That's a lot of insects! A special thank you to Robyn Waayers for helping to lead me on the right path to identifying this lovely little beetle! If you would like a nice introduction to our planet's most successful animal, Wiki has a great page here: Wiki: Insect

As Kool and the Gang would say, "There's a party going on right here, a celebration to last troughout the years...so bring your good times and your laughter too, we're gonna celebrate your party with you!" Ok, ok, their party lasted about 5 seconds but I was singing the whole time! :D

This is one of our more common beetles. Tanbark Borer Beetles are fairly large, about 1/2" in size, and are in a group of beetles called Longhorn Beetles for an obvious reason! We have many types of these beetles on our property, which are native to Eurasia, but are now found here as well!

I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw this amazing beetle feasting on the nectar from a White Hyacinth. I managed to get several very nice pictures of this beauty and I'm so excited! I finally got a cool shot of a metallic beetle, and it looks like it's covered with velvet!!! Thanks to rinus54 for helping narrow down my search on this beetle! Now I know it's a False Blister Beetle, but I am not sure it's the type he suggested because a) it lives in Europe and b) it has a metallic sheen but neither gender is gold in color. Still, I'm THRILLED because I'm close to the exact species now! THANK YOU!!

[please scroll down for three more pictures!] I posted a picture of this beautiful beetle a month ago and thought it was time to post the other ones I took. It has been identified as a False Blister Beetle, but I haven't been able to find an exact species, so I'm going to keep calling it a Golden Velvet Beetle! :) If you would like to know about False Blister Beetles, I found a very nice page here: False Blister Beetles

Last night I made the decision to include one picture each day from my vast store of unprocessed images because there are so many I'd like to share. The fact is that if I choose three pictures from each day's photo shoot, I'd have to wait a whole year before I put them up! Looking in my archives, I found this image of an immature Katydid! I remember that on that day, I was taking pictures of this Mule Ear leaf when I discovered this adorable little guy walking around and doing his very best to avoid me. "AHHHHHHH!!! THE HUGE THING IS STILL THERE!!!" LOL, every time I moved, he would move in the opposite direction, as bugs often do, but happily I managed to get this picture! :) John Muir (21 April 1838 – 24 December 1914) was a Scottish-born American naturalist, author, and early advocate of preservation of wilderness in the United States. His letters, essays, and books telling of his adventures in nature, especially in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California, have been read by millions. His activism helped to preserve the Yosemite Valley, Sequoia National Park and other wilderness areas. The Sierra Club, which he founded, is now one of the most important conservation organizations in the United States. One of the most well-known hiking trails in the U.S., the 211-mile (340 km) John Muir Trail, was named in his honor. Other places named in his honor are Muir Woods National Monument, Muir Beach, John Muir College, Mount Muir, Camp Muir and Muir Glacier. Wikipedia: John Muir