Since I've been spending some time taking a close look at the Japanese beetles, I've been seeing lots of other insect life too. I love taking a close look at the tiny creatures in my garden, because when I do so I'm always amazed.
I'm also frustrated a little bit, as it makes me wonder just how many fascinating and beautiful insects are hiding all around me. I want to find and photograph them all, but I expect it would be a full-time endeavor, so I'll make due with the few that I do find.
Even though I just posted about Japanese beetles, I have to include them here because they really are pretty insects, if you ignore the damage they're doing. Let's get them out of the way first:
That second one had a different coloration: more bronze than green. I wonder what that means?
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| Katydid nymph. I see at least one of these on this rose every year. |
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| I don't know what these are yet, but they're all over the cardoon. |
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| A "twice-stabbed" stink bug. |
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| Baby grasshopper! About 1/2" long (1.25 cm) |
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| Hoverfly. |
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| Fly? Wasp? Bee? I think "fly" but not sure. |
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| Tiny unknown beetle on a sage leaf. Could also be an "ebony bug". |
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This is the same spiky insect that's all over the cardoon. This one has just
moulted though, and hasn't darkened yet. (Compare to earlier photo.) |
So that's a look at some of the insects I've found in the last few days. I'm going to be looking all summer long, as these creatures are as important to my garden as the plants are.
Well, not
quite as important as the plants, but without the insects it would be a boring place indeed.
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Fascinating!!! It's amazing how much wildlife shares our garden with us, and makes it a more interesting place. Super photos!
ReplyDeleteI'm impressed by how many you were able to name. I'm woefully under-educated when it comes to bugs and bug names.
ReplyDeletebugguide.net is the place for insect IDs. I may have to do a post on how to use that site, as it took me a year to figure it out. Great resource though.
ReplyDeleteI love "bug posts" - always interesting what shares our gardens with us.
ReplyDeletedo do a post telling us how to ID bugs ... please? I have a fat book of South African insects, but they cannot cover everything, sometimes I remain mystified. On my last post I have A Moth. Couldn't name him!
ReplyDeleteAlways happy to have an id on a bug. Now I know it is a katydid nymph. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteOk, I think I'll work on my "how to ID a bug" post tonight (for posting in the morning). :-)
ReplyDeleteHi Alan, yes they are all beauties, we have lots of them but my lenses are my limiting factor. Your shots are lovely.
ReplyDeleteWonderful little insects and what a variety. The colour of the Japanese beetles is almost iridescent.
ReplyDeleteWhy is a stink bug so called? or is there an obvious answer, like it stinks?
This looks like a leaf beetle in the genus Altica. There are about 70 species north of Mexico. The last one I photographed was 2-3 mm, so they are small buggers. :)
ReplyDelete