green

Tiny Forest

Fig Beetle

My cat Bones found a very cool looking bug today. It’s a fig beetle (or junebug), which I don’t recall ever seeing around here before. The focus in this photo is a little funky – I’m generally not squeamish about insects, but I wasn’t charmed by this one’s repeated attempts to jump on my face. Its wing appeared to be damaged, so it kept spastically hopping around trying to fly, which resulted in a lot of not-quite-in-focus shots. I was greatly amused by its “fork antennae” though. 🙂

Garden Heart

Looper

Looper caterpillar in action… but not for long. After spending the day eating my garden, it was in turn eaten by a bird. Hey, it’s the circle of life.

Wounded Warrior

Yesterday as I was pulling some weeds in the garden, a wasp flew into the dill and attacked this little mantis. I intervened and collected the mantis from where it had fallen. It didn’t seem to be moving around normally after that, so I took it inside for the night. Today the mantis is looking quite battered and one of its arms isn’t working. I gave it a fly, which it appears to be interested in catching, but hasn’t managed to do so yet. So, apparently I’m running a praying mantis rehab center now.

Green leaf on green vine
Patient praying mantis waits
Dinner will come soon

Oh, Hi!

This little mantis has been living on my strawberry plants for a couple of weeks. I found his exoskeleton yesterday hanging from the underside of a leaf, so its good to know he’s doing well enough there to have grown too big for his “skin”. I had to move the strawberry pot to the other side of the patio today, so I hope he continues to thrive in the new location.

El Destructo

I had no idea this little grasshopper-thing (edit: katydid) was so colorful until I took a closeup look at him. This doesn’t mean that I’m not annoyed by all the leaf chewing.

Glow Skull

Continuing to explore light and glass.