Saturday, September 4, 2010

Color Me Beautiful





The brilliance of this Dogbane Leaf Beetle is certainly eye-catching and he is truly a creature of beauty. As he moves about, it appears he constantly changes color from every hue of red, gold, blue and green. The surface of this beetle's body is covered with tiny, slanting plates that overlap a special pigment. Some light rays reflect from the plates, while others reflect from the pigment. These different reflections cause interference that result in a psychedelic changing-of-colors. This prismatic phenomenon helps protect the insect by communicating to possible predators that he may be poisonous so chances will be less likely that he will be eaten or harmed. He will emit a foul smelling enzyme if disturbed. This gorgeous insect is very fun to watch! The beetles feed mainly on dogbane and milkweed and they pose no harm to humans or important vegetation.
Add caption

The metallic "armour" covers every bit of his body from his head down to his toes! Brilliance in motion!

What is this strange creature? It is actually the tail-end of a Gray Hairstreak Butterfly! At rest, this little beauty uses a technique of constantly rubbing his hind wings together, which makes the tail projections move about like antennas, while the coloration at the tips of the wings resemble eyes-an attempt to fool predators. As he collects nectar from various little flowers, tail-end in the air, he may only get a nip off his wings and still be able to escape unharmed. I was amazed at his coordination...diligently working on a flower with his nose down, yet keeping up the act on the other end, somewhat like a puppet.  It was very convincing-I really had to look closely when I first saw him in this position because I wasn't sure what it was at first!
Here is the full view of the Gray Hairstreak. He is actually very tiny and flies about eratically-you may not even notice him, but in good lighting he is very vivid. I love the tiny little stripes on his antennas and legs.


I was lucky to have noticed a slight movement in the leaves that revealed this juvenile Angle-Wing Katydid. This one has not yet reached maturity, but he was still quite large. Perfectly camouflaged, he blends in with the green foliage and is often more easily heard than seen. As you can see, the intricate patterns are quite beautiful as if painted on by a skilled artisan. The katydids are closely related to crickets, and they contribute to the wonderful insect "chorus" that can be heard in late summer and fall evenings with their chirps, buzzing and ticking. They create the sounds by rubbing a file on one broadened wing against a scraper of the other wing much like someone playing a fiddle.
Here is a different angle of the katydid-look closely at the front leg and you'll see an oval opening...this is where the ear is located! Ears are located on the two front legs and are used to listen for mates and predators such as bats. Bats can locate and prey upon the katydid by their songs, so katydids may pause their song in response to bat echolocation calls.





This sparkling little jewel is the Virescent Green Metallic Bee. These tiny bees nest socially, but do not make honey, although they are a pollinator of some plants. A female will dig a tunnel in the bare soil or in a dry bank for the colony. The entrance of the tunnel is then guarded by a single bee who will plug the entrance hole with its body until another bee wants in or out. You can observe the guard bee's head right at the entrance as it prioritizes who will enter or exit. Bees returning with pollen will be allowed to enter before any of the bees wishing to exit will be allowed out. The bee pictured here is the male-he can be distinguished by his striped abdomen.


I was pleasantly surprised when I blew up this image. Such a pretty sight as it appears this tiny little bee is holding the stamen of this little flower known as "blue-eyed grass" as if he is smelling it! He is not actually smelling the flower, and he isn't really a bee.  The insect is actually a Hover Fly. (He gets his name because of the way he can hover in mid-air and dart quickly around, and also fly backwards). This species is a "bee mimic".  His coloration and movements mimic those of bees. This insect cannot sting in any way, but may mimic the stinging action of a bee or wasp by pushing the tip of his abdomen into your fingers if he is caught and held. (Another of nature's mechanisms to ward off potential dangers). This tiny hover fly is beneficial because it is an important flower pollinator and also because their larvae will eat many pests in gardens and crop fields.

The pattern on this one reminds me of something that would be painted on a '70's volkswagon bus! This is the very pretty Ailanthus Webworm Moth. While feeding, he doesn't look anything like a moth  for a reason. He mimics a brightly colored beetle by wrapping his wings tightly around his body. This is another of nature's defensive techniques-pretty cool! This moth's name comes partly from the name of the tree that it likes to feed on-the Ailanthus Allissima (Tree of Heaven). This weedy-looking tree was introduced by central and South America to the United States back in the 1700's and now can be found growing wild just about anywhere, even in the cracks of sidewalks or growing out of old abandoned buildings.  Lucky for us this elegant little insect has taken a liking to this very invasive tree!  The Ailanthus Moth was originally an exotic species that was imported into the U.S. from China for the silk industry in the 1800's.  During the caterpillar stage, they spin silky webs within the leaves and they were raised to produce a coarse grade of silk. 






Cicadas Beware!
The following pictures that I'm including in my "Color Me Beautiful" post are anything but beautiful...in fact, they are downright terrifying. I am including them here because of all the cicada activity going on this time of year. 


I was photographing some birds when I heard a loud buzzing and big commotion in the leaves of a branch just above my head. I looked up and witnessed a Cicada Killer paralyzing and capturing a cicada. 


For those that have never seen one, a Cicada Killer is a very large wasp that digs a burrow in well-drained soil in areas that are largely exposed to full sunlight. Their evacuations  begin shortly after the cicadas begin singing. These large wasps look very intimidating, but they normally pose little threat to humans. The males cannot sting, but may dive-bomb people's heads as they display territorial behavior. The females are not aggressive and will rarely sting, but if intentionally provoked they can inflict a painful sting.


The following pictures show how a female captures her prey and then transports it away to her burrow. Some of the pictures are a little blurry due to the fast motion of the cicada killer during the attack:


This first picture shows the female flying in like a torpedo, claiming its victim by inflicting a sting that  instantly paralyzes the unsuspecting cicada.















The picture above and below show the cicada killer flipping the victim over and straddling it. This is the usual way in which a cicada is prepared before being transported away.



This was the last picture I took before the killer carried the cicada away. The female will glide with its victim and either climb another tree and glide again, or drag it (or both) until it reaches its burrow. The paralyzed (but alive) body is placed in a "cell" within the burrow were she will lay an egg on it. Within a couple of weeks, the egg hatches into a larvae and it will feed on the cicada and develop into the next stage (pre-pupa). It will remain in this stage the remainder of the winter and then emerge the following summer where the cycle is repeated.

The cicada killer is beneficial because it controls the cicada populations.




16 comments:

  1. Another wonderfully creative and fascinating blog that is filled with some darned fine photography and loaded with informative writing. You are astounding, dear one. And yes, this was worth the wait!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Once again, nature proves the yin and the yang work in harmony. The dark and the light necessary always. Beautiful photo, Lisa.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Great Shots/writing glad to see you posting !

    ReplyDelete
  4. Very nice shots! I like the photo of the katydid the most. Also, very informative!

    ReplyDelete
  5. We used to think of Pluto as the furthest planet from the Sun, but in reality its orbit is so eccentric that it comes closer to the Sun than Neptune. According to NASA, its average distance from the Sun is 39.5 astronomical units (Earth Sun distances), but it can come as close as 29.7 AU and as far away as 49.7 AU. It was last "inside" Neptune's orbit between 1979 and 1999..

    Until then she was so shy she once cried over having to speak to the Houston Garden Club. Sunk deep in diapers and dishes for so long, she lacked confidence. Envoy to China in 1974, volleyball shirts she became an important part of the enterprise. It is fun to shoot at targets, nothing wrong with that. Hunting for food is our right as well. Machine guns on the firing range? That is suspect and no kid should be involved in that unless they already have a strong background in basic rifle use and super qualified supervision mermaid shirt.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Because he holds all the cards with his no trade clause, Anthony could have declared he's not going anywhere.. {tag: Off White And Yeezy Collab}Members of the Royal Family have belonged, by birth or marriage, to the House of Windsor since 1917, under the reign of George V.Sign up for the Mirror's royal newsletter. {tag: Yeezy Price White}

    Jordan 3 Black Cement Kids, Is too sad to be remembered in history, said Belm Febriansyah, a resident in the capital of Indonesia, the world most populous Muslim nation.Jakarta is the epicentre of the outbreak in the country, which has reported more than 8,200 infections and 689 deaths. Passenger flights and rail services have been suspended, and private cars are banned from leaving the city.Mosques in Indonesia deeply conservative Aceh province were packed, however, after its top clerical body ruled that it is not a zone area and that prayers could continue. The province is governed by Islamic law under an autonomy agreement.Muslim majority countries began imposing widespread restrictions in mid March, with many cancelling Friday prayers and shuttering holy sites.

    Scientists have come up with an interesting explanation regarding what intuition is that sounds a lot like wisdom, as the scientific explanation implies that intuition will increase as age and experience increase. The basic theory is that as one grows older and retains knowledge, their brain starts to see patterns in the knowledge. On an unconscious level over time, the brain puts these patterns of knowledge into long term memory. {tag: Adidas Yeezy Triple White Restock}

    "Jordan Trainer Low Black, Relative to what the Governor is saying it's hard to say what's going to happen. One day he's saying we're going to open in May the next he's saying there's no plan to the end of the year. So we keep on moving forward every day as if we are going to have a plan to reopen in late May.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I think about those girls often I hope to fuck they're OK. I imagine (and hope) her sister stepped in as both dad and step dad were fucking useless.The last task was to find a selfie on our phones Jordan Shoes For Sale to Cheap Nike Air Force 1 choose it first before instructions were given, then respond to the questions. I've got my New Air Jordan Shoes winter dressing gown on, still a bit feverish, alternating shivery and sweaty, keeping my neck and shoulders warm.

    To this end a fluorescent based cell free assay protocol in a 96 well plate format MK Outlet Nike Air Force 1 Cheap Outlet has been established for the Leishmania major IPC synthase. Using this system the kinetic parameters of the enzyme Cheap Yeezy Shoes Sale have been determined as obeying the double displacement model with apparent Vmax Ray Ban Outlet = 2.31 pmol min1 U1. Furthermore, inhibitory substrate Coach Bags Clearance analogues have been identified.

    ReplyDelete
  8. This very Coach Outlet Purses On Clearance rare condition comes most commonly from sweating all day and only drinking water. It's important to get electrolytes in the body as well as water. If you don't feel like eating on a hot day when you're sweating a lot, drink sports drinks instead of water. MK Outlet Online

    A family game night at church effectively brings people together for fun and fellowship. Game night could have a theme that determines the types of games played. Consider asking families to Cheap Nike Air Force 1 bring Cheap Air Forces a dish and a favorite game to share. Unscrew the resistors two screws and it should slide right out. You Coach Outlet Online 80 OFF will see that the plastic card is charred and peeling if it is bad. 5.

    "Brad Wenstrup [of Ohio] and Dr. [Bill Cassidy of Louisiana] also were off. They were working on the man, the deceased. There MK Outlet Sale are 85,000 agents like her across Kenya, creating a giant grid of human ATMs. For most this is a side business: so a pharmacy will sell M PESA or a roadside spice shop; this barber will give you a shave and M PESA. And, yes, you can even buy M PESA here..

    An autonomous emergency braking system Coach Outlet Clearance Sale is standard on higher spec versions, and a 350 otherwise. Such systems, which detect when an impact with a vehicle in front is imminent and can warn the driver or even apply the Jordan Shoe Stores brakes to avoid the collision, have been proven to reduce accident rates by more than 30 per cent. As such, they not only increase safety standards, but result in reduced insurance ratings if fitted..

    ReplyDelete
  9. The song was a classic award winner, just the right mix of catchy melody and dreadfulness. Intervention: NHS Health Check: routine structured cardiovascular check with support for behavioural Cheap Yeezy Shoes change and in those at highest risk, treatment of risk factors and newly identified comorbidity.Results: Of 1.68 million people eligible for an NHS Health Check, 214 295 attended in the period 2009 "12. But Morgenthau was retiring, and Cyrus Vance Jr. Much of Wrangell looked unchanged since 1899: false front buildings and clapboard churches, including one where Muir had mooched a click here night sleeping on the floor his first night on Alaska soil. We then extend the continuous least squares problem to correlated variables, and demonstrate the generalisation of our approach. A SWAT team was brought in to help with the negotiations. Later that morning, Mk Outlet a California Highway Patrol helicopter observed what appeared to be a backpack lying off trail, between L Lake and Mirror Lake. To understand how the residents' perceptions and attitudes might develop over time, we interviewed residents of Portland, Oregon, living near bioswales installed 1 "2, 4 "5 and 8 "9 years ago, to determine awareness, understanding, and opinions about the devices. Be very specific with your information.

    ReplyDelete