Learning to Communicate with Insects 06/25/2011
I go out nearly every day in search of capturing insects through a camera lens. I commonly find grasshoppers, ladybugs and daddy longleg spiders. I've also become very familiar with damselflies, and of course, my honey bees.  Honeybee I can be found chasing down any flying creature! I go toward bumble bees and wasps, and even spiders.  This yellow bug (above) was so calm and fearless. I love that.  Taken June 25th I see dragonflies every now and then. They are spectacular! I've seen ornate ones, huge ones and colorful ones. Each time I luck upon them, it's magical. I've only gotten distant shots so far. I can't wait to get a good capture! They take my breath away; so do butterflies. I've tried getting photos of various wasps, but they very rarely land on anything, so they're mostly in constant motion.  Blurry photo of damselflies mating Today I saw a pair of damselflies mating. They flew together in unison. I followed them for twenty yards or so, from one weed or blade of grass to the next, but then I got distracted for a nano second and lost sight of them. I got one semi blurry photo. What I love about my new interest in photographing insects, is the interaction with these little creatures. I'm finding ways to communicate with them and that's something I never thought was possible.  I also love watching these creatures explore the world. Look at how this little guy (below) is reaching out to touch the plant. He had been on the green leaf and I introduced him to a flowering plant.  He was moving all over it. Maybe it was a plant he wouldn't have normally been crawling around had I not placed him there.  When I mention to people that I'm enjoying my macro lens and how interesting I find the insect world, I get a lot of blank stares and those nods that people give when they're thinking how weird someone is. Maybe it is weird. But it's an amazing world out there. There's so much life crawling around, flying around, hopping around, digging, hiding, eating, exploring, and capturing a tiny fraction of it through a lens is fascinating.   Damselfly Yesterday I followed a grasshopper around from blade of grass to blade of grass. They'll stay put if they don't fear me, but I have to get so close with my lens that I can see them seeing me and often they'll slide around the blade of grass so I can't see their eyes. They move from side to side like a game of hide and seek. But every once in a while, they get used to me, and realize I'm not going to hurt them. Yesterday that allowed me to pick up the little guy and let him walk around my hand. He stayed for quite sometime. As with all living creatures, I talked to him (or her.)  I've read about grasshoppers spitting a tobacco like substance that other insects don't like. I've never had one do it to me. This little fella seemed quite happy to explore my hand and wasn't in a hurry to hop away.  These little guys are just the cutest! I do the same thing with ladybugs. I pick them up or pick up the leaf they're visiting sometimes. They will also hide from me, but they are less ready to fly off the way the grasshoppers are ever ready to hop away. I've gotten to where I know when a ladybug is going to fly off. I can see her outer shell begin to slowly open. Sometimes I can get the fear to subside and she'll stick around.  Mexican Bean Beetle - see info on this bug at the bottom of this blog. The Mexican bean beetle, Epilachna varivestis, is a species of lady beetle which is a notorious agricultural pest. It is one of the few lady beetles that feed on plants rather than other insects.  Grasshopper Anatomy
 Song of the grasshopper .... "That familiar chirping in the fields of the countryside is the result of grasshopper stridulation. A row of evenly spaced, minute pegs on the largest joint of the hindlegs is rubbed over the more prominent veins or ribs of the forewing. Usually, but not always, only the males can sing. Each species has its own song." source:http://www.planet-pets.com   The Mexican bean beetle, Epilachna varivestis, is a species of lady beetle which is a notorious agricultural pest. It is one of the few lady beetles that feed on plants rather than other insects.  I loved how calm this daddy longleg spider was. I actually adjusted his legs for a better photo op (below) using a leaf to pull them straight. The spider let me move her legs without getting alarmed or trying to run! I thought that was pretty amazing!  "Grasshoppers only weigh about 2 to 3 grams, but can thrust their legs against the ground at a force of 30 grams with legs half-extended. This works when leg muscles contract. This must all take place quickly, the thrust and contractions, because if the thrust builds up too slowly, the grasshopper will not get a quick take-off and the leap will not be very far. The northern grasshopper can actually leap 20 times the length of its body at full force." source: eHow.com by Emilia Lamberto.  I think this might be some kind of moth (below), but I don't know. The texture looks like suede!   Let me know if you know what kind of bug this is. Thanks!  I think this is a Mexican Bean Beetle. Here's what I learned today: The Mexican bean beetle, formerly called the bean ladybird, is one of the most destructive insect pests of beans in New York State. The beetle feeds on the leaves of almost all types of beans, including snap, lima, pinto, navy, kidney, and soybeans. With snap beans, bush varieties seem to be attacked more readily than pole varieties. Most of the damage from the Mexican bean beetle occurs during July and August. Both the adult and the larval stages feed on the foliage, chewing out holes in the leaves. They usually feed on the undersides of the leaves, and sometimes will attack young pods and stems. As a result of feeding, only the veins are left, giving the leaves a lacy appearance. Yield may be greatly reduced and the entire planting may be destroyed in severe infestations. source: http://www.entomology.cornell.edu Add Comment Quotes That Inspire Me 06/23/2011
"Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment." Buddha Look at that face! This little guy was peering over a cactus plant on my morning walk. What incredible creatures are out there. I love seeing all this detail. He was watching me and staying on guard. My favorite thing is when the insects relax around me and stop hopping away or flying off. Sometimes they just let me get within an inch of them and I just click away on my camera.   All the photos you see on today's blog are from the last few days. "We need to give each other the space to grow, to be ourselves, to exercise our diversity. We need to give each other space so that we may both give and receive such beautiful things as ideas, openness, dignity, joy, healing, and inclusion." Max de Pree  "Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one's definition of your life; define yourself." Harvey Fierstein (I love this quote.)   This bug was about an 1/4 inch! It was so tiny I could barely see it ....  "You will never be happy if you continue to search for what happiness consists of. You will never live if you are looking for the meaning of life." Albert Camus  Just a beautiful plant ... (no bugs) "Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen." ~Winston Churchill  "Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky." Rabindranath Tagore  "Courage is the power to let go of the familiar." ~Raymond Lindquist  This is the tiniest bug. I think it's only an 1/8 of an inch and so light colored that it's hard to get the camera to focus ...  "The fact that I can plant a seed and it becomes a flower, share a bit of knowledge and it becomes another's, smile at someone and receive a smile in return, are to me continual spiritual exercises." Leo Buscaglia  "Put your heart, mind, and soul into even your smallest acts. This is the secret of success." Swami Sivananda  "Look at everything as though you were seeing it either for the first or last time." ~Betty Smith~  "Too bad all the people who know how to run this country are busy running taxicabs or cutting hair." George Burns (1896-1996)  Life is "trying things to see if they work" - Ray Bradbury (I live by those words!)  "In a controversy the instant we feel anger we have already ceased striving for the truth, and have begun striving for ourselves." Buddha  "The greatest test of courage on earth is to bear defeat without losing heart." ~Robert Green Ingersoll~  This gives you an idea of the little guy's size. I saw a grasshopper no bigger than this fella's eye! "A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on." Winston Churchill  Grasshoppers come in so many different colors. "We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give." Winston Churchill  "No one can go back and make a brand new start. Anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending." ~Unknown~  Bug walking on my hand. It was about the size of the point on a needle!  Just Doing Their Own Thing 06/22/2011
This was a first for me. I watched this damselfly eat an entire insect. I have a series of photos showing it devouring a bug. Damselflies are so small, that it took me a while, as I was photographing it, to even realize it was eating something. At first, I thought it was eating a tiny blade of grass. After I downloaded the photos I could see that it was, in fact, eating a bug!  Something I've become aware of, only after photographing insects, is how independent they are, and how they are not out to 'get humans'! I think many of us have this idea that insects intentionally want to attack us. Some might, but most don't. What I'm observing shows just the opposite. Most bugs want to move away from me. If they land on me it's because I'm in their environment like a piece of the landscape and/or they're curious, but never do I get the feeling they are out to hurt me. They like to do their own thing, whatever that happens to be.  Bugs just seem to be busy with the business of living.  Interestingly, bugs seek what animals and humans seek. Food, shelter, safety, and it appears even having fun is on their agenda.  This guy has wings and can fly in the blink of an eye.   Such an interesting design, both structurally and aesthetically!        Today's Insects & Snake Skin 06/17/2011
 This little grasshopper was about a 1/4 inch  I have no idea what kind of bug this is    daddy longleg     Damselfly  damselfly     I'm holding a snake skin that has been shed   The underside of the snake skin Just Another Day With The Six-Leggeds 06/14/2011
 The critter below was no larger than a 1/4 inch.  I have no idea what this is? Do you? Email me if you do!    Damselfly Spiders and Insects 06/13/2011
The term arachnid is derived from the Greek word ἀράχνη (aráchnē), meaning "spider". Arachnids have eight legs and are further distinguished from insects (that have six legs) by the fact they have no antennae or wings.  Pictured here are Opiliones (formerly Phalangida, and better known as "harvestmen" or "daddy longlegs"), which are arachnids. They are harmless to people and known for their exceptionally long walking legs, compared to their body size. As of 2007, over 6,400 species of Phalangids have been discovered worldwide. source: wikipedia   I'm guessing some kind of caterpillar  DRONE FLY - CLICK TO READ ABOUT  DRONE FLY - CLICK TO READ ABOUT  Grasshopper - June 13, 2011  Bumble Bee - June 13, 2011  Bumble Bee - June 13, 2011  Poppy - This gorgeous flower is classified as a weed .... !  Same caterpillar from above  I don't know what this is .... but look at that zig zag mouth!  Photographing The Insect World 06/05/2011
"When I finally stand up and take the camera away from my eye, and fade back into my giant, human status, only then do I realize how small the world is that I just entered, and at the same time, how much larger it now feels to know so much life exists in that realm." ~ by Betsy Seeton Green lacewings are delicate insects with compound eyes and typmpanal organs. Wikipedia explains, "A tympanal organ is a hearing organ in insects, consisting of a membrane stretched across a frame backed by an air sac and associated sensory neurons. Sounds vibrate the membrane, and the vibrations are sensed by this organ." I've never been much of a bug person, so this was very interesting. (If I could ever remember 'tympanal', I could use it in scrabble.)  GREEN LACEWING in Colorado - Taken the morning of June 5, 2011 Adults lacewings have typmpanal organs at the forewings' base, enabling them to hear well. Some Chrysopa show evasive behavior when they hear a bat's ultrasound calls: when in flight, they close their wings (making their echolocational signature smaller) and drop down to the ground. source: wikipedia This green lacewing was incredibly camouflaged against the green leaf. The wings were translucent with a slight iridescence and green wing veins. The only distinguishing feature it had, making it stand out a tiny bit from the leaf, yet only the size of the head of a pin, were the black and gold colored eyes. It would be so easy to never see this bug unless, like me, you were searching for insects to photograph. It was no bigger than one half inch.  GREEN LACEWING - Taken the morning of June 5, 2011 I followed this damselfly around from blades of grass to dandelions that had gone to seed, and then to dried up weeds and back to grass. It's a skill that can actually be sharpened. On each photoshoot, I train my eyes to be uncommonly observant. It takes complete focus; 100% attention. It's a great way to get away from life's stress. It gives me no time to mull over my own personal issues. All my thoughts must stay "in the field" and not wander away or drift off.  Taken the morning of June 5, 2011 To get a decent shot, I'm often crawling on my stomach or crouched so low in a squat position with my elbows on the ground. I have to move slowly, and quietly, and yet get comfortable enough, and close enough, to hold the camera steady.  Taken the morning of June 5, 2011 I'm no video game player whatsoever, but lately I wondered if photoshoots like this might feel like being inside a video game, where the shooting is not done with guns, but using a camera, and I'm not out to kill, only to get a killer photo. It has a competitive feel to it, but only against myself. I'm out to capture the world we rarely notice, but one that is all around us. I'm now taking notice of life that has largely been oblivious to me. It makes the world vastly more interesting.  Taken the morning of June 5, 2011 It's a little bit like being a character in the Disney movie, Honey I Shrunk The Kids. When I'm working on this macro level, these critters seem much larger and much more imposing than they are. When I finally stand up and take the camera away from my eye, and fade back into my giant, human status, only then do I realize how small the world is that I just entered, and at the same time, how much larger it now feels to know so much life exists in that realm.  Taken the morning of June 5, 2011 All the elements of exquisite beauty are present. There are mesmerizing shapes, colors, texture and such interesting main characters.  Ant         Honey bee collecting nectar I googled to figure out what kind of insect I'd photographed below. It had a sparkly green body that made it look a bit like a honey bee dressed in drag. I think they're called sweat bees, named for their habit of landing on people and licking the perspiration from the skin in order to obtain the salt.  A 'sweat bee' - Agapostemon texanus, Colorado on June 3. 2011 "This family of bees engages in a behavior called sonication, or buzz pollination. The bee places the anther in its jaw and vibrates each flower with its flight muscles, causing pollen to be dislodged. Wild blueberry (Vaccinium spp.) crops are more effectively pollinated through buzz pollination, and sweat bees do pollinate this plant." source: http://www.nbii.gov  A 'sweat bee' - Agapostemon texanus, Colorado on June 3. 2011 "These bees visit between four and eight flowers per minute and carry significant pollen loads on their hind legs. Additionally, sweat bees are generalist feeders - they feed on, and subsequently pollinate, many different flower types. These behaviors and adaptations make sweat bees efficient pollinators." source: http://www.nbii.gov  This little light blue fly-bug pictured above (need to find out what it is) was about the size of a mosquito.  Damselfly June 3, 2011  Damselfly - June 3, 2011    Honeybee    I added some photos to this blog from other walks. All my photography is for sale as framed and matted prints. Please contact me for details. Custom orders are a pleasure. Email me: betsy at livehonestly dot com.  23 pages of color filled ladybug photos with inspiring quotes. This is a beautiful gift for the nature lover.  Where did the name 'ladybug' come from? In Europe, during the Middle Ages, insects were destroying the crops, so the Catholic farmers prayed to the Virgin Mary for help. Soon the Ladybugs came, ate the plant-destroying pests and saved the crops! The farmers began calling the ladybugs "The Beetles of Our Lady", and they eventually became known as "Lady Beetles"! The red wings represented the Virgin's cloak and the black spots represented her joys and sorrows. They didn't differentiate between males and females. source: http://www.ladybuglady.com  Taken July 10, 2011        The Match Stick   Taken July 12, 2011 It's amazing to get up close to the insect world and see them react and interact with me. They aren't oblivious to humans at all, in fact, they are usually very aware; I know they are of me. They notice sounds and movement, and some are aware of scent. I find that I use the same knowledge and techniques in photographing them, as I do for animals. I get them used to me through time and patience. Sometimes they fly away, but as with the ladybugs, I watch where they land and I retrieve them. They eventually learn to trust me. After this trust is built, I'm able to photograph for longer periods. When I can, I photograph in their natural place, but if I've moved them, I'm careful to return them to their branch or tree or wherever they originated. The more I discover and learn about all forms of life, the more connected I feel to the world, and the more precious I view all life. There's so much wonder in the world when we make time to explore and notice.  As I tromp across grass and through the weeds, I'm aware I'm entering the world where so many insects make their home and are carrying on their business of living. It's made me more conscious of how everything is interrelated. I tread more lightly now; more mindfully.     Ladybugs are uniquely capable of protecting themselves ... Nature's warning system of colors - red and orange - works well to tell predators that their choice of an insect meal might not be so yummy. Ladybugs are also able to release a substance that gives off a very foul odor and aids in keeping them from being a meal. Colors can also warn of danger such as letting a predator know when something is poisonous and work as camouflage when an insect might otherwise not be able defend him/herself. Playing dead is a defense mechanism used by ladybugs. From http://www.ladybuglady.com: "By pulling their legs up "turtle-style", and typically release a small amount of blood from their legs. (This is called reflex bleeding.) The bad smell and the apparent look of death usually deter predators from their small ladybug snack. After the threat of danger has passed, the ladybug will resume its normal activities."  What do the spots tell you about a ladybug? Spots will not determine the age of a ladybug. Different ladybugs have different numbers of spots. Some have no spots while some have as many as twenty four. Ladybugs generally complete their life cycle within one year. The spots are with them all their life. They don't get more spots as they get older, nor do they lose spots, although they tend to fade with age. An entomologist can use the spots as a guide in determining what kind of ladybug it is, but it is not the only piece of information gathered. For an average person the spots can greatly help, but the shape and coloration are going to be just as important. Some different types of ladybugs may have the same number of spots. source: http://www.ladybuglady.com        "X" Marks The Spot  Are there different kinds of ladybugs? Yes. There are hundreds of different kinds all over the world. There are about 500 different kinds in the United States and nearly 5000 world wide. They come in all different colors, too. Reds, yellows, orange, gray, black, brown and even pink. source: http://www.ladybuglady.com         Mating can take a couple of hours or longer. The female ladybug can then store the sperm from the male for up to three months until she is ready to lay her eggs.  Can two different species mate to produce a new species? Ladybugs are typically "species specific". That means that they can only reproduce successfully with members of their same species. The male and female reproduction parts are termed "lock and key" which means that the male's aedeagus (insect penis) will only "fit" with the female of his same species. New species evolves over time through a process called evolution. It can also occur more rapidly through genetic mutations that have continued to appear in successive generations. source: http://www.ladybuglady.com   Female ladybugs are larger than the males.     Ladybugs, or as they are called in Europe, Ladybird beetles, have a 2 to 3 year lifespan, and spend most of their day consuming aphids. Aphids are tiny bugs that feed on sap from plants. Aphids come in many colors. Some may be green, yellow, brown, red or black depending on the species and the plants upon which they feed.  "Their distinctive spots and attractive colors are meant to make them unappealing to predators. Ladybugs can secrete a fluid from joints in their legs which gives them a foul taste. Their coloring is likely a reminder to any animals that have tried to eat their kind before: "I taste awful." A threatened ladybug may both play dead and secrete the unappetizing substance to protect itself." source: National Geographic  "In the spring, the female ladybug lays her tiny, pale yellow eggs in clusters of ten to 50 on the underside of plant leaves, near colonies of aphids. Three to five days later the larvae hatch. They look much like miniature alligators, usually gray or black, with bright spots. After hatching, the larva immediately start killing and eating aphids. A single ladybug consumes about 5,000 aphids in his or her lifetime: 400 aphids are consumed, just in the larva stage. Two to three weeks later, the larva pupates on a leaf, and transforms to an adult. Then as an adult, consumes another 4600 aphids in their lifetime." source: http://www.goalforthegreen.com     FROM May 31st ON JASPER'S BLOG: I've written about my passion for photography before. It's an amazing experience to love how you spend your time. When I study life from behind my camera lens, I get transported into a new, and incredibly fascinating world. I start to see the blades of grass and leaves differently; more from the view of my main character, whomever that happens to be on a given day. Yesterday, my star characters were several ladybugs. Doing macro photography is probably similar to exploring life beneath a microscope, only it doesn't go nearly as deep as that. Nonetheless, it's an extraordinary world to observe, and from the time I'm focusing my lens until I leave, I feel a part of something special. I get to experience a part of life often revealed only in books or documentaries. Photography has many highs. There's the high of being in the field, out there camera hunting ready to capture an unexpected moment in time for eternity. Then there's the rush of focusing just so and clicking away. Following the character from one scene to the next is mesmerizing. Then there's the ride home with the camera full of potential glory. It's a rush every single time. I get home, greet my kitty, and head straight for my computer where I begin the next rush: downloading the images. And finally, there's the sweet of all sweets when I get to see hundreds of moments in time captured by the marvel of a camera, and when the timing is perfect along with the lighting and focus and angle, I get the best rush of all - a photograph to cherish and share. I have so much yet to learn and that fuels my drive even more. I wouldn't sell my passion for a million dollars -- for any amount of money. For a 'starving artist', I'm happy getting to do what I do. This kind of passion is priceless.  MY PHOTOGRAPHY IS FOR SALE  It looks like some kind of bee to me ...  Took this photo May 29, 2011 I'm told this photo is of a dronefly. If I've made a mistake, please email me. The larva of E. tenax is a rat-tailed maggot. It lives in drainage ditches, pools around manure piles, sewage, and similar places containing water badly polluted with organic matter.[2] The larva likely feeds on the abundant bacteria living in these places. When fully grown, the larva creeps out into drier habitats and seeks a suitable place to pupate. In doing so it sometimes enters buildings, especially barns and basements on farms. The pupa is 10–12 mm long, grey-brown, oval, and retains the long tail; it looks like a tiny mouse. The adult fly that emerges from the pupa is harmless. It looks somewhat like a drone honey bee, and likely gains some degree of protection from this resemblance to a stinging insect. The adults are called drone flies because of this resemblance. Like other hover flies, they are common visitors to flowers, especially in late summer and autumn, and can be significant pollinators. source: wikipedia |  SEARCH LIVEHONESTLY
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 This is a honey bee I rescued from drowning on May 29, 2011. She was trying to get her bearings in my hand. She wanted to stay on me even after showing her a leaf and flower, so I let her rest on me. Click image to see lots of bee photos  Click for ladybug photos My LADYBUG photo book is now available for sale! This makes a stunning gift book or the perfect coffee table book that adds color and beauty to any setting. Full of inspiring quotes.
  My INSECT JOURNAL CONTINUES ON THIS WEBSITE One square mile of land contains more insects than the total number of human beings on earth!
The Earth has a surface area of 196,939,900 square miles.  It's estimated that there are more than 200 million insects for each human on the planet!
 Transfer of nectar between two honey bees. The nectar goes from the worker bee to the house bee A recent New York Times article claimed that the world holds 300 pounds of insects for every pound of humans.
 Roly poly all rolled up There are some 900 thousand different kinds of living insects known in the world. The true number of insect species can only be estimated from present and past studies. Anywhere from 1 million to 10 million insects may still be unidentified as yet, according to scientists.
ArchivesSeptember 2011 CategoriesAll About insects ... "These small, six-legged creatures include bees, ants, flies, mosquitoes, grasshoppers, crickets, butterflies, cockroaches, termites, fleas, and beetles. Although some insects annoy us by spreading disease, damaging crops and household items, and biting people and pets, these represent only about 17% of all the 800,000 species. The rest of the insects serve a very valuable purpose in nature. These serve as food for birds, frogs, fish, and other animals; pollinate crops; destroy other harmful insects; give us honey, bees wax, shellac, and silk; and keep the land clean by feeding on dead animals and plants." Source of the above: http://www.bigsiteofamazingfacts.com |
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