I got this comment yesterday - "Not my favorite insect, but the close-ups are remarkable!" It was about Japanese Beetle (A few minutes of beetle's life...) and I totally agree - not my favorite insect too. But... what is my (your, theirs etc) favorite insect? Do you even have one?
But let's start from the beginning... One hot July day I was walking around and found a lot of different insects... I mean, there were a lot of flowers too, but insects really made my day... Unfortunately there weren't any butterflies met this day... but many of the other nice creatures crossed my way.
Or flowers made this day for me? This amazing thistle, it was like a big bright ball of... petals? thorns? spikes? I have no idea what they are, but they look like some magic object for me.
The dragonfly gave me a hard time again as it rarely tolerates a stranger being close enough and always jerks away. But it was a beautiful one ;) Is it MY favorite incest? Probably...
Small ant? No. The answer is no.
Grasshopper hugging the leave, isn't it something? Isn't it a nice one, huh? But I'd say "not my favorite insect". Let's find another one...
Lately
I discovered that I always can find something nice on the small patch of Hoary Alyssum flowers. First, I found a huge family of Jagged Ambush bugs hiding on the crowns of these flowers (and I will do a special reportage on these creatures later). Is it my favorite insect? You know... quite possible... I like this bug a lot!
There were tons of bees and wasps hovering above the flowers (and this is why Ambush Bugs are crowded there, I guess). I like watching bees... but wouldn't say I like them...
But once I stepped one step up on the hill, I felt how the cold sweat was running down my spine... This creature was scary... and much bigger than my usual targets (like small beetles and bees). I thought I don't want to try if it is aggressive or not and how sharp are the jaws and claws of this... I have no idea how to call it...
But it was motionless and finally I decided to turn the branch over so I can have a better look and here was the moment of truth... I just figured out that it wasn't an alive insect, but just a shell. Just an envelope the tenant left already on its route from one form to another. Interesting metamorphose...
What else? A couple of bees on
different flowers (actually I was really surprised how many flowers are
pollinated by bees!).
Red beetle I always see here and there and like taking the pictures of... it is so photogenic!
And finally I met this spider. Tiniest creature was sitting on the flower and not very scared of the wasp. It was small. Less than a quarter of an inch long and it looked so cool with all its eyes and eight legs.
And... it was brave enough to stay with me for a couple of minutes, when I tried to capture its portrait.
Jumping spiders or the Salticidae are a family of spiders. As of 2019, it contained over 600 described genera and over 6000 described species, making it the largest family of spiders at 13% of all species. Jumping spiders have some of the best vision among arthropods and use it in courtship, hunting, and navigation. Although they normally move unobtrusively and fairly slowly, most species are capable of very agile jumps, notably when hunting, but sometimes in response to sudden threats or crossing long gaps. Both their book lungs and tracheal system are well-developed, and they use both systems (bimodal breathing). Jumping spiders are generally recognized by their eye pattern. All jumping spiders have four pairs of eyes, with the anterior median pair being particularly large.
Is it my favorite insect? Hmm... I am definitely not a fan of spiders, but this small guy was so adorable and they are jumping when you are moving too close... So... maybe this is my favorite one. What about you?
Pictures were taken on July 25, 2020.
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