My Nature Blog
I found this caterpillar on one of the weeds in the garden while looking for ladybirds. I sent it to the museum who it was likely to be the caterpillar of Helicoverpa armigera. To quote from CSIRO Australia, the eventual “moth causes $225 million of damage a year in Australia.”
Oops. Not that I would kill pest species anyway – at least not in the caterpillar form.
The following is taken from Wikipedia.
Brachymeria is a genus of parasitic wasps in the family Chalcididae. Over 300 species are known worldwide, all of them parasites of insect larvae. Most species are black with limited yellow markings, and like most chalcidid wasps, they have enlarged hind femora
This isn’t the first time I’ve gotten a photo of a grasshopper defecating. This time, however, I’ve restructured my blog so I can nerd out on photos as much as I like without worrying about alienating anyone.
In these cases, I’m interested in the behaviour while they poo. Sometimes they stand still and move their area (not the ovipositor?) You think that they would be, but are obviously doing something else. Hence the interest in capturing this. I always like it when the photography subject is willing to stay still for a period of time.
I was at my parents recently doing some weeding. I was fortunate enough to come across 3 mantids in that area. I ran inside and grabbed my camera. I was incredibly lucky; the mantid was willing to hang around the nearby rose bush and allowed me to get the following photos.
I’m so grateful as I wouldn’t have otherwise been able to see just how beautiful and intricate the species is.
Most likely Hippodamia Variegata. I am finding nymphs at different ages all over the garden. [Read more…] about Ladybird Larvae In The Cacti Patch