Macro

Skipper - not a butterfly Everyone knows about butterflies and moths, right?  So, what the heck is a skipper?  A skipper belongs to the lepidoptera, which is the same order that moths and butterflies belong to.  What is interesting though is that they are neither moth nor butterfly.  It is a skipper.  It has the same scaly wings (lepidoptera means scale wing) as both other groups.  They look similar, more so to butterflies than moths, and have a similar life cycle.  But they are neither butterflies or moths. Butterflies have four wings which they hold vertically when at rest.  They also have antennae which have round knobs at the end of long, thin threadlike extensions.  Moths, on the other hand, have feathery antennae and rest with their wings flat across their backs.  They tend to have hairy bodies.   Enter the skippers.  They rest with wings upright, similar to butterflies, but often have some space separati...

Pale swallowtail butterfly feeding on nectar from flowers My wife does not like looking at pictures of bugs.  The only exception is for viewing shots of butterflies.  Now, even then the image has to have certain parameters.  For example, there should not be a close up of the body where its "bug like" form becomes more pronounced.  I guess it is the wings she finds acceptable.  Even their caterpillars, which seem amazing to me, are creatures which disgust her. I caught a female Polyphemus moth a while back.  It is a huge insect, with enormous bright wings  and something to behold.  She let me put it on her jacket and photograph her with it.  She even smiled.  If I could replace it with another wonderful insect, like a praying mantis for example, she would let out a scream which could wake the dead - not a thrilling prospect for kinemortophobes (people afraid of zombies).   The essential body plan is exactly the same, only ...

Hover fly feeding on a daisy's pollen. The above photo is that of a fly.  You can tell it is a fly because it only has two wings.  Wasps have four wings, which is true of most insect species.  Flies are the only insects which have two instead of four wings.  The second pair have been reduced into a set of balancing organs called halteres.  They are small "stick-like" structures with a small round head on them.  They are found just behind the first (only) pair of wings.  They vibrate during flight; they are thought to assist in balancing. This particular fly is not poisonous or dangerous at all.  In fact, any animal which might catch it for food would end up with a healthy meal.  The problem is that most animals would leave it alone.  The reason is simple enough; the yellow and black pattern looks familiar.  It happens to be the same pattern that yellow jacket wasps use. The yellow jacket wasp is notoriously grumpy.  The...