Freaky Friends Bugs

Insects tend to be quite small. Even large insects are small when compared to most animals that people are familiar with (dogs, cats, cows, horses, etc.). This makes it kind of difficult to watch how an insect eats. However, it is fascinating to watch how an insect's mouth parts all work together to help it eat. When I was asked to give a bug demonstration to some Cub scouts, I immediately knew that I wanted to show them how an insect eats. It is both cool and gross at the same time, perfect for the age group. I decided to use a grasshopper as an example because 1) it was a great time of year to catch grasshoppers and 2) grasshoppers are on the larger side and it would be easier to film. I went outside, caught a grasshopper, and then brought it inside to film. I usually like to do all my photographing and filming out in a natural setting, but I didn't think I would be able to get a good enough shot for the demonstration. I used some forceps to restrain the grasshopper, set...

A darkling beetle! The darkling beetles (genus Eleodes) are fun beetles. The are big and black and can often be found wandering around in desert environments. You probably won't see them much during the day, but starting around dusk they will be more active. I found this particular beetle while camping in Fillmore, UT. It wandered into our camp and I immediately grabbed my camera. I'm still working on learning how to use my flash, so for this picture I actually set up my phone and some flashlights around the beetle for my light source. My wife captured the following picture of my setup. Maybe I should learn how to use my flash better so that I don't have to position so many lights around bugs! After I took these pictures, I learned that the posture the beetle assumed was a defensive tactic and that if further provoked, it might have sprayed me with a smelly liquid! I'm glad this one was at least a little friendly and let me snap a few pictures. Look...

A trashline orb weaver found near Dallas, TX. Trashline orb weavers (genus Cyclosa) are quite fascinating little spiders. For starters, their abdomens are somewhat conical rather than rounded like most spiders. Secondly, and this is where they get their name, they line up debris in their webs in a vertical line and then sit somewhere in that line. This behavior is believed to make it harder for birds or other predators to find the spider in the web. A great view of the "trashline" in the web. I found this one up Hobble Creek Canyon in Utah. In the years I've been collecting bugs, I'd collected trashline orb weavers on several occasions. I found them interesting due to the shape of their abdomens, but I'd never bothered to figure out what kind of spider they were. Once I learned what these funny shaped spiders were, I all of a sudden started seeing them everywhere! Awareness of what these spiders were definitely led to an increased ability to find them...