bugs
Saturday, September 22, 2007 - 7:39am
Monarchs are probably my favorite butterfly. I'm sure there are prettier I could choose, but there's more to it than that. I like them because they're locals, and they just look like they're cruzin' for a good time when they're flying. They really belong in Santa Cruz.
Monday, March 19, 2007 - 8:26pm
This remarkable creature is called a Flame Skimmer. I was talking earlier about camouflage, but this guy flies in the face of all that. He's bright red in a green and brown pond. There's no camouflage here. Dragonflies are very often bright and shiny. Well, the males are anyway. The females tend to be brown and quite a bit more camouflaged.
Friday, October 27, 2006 - 4:44pm
Spot the butterfly yet? This guy was one of a kaleidoscope of Golden Hairstreak butterflies that I watched erupt from the ground, fly around for a bit and then apparently disappear as they land. The ground was covered in similar-colored leaves so that you really couldn't tell what was a leaf and what was a butterfly... which is, of course, the point if you happen to be a butterfly with an evolutionary will to survive.
Tuesday, August 8, 2006 - 7:52pm
Here's one more from my vacation to ECCO. The Common Buckeye. I wonder how the animal feels about having the word "Common" in its name. Humans are by far the most common primate. What if we were called "The Common Human"? Well, I'm glad the Buckeye is common. It's really pretty. The markings on the upper wing surfaces are quite striking. If they weren't so common, they'd probably be considered one of the most beautiful butterflies in the US.
Sunday, July 30, 2006 - 11:57pm
Here's another photograph from my trip to Family Camp at ECCO. They have this great pond on site that is just SWARMING with dragonflies. I've never seen so many concentrated in one area. I've never seen so many different species in one area either. Off the top of my head, I can think of nine species of dragonfly (not including damselflies) that make their appearance. This one, the Widow Skimmer, is by far the most common. In fact, there are more widow skimmers here than all the rest of the species combined.
Wednesday, April 5, 2006 - 7:13pm
This photo was taken in May 2005 right across the street from our house. We had an unbelievable butterfly migration that passed right through Woodland.
Friday, March 31, 2006 - 4:01pm
Well, we have to start somewhere, so let's start with one of my earliest digital pictures... but still one of my favorites. This is a grasshopper sitting on top of a purple flower. The grasshopper is about a centimeter long. Needless to say, I used a macro lens for this photo. If you can tell me the species of grasshopper or flower, please leave a comment.
