Friday, September 14, 2012

Say hello to my little friends!

Took the dogs and my macro lens for a walk today and saw more wild and woolly creatures than will fit into one post! 

Here's my favourite:


A praying mantis! I love how well-camouflaged she is on the leaves. She flew right past me and landed here, and I was so glad I had my good camera with me. Someone said it looks like the mantis is conducting an orchestra. I had the same thought!

Next I found fuzzy little caterpillar...


My mother was terrified of caterpillars, so when I was a kid (a brat, that is!), I would pick one up, sneak up behind Mum, then wave it in her face and watch her run screaming across the yard. I've got no insect phobias whatsoever!


Besides, I think caterpillars are very cute!



Apparently skin is tasty!




Look at those amazing feet.


I think this is a Giant Tiger Moth caterpillar. Can anyone confirm that for me?


Up close, she's very striking!





I had a great time with my camera today. More photos to come, including more ambush bugs making whoopee. Oversexed little beasts!

38 comments:

  1. You're really on a roll with the macro lens! Praying mantis is always a good one. You've really shown the details on caterpillars that most of us never see.

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    1. I'm finding that I see more with the lens than I do with my naked eye. It's a lot of fun.

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  2. Hiya, great little bugs. You're beautiful!

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    1. I'm glad you think so too, Claude!

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  3. You can actually see itsy, bitsy, tiny, little toes on that cat-er-pillar!

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  4. Anonymous11:59 pm

    Ah Natalie. These are nothing short of exquisite.

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    1. Thank you so much! I really don't know what i"m going to photograph this winter!! Dust mites?

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  5. The feet look like Moles hands. Do be a little cautious with Caterpillars, some of them have very irritant 'fur'. Our dog lost a good part of his tongue to a Processionary Caterpillar.

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    1. I try to avoid touching their hairs and just let them crawl on me. Your poor dog!!! I had to go look up that caterpillar. Fascinating, if irritating, little thing!

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  6. How far had Ms Caterpillar travelled just to ask you if you knew a decent hairdresser?

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    1. WHo knows, but my own hairdresser is moving back to her hometown 500 km away, so the caterpillar and I are both out of luck on the hair front!!

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  7. I haven't seen the wooley caterpillars here, which I'm hoping is a sign we're having a mild winter, but I love your photos and blog. So glad that Elaine directed me to you:-D XOXO

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    1. Lovely to have you here! And I haven't seen a lot of those "woolly bear" black and brown ones, but we have an excess of everything else!

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  8. Ooooo! I don't like bugs when they land on me but in your photographs they look really mysterious! I guess I might let a praying mantis take a ride on one of my horns....

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    1. Isbobelle, you would look fabulous with a mantis on each horn!

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  9. Anonymous6:38 pm

    What do the dogs look like under a macro lens?

    Mo

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    1. I suppose I will have to find out!

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  10. Wonderful photographs - I particularly like the praying mantis!

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    1. THanks Elaine. THey are just the coolest bugs!

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  11. wonderful shots and amazing to catch the preying mantis in that stance with open front legs.

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    1. Thanks Linda! I was very lucky. It flew down and landed on that grass right in front of me!

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  12. Wonderful photos. It does seem to be a Giant Tiger Moth caterpillar. Who knew Giant Tiger had their own line of moths?

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    1. Not just a discount store anymore! ;)

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  13. if I see ANYTHING that looks like a spider...I am off!

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    1. So, no love for mantises then? :)

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  14. I absolutely love the full frontal of the caterpillar!

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    1. I don't often look at them that way. I like it too. They're so fluffy!

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  15. I love insects as well unless it is too big of a spider that catches me off guard or a June bug that lands in my hair. :P

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    1. Argh, Junebugs are so annoying the way they bang off you and generally flop and flit around all over the place. My cats, however, LOVE to eat them until they throw up!!

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  16. Oh my God!!!!! So beautiful zoom!!!!

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  17. BRILLIANT photos! That caterpillar is a work of art!

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    1. Thank you Mitchell! Hmm, maybe I should do a drawing or painting of it!

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  18. Anonymous6:37 pm

    Thanks for revealing such beauty in a caterpillar. Quite incredible.

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    1. Until I saw the photos, I wasn't aware of it myself. There's more going on there than meets the eye!

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  19. Cool picture on the praying mantis and the pictures on the furry caterpillar is very cool too :)

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    1. I wonder what our cats would do with a mantis???

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Thank you for all your comments, which I love to read!