For interesting information on flowers, trees and plants please click on this link: http://natureswow2.blogspot.com/

For the identification of insects and other fauna and flora of South Africa: please click on the following links:
Insects and related species: Antlions - Ants - Bees - Beetles - Bugs - Butterflies, Moths and Caterpillars - Centipedes and Millipedes - Cockroaches - Crickets - Dragonflies and Damselflies - Grasshoppers and Katydids - Mantis - Stick Insects - Ticks and Mites - Wasps - Woodlice
Plants, Trees, Flowers: (Note: Unless plants fall into a specific species such as Cacti, they have been classified by their flower colour to make them easier to find) Bonsai - Cacti, Succulents, Aloes, Euplorbia - Ferns and Cycads - Flowers - Fungi, Lichen and Moss - Grass - Trees
Animals, Birds, Reptiles etc.: Animals, Birds, Fish and Crabs - Frogs - Lizards - Scorpions - Snails and Slugs - Snakes - Spiders - Tortoise, Turtles and Terrapins - Whipscorpions
Other photography: Aeroplanes - Cars and Bikes - Travel - Sunrise - Water drops/falls - Sudwala and Sterkfontein Caves etc.
Videos: YouTube

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Would you look at these legs!!!

My goodness!! If I had legs like this I could kick-start a battle-ship!! LOL!!

These are Twig Wilters ( Anoplocnemis) family Coreidae.
A large bug 24mm (about 1 inch) in length.
They inject a saliva with digestive enzymes into young plants which cause them to shrivel beyond the puncture and this is what they feed on.
They have stink glands between the middle and hind legs.
I wonder why they have such small heads?

Monday, October 25, 2010

Ant fight

These are not the best photographs I have taken as there was too much moving around.

Once again I have observed that it is always the smaller ants which attack the larger ones and I am wondering why this is as one would think it should be the other way around. I could even understand if was a whole lot of small ants attacking thee, but no, it is always just one??



Saturday, October 23, 2010

Common Metalic Longhorn Beetle

These are medium sized, body length about 1/2 an inch.
They feed on pollen and nectar. The larvae feeds as it burrows into wood.
Their eggs are laid in the cracks of the stems or roots.
These were doing a mating dance around the head of the flower they were on.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Caterpillars

Even this late in the season, I am still finding some interesting caterpillars around. This one was climbing up the wall of the cottage.
He got such a fright at having his picture taken, that he fell onto the ground and I was able to get this interesting one of his cute little feet.I took him and put him on a nearby bush. I love those two tufts of hair sticking out on the sides.

Sunday, October 10, 2010

A caterpillar in search of a home

It searched high.....
...and low,
on the mountains....
...and in the valleys...
"Ah!! This one will do. See you in the spring!!"