Beware of Molecricket

Today we will discover the mole cricket. They are in order Orthoptera. They have digging legs in the front to borrow under ground to eat roots. They are pests because they kill plants. They have an incomplete metamorphosis so their babies that look like the adults without wings.

Next time I will talk about the green lacewing.

Walking Sticks

Today we will discover the walking stick. They are in order phasmatodea and they have incomplete metamorphosis. They are considered pests because they eat plants. They spit at predators to blind them when they feel threatened. They also are very well camouflaged.

I found this pair back in July 2012 outside of our side door in Pollok, Texas.  Can you see the male walking stick on the back of the larger female?  They are mating in this picture so there will soon be many nymphs riding her back soon!  My mom says she knows how this momma walking stick feels!  Ha...ha!!

Next time I will talk about the mole cricket!

Lady Beetle

Lady beetles (AKA lady bugs) are in the order  Coleoptera. They are beneficial and have a complete metamorphosis. They eat other harmful insects like the aphid, which is their favorite meal.

I posted the picture to the left to show the life cycle, but I have actually had the joy of finding and taking pictures of these myself as well, so I will also show off my pictures below.

Do you see the little yellow dot behind the lady beetle?

I will talk about the walking stick next week.  Happy insect collecting!
  

Jumping Spider

Today we are discover jumping spider they are in the order Aranaea. They eat insects. Their babies look like them. They do not have a web.

We discovered this little guy (no bigger than the end of a pencil) outside our front porch in San Antonio.

Do not be afraid to get down on your hands and knees to seek out these fascinating creatures.  I often just sit in one spot for a while just to see what comes my way!

Next time I will talk to you about the lady beetle!

Ninja Mantis!

Maybe you did not know that insects could do martial arts.  However, we have seen these guys in action many times over the years!  I will show you a few pictures throughout this post.

You cannot see me!

The praying mantis (Mantis religiosa) are in the order Mantodea.  They like to eat other insects so they are considered a carnivore.  They are predators and are known as beneficial to farmers and gardeners.

Their babies are called nymphs, which means that they look just like their parents.  However, they do not have wings!

They can live in all climates, except where it is extremely cold.

They are camouflaged so they can sit and wait for their next meal!

Ninja Mantis

A cool story about an experience we had with a praying mantis took place a few years ago when I was collecting insects for a program (I will talk more about that in a later post!).  I happened upon a praying mantis and wanted to get a good picture of it before sending it off to the freezer for preservation.  We had it on a bottle top and it was doing its amazing ninja moves, so we were caught up in watching it.  My mom decided to video it because it was so fun to see.  Next thing we know...it decides to show off its flying skills and heads right for my dad.  I have never seen him jump so fast or so high!  I think he even squealed like a girl!  It was so funny!  He was not the only one to react but he was the funniest!  I wish I could show videos but I probably should be respectful and not show that to the public anyway!

Next post:  Walking sticks!

Butterfly in the Honeysuckle

Welcome back, people of my insect world!

Today we will take a closer look at the Black Swallowtail.  From the order Lepodoptera, this insect is a beautiful butterfly!

There larva are caterpillars so they look very different from their adult form.  The caterpillar is yellow with black stripes and orange dots.  They like to eat the leaves of carrots, celery, dill and weeds.

The adult butterfly are black with yellow and blue dots.  The adults enjoy a diet of nectar from flowers like the honeysuckle where I found this specimen.

I will meet you again as we come together to learn about the praying mantis.

Short Introduction

I, Gus, vow to take you, the reader, on a safari in my world of insects.  I hope that my love of insects will interest you as well.  I try to find at least one insect a day.  I also have three younger brothers who come along on my insect safari (Widget, Pook and Snookems).

I am so excited that I cannot wait until next time.  I found this insect right after I decided to start this blog!




I will first show you my discovery of the leaf-footed bug.

The leaf-footed bug are in the order Hemiptera.  Their larva are called nymphs which look like the adults but are smaller and have no wings.  They eat on plants in their surroundings. They have a white line across their backs.  Their legs are flattened to look like leaves.  Most of these bugs are brown in color.

I did not need to go very far for this insect safari.  I found this little guy at my house right outside my door!

Next time, we will discover the Black Swallowtail.