Mother Bugger !!!

I like to take pictures of insects as some of you may know

Found this little fella today ...

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we got really friendly

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I was gardening when I found him so my hands were filthy - it was a real bitch to try and corral him and take pics with one dirty hand  


That's my middle finger he is perched on in the 1st pic by the way  

Thanks Guys

Yeah , I like blood , guts , horror , heavy metal music , Star Wars , Toys , bugs , flowers and birds - I can't explain it either


Here's some spiders ...

2 from yesterday -

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counting the leg span he was about 3/4 " wide



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This one was really tiny - counting the leg span he was about 3/8 " wide  



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This one was from a few weeks ago and he was really tiny too - counting the leg span he was about 3/8 " wide  

Fantastic pics Jim, I particularly like the last shot of that mini tarantula looking spider, amazing macro shots man

not quite a praying mantis, but still a bit unusual for the U.K, I took this pic at work with my phone. I was pruning a Bay tree when I saw this stick insect clinging to it.

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A long time ago in a country far, far away........

It was a time of mass stupidity, a ravishingly handsome young traveller had set his sights on the distant shores of Americas west coast and travelled long and far to seek his destiny. For 7 days, the city of San Francisco became his home, although the young traveller had always been aware that he had a shapely and fantastic arse, it was here in these 7 days where he realised that his arse attracted the wrong kind of folk! In a bid to escape possible desecration and buggery he fled the city in search of the beloved wilderness. He knew that he had found this as he entered the foothills of the Sierra Nevada.
Lost in the beauty of the magnificent Yosemite region of the Sierra he stumbled upon a lonely cabin at the foot of the Falls. He made this place his home for the next 5 days. On day 2 he entered the bathroom only to find a large black Ant, similar in size to the ones in the classic 50's film 'Them' and the 80's classic game 'It Came From The Desert'
Not too happy about spending some 'alone time' with a large insect he popped it onto a piece of paper and put it outside and then returned to spend some time sat by himself. The next morning our young traveller returned to the bathroom only to find the Ant was back! So again he placed him outside, then set out for a long day in the wilderness.
As the sun set on another grand day in the mountains our young traveller returned to his cabin, but he wasn't alone... the Ant was back! His persistence for coming back saw him christened Arnie and the young traveller decided he could stay. the next two days the traveller would make sure Arnie was comfortable and had some food forging a friendship bond unlike any that had existed between man and insect!
On the final day of his High Sierra visit, the traveller had left the cabin early making sure Arnie was okay and gone out into the wild for the last time to see his beloved Sequoia trees. He returned to the cabin in the afternoon and began to pack his bags preparing for the long journey to the City of Los Angeles. Once he was packed and ready, he went to say his fond farewells to his beloved friend Arnie..... Only Arnie wasn't here? The traveller searched high and low for his friend, but he was know where to be seen, he searched the bathroom, the sleeping area, outside, but nothing, his last meal was untouched, the bus waiting, the traveller made once last frantic search for his friend.... but nothing. With no other choice, the traveller boarded the bus and left holding a sign to the window saying "Arnie, you came back for me, I'll come back for you"
This was 8 years ago and not a day has passed where the traveller hasn't cast a thought to his friend Arnie and one day he will stay to to his promise and return

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Ahhhh , the heart warming story of a boy and his pet ant

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That was great Alex

Love the Stick Bug Chris - very cool


Here's another little spider that came crawling across my photo booth today - really tiny . 1/4 " wide at best ...
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Green June beetle and a Butterfly feeding on a peach that was rotting in our tree ...
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Thank You Christian

We live in a average , smaller house in the middle of town . The most unusual thing about our house is it has a flat roof .

I just do a lot of landscaping and gardening - the flowers and peach tree really attract birds and insects . I would rather live in the country but since we are stuck with in town living for right now I just do my best to bring the country wildlife to me

Here's a pic of the front of our house ...

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I have done a lot more landscaping in the backyard  

Commander Clint wrote:James, this is a great thread.  I never have my camera handy when the critters are in the back yard.

And as long as we don't see pictures of that "Inch Worm" in your trousers.

Thanks Clint

What Do You Mean "Inch Worm" !?!

It's a  1/2 inch worm at best



Here's a Honey Bee on a pretty Zenia ...

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chris.75 wrote:Fantastic shots Jim
Your camera has a fantastic macro lens on it.

Thanks Chris

Luckily for me my camera takes good pics on auto - it's almost idiot proof



here's a couple cool little spiders - maybe a 1/2 " wide leg spans at best ...

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Caught this beauty on the Zinia's today

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cantina_patron wrote:Stunning James!

Thank you Steve , I am pleased you like the Butterflies

The Swallowtail varieties are uncommon visitors to our gardens - both varieties I showed above are the only ones that I have seen of each species


Here's a Anise Swallowtail Butterfly that I took pics of last year - the pics aren't as good because he flew away almost immediately never to be seen again ...


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ChristianC wrote:

Very nice mate.

Other than the sea I never really appreciated nature. Things have really changed though in the last year or so though I can you that.

I have always loved nature

I refuse to kill almost anything - 99 % of the bugs that get in our house are captured and released back outside (flies are about the only exception )

I even use live traps to catch the occasional mouse that finds their way inside - I take them out to the country and release them


We get a ton of regular old smaller butterflies in our garden as well ...

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Tried taking some pics of some spiders that only come out and build their webs at night under our peach tree ...

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I had to use the flash of course and I had no idea what to expect , The pics are weird and the spider looks fake or radio active but I thought the web looked really cool

This is a Cicada ...

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If you aren't familiar with them , they are pretty large . The bodys are about a inch wide and 3 inches long from the nose to the ends of their wings