Monday, August 22, 2011

Insects that have visited my house

Not everybody has the luck, time or the means to go birding or traipsing down nature trails to get their dose of excitement. Some of us city slickers have to make do with what they got. So if that means, sighting a common bird out of the kitchen window and act as though he spotted the Bird of Paradise, so be it. The same goes with coming across interesting insects too. I mean, I have seen some really wild spiders (read as shapely, colourful, etc.) even while on my way to work but it is virtually impossible to shoot the little buggers because of their size, the situation and the lack of said equipment. This here is a list of insects I have managed to photograph at my convenience and in the confines of my home. This does not include the Citrus Butterflies I nurtured many years ago on my orange plant. They hold a separate, special space in my insect world. For now, take a look at the guests I entertained in my house...

I don't like the look in his eye...
Praying Mantis giving me 'the look'
The Praying Mantis: One insect that has always fascinated me since my Tinkle-reading days. Found this guy on the floor, eerily still. His dry-leaf colour went well with the tiles, which is why he was hardly conspicuous and made it difficult for my camera to focus on. Anyway, the moment I prodded him, he jerked to life, making me momentarily jump out of my skin (Wodehouse-style).
Click on the image to see the rest of this fella on Flickr.
Now I know that there are many type of praying mantis out there. This time, Wikipedia was only a wee bit helpful on identifying this critter. The Bantiella Fusca comes close to resembling this particular Praying Mantis.

It's a match
"I go well with your curtains"
The Curtain Insect: I am unable to identify this insect. He/She cleverly hung out near the flowers on my curtain. Notice the orange spots on its body? And how about those spots that resemble a pair of angry-looking eyes? Plus those loooong antennae...good thing this guy doesn't have to travel by bus or train. Imagine the trouble he would cause with those ticklers.
Once again, click on the image to see more on Flickr. And if you happen to know something about this six-legged, orange-spotted, goggle-eyed insect, please leave a comment.


Up CloseBrown Flower Beetle: Came across this beetle in the balcony, struggling to free himself of the dust and cobwebs around his legs and on his outer shell. I have never seen such a shiny beetle. I have always shiny beetles to tropical rainforests kind of places, you know. So this guy was a really great find. My son and I crowded around him with a glass and make-up brush, taking photographs at the same time.
Anand on Flickr, helped me identify this beetle because he had shot a superb macro of the exact same one with the Canon G12.


GardenBug
This guy made a loud whirring-buzzing
noise when aggitated
Tiny Moth
This one was the complete opposite















Then there were these two - one really large and positively the most freaky looking and sounding, while the other was tiny and so docile.

Goa: Tickell's Blue Flycatcher

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