OniOniOniArt

Like most adolescents, this katydid nymph seems a little out of proportion. [January 29, 2020]

"Do something intentionally wrong today" When I first read this prompt, it made me think "Wrong...something against the Natural Order" This sketchy comic is wrong on multiple levels. [June 19, 2016]

The completed 12" ruler. Stag Beetle - Coleoptera (Day 48) Ichneumon Wasp - Hymenoptera (Day 49) Earwig - Dermaptera (Day 50) Luna Moth - Lepidoptera (Day 59) Preying Mantid - Mantodea (Day 60) Scorpionfly - Mecoptera (Day 61) Leaf-footed Bug - Hemiptera (Day 62) Walking Stick - Phasmotodea (Day 63) Spoonwing - Neuroptera (Day 64) Tree Cricket - Orthoptera (Day 65) Cicada - Homoptera (Day 66) Damselfly - Odonata (Day 67)

He is stridulating his wings. This continues my series modeled after antique Japanese rulers. Each inch represents a different order, this is Orthoptera. [March 5, 2016]

To commemorate the blizzard sweeping the east today, a symbol of perseverance against the chill: the weta makes it's own cellular anti-freeze. These huge insects from New Zealand can be completely frozen in ice and go about their way the minute they're thawed.  This was done in pencil, the snow overlay was added with a photo editor. Side Bar: I may be in Florida, but I spent a good chunk of the day outside and even for here, it's cold! [January 23, 2016]

Blarg! Lubber grasshopper vomits in self-defense. The interview really wasn't that bad. [January 12, 2016]

Day 22 Make a Mustache and get a picture of yourself wearing it in public. No, I try to limit the number of photos of myself online to as few as possible. Luckily, Senor Crickor stepped in for me to keep with my bug theme.  Senor Crickor poses with his mustachio-on-a-stick Senor Crickor takes a selfie Senor Crickor without all the embarrassing accoutrements SC is made of paper clay, metal wires, and acrylic paint. His accessories are paper and wire. And yes, that's tape I used to make him hold onto his things, no need to point that out. Special note: I am indebted to LJ for the word "crickor."  I can now no longer think of crickets without thinking... crickor!

Mantispid or mantisfly, Mantispidae Today I explored Lake Mills Park and came across the above mantispid (among many other insects) which made my morning! So far I've only seen one other mantispid in my life, a green one. This one seems decidedly rotund in the abdomen, I wonder if it is a gravid female (or, hope not, possibly it has internal parasites)? Mantispids are in the order Neuroptera and not related to mantids, though they hunt in a similar fashion; ambushing prey by grabbing them in their raptorial forelimbs. Air potato leaf beetle - Lilioceris cheni Florida is overrun with invasive air potato vine which chokes out native vegetation. This beetle was introduced as a biological control a few years ago since it was found to feed exclusively on the air potato...and I'm happy to report it's kicking ass. Invasive air potato vine The "potato" Ebony jewelwing damselfly, Calopteryx maculata - male Restless b...

Small-footed fly, family Micropezidae Doing its odd little tap-dance Another species of Micropezidae mating. Acanthocephala femorata (likely)  There were a lot of these large leaf-footed bugs (Coreidae) in the woods today. From head to abdomen they're a bit over an inch long.  This one is busy sucking sap from the tree with its proboscis. Luna no more A species of hairstreak butterfly (Theclinae) Telebasis byersi , duckweed firetail damselfly.  This one flitted about everywhere, even landed on my shirt, but was impossible to get a decent photo of.  Utetheisa ornatrix , bella moth (Arctiinae)  Underside of bella moth. A bush katydid nymph ( Scudderia )

Newly hatched lubber grasshoppers ( Romalea guttatus ) in the Dirt Patch. Despite attaining a rather large size for a grasshopper (roughly 2.5 inches just in body length), they do little damage to garden foliage and so this invasion of hungry babies isn't quite so alarming to me. Also, they will disperse. The black and yellow/orange coloration of youth and later bright adult coloration serves as a warning of their toxicity; however if you're a loggerhead shrike you ignore this, impale your tasty grasshopper on a spike, and simply wait for the toxicity to degrade in a day or so.