OniOniOniArt

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)

...and this concludes my series modeled after antique Japanese rulers! Each inch represents a different order, this is Odonata. Side Bar: If I make any more of these I am definitely not using the gelly roll pen. [March 7, 2016]

Tomorrow I have an interview for a position that entails wetland delineation and permitting, so I've been brushing up on my wetland facts most of the day. Entomology is relevant to wetland science!   Hydrology is one of the three criteria that points to an area being a wetland. It is an indicator that the soil has been saturated/inundated for a length of time. As pictured above, the dragonfly nymph is a good indicator of hydrology, because it is an obligate aquatic creature. Even if all that is left is a shed skin, you know there must have been water there. The waterscorpion, also an aquatic insect, is not a good indicator because it will migrate to better suited locations as needed (and can therefore be found in upland areas at least temporarily). [January 11, 2016]

Day 26 Create a frame using any materials. Take it with you wherever you go and use it to capture anything you view as beautiful. Zinnia in the Dirt Patch My frame is made from cardboard, cardstock, gold ink, and glue. The insects are ebony jewelwing damselflies. Sweetwater Park, Oviedo Oviedo Chickens at the Library Creek where it meets Lake Mills A couple of my neighbors Econlockhatchee River - in the backyard Small fern - in the backyard Maceo not cooperating ("WTH is this??") That'll do, cat, that'll do.

Day 7 Make something inspired by a guilty pleasure. This mixed media presentation is my homage to Linkin Park. They are terribly whiny, shouty, self-absorbed, and when I listen to them I think "Goodness! What dysfunctional relationships these guys have!" But if I'm in a foul mood it feels so great to belt out one of their songs in the car. My friend J once tried to convince me that Doritos had medicinal properties (junk food good for the soul?). This band is like medicinal Doritos. I printed out their first album cover (with a Buggin Park overlay....because, bugs!). I always thought the wings on this cover looked like dragonfly wings, so it easily fit into my insect theme. I gave the soldier a dragonfly head and an extra pair of arms. It involved some physical cutting and pasting and some work with a brown micron pen. And this line's for the candy dish (day 5), which I also finished today: "I tried so hard, and got so far, and in the end, it ...

Wedge-shaped Beetles, Ripipharidae, Macrosiagon sp . These bizarre-looking beetles parasitize solitary bees and wasps as larvae. The male (top) has feathery antennae while the female (below) lacks this plumage (though she makes up for it with the sportier colors and spots). They were mating until I disturbed them with my presence. My apologies, beetles. Rough stink bug, Brochymena sp . Rough stink bugs are usually found in trees and are colored and textured to blend in with the bark. This one actually flew from a tree and landed on my leg. I placed it in the leaf litter for aesthetic purposes. They are quite flat! Click beetle, Elateridae This small species of click beetle was all over the park. I'm unsure of its identity, perhaps Limonius ? Firefly, Photuris sp . Queen Butterly, Danaus gilippus I find butterflies exceedingly difficult to photograph! This is the best shot I could get.  Many others escaped the camera completely. T...

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 )