Show your Bugs and Critters

[Manixguy@1994]

5:30AM under garage light . MG2

[Mad Mac]

Very clever.

[Manixguy@1994]

Very clever.

Thanks Mac . Dan

[SaltyCaribbeanDfly]

Couple of cool looking caterpillars

[Mad Mac]

Polyphemus Moth caterpillar
Imperial Moth caterpillar

[SaltyCaribbeanDfly]

Polyphemus Moth caterpillar
Imperial Moth caterpillar

Thanks Mac

[The Meat man]

Saw this guy crossing a bike trail earlier this summer. The first venomous snake I've ever seen in the wild. He was pretty calm, came over and inspected my shoe for a bit before moving off into the woods.

[Mad Mac]

Non poisonous snakes get a pass from me.
That looks like a big copperhead.
Personally, I will not give one a pass.
A couple of my dogs have really suffered from their bite.
I have no sympathy for copperheads.
Good picture, though.

[The Meat man]

Non poisonous snakes get a pass from me.
That looks like a big copperhead.
Personally, I will not give one a pass.
A couple of my dogs have really suffered from their bite.
I have no sympathy for copperheads.
Good picture, though.

Yep, a big copperhead. I wouldn't tolerate a poisonous snake in my yard, or anywhere else where they may be an imminent threat to somebody, but I'm happy to leave them alone in the wild. This one was really cool to see!

[Mad Mac]

A small Great Black Wasp dragging a hefty spider.
Black wasps are not poisonous but can stun another insect.
They then dig a hole, put the host in the hole,
lay an egg on the host and carefully cover up the hole.
The resultant larvae eats the host
then emerges as a pupa to continue the life cycle.

I have witnessed this twice before
with hapless Katydids as victims.
Those two black wasps were larger
and straddled the Katydids pulling them forward
and digging like dogs in the sand to bury them.

This little black wasp may be confused
choosing a spider and pulling it backwards.
Also, she would stop and scratch the concrete
as if to see if she could dig a hole.
I left without knowing the outcome.

[Manixguy@1994]

A small Great Black Wasp dragging a hefty spider.
Black wasps are not poisonous but can stun another insect.
They then dig a hole, put the host in the hole,
lay an egg on the host and carefully cover up the hole.
The resultant larvae eats the host
then emerges as a pupa to continue the life cycle.

I have witnessed this twice before
with hapless Katydids as victims.
Those two black wasps were larger
and straddled the Katydids pulling them forward
and digging like dogs in the sand to bury them.

This little black wasp may be confused
choosing a spider and pulling it backwards.
Also, she would stop and scratch the concrete
as if to see if she could dig a hole.
I left without knowing the outcome.

Great shot ! I didn’t know the the Black Wasp preyed on Katydids . I have posted pictures of the Cicada Killer and their burrows around the yard in the past . Funny how two very different insects practice the same way to regenerate the species . Thanks Mac . Dan