Asian Paper Wasp
We do get a good number of wasps around our place, mainly vespula sp. which are rasping the wood off the railings of my deck. So I was surprised when I saw this slimmer model looking through the window. It is an Asian paper wasp (polistes chinensis).
Larva
Yesterday I visited my favourite puriri tree near the top of Mount Eden. Its deeply furrowed bark is a haven for all kinds of creatures. It must have been a day out for numerous white critters like the one shown here. A larva of some kind of ladybug (hyperaspis sp?). In case you are wondering: less than 2 cm long, and the head is near the bottom left in the picture; the white ‘fur coat’ is a waxy extrusion; they hunt scale insects. (The picture below was taken on another occasion, when no such larvae were about.)
Puriri Trunk
Crane Fly
It’s the season of creepy-crawleys, and we see more crane flies in the house. This one was posing patiently, and with its lovely green shade I could not resist (mostly we see the brownish ones). Clearly visible is the pair of halteres, modifications of the hind wings acting as flight stabilisers.
While they look like super sized mosquitoes, they are totally harmless (maybe a nuisance if their long legs get caught in your hair – not a problem for my bald head).
Leptotarsus virescens; about 2 cm nose to tail.
Cuckoo Spit
As spring is approaching, I notice again the appearance of “cuckoo spit” on some of our plants (in particular the leaves of a ngaio bush). The frothy lather is the work of the nymphs of froghoppers. Several years ago I decided to have a closer look, using reversed lenses. In this picture we look onto a nymph (a few millimetres long) and the bubbles it created around itself (to retain moisture and to protect against predators). In the last picture one sees the proboscis, used to extract copious quantities of sap from the leaf below; the sap is then pumped out at the other end in the form of bubbles. Fascinating to watch if you make time for it.
For more black and white images check out Dragonstar’s Weekend in Black and White.
Cuckoo Spit
Spittlebug Nymph
Cicada
The cicada season is past its peak, and the nights are getting cooler. So it takes these creatures quite a while in the morning to get warm and start moving, and one can approach them quite readily, and even get some dew drops into the frame.
Cicada
Silk Tree
Silk trees (albizia julibrissin) are popular in gardens and parks for their prolific flowers, shown over the summer months. This one attracted a bumble bee.
More Skywatch images at the Skywatch Site!
Washingtonia Palm Leaf
Backlit by the sun and inhabited by passion vine hoppers.
Jumping Spider
All manner of creatures can be found on my window panes. Here a jumping spider basks in the sunshine.
For more black and white images check out Dragonstar’s Weekend in Black and White.
Stick Insect
These creatures have been quite frequent visitors to our place of late, after some years where hardly any of them were around.
Stick Insect
Giraffe Weevil
The other day I noticed this giraffe weevil (Lasiorhynchus barbicornis) marching across the freshly undercoated balustrade of our deck. This seems to be a female, about 40-50mm long; males have an even longer snout (rostrum is the term) and can reach 80mm or more.
It’s the first time that I have seen one of these near our place. Kotuku reserve near Bethells Beach has trees infested with these creatures.