1. 16 May


    Even ants slack off to catch up on gossip.

    Even ants slack off to catch up on gossip.

     

  2. 15 May


    Oedophrys hilleri, common snout beetle.

    Oedophrys hilleri, common snout beetle.

     

  3. 13 May


    Inchworm!

    Inchworm!

     

  4. 13 May


    Two carpenter ants.  Not exactly sure what they were doing, but I think one was harvesting plant sap/nectar and handing it off to the other to bring back to the colony.

    Two carpenter ants.  Not exactly sure what they were doing, but I think one was harvesting plant sap/nectar and handing it off to the other to bring back to the colony.

     

  5. 12 May


    Happy Mother’s Day!  Here’s a mother aphid with her babies.

    Happy Mother’s Day!  Here’s a mother aphid with her babies.

     

  6. 6 May


    Termites!  These are workers from a large colony I found in the woods in Southern New Jersey.  While termites are a major pest and can cause serious damage to wooden structures, they’re also very important for the ecosystem because they help cleanup dead trees and other decaying plant matter.

    Termites!  These are workers from a large colony I found in the woods in Southern New Jersey.  While termites are a major pest and can cause serious damage to wooden structures, they’re also very important for the ecosystem because they help cleanup dead trees and other decaying plant matter.

     

  7. 5 May


    A carpenter ant.

    A carpenter ant.

     

  8. 29 Apr


    Teeny tiny (1/8 inch) leaf-hopper.

    Teeny tiny (1/8 inch) leaf-hopper.

     

  9. 29 Apr


    This fly would not stop buzzing around my face until I took a picture of it.  Hope you’re happy now, fly.

    This fly would not stop buzzing around my face until I took a picture of it.  Hope you’re happy now, fly.

     

  10. 23 Apr


    Super closeup of a bumblebee’s head.  The three bumps in the center are the ocelli, or simple eyes, with the much larger compound eyes on each side.  Nobody is exactly sure why bees (and many other insects) have 2 different types of eyes, but most suspect that they use the ocelli like flight-stabilizers and the compound eyes to actually see. 

    Super closeup of a bumblebee’s head.  The three bumps in the center are the ocelli, or simple eyes, with the much larger compound eyes on each side.  Nobody is exactly sure why bees (and many other insects) have 2 different types of eyes, but most suspect that they use the ocelli like flight-stabilizers and the compound eyes to actually see.