Growing With Science Blog

Just a few of my favorite insect photographs from 2011.

Happy 2012!

1.

2.

3.

For those who want to learn more:

1. This delicate insect is a damselfly. It is perched, actively hunting other small insects.

2. It was jumping off the perch, grabbing an insect and then returning to the same position. In this photograph it’s wings are down. It is watching. Look at the wings in 1 and 3. I caught a photograph just as it was landing (1) and taking off (3). The wings are elevated, ready to fly.

3. Do you notice that it is brown on brown leaves? There were other objects to perch on in the area, but most were green.I wonder if this predator takes advantage of disguises like the crab spiders from last week. What do you think?

San Diego Zoo information page

Shiny green bees like this are called sweat bees, family Halictidae.

For more extensive information about the sweat bee life cycle.