The tank is filling up, but keep sending in your photos.
We have three contributors today; the first is Matthew Rave, who sends us another pareidolia image of Jesus. These are becoming distressingly frequent:
This is a beautiful insect I cannot identify (I am a theoretical physicist, not a biologist). For context, I live in the mountains of North Carolina. [Readers: help out with this moth]
This is the shadow of a plant, which continues a theme of a recent pic you posted…this time, it’s not an angel but the Lord himself wielding a mighty sword:
Steven Barnard sent a photo of a Honeybee and ant feeding on a Rocky Mountain bee plant (Cleome serrulata)
And some photos from a new contributor, Gregory Zolnerowich:
Attached are a few wildlife photos for your blog. They were all taken by me at the Konza Prairie Biological Station near Manhattan, Kansas.
Bison calf:
Damselfly [species unidentified]:
The antlion, Glenurus gratus. [JAC: this is in the order Neuroptera, and the larvae are fierce predators that dig conical pits in the dirt. Into those pits fall hapless insects, mainly ants, and they’re unable to climb out of the holes, both because the sides are slippery and because the larva also hurls sand at its prey, knocking them to the bottom where the antlion grabs them with its jaws. I used to keep them as pets when I was a child, feeding them ants. A video is below.]
Here’s a clip of how the antlion builds its nefarious pit:
Three bucks:
Nice ones!
That looks like a Giant Leopard Moth.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_leopard_moth
a.k.a. the Eyed tiger moth.
The spot-pattern isn’t exactly alike, but it probably is a subspecies, or a species closely related to the Giant Leopard Moth.
That the photographer even recognized it as a moth is a big first step. When I first tried to identify my pic of the Ailanthus Webworm Moth, I spent, literally, _hours_ sifting through beetle pics.
The damselfly is a Bluete, genus Enallagma, but I do not know the exact species. The ones around here have more black on the thorax, so this one is new to me.
The blue one is the male. Dragonflies and damselflies have interesting sex (well, what doesn’t?), as the male has two sets of genitalia. Here he has already transferred sperm from his primary set, at the tip of his abdomen, to his secondary set at the base of abdomen. The female is withdrawing the deposit into her reproductive system while he clasps her behind the neck.
They will later fly in tandem, and she will lay eggs in water while he guards her from other males. They (other males) often harass a mated pair. The whole drama is fun to watch.
I photographed very similar looking species doing the same thing a couple of weeks ago in Norfolk (England).
We have a very similar moth here in So. Utah, Arachnis picta. Rather sluggish, but when disturbed will open forewings to display bright pink abdomen & hindwings.
Many tiger moths have that feature. It might be that they are displaying a warning that they taste bad.
Sauron? Is that you?
I thought it was one of the knights who say “Ni”.
More like the Sarlaac from Return of the Jedi.
The increased incidence of such imagery as that in the second photo and the one from the other day clearly indicates that the Second Coming is imminent. Repent while there is still time!
Matthew 10:44 is about to be enacted, ‘I come not to bring peace but with a sword’.
Awesome stuff. Readers wildlife photos never disappoint.
For me, that shadow rather looks like a 19. century female writer, wielding a mighty quill.
The adult antlion looks so peculiar – are they short-lived as adults?
I also used to keep antlion larvae as ‘pets’, keeping each in a little cup of sand. Ferocious little buggers, as they were able to take insects considerably larger than ants.
Batman with a sword, possibly riding one of those Chitauri speeders, like the one Loki rode.
Nice assortment today, thanks all!
Death by Antlion, no thanks! But that would be one gritty bite.
That’s a gorgeous honeybee/ant photo.
^H^H^H^H^H^H reefer.
I thought #2 was Mary Poppins.
Oh, I see it! With her bumbershoot closed!
Alien (like in the movie) with especially long thin head.
Nice photos! I’m thinking “meaningful” shadow photos may be the subject of a whole new photo thread.
Giant leopard moth, Hypercompe scribonoia
Matthew, striking moth and funny shadow!
Stephen (I assume it’s you), such great detail! I see the bee has lost the bottom of one wing. And the stamens & anthers of the flower are very cool.
Gregory, lovely and varied subjects. I like the way the buffalo seem to be in a protective circle around the calf (I hope you weren’t too close!). The adult insects are beautiful, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen three bucks together.