When I first saw this from a few feet away, I assumed I was seeing a moth or butterfly feeding at the coreopsis around the pond. There was a gentle breeze and the winged one seemed to be moving on it's own.
Still, something just wasn't right...
y
i
k
e
s
!
When I got closer, it was obvious that things were not as they seemed.
This was not going to be one of those peaceable kingdom, proboscis petal probing, potentially pollinating, pretty posts.
No...
...this is more of a painful pointy probocis puncture and subsequent slurping of insect innards by an aggressive ambush bug.
12 comments:
Yeah, great minds! Your pics are much better though. :)
roger,
yes,yes, let the bugs eat bugs.
chicken...i want chicken.
Rurality,
I hit the "publish" button, and then went off to my first stop of the day at your site as it was uploading.
Serendipity!
Yikes indeed. Too bad about the lepidopteran but I really enjoy the cozy feeling of knowing our insect predators are on the job. I've really enjoyed watching our ambush bugs, our wheelbugs, our praying mantises, our parastic and predatory wasps and flies. I'm REALLY glad we don't spray, 'cause if we did they wouldn't be here (my parents, who live in an area regularly sprayed for mosquitos, NEVER see any of these guys).
Maybe it's a vicarious thrill, since we don't have wolves or big cats anymore.
By the way, those are very good photographs, FC. And I hope you didn't call the local sheriff to alert of a murder.
Wow! That's a tough way to end the day for that moth. The wild kingdom is really a very wild place. I've never seen an ambush bug, but it always amazes me when a smaller bug carries off a bigger one. I watched one ant drag a MUCH bigger ant away the other day, like I should be able to lift a volkswagen beetle with my teeth!
I think WE were ambushed! That alliteration was a killer! ;)
I'm going to pretend those were just lovely butterfly pictures, and didn't include any ingestion or murder of any other creatures.
So...
Wow! Beautiful shots, FC - wish we had butterflies like that up here, but they are pretty scarce on the island.
aaahhh...I hate to see things get ambused, but that's the cycle of life.
Maybe the assassin bug will pollinate for you? No?
Nice scallop post below, F.C.
This reminds me of the opening of Pilgrim at Tinker Creek where the author watched as a frog had its insides sucked out by a water bug.
Wayne,
We are free of mosquito spraying out here too, so there's a great variety.
...and no, I didn't BUG the sheriff about this killing.
Robin,
Danger lurks on every petal...
Girlonaglide,
A lifelong lusty love of alliteration leaves me literally longing for more.
Mrs. S,
If you turn the picture around, all you can see is the pretty blossom and the moth wings. :)
Abandoned,
Everybody's gotta eat.
Hoss,
I suppose he could just by crawling around the blossoms.
Pablo,
That image chills me. I don't mind inverts eating each other in their particularly nasty ways, but I hate, hate, hate to see one get the better of a vertebrate. I know...it's silly...call it vertebrate bias, but it gives me the willies.
I'm just sititng here laughing at the comments as well as the end of the post. Sometimes it's good to be the last commenter! :)
Laura,
They are a clever group!
Thingfish,
Kudos from the master bug photographer! Thanks pal!
Post a Comment