Leaf in Beijing

 
Pretty shaped leaf in a hutong. 

Copper Wings

 
The sunlight and the angle of the dragonfly's wings were really working well together. 

King of All the Thistles

 
This is only a guess, but perhaps this is the lesser goldfinch Carduelis psaltria .

We were out trying to get some of the boys' energy out by walking to a local park. It was stifling hot, as most people in North America know, but the bugs and birds seemed happy enough. I think they like to laugh at the whole concept of sweating. 

BiPlane

 
Good stripes. Kinda like a zebra dragon. 

Pretty Blue

 
Another blue. They're some of the teeny-tiniest butterflies. 

Answer to "Cool, Huh?"

 
It really bloomed this red, no extra saturation. Heck, I'm generally undersaturated. 

Another Blob for Wayne

 
So my buddy Wayne says, "Whenever I go to your site it's bugs and blobs." Then I realize I haven't had a good blob picture for a while.

This is Kai's blob. He was making some sort of super hero strength potion from dried and rehydrated teal tempura paint prepared in a red clay planter dish. 

Fuzzy legs

 
I think with those fuzzy-wuzzy legs, these guys are almost as cute as a bumble bee. 

Mystery Bees

 
It was windy yesterday evening and the light was decidedly odd. It was blueish because it was dusk, but the clouds had rolled in and every detail was sharp. When I went out to find something to photograph in the odd light, I found these bees clinging to the swaying long wild grass in the back of our yard.

I'm not sure what species, but they seem to be semi-social. Why take shelter in the grass instead of the ground? They also held onto the grass primarily with their mandibles rather than their legs. I guess there's more gripping power there. The mandibles are smooth and pointy rather than edged like a sawtooth. And check out the length of those antenna!

Are they leafcutter bees that just happened to be taking shelter on the same stalk? My long suffering burning bush shrub shows signs that leaf cutter bees are around. 

Cool, Huh?

 
I wonder what it is. I think I planted it. It doesn't look like my normal weed. 

Cleaning Discovery

 
While archiving my photos, I found this. It's from May 2006, a cobweb spider, relative to the black widow but smaller, brown and cuter. I wonder why I forgot about it.

Anyhow, I'm archiving because I (inevitably) ran out of disk space and because I'm preparing my computer for the trip to China. I'll be blogging and photographing like a madwoman.

We got our TA -- the invitation from the Chinese government to come and get Li Mei from the orphanage! I think we'll be leaving July 29th plus or minus a day depending on our appointment with the US Consulate in Guangzhou.

My stomach is turning flip flops and my face feels flushed. Finally having Li Mei is becoming a reality. We won't have to wait much longer.

I have so much to do. AAAGH. A ton to do. TONS to do. 

Double Date

 
That's the vanilla title of this photo. 

An addendum: What's That Bug? just linked here. Coolness, a celebrity website endorsement. ;)

Self Indulgence

 
Okay, yes, I really like dragonflies. 

Tiny Red Dragon

 
This dragonfly is smaller than many in this little mud puddle, but I love the red racing stripes. He(?) spent a lot of time raising his abdomen above his wings. I wonder if he was flashing his colors to attract another red dragonfly. 

Experiment 2-B

 
The nymph is saying: You are SO lucky this glass is between us! 

Experiment 2-A

 
Damselfly nymph in the same aquarium as in Experiments 1-A through 1-C. Curse the bubbles! They WILL be popped in future experiments! 

Mystery Butterfly

 

I generally try to ID these myself using http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/ but I wasn't able to find my species this time.

The closest visual local I could find was Magdalena Alpine (Erebia magdalena) but it didn't seem quite right -- maybe the picture was just vague. If I hadn't seen the range of the Dingy Purplewing (Eunica monima)
was far south of us, I would have guessed that. The British Ringlet seemed close too, but that's an even longer flight. :)

Behavior-wise, it seemed to fit the brushfoot/satyr family as it rests on four legs instead of all six. It rested with wings closed while resting on pine tree bark and tried to orient its wing edges toward me to present the smallest viewing area. The eyes were darker than most, I couldn't see details of pupils. It was very active, maybe due to the heat. This was taken in the early afternoon in the Eagles Nest Wilderness near Dillon, Colorado. 

Experiment 1-C

 
Another picture that shows I need improvement. But check out the cool fringe on the underside of the bug. 

Experiment 1-B

 
Same bug from the back. 

Experiment 1-A

 
Backswimmer bug, from what I've read it's family Notonectidae and wing position shows it's Hemiptera or true bug. These little bugs are interesting in that they are their own diving bells.

You can probably tell this was taken in a small aquarium (2.5 gal or 9.46 l). After I get all the land based camera equipment that I need, I promise to go out and pick up the aquatic gear.

Despite the artificial environment, I was happy to get a close picture to see how these little fellows managed some of the aquatic acrobatics. They are fast and aggressive towards other insects but real chickens when it comes to people. 

Protective Pine

 
Right after I nearly weeded the mantis, she(?) retreatred to the pine tree. 

Hygiene

 
Always make sure to wash your hands after handling humans. 

Summer Friend

 
I met this summer's generation today, but I nearly gave the poor thing a heart attack. I was pulling weeds and nearly crushed her (him?). It took about a half an hour before she stopped flashing her wings at me and let me hold her. 

Turquoise Dragon

 
This fellow was alive and well and nice enough to rest in a predictable place every few minuites.

Rowan and I went to the local almost-stagnant water pond. There are so many damselflies and dragonflies I don't see how an adult mosquito or mosquito larva would last more than a few minutes. 

Rappin'

 
I see this beetle picture (on a Prairie Cone flower) and think, "This fella just needs a little bling bling and a turntable he's ready to par-tay."

Yes. I spend too much time thinking about insects.