30.9.10

The Birds and the Bees

This is a post about the birds and the bees without the birds and the bees.


Wedding photo of Common Grass Yellow Butterflies.
Left : Male
Right : Female


Orange butterflies holding on to a 'wedding bouquet'.


White Antenna Wasp Moths dating amongst wild flowers.


The moths drew a heart discreetly under a leave...perhaps using their white antennae.


The moths tied the knot.
Top : Male
Bottom : Female


Yellow Ladybugs
Bright Yellow : Male
Pale Yellow : Female


Snails are hermaphrodites.


A grasshopper nymph was found near my hibiscus flower buds. 
Could the parents be in My Nice Garden ?

Another pair of blue butterflies were found in the garden of Andrea of This Lifetime.

20.9.10

Childhood Photos of Ladybugs

Have you seen these small six-legged monstrous looking creatures in your garden?


When they grow up, they should look like alligators with 2 extra legs, right?
But nature is as such that they become cute little ladybugs instead.


Ladybugs belong to the beetle family.
They have dome-shaped backs and flat undersides.  
Their markings differ considerably though. 


The above ladybug has zig-zag stripes instead of spots.
I usually spot it zig-zagging on my chilli plants.
The first photo above is its childhood photo. 
I must admit there is no resemblance in colour nor in shape whatsoever.


Some ladybugs have no spots at all especially if they have just emerged from their pupae.
Some remain spotless.


A yellow bug is less commonly seen. 
I found them on my mulberry plant feeding on mildew.
For its childhood photo, please refer to the second photo in this post.


This particular bug is a leaf eater as you can see. 
Unlike the others, it is not shiny but hairy instead.
I found this one on my tomato plant weaving patterns on the leaves.


 Ladybugs usually lay their eggs in clusters beneath leaves.


A larva and a pupa.


Different stages of yellow pupae in meditative mode that lasts for 7 days.


A yellow ladybug newly emerges from its pupa.


Empty pupa.


The darker yellow ladybug is a male while the lighter yellow one is a female.
The female kept running away from the camera. 

Ladybugs, I sincerely apologize for the disturbance I must have caused.
You can have your privacy now.

9.9.10

Dragonflies in Setia Alam Part 2

Dragonflies are a very ancient order of insects and fossils exist from more than 300 million years ago.


Dragonflies are active and aggressive carnivores, both as adults and as young preying mostly on other insects.


Dragonflies come in many different colours and patterns. 
Male dragonflies are usually more colourful and attractive whereas the female has duller colours.




The adults have massively large eyes and may each contain as many as 30 000 individual lenses!



This last photo is dedicated to Bangchik. 
From the dragonfly's side-view, you can see that it is merely doing a balancing act. 
Definitely not a weight lifter :)