More bug pictures! I think this is going to turn into a photography blog for the duration of the summer. Other topics may be addressed, but mostly there will be bugs.

. . . and I need a hand-held light thingie - like you can get to attach to an SLR? Except I have a point-and-shoot, which has no means to attach thingies. So, hand-held. And no, a flashlight would not work as well . . well, it could, if it were a particularly nice flashlight . . but generally speaking, flashlights produce concentric rings of yellow light. Not particularly conducive to the taking of well-lit pictures of nocturnal bugs. I'm just using the built-in flash at the moment, but even in "soft flash" mode it's really a little bright.

So, pictures, some daytime (mostly from the nature center), some nighttime (mostly from my yard). I did hang around the nature center for maybe half an hour after dark once last year . . . technically a no-no . . but it made me a little nervous to be someplace I was not supposed to be, alone, after dark. Even in the name of art and all that.

(This picture came out highly cool, but I can't take complete credit for it, because the bug's upper left wing is broken. You can sorta see that if you look closely - that's why it was holding still and posing so well. Poor bug. If you're looking closely enough in general, you see more "imperfect" critters than you might expect - this guy was still clearly trying to figure out what to do with three wings, but you see critters short an appendage getting around fine. See below re: bug with malformed foot. There's something sorta sobering and yet hopeful about the idea that it's not just us whose lives sometimes suck, and yet have to carry on - the whole world is struggling just like that. And from what I can see, a bigger percentage than you'd think do okay.)

This little dude (or dudette, as the case may be - I'm not sure) wins the award for sheer awesome. I mean - striped antennae. There's no way you can go wrong with striped antennae. I really must find out what the heck he-or-she is.

Look too long into the abyss . . .
(I suddenly want to make LOL - bugs. "Existentialist bug . . looks into abyss.")

This little guy (or gal) had a malformed right rear-most foot. See how it looks like all curly? It shouldn't; it should look like the left one. But, I didn't even realize this until I uploaded the pictures, because a.) bug was tiny, and b.) bug was moving completely normally. Used it just like the other foot. I find that sorta cool. Yay, little adversity-overcoming bug!

. . these are still all un-cropped. That policy may not last much longer, as some of them would really benefit from cropping.