Sunday, September 18, 2011

Rose Colored Glasses Make Everyone Pretty


There she is, Miss Mothera...

photo by CTMom

Easily the prettiest bug to visit these parts in a while, meet the rosy maple moth (dryocampa rubicunda). I'm just going to say this specimen is a female because I'm tired of the males in the animal kingdom getting all the good looks. Plus, I read that the females have bushier antennae than the males and these antennae look rather bushy to me. So there!  I am now finished with my diva rant on behalf of plain-lookin' females everywhere.

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Hubba Hubba

Hunks! I know how to find them. I am referring, of course, to this tomato hornworm and not the guy behind it because he’s my brother and calling him a hunk would be gross. But really, everywhere I go I find the biggest, juiciest and most bizarre bugs. Spotting them is kinda like my secret super power. I realized over this past summer that I could be content if my only job was to travel the world and take pictures of insects. If that were my actual job, I would certainly post more blog entries. I think I have a year or more worth of bug pics to share.


When I first saw the tomato hornworm munching on my parent’s garden I thought it would most definitely metamorphosis into the most incredible moth. Unfortunately, no. The moth is quite plain and the grub is loathed by tomato growers everywhere. I’ll always have a place in my heart for you, you giant squishy!