Category Archives: Insects

Sleepy Orange Butterfly

A Sleepy Orange Butterfly rests on dry vegetation on the South Kona coast.

The Numbers Game #44

Billowy clouds over the Alenuihāhā Channel between Maui and the Big Island, Hawaii — Clouds pile up over the ʻAlenuihāhā Channel.

The idea of The Numbers Game is to enter a number into the search bar of your computer and then post a selection of the photos that turn up. This week’s number is 165. Captions are on the photos. You can see more responses here.

A rainy day at Upolu Airport, Hawaii — A plane parked at Upolu under ominous skies.

A giant trevally in the waters off Hawaii — A plane parked at Upolu under ominous skies.

A black saddlebags dragonfly — A Black Saddlebags Dragonfly.

The remains of a building at Kiholo, Hawaii — A Black Saddlebags Dragonfly.

Stick Insect

When I saw this Stick Insect, clinging to one of the window screens, I realized that it had been a long time since I last saw one, at least a couple of years. Not sure why that is, but they blend in so well I could easily have looked at one without realizing it.

Blue-eyed Ensign Wasp

I see these wasps quite often, flitting about, with the little black abdominal part on the stalk vibrating noticeably. However, it wasn’t until recently that I identified them.

This is a Blue-eyed Ensign Wasp (Evania appendigaster) and it’s considered a beneficial insect because it’s a parasitoid, which lays it’s eggs in the eggs of cockroaches. The wasp’s offspring feed off the cockroach eggs, which results in a few less cockroaches in the neighborhood.

Alas, we do not appear to be running out of cockroaches, or seem likely to do so in the immediate future.

The Numbers Game #41

A small plane flies low over Upolu Airport, Hawaii. — A fly-in at Upolu Airport.

The idea of The Numbers Game is to enter a number into the search bar of your computer and then post a selection of the photos that turn up. This week’s number is 162. Captions are on the photos. You can see more responses here.

A praying mantis and a fly — A fly on a praying mantis.

Street art in Hawi, Hawaii — A fly on a praying mantis.

A dry cow pasture in North Kohala, Hawaii — Dry pasture at Upolu.

Irrigation in North Kohala, Hawaii — Dry pasture at Upolu.

The Numbers Game #40

A boat anchored off the beach at Anaehoomalu Bay in Hawaii — A Covid-year photo of a sailboat anchored off a deserted Anaeho’omalu Bay beach.

The idea of The Numbers Game is to enter a number into the search bar of your computer and then post a selection of the photos that turn up. This week’s number is 161. Captions are on the photos. You can see more responses here.

Also, seven photos posted for Becky’s Squares: Seven. See more responses here.

A Cliff Ladder used by fishermen on the North Kohala Coast, Hawaii — A ladder used by people fishing, to access a rugged shore.

Palm tree reflections at Place of Refuge in Hawaii — A ladder used by people fishing, to access a rugged shore.

Goats drink from a pond at Pu'uhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park — Goats take a drink at a pond in Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park.

Yuccas alongside the road to Kamuela, Hawaii — Goats take a drink at a pond in Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park.

Seriously subdued spider in seven shocking scenes

A Yellow-legged mud-dauber Wasp stuffs a paralysed spider into a hole as future food for its offspring.

At work recently, I was alerted to the presence of an odd wasp, with a ‘sac’ under its body, trying to get into a small hole in the window frame. I grabbed my camera, opened the window, and took photos.

It quickly became clear that the ‘sac’ was a spider, and not a tiny one either. What was less clear was whether the wasp would succeed in its quest. I assume the hole is a drainage outlet, but what the wasp was up to was less clear. A little research cleared that up.

The wasp is a Yellow-legged Mud-dauber Wasp (Sceliphron caementarium). Not sure what kind of spider it is, but I do know its days are numbered. Sadly for the spider, it will not be a swift end. According to Wikipedia, “After building a cell of the nest, the female wasp captures several spiders. The captured prey are stung and paralyzed before being placed in the nest (usually 6-15 per cell), and then a single egg is deposited on the prey within each cell. The wasp then seals the cell with a thick mud plug. After finishing a series of cells, she leaves and does not return.” Notice that the spider is paralyzed, not dead. Got to have fresh food for the kids!

Posted for Becky’s Squares: Seven. See more responses here.