A fiery skipper butterfly, Hylephila phyleus, dips its proboscis into a passion flower.
Fiery skipper butterfly
Category Archives: Insects
Chinese rose beetle
This is a Chinese rose beetle shortly after I evicted it from the house. They usually get in the house attached to laundry that was hanging on a line, towels being a particular favorite. Identifying this bug helped explain the condition of the hedge behind the house, where the leaves are so perforated they look like lace.
Green bottle fly
A green bottle fly, Lucilia sericata, checks out a flower on a tree heliotrope (Heliotropium foertherianum).
Young praying mantis
I saw this little fellow gingerly making his was across one of the windows. He was no more than an inch long.
Ants clean up a dead centipede
Well, this is unpleasant and there’s no getting around that. Or perhaps not. This is nature at work. Ants discovered this recently-deceased centipede and for them it was a windfall. The centipede was gone later in the day.
Cuckoo wasp
I saw this small, bright insect flitting about on the new growth of a plumeria. The cuckoo wasp gets its name from its practice of laying eggs in the nests of other wasps and bees. Once hatched, the cuckoo wasp eats the host wasp or bee larva. Then it eats the food placed in the nest for the host’s offspring. Probably not an insect to invite to your next dinner party.
For more information about cuckoo wasps, go to bugguide.net/node/view/6946.
Breakfast strikes back
At first, this green anole had the bug in its mouth, but then events took a turn for the worse. At first I thought the bug was a larder beetle, but now I believe it’s a Chinese rose beetle, though I wouldn’t bet the farm on that. In the end, it got away. The anole did not look pleased to have these events witnessed.
For more information about green anoles, go to en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carolina_anole.
Oriental stink bug
When I first saw this bug, I thought it was a Japanese beetle. Later, I realized I was wrong and it was a stink bug. They get their name because they can emit a foul-smelling substance when disturbed. Luckily, I didn’t disturb it enough to provoke that response, though there was no way I was going to leave it be on the basil plant where I found it. Most mornings see the plant with new holes or bite marks. Seems to be a favorite of just about every bug around.
Graham's Island 