I noticed this katydid on one of the window screens and took a few photos, trying to capture a ‘life-behind-bars’ feeling. Little did I know how this would pan out.
The gecko appeared from above and slowly edged towards its prey. Then it reached down and …. licked the katydid. The katydid immediately hurled itself into space and wasn’t seen again. The gecko wandered off. Apparently, life can get very weird behind bars.
This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Summer Bugs.’ (See more responses here.) To the best of my knowledge, Hawaii’s bugs are pretty much the same year-round. Here are some of them.
The top photo shows a bee showing impressive balance on a maiapilo flower.
Next up, clockwise from top left: Getting down to eye level with a juvenile praying mantis. A painted lady butterfly on a kiawe tree. A katydid wondering what it’s done to deserve this much attention. A seven-spotted lady beetle being watched.
The final gallery: Top left: A mango flower beetle explores a spider lily. Top right: A watchful cane spider wondering if it should run, very fast, away. Bottom left: A Hawaiian carpenter ant (Camponotus variegatus), one of too many that have taken up residence in the house. Bottom right: A rusty millipede deciding that it’s all too much!
This cone-headed katydid is another introduced species, though Hawaii does have a native banza conehead, which I have yet to see. These coneheads are a big contributor to the nighttime insect buzz.
A katydid rests on the round, spiny fruits of a castor bean (Ricinus communis) plant. These fruit capsules contain large bean-like seeds which are very poisonous. In the photo, it looks like the katydid is feeding, presumably not on the poisonous bits.
Just a straightforward ‘Spot the katydid’ photo. I was sorting some older photos and I had to look at this one more than once to figure out what was going on.
I noticed this katydid on the outside of a window and hurried to take a photo. There are a couple of things I like about this photo.
One is that it reminds me that it’s good to look at things from a different perspective now and then. The other is that it reminds me I really, really need to wash the windows.
I found this conehead katydid hugging the ground on a windy day. I think it’s probably a common conehead, but can’t say for sure.
A katydid waits on the corner of the lanai, its stick-like legs at odd angles, appearing broken in the middle. But if I get too close it will ping away, as those same legs rocket it to safety.
Graham's Island 