Stick insects rely on camouflage for protection, sitting stationary on a branch or stem and looking indistinguishable from their perch. This stick insect was hanging out on this uniformly blue fabric, which is just about the polar opposite of its preferred strategy.
One thing I like about macro photography is that, sometimes, something in the photo gives a twist to the scale of things. This stick insect could be any size, but the tire tread suggests it’s fairly small. Except the tread looks so big and imposing, perhaps it’s a tire on one of those huge earth moving machines, which would make the stick insect a formidable size.
In fact, it’s just a truck tire and if the insect doesn’t move, it will become even more closely acquainted with the treads.
Stick insect are beautifully camouflaged on twigs and small branches, but there are other surfaces with which they blend well. This one, though, might not be the best choice.
In my ongoing quest to thwart leaf miners from devouring the basil plants, I’ve surrounded them with netting made from window screen material. One morning, I saw this little fellow perched on the netting. It’s easily the smallest stick insect I’ve seen. That’s a pretty fine mesh it’s clinging to.
When I first saw this gecko it had already snagged the stick insect and was fending off a larger gecko that had taken an interest. It scurried up the wall with its prize and, the last I saw, was preparing to deliver last rites.
Graham's Island 