It's not that I'm a bug lover, but I will say that I have a lush garden in my garage. Insects, butterflies, dragonflies, and spiders often appear there. That's when I take out my phone to capture their images, as long as they let me.
I don't know their names or species, so I usually look them up online to find out more about some insects.
This week, at the entrance to my porch, I found this caterpillar on the floor. From the time I've been seeing their cocoons, I already knew it was a caterpillar. I picked it up with my fingers and placed it on a wall to take pictures.
The caterpillar began to stick its head out, and little by little, it pulled its body out. It tried to climb up the wall. I think it was looking for a place to undergo its new transformation.
I took several photos and then placed them back where I found them. I didn't hear from it again. When I returned to the same place, it had disappeared.
This is a spider that has been living among my plants for a long time. I just go over to take pictures and leave them there. Perhaps when I water my plants or when the birds come to eat the figs from my fig tree, you can see that there are some insects on the plants.
I am struck by the colors of this spider. They have never scared me. It stays very still while I take the photos. Sometimes my phone's camera helps me take excellent photos, but other times, it doesn't help me; it slows down a lot, I have to wait to take another photo, and things like that.
Before, I could take up to 20 photos and then choose. Now I take fewer, because the position I have to adopt to take the photos is usually very awkward to maintain for long periods of time.
This caterpillar appeared on a dry log, and I took the photos from there. Due to its predominantly brown color, I think it is a moth caterpillar. Regardless of what kind of butterfly it is, I leave it there. Let it do its thing and complete its transformation.
I never follow them, so I don't know where these caterpillars end up. Whether they turn into butterflies or moths or, on the contrary, fail to develop.
I also find lizards in my garden, and I think they eat a lot of insects. There are also many birds that come to my garden, attracted by the sweet smell of my fig tree.
This insect was resting on one of my cacti. I was trying to repot my cactus. It was obvious that the pot was too small for it, and at one point, I saw this insect arrive and rest on the tip of the cactus. I took the opportunity to take some photos. This was one of those occasions when my camera refused to increase its resolution, so I could take better photos.
So far, these are the bugs I have been able to photograph to share on these pages.
The photos were taken with the Redmi Note 9.
The banners are mine, made with Canva.
The worm inside the bag-like structure is called a bagworm, they carry it around to hide inside.
The brown worm is a butterfly, a very large and beautiful swallowtail. It's camouflaged to look like bird poop.
The spider looks like an old female Latrodectus curacaviensis and they are quite venomous so be careful. They are shy and slow to to bite but make sure that you never trap it in your hand accidentally.
I don't know what the last one is
That worm in the bag is not a caterpillar then?
If it's a worm, is it going to eat my plants?
Wow, that butterfly must have already been born, but since I don't follow them, I missed seeing it.
I have seen this spider very frequently in my garden. I have taken very nice photos of it before, but it has never jumped on me, that's why I thought it was not poisonous, I will be careful from now on. I just don't like killing them.
Thank you very much for this information.
Friend Nikv, are you a biologist or something that has to do with nature? because since I have known you you always give me reliable information about plants, insects and others.
It is a type of caterpillar and the different species eat various things so I don't know for sure.
I'm no biologist but I have been interested in the natural world since I was a child and always educated myself about it
I really congratulate you for all the knowledge you have acquired. I forget names a lot, I'm not so good if I don't write it down and review it later.
Thanks, again.
Why not? :)
Great post!
Because just as I learned little by little about plants, I have not learned enough about insects, and they scare me very much because of my ignorance.
Let me explain: I already know ladybugs and I love them, I like their colors and I know that they benefit my garden. I know butterflies, I like them to come and lay their eggs on my plants, and then the caterpillars eat them, I don't care, I love them. It's just that most insects are unknown to me, that's why I don't like them until I know them.
No worries!
But in case you are interested you might read this pinned post to learn a little bit more. :)
Wow, what a beautiful collection of bugs you have, I love it.
I get bedbugs sometimes on my plants, good thing it's not often. Because when I'm careless, they throw their precious foul liquid at me.
I love dragonflies, and swallowtail caterpillars, I don't mind that they eat the leaves of some plants. Many caterpillars also hatch on one of my butterfly plants, but I don't remember its name now.
I prefer bees to wasps.
I can tell you about the spiders that the jumping spiders chase me, and once I was even able to photograph their eyes so close that I saw myself reflected in them. It was a great photo, which I lost.
Thank you for recommending your guide to these small beings that we all call insects, because we are ignorant.