Wilderness Portraits by Lloyd Paul Aiello

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Insects

29 images Created 17 May 2009

Insect photography celebrating their diversity in the natural wilderness habitat.

"What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the Master calls a Butterfly." --Richard Bach
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  • A European (Western) honey bee (Apis mellifera) gathers pollen from stonecrop blooms
    _LPA8084-honey-bee-flower-stonecrop.tif
  • A bumblebee (genus Bombus) and black beetle gather nectar from amongst the stamens of a hibiscus flower (family Malvaceae) at Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge in Concord, Massachusetts.   Like their relatives the honeybees, bumblebees feed on nectar, using their long hairy proboscis which is folded under the head during flight. Numerous grains of pollen can be seen adherent to this bee’s legs, demonstrating why bumblebees are important agricultural pollinators.  Over 250 species of bumblebee are known, being found primarily at higher altitudes or latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere, although they are also found in South America.  <br />
<br />
The hibiscus genus is comprised of several hundred species that are native to subtropical and tropical regions throughout the world. They are renowned for their large, showy flowers and are commonly known simply as hibiscus, or less commonly as rose mallow.
    _LPA9289-Edit-bumble-bee-beetle-hibi...tif
  • This Fork-Tailed Bush Katydid (Scudderia furcate) is perched atop the budding flower stalk of a Dendrobium orchid. Primarily nocturnal in habit, it has become expert at camouflage by mimicking the shape and colors of the leaves upon which it feeds.  Insects in this family (Tettigoniidae) are commonly called katydids or bush crickets and more than 6,400 species are known. The Fork-Tailed Bush Katydid, is native to the United States and widespread in the eastern and southeastern regions.  Adults are 14 - 75mm (0.55 - 2.95 inches) in length and have excellent eyesight.  Katydids have much longer antennae than grasshoppers, averaging 39mm (1.53 inches) and they only produce one generation annually since the eggs require a rest period.  The males have sound-producing organs located on the hind angles of their front wings. The males use this sound for courtship, which occurs late in the summer. The sound is produced by rubbing two parts of their bodies together, a process called stridulation. The males call 24-hours a day using 2-3 chirps followed by various periods of silence while waiting for a female to respond.  The insect gets its name from the sound of the male’s call: “Katy-did”. The tempo of the calls is governed by ambient temperature.  For American katydids, the number of chirps in 15 seconds plus 37 will be close to the outside temperature in degrees Fahrenheit.
    _LPA2586-Edit-fork-tailed-katydid-de...tif
  • A 2 inch long Dog Day or Annual Cicada (Tibicen canicularis) clings to a Day Lilly (Hemerocallis ) petal in the morning sunlight.
    _LPA4644-cicada-insect-day-lilly.tif
  • This Fork-Tailed Bush Katydid (Scudderia furcate) is nestled among blossoms of a Dendrobium orchid. Primarily nocturnal in habit, it has become expert at camouflage by mimicking the shape and colors of the leaves upon which it feeds.  <br />
<br />
Insects in this family (Tettigoniidae) are commonly called katydids or bush crickets and more than 6,400 species are known. The Fork-Tailed Bush Katydid, is native to the United States and widespread in the eastern and southeastern regions.  Adults are 14 - 75mm (0.55 - 2.95 inches) in length and have excellent eyesight.  <br />
<br />
Katydids have much longer antennae than grasshoppers, averaging 39mm (1.53 inches) and they only produce one generation annually since the eggs require a rest period.  <br />
<br />
The males have sound-producing organs located on the hind angles of their front wings. The males use this sound for courtship, which occurs late in the summer. The sound is produced by rubbing two parts of their bodies together, a process called stridulation. The males call 24-hours a day using 2-3 chirps followed by various periods of silence while waiting for a female to respond.  The insect gets its name from the sound of the male’s call: “Katy-did”. <br />
<br />
The tempo of the calls is governed by ambient temperature.  For American katydids, the number of chirps in 15 seconds plus 37 will be close to the outside temperature in degrees Fahrenheit.
    _LPA2505-Edit-katydid-dendrobium-orc...tif
  • The Eastern Lubber Grasshopper (microptera), native the to southeastern and south central portion of the United States and reaching nearly 3 inches in size, now only exists in Florida and South Carolina
    _LPA8645-eastern-lubber-grasshopper-...tif
  • This Fork-Tailed Bush Katydid (Scudderia furcate) is climbing the blooms of a Dendrobium orchid. Primarily nocturnal in habit, it has become expert at camouflage by mimicking the shape and colors of the leaves upon which it feeds.  <br />
<br />
Insects in this family (Tettigoniidae) are commonly called katydids or bush crickets and more than 6,400 species are known. The Fork-Tailed Bush Katydid, is native to the United States and widespread in the eastern and southeastern regions.  Adults are 14 - 75mm (0.55 - 2.95 inches) in length and have excellent eyesight.  <br />
<br />
Katydids have much longer antennae than grasshoppers, averaging 39mm (1.53 inches) and they only produce one generation annually since the eggs require a rest period.  <br />
<br />
The males have sound-producing organs located on the hind angles of their front wings. The males use this sound for courtship, which occurs late in the summer. The sound is produced by rubbing two parts of their bodies together, a process called stridulation. The males call 24-hours a day using 2-3 chirps followed by various periods of silence while waiting for a female to respond.  The insect gets its name from the sound of the male’s call: “Katy-did”. <br />
<br />
The tempo of the calls is governed by ambient temperature.  For American katydids, the number of chirps in 15 seconds plus 37 will be close to the outside temperature in degrees Fahrenheit.
    _LPA2473-Edit-katydid-climbing-dendr...tif
  • The Hemlock Looper or Mournful Thorn (Lambdina fiscellaria) is a moth found in North America, from the Pacific to the Atlantic coast and from Canada south to Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and California.  The wingspan is about 35 mm (1.4 in) and the moth flies from August to early October depending on the location.  The larvae feed on hemlock, balsam fir, white spruce, oak and other hardwoods.  This individual was photographed in Kingfield Maine in August.<br />
<br />
The image is a focus stack of 6 exposures.
    _1LA9738-Edit-hemlock-looper-mournfu...tif
  • The true Daddy-Longlegs (Phalangium opilio) shown here on an Eastern Redbud tree leaf (Cercis canadensis ) is actually not a spider but a type of arachnid in their own Order Opiliones. Composit of 7 individual images for depth of focus.
    _LPA7310-daddy-longlegs-spider-redbu...tif
  • The Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) is a North American bird also known colloquially as redbird or common cardinal. It can be found from southern Canada, through the eastern United States and south to Mexico. It prefers woodlands, gardens, shrublands, and swamps.  The Northern Cardinal has a body length of 8-9 inches and a wingspan of 10-12 inches.  The male is a vibrant red, while the female is a dull red-brown shade. The Northern Cardinal is mainly granivorous, but also feeds on fruit or insects as shown here (note the wasp in the bird's beak).  The cardinal was once prized as a pet, but its sale as cage birds is now banned in the United States by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918.  This particular male Northern Cardinal is in the process of eating a wasp as it perches in a Red Maple (Acer rubrum) that is just coming into bloom.
    _LPA5920-cardinal, male-wasp-eating-...tif
  • A worker bumblebee (genus Bombus) gathers nectar from a flowering Goldenrod (Solidago) plant.  Goldenrod belongs to a genus of about 100 species in the aster family which are mostly native to North America. The length of a worker bumblebee 0.75 to 1.5 in (19 to 38 mm).  Bumblebees, like their relatives the honeybees, feed on nectar using a long proboscis which is seen here protruding from the bee’s mouth.  Numerous small round yellow grains of pollen are adherent all over this bee’s body, demonstrating why bumblebees are important agricultural pollinators.  Over 250 species of bumblebee are known, primarily living at higher altitudes or latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere, although they are also found in South America.<br />
<br />
The image is a focus stack of 2 handheld exposures.
    _1LA0249-Edit-bumblebee-goldenrod-fl...tif
  • Dew drops cling to a Funnel Weaver Spider (Agelenidae) web spread over Sedum
    _LPA1985-dew-spider-web-sedum.tif
  • A Jumping Spider (Sitticus pubescens) looks for prey from the blossom of a Dendrobium orchid.  <br />
<br />
Jumping spiders belong to the largest Family of spiders, the Salticidae, with more than 5,800 described species.  They are found around the globe, more commonly in tropical environments, although some species even thrive in the frigid Himalayas. Over 300 species exist within North America.  <br />
<br />
Jumping spiders have swift reflexes and excellent leaping abilities. The small 1-25mm (0.04–0.98 inch) spiders can jump more than 25 times their own size using a well-developed internal hydraulic system that extends their limbs by altering the pressure of body fluid (hemolymph) within them. This enables the spiders to jump remarkable distances without large muscular legs like a grasshopper. <br />
<br />
Unlike most spiders, jumping spiders hunt actively during the daytime.  They have the keenest vision of all spiders, being able to detect movement up to 18" around them.  Their night vision, however, is poor. Jumping spiders have 8 eyes, 4 on the face and 4 on the highest point of the carapace.  Their overall field of view is nearly 360-degrees. The 2 long and tube-like eyes located at the center of the face provide stereoscopic vision, are moveable and have very high resolution (11min visual angle), but very limited field of view (2-5 degrees).  In contrast, the other eyes are fixed and have low acuity but wide field of view.  Some of the eyes see only green wavelengths, some blue and UV-light, and others have tetrachromatic color vision with sensitivity extending into the ultraviolet range. <br />
<br />
Jumping spiders do not construct snare webs but they do produce silk to mark retreats, protect eggs, and as a dragline while jumping to allow the spiders to control their fall and retrace their steps.  <br />
<br />
Jumping spiders are particularly abundant in grassland and prairie environments, where they prey upon bollworms, cotton leaf worms, webworms, cotton flea hoppers, stinkbugs, leafhoppers and mosquitoes.
    _LPA2412-Edit-jumping-spider-dendrob...tif
  • An Isabella Tiger Moth (Pyrrharctia isabella) caterpillar searches the bark of a Northern White Cedar (Thuja occidentalis) in northern Maine for a suitable location in which to pass the winter.  Found throughout North America except in most northern Canada, they will usually settle under a section of tree bark, a rock, or a log where they produce a natural organic antifreeze that permits then to survive cold temperatures as extreme as -90oF!<br />
<br />
The caterpillars have many names: Wooly Worm, Fuzzy Bear, Hedgehog Caterpillar and Woolly Bear. The timing of their travels and their distinctive banded coloration has led to a robust folklore of their being an established predictor of the severity of the winter to come. <br />
<br />
 In fact, the coloration of the Woolly Bear is a result of its age, species and diet.   A more favorable growing season for the caterpillar results in a narrower red-orange middle band.  As the caterpillars molt, their colors change, acquiring more black and less red.
    _LPA7170-Edit-wooly-worm-caterpillar...tif
  • A bumblebee (genus Bombus) with a tiny brown mite on its wing gathers nectar from a flowering Goldenrod (Solidago) plant.  Bumblebees, like their relatives the honeybees, feed on nectar using a long hairy proboscis which is folded under the head during flight. A few yellow grains of pollen can be seen adherent to this bee’s back and head, demonstrating why bumblebees are important agricultural pollinators.  However, the small brown creature near the middle of the bumblebee’s wing is a mite.   Many bumblebees have tiny mites clinging to their bodies. In most cases the mites are difficult to see, but sometimes they can cover large parts of the bumblebee’s body. <br />
<br />
Most of the mite species that live with bumblebees are harmless to them and simply cling to the bumblebee so that they can be transported to new nests. When in the bee nest, the mites usually feed upon the wax, pollen, nest debris, and other small insects, but do not feed on the bees. Then, when they reach a certain stage in their life cycle, the mites cling to worker bees, and are transported onto flowers. From these flowers, the mites then attach to other visiting bees, and are transported to new nests.<br />
<br />
Bumblebees do not carry the destructive Varroa mites (Varroa destructor and V. jacobsoni) common to honey bees that harbor deformed wing virus and a fungal parasite called Nosema ceranae which can eventually destroy a honey bee nest.  However, the pathogens themselves are capable of infecting adult bumblebees and can then destroy their colonies.  Around the world, many species of bumblebees have suffered steep declines and some, such Cullem's bumblebee (Bombus cullumanus), have gone extinct.
    _1LA0204-Edit-bumblebee-mite-flower-...tif
  • A yellow and black common hover fly (Melangyna viridiceps) rests on the tip of  an Asian Lilly leaf
    _LPA7294-hover-fly-asian-lilly-leaf.tif
  • A small red-eyed green bottle fly (Lucillia sp) rests on a yellow Asian Lilly flower petal.
    _LPA7290-fly-green-bottle-red-eye-in...tif
  • The Rusty Tussock Moth or Vapourer (Orgyia antiqua) is native to Europe, but now has a transcontinental distribution.  A striking dimorphism exists between the male and the female moths of this species. The male moth shown here typically has orange to red-brown wings.  Each fore wing has a white comma-shaped (tornal) spot. He has marked plumose (short, bipectinate) antennae and a wingspan between 35 and 38 mm (~1.5 in). The female moth has vestigial wings and is flightless.  Several hundred eggs are laid on the outside of the female's empty cocoon, usually attached to a host plant.  The species overwinters in the egg stage. <br />
<br />
The adult moths do not feed, so only live a short time. In North America, only one generation occurs in a year and fly between May and October.  The males are diurnal, flying during the day, but are occasionally attracted to light.  This individual was photographed during the day in August in Kingfield, Maine.<br />
<br />
The image is a focus stack of 34 exposures.
    _1LA9545-Edit-Edit-Edit-Rusty-Tussoc...tif
  • A Funnel Weaver Spider (Agelenidae) tends his dew drop laden web spread across a Sedum groundcover.
    _LPA2009-spider-dew-drops-web.tif
  • The true Daddy-Longlegs (Phalangium opilio) shown here on an Eastern Redbud tree leaf (Cercis canadensis ) is actually not a spider but a type of arachnid in their own Order Opiliones. Composit of 7 individual images for depth of focus.
    _LPA7310-daddy-longlegs-spider-redbu...tif
  • Although not a true spider, Daddy longlegs (order Opiliones) go by many names including harvestman, cellar spiders, granddaddy long-legs, carpenter spider, daddy long-legger, vibrating spider and skull spider.  Daddy longlegs are closely related to scorpions (order Scorpiones) but, because of their appearance, are often mistaken as spiders (order Araneida or Araneae). However, unlike true spiders, in which the body is divided into two distinct segments, daddy longlegs look as though they have only one segment because of a broad fusion that makes the juncture between the two segments almost indiscernible.  They are widely distributed and abundant in both temperate and tropical climates of both hemispheres.<br />
<br />
The body of a daddy longlegs is 0.6 to 23 mm (0.02 to 0.9 inch) long, although the bodies of most species are between 3 and 7 mm (0.12 and 0.28 inch). The legs can exceed 15 cm (5.9 inches) in length.  Many species of daddy longlegs are omnivorous, feeding on small insects, mites, spiders, snails, and vegetable matter.  Daddy longlegs typically have two eyes located on a central knob on the front of the body although certain types lack eyes. Eggs are laid in the soil in autumn and hatch with the warmth of spring. Many species of daddy longlegs live less than one year, although some may survive for several years.<br />
<br />
This individual was photographed on a screen door retroilluminated by the early morning sunlight where over 100 daddy longlegs had congregated to feed on small insects attracted to a nearby light left on overnight.
    _1LA9448-Edit-daddy-longlegs-spider-...tif
  • An Isabella Tiger Moth (Pyrrharctia isabella) caterpillar searches the bark of a Northern White Cedar (Thuja occidentalis) in northern Maine for a suitable location in which to pass the winter.  Found throughout North America except in most northern Canada, they will usually settle under a section of tree bark, a rock, or a log where they produce a natural organic antifreeze that permits then to survive cold temperatures as extreme as -90oF!<br />
<br />
The caterpillars have many names: Wooly Worm, Fuzzy Bear, Hedgehog Caterpillar and Woolly Bear. The timing of their travels and their distinctive banded coloration has led to a robust folklore of their being an established predictor of the severity of the winter to come. <br />
<br />
 In fact, the coloration of the Woolly Bear is a result of its age, species and diet.   A more favorable growing season for the caterpillar results in a narrower red-orange middle band.  As the caterpillars molt, their colors change, acquiring more black and less red.
    _LPA7194-Edit-wooly-worm-caterpillar...tif
  • A brown moth (possibly Archips argyrospila) hides under an Asian Lilly leaf.
    _LPA7282-moth-asian-lilly-leaf-insec...tif
  • The Rusty Tussock Moth or Vapourer (Orgyia antiqua) is native to Europe, but now has a transcontinental distribution.  A striking dimorphism exists between the male and the female moths of this species. The male moth shown here typically has orange to red-brown wings.  Each fore wing has a white comma-shaped (tornal) spot. He has marked plumose (short, bipectinate) antennae and a wingspan between 35 and 38 mm (~1.5 in). The female moth has vestigial wings and is flightless.  Several hundred eggs are laid on the outside of the female's empty cocoon, usually attached to a host plant.  The species overwinters in the egg stage. <br />
<br />
The adult moths do not feed, so only live a short time. In North America, only one generation occurs in a year and fly between May and October.  The males are diurnal, flying during the day, but are occasionally attracted to light.  This individual was photographed during the day in August in Kingfield, Maine.<br />
<br />
The image is a focus stack of 34 exposures.
    _1LA9545-Edit-Edit-Rusty-Tussock-Mot...tif
  • A bumblebee (genus Bombus) gathers nectar from a flowering Goldenrod (Solidago) plant.  Goldenrod belongs to a genus of about 100 species in the aster family which are mostly native to North America. Bumblebees, like their relatives the honeybees, feed on nectar using a long hairy proboscis which is folded under the head during flight. Numerous yellow grains of pollen can be seen adherent to this bee’s legs, demonstrating why bumblebees are important agricultural pollinators.  Over 250 species of bumblebee are known, being found primarily at higher altitudes or latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere, although they are also found in South America.
    _1LA0300-Edit-bumblebee-flower-golde...tif
  • This Fork-Tailed Bush Katydid (Scudderia furcate) is perched atop a Dendrobium orchid flower. Primarily nocturnal in habit, it has become expert at camouflage by mimicking the shape and colors of the leaves upon which it feeds.  <br />
<br />
Insects in this family (Tettigoniidae) are commonly called katydids or bush crickets and more than 6,400 species are known. The Fork-Tailed Bush Katydid, is native to the United States and widespread in the eastern and southeastern regions.  Adults are 14 - 75mm (0.55 - 2.95 inches) in length and have excellent eyesight.  <br />
<br />
Katydids have much longer antennae than grasshoppers, averaging 39mm (1.53 inches) and they only produce one generation annually since the eggs require a rest period.  <br />
<br />
The males have sound-producing organs located on the hind angles of their front wings. The males use this sound for courtship, which occurs late in the summer. The sound is produced by rubbing two parts of their bodies together, a process called stridulation. The males call 24-hours a day using 2-3 chirps followed by various periods of silence while waiting for a female to respond.  The insect gets its name from the sound of the male’s call: “Katy-did”. <br />
<br />
The tempo of the calls is governed by ambient temperature.  For American katydids, the number of chirps in 15 seconds plus 37 will be close to the outside temperature in degrees Fahrenheit.
    _LPA2564-Edit-katydid-perched-dendro...tif
  • A bumblebee (genus Bombus) wing is highlighted against the bright yellow blooms of a flowering Goldenrod (Solidago) plant.  Goldenrod belongs to a genus of about 100 species in the aster family which are mostly native to North America. Bumblebees, like their relatives the honeybees, feed on nectar using a long hairy proboscis which is folded under the head during flight. Over 250 species of bumblebee are known, being found primarily at higher altitudes or latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere, although they are also found in South America.<br />
Short and stubby, with small wings, the bumblebee doesn't look very flight-worthy and indeed, in the 1930s the French entomologist August Magnan wrote that the insect's flight is actually impossible, a notion that has stuck in popular consciousness since then.<br />
<br />
However, the question of how these little wings generate enough force to keep the insect in the air has been mostly resolved.  In 2005, a study by Dr. Michael Dickinson in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences used high-speed photography of actual flying bees and force sensors on a larger-than-life robotic bee wing flapping in mineral oil. The solution became apparent after it was discovered that bumblebees don’t flap their wings up and down, they actually flap their wings back and forth.<br />
<br />
The aerodynamics of bumblebee flight is different from those that allow a plane to fly. For bumblebees it is somewhat like a partial spin of a helicopter propeller.  In addition, the angle of the wings create vortices like small hurricanes that have lower pressure than the surrounding air, and by keeping those eddies above its wings, they help the bee stay aloft.
    _1LA0357-Edit-bumblebee-wing.tif
  • A grasshopper sits on a young girl's shoulder as they gaze out over Boysen Reservior near Shoshoni, Wyoming.
    _LPA0293-Edit-girl-grasshopper-wyomi...tif
  • Dew drops cling to a Funnel Weaver Spider (Agelenidae) web spread over moss.
    _LPA2023-dew-reflecting-moss-spider-...tif
View: 100 | All