Saturday, November 10, 2012

Farm Critters do you Care


I observed just lately that there's a lot of wonderful living organisms I have not particularly given attention in the past. And there are those which I literally just see for the first time. These are mostly those that are small to the naked eyes or those that normally hide underneath leaves. Lately, I've really gave more time in front of some plants to observe what are looming in there. And it gave me a really different world.

For example these hairy larvae, i normally get away from them because they give a dangerous itch when touched. And when you have some allergies, they are doubly scary. These days, I had wonderful time documenting and observing them. It is also challenging to know their names, and what they become as adults. But IDs don't come easy and I can't hold my impatience in posting them here. So, i hope you will understand. When the IDs come, they will follow this post.

a hirsute larva  which walks so fast I had difficulty shooting

another hirsute baby that just stays there even if i disturb it with a stick

another specimen I saw in another host plant

someone already gave the lead for its ID, harvestman, Opiliones, Suborder Eupnoi from Sclerosomatidae or Gagrellinae Family, it is apparently an understudied species

a very small spider whose abdomen grows sideways

someone is hiding inside this mass of its own white saliva, which it weaves to serve as its home, i don't know if this is a larva or an adult

another way of building a home, but the carpenter of the first house is a different species than the builder of this one. I am actually curious what the owner looks like, but i hate destroying their homes!

Camera Critters   MM3


24 comments:

  1. Wow - what amazing shots.

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  2. You are getting some great shots...love the funky orange spider

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  3. Awesome! Macro photography is one of my favorite forms of photography. Isn't it awesome how you see things that you normally wouldn't notice?!?!

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  4. Amazing close-ups of the insect world. Macro's have awakened my interest in these little critters, thanks to photos such as yours.

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  5. We call harvestmen "Daddy Long Legs" commonly. The ones I see most often are grayish brown - that black, white and gray coloration is striking!

    I'm with you on my dislike of destroying a home to find out who's living in it. Once, earlier this year, I was lucky enough to come across the larva while it was making its webbed home on redbud (small tree) leaves. That was cool. I'm guessing that the last 2 photos are made by butterfly or moth larvae (caterpillars), but they might be spiders too.

    So much fun to see both the similarities and the differences in your small fauna and ours!

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    1. Hi Gaia Gardener, I only saw it when i got the macro lens, haha! But we have a few versions of this 'Daddy long legs', i wonder though why they are called harvestmen. Although i live in the farm since i was born, i am now living in the big city most workdays. But i am back on weekdays to watch and observe the organisms and plants in the farm, and I am always impressed. Yes, it is amazing how these living things can live in extreme conditions. Thanks for dropping by.

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  6. Excellent capture of the critters.

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  7. What a fascinating photo journal.

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  8. Andrea, I love this new blog (well, new to me -- I just discovered it in the new Blotanical listings). The macro photography is wonderful in this post, and I love the scientific viewpoint of the blog as a whole. I've chosen this blog as one of two to highlight this month in my "Garden Blogs of the Month" feature. My post reviewing your blog just went up, and the blog will be featured on my sidebar throughout the month. Cheers. -Jean

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    1. Thank you so much Jean for featuring my site in your sidebar. I am so sorry as i have not been visiting Blotanical these days, although i also joined this new blog there. I have difficulty opening it as fast as i want it, so i just comment directly to other blogs i normally follow. Cheers...

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    2. That is quite a collection of miniatures and great macro shots. I am especially curious about the spider with it's abdomen sideways ... do you know anything about it? What is the advantage or purpose of it forming that way. My experience is that nature does things for a reason ... maybe we are not meant to know. I love the little under the leaves creatures, but I am not as good as you at taking macro pictures of them. Very interesting post ...

      Andrea @ From the Sol

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  9. This in indeed a very interesting topic to blog abut, I will come back often to learn from you. Best, Lula

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    1. Thank you very much Lula for the visit. I am honored when visited by noted photographers!

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  10. Nice shots! These are all very interesting critters.

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    1. My appreciation also for your visit. I guess Jean Potuchek's posting this in her blog for November has made a difference. Thanks so much.

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  11. You have some really different insects and you got some nice shots of them.

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    1. Donna, yes we have lots of them, aside from my normal plant posts.

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  12. Aah the caterpillars make me feel itchy :-)
    Very nice photos! And what an interesting red spider.

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  13. Brilliant shots! You have beautifully captured those intricate details!

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