Garden Critters

Most of us gardeners go to the garden to see our plants, whether they are growing well, or the flowers are coming out favorably. Most of the time we go there clutching our camera to document the colorful and the exceptionally beautiful. However in the tropics, most of the plants have been there throughout the year, and we are already almost familiar with their expressions. When some flowers die, others will replace them, and so on. The foliage just get old and we realize it is time to prune to produce younger stems and flowers again.

When familiarity or boredom with the ordinary sets in, i dig in deeper in the leaves, under the canopy, or just wait for whatever comes along. It is actually a world on its own, with the creatures living there.

This Odontonema strictum or firespike has been growing beautifully under the canopies of trees. In fact this plant is not watered or cared for at all. They just go on their own, self supporting. We just cut them before the start of the rainy season to replace the old growths. The cricket on it doesn't seem to be eating the flowers, maybe it is just appreciating them. Can you imagine an insect appreciating a flower? LOL.

 And this one is a saprophagous insect, meaning it eats decaying plant materials. No wonder it is very near the decaying portion of this Dieffenbachia leaf. They are called stilt-legged flies in the Micropezidae family. I have noticed that sometimes it is black and sometimes orange like the above. I don't know if this is the female, or just an immature one. I have to search on that yet.

 I saw this one in someone's arm. It cannot discern if it is a spider or an insect because i cannot see the legs. The whole body looks so transparent, which could be its style of camouflage.

 This is one of the stingless wasps, with very long antennae. But look at that appendage at its back, as if a pin is stuck on it. Amazing how that helps this insect!

This one is a very common sight in tropical structures. They even inhabit some dark portions of the house like under the cabinet or some corners. All my life i thought this is an insect, but i just see in the photo that it has four pairs of legs, so it is a spider! It walks on a surface as if it is always jogging, relentlessly moving wherever it went. Daddy long legs we call it, Pholcus phalangioides. 

I looked above and there are spiders this big. This is midway to the canopy of the fruit trees. Its big web help it catch its food like a net. Insects are usually its prey. I even find some butterflies caught in spider webs sometimes. 

And when i drop my sight to the ground, there are also creatures there like these very small ants. They are trying to pull the bits of coconut meat to their colony. A lot of them try to help each other pulling their big food. I actually watched them move the haul for about two inches. Some of them leave and others take their place. There is nothing insurmountable when everybody will help pulling through!

Camera Critters