Hoya Critters

 A lot of critters make the hoya garden their home. Some are on the leaves, some on the stems, some on the spaces between them, but most of them inhabit the umbels. These are parts of the flowers that could give them a lot of food as well as safety. There are those that do not anymore leave once they have experienced the luxury of living within the umbel.  And many of those are transient dwellers that only come at night when the nectar is available.

It is now raining once-in-a while in our area, so we are already considered at the wet season. More critters might probably be happier, however these are photos still during the dry season. You can see that the leaves are still dirty full of dust and debris. We have difficulty with water supply so the plants only receive them at the root areas, only at night. 

 This cotton bug, Dysdercus cingulatus, are common residents of hoyas. They normally stay on the stems and leaves, but this one lingered at the developing umbel. I sucks juices, but maybe if their population is not plenty they will not pose a big problem to the plants. I pity killing them, they are so lovely, so i just let them there. I hope there are predators, so only a few will be left sucking my hoyas.

Again here is the cotton bug now on the bigger buds. I cannot see the proboscis at the act of sucking, so i cannot fully say or judge it based on my suspicion. But i know it is a sucker for juices, so maybe i was just not able to fully document it in action.

Those white crab spiders are perennial residents inside the umbels. They walk slowly, but drops through their lifeline when provoked. I call them the smiling spider because of the smiling design at its back. They hide inside the umbel to ambush whatever insect they can hold on to. This time it was successful with a bee, as bees are nectar seekers at daytime. 

If you look closely there are very small flies that roam around the predator and the prey. I guess they are hoping for the leftovers of the spider. These small flies always immediately roam around during an ambush, trying to sip on maybe the crumbs! hahaha.

This one is a night moth, and i found it at the vicinity of the hoya garden. I also cannot say it is a perpetrator of the crime of stealing the nectar, the juice, or whatever. Nor will i be able to say it is an accomplice! Whatever is its purpose at the vicinity of the crime did not give me a is so faprima facie evidence. Whatever, it is a lovely moth with those lacey abstract design on the wings.  

This is a daytime visitor, very difficult to picture favorably as it is always fluttering non-stop. It can easily say it is exempted of any crime because the evidence shows it is sipping nectar only on the pentas flowers. Honestly, i haven't seen it on any hoya flowers yet. It is so fast and doesn't want to wander inside the hoya plants.

This is the most common sight during the dry season. And those millions of baby spiders or "spiderlets" sparkle with the morning sunshine. They stay in a small hanging area in space with only holds to the plants, but when agitated a bit even by the wind they start falling on the lifelines, like the photo above. If i don't stop agitation they will fully migrate to any objects around, but i normally stop after they scattered. Eventually when the nuisance stops, they all slowly go up again to a convergence. I just didn't observe if their mother or any adult is left there to tend to them. I believe they were left on their own for their own survival. The plenty of numbers ensure a few that will survive and continue the generation.

And if you think only the minute insects go to the hoya garden, oh no, you are wrong. This is the most intimidating or scary among the hoya visitors. It climbs and eat whatever that mouth can hold on. But in fairness, this is the mother who doesn't come near the garden because it is on leash at its own house. Its 2 kids are the most irritating, hard headed and stubborn among all them. Sometimes i get too mad at them that i throw small stones to drive them away! 

Floral Friday Fotos
Camera Critters
Saturday Critters

Insects on Hoyas 3

Part 3

Ant and Spiders

When i started my hoya collection and garden, i didn't have any idea of what insects or animal visitors come to the hoyas. I just read that moths visit them because the hoyas bloom at night, so nocturnal insects are expected. I confess that i haven't listed many moths, not because they are lacking but because i don't normally go there at night. Moreover, moths normally fly away when hit by flashlight. 

During the day it is normal to see the day insects because i usually stay with the hoyas. A lot of chores get my full attention for them on weekends i am at home. Hoyas are mostly vines, so they cling to each other while growing. It is also their habit to cling not to their own stems but to the other stem or twigs next to it. Probably that is the outcome of small space. 

With camera on the neck, the creatures on the hoyas somehow distract my chores, but they are also very informative in caring for hoyas. 

A lot of ants are common sights with the stems and blooms. Many species either visit them or just make the blooms its home. They are definitely permanent residents of the hoya community. In the above photo, those black small ants are sucking the nectar of this Hoya obscura.

The ants above and below can be of the same species. They obviously get food from the hoya community, although i am not sure of what. They are not often seen on blooms but dwell on leaves and stems. They are one of the bigger ants seen in my collection.

This is a big black ant. They are not often seen in blooms but on stems and on the ground. I guess this time they realized it is better to stay on the blooms as a lot of sweet blends can be suck on those. I tried reapeatedly to disturb and shoo it away, but it kept on coming back.

There is a lot of ants, but there is a lot of spiders too. Spiders are more obvious to me because of the webs and they normally brought mess that stick to my hands and hair. I don't drive them away as i know they kill insects that might be harmful to my plants. The above spider is only maybe less than half a centimeter. I don't often find this reddish-brown spider among the blooms.

This white crab spider (Misumena sp.; Thomisidae) is the most common resident of the hoya community. They mostly hid inside the hoya umbels. They are known as ambush spiders, just waiting for their food to be near, however i haven't seen them yet eating insects of prey. 

 They are not selective of hoya species, every umbel has a resident white spider. They are also persistent, no matter what i do to drive them away, they just cling on their spider silks and drop to the ground to scape. I am sure they will climb again when the intruder me goes away. The above is on Hoya celata bloom.

Photo above is on one of the biggest hoya blooms, Hoya imperialis

The above spider is also common in the hoya community. At the moment i still don't know its name.

This spider web is just a small one, about just half a foot in diameter. The resident is very small and hiding in that seemingly dry leaf decoy at the center. At the moment it hasn't caught its food yet.

There are other spider species looming in my hoya garden. However, i haven't fully documented them. One of these days, i have to shelve my chores for the hoyas and do actual insect documentation. There are ongoing drama enfolding also in this community. I have only a few sub-drama recorded yet. That will be for succeeding posts. Pleas tune in.

Macro Monday 2

Nature Notes

Our World Tuesday

Outdoor Wednesday

Insects on Hoyas 2

Part II

Moths are assumed to be the pollinators of hoyas. There are still no concrete evidence to this assumption, but arises due to the fact that most hoyas open before dusk concomittant with the scent and nectar production. They remain so during the night. Some hoyas diminish the scent the following day and resume the strong aroma the following evening. It is not known if the receptivity of the stigma is continuous during the life of the flower. 

Most moths are nocturnal or active at night. What else will the hoya flowers lure with their sweet scents if not for the nocturnal insects! This led to the assumption that they are hoya pollinators. However, concrete data or evidences to this assumptions are not yet published, so they still remain assumptions. I tried observing the insects that visit the hoyas, day and night whenever i have the time. But of course, night observations are very limited when i purposely go there with a flashlight and camera, a bit cumbersome task. Sighting moths are by chances only, purposeful observation needs some light source which disturbs them or chase them away. Sometimes the moths fly away before i can focus my lens. I was just lucky in documenting a few species because my garden is just a few meters from the terrace.

 A moderately sized moth which allowed me to photograph it sideways and on top is not identified yet. The Philippine Lepidoptera group on Facebook are still trying to identify it.

 top view of the first moth on Hoya fungii (sorry for the photo quality)

 Genus: Lyclene (Erebidae, Arctiinae, Lithosiini)

  AMATA WASP MOTH, Amata sp. (Erebidae; Arctiinae; Syntominae)

 still NOID

Tiger and lichen moth; Trischalis sp. (Erebidae; Arctiinae; Lithosiini) 

Above and Below are the same green moth. It is amusing and interesting as it always assume camouflage at the tips of hoya leaves. I tried driving it to move elsewhere, but it just landed on another hoya leaf and purposely sought the tip before it stopped moving. A perfect camouflage!

PYRALID MOTH, Doloessa sp.   

(Pyralidae; Galleriinae) 

 a monkey moth, Eupterote sp.  

Geometrid moth, Agathia sp. 

BLUE GLASSY TIGER, Tirumala ishmoides

METALLIC CAERULEAN, Jamides alecto manilana

Hypolimnas bolina philippensis

BROWN PANSY, Junonia hedonia ida

This is seen on the grasses at the ground under the hoyas.

A common mormon pupa on a Hoya mindorensis, isn't it great. But this was only possible because a young hoya plant was near the base of the citrus plant, the host for this butterfly larvae. The other week i just saw the caterpillar munching on the citrus leaves, now it has pupated. I wish it will eclose next weekend when i am home again. 

Nature Notes

Our World Tuesday

Imag-in-Ing 

Camera Critters

Saturday Critters

Insects on Hoyas

Part I

 Since i started tending hoyas in 2011 i left the habit of chasing butterflies and moths. I only have the afternoon of Saturday and the morning of Sunday for the hoya activities, before i leave again for the big city. I cannot say that it is a stress-relief because the very limited time to finish the work make it stressfull too! I just don't know, but i like what i am doing. A hoya-enthusiast friend very aptly said that the other half of hoya addiction is hoya photography. And in my case, not only the flowers catch my attention, but the leaves, the peduncles, the stages of blooms, the roots, and the insects that visit and reside within the hoya community.

I thought only moths and butterflies visit hoyas. Hoyas start blooming in the afternoon before dusk, concomittant with the sweet fragrance that most hoyas emit. This connotes that moths pollinate them because moths are mostly nocturnal. However, a lot of life go there at daytime, and a lot of them make the plants their home. My hoya area is a biodiversity in itself, with preys and predators living within it. And i am the onlooker, observer, photographer, gardener, rolled in one!

This is a fruit fly, often associated with ripening fruits, but i see them often on hoya leaves. They just stay there for long hours unless they are disturbed.

This fly, no identity yet  but maybe also a blowfly, is often seen on hoya leaves and stems too.  I just don't know yet if they are friend or foe. Like the fruit fly, they just leave when disturbed. 

 Another species of fly with the same behavior has more hairy body and legs. Maybe this is one of the Blowflies because of the hairs on its body. A report says it voraciously consumes larvae of other species, and primarily they are necrophagous, eating decaying organic matter.  

Being necrophagous, i just don't know what they are doing on hoya leaves and flowers. I still haven't observed them sucking nectars as other insects do. However, i have seen a post by a hoya enthusiast of the hairy flies with hoya pollinaria on its legs. Those feet probably can pollinate hoyas.

This metallic green beetle is often seen in hoyas too. I am now sure the reason it is there, sucking nectar. It was caught in action, as the nectar are produced in between the two corona lobes. However, reports say it is sucking plant sap also, so it can also be a hoya foe.

This black beetle might just be lost, or it might also be looking for nectar as the top and bottom beetles do. However, i haven't seen it sucking nectar yet as it is not very commonly seen in hoyas.

Clinidium calcaratum, are reported to feed on slime molds and decaying fungi. Why it is found here sucking the nectar obviously defies the original normal observation. But who can resist the taste of the hoya nectar, it surely cannot. It kept on sucking even with my prodding presence, seems oblivious of my disturbance.

 I guess this is a ladybeetle. They eat mealybugs, i hope their population increase.

 Isopods are terrestrial crustaceans. They are also called pillbugs or sowbugs. They are often found in moist places or under decaying logs and leaf litters and aid decomposition. I often found them in the media when decaying coconut husks are included. However, some of them wander on the hoya leaves, and i wonder why they just stay put there unless disturbed. While exposed they can be prone to other insect predators like spiders and ants.

NOCTUID MOTH or GREEN GARDEN LOOPER, Chrysodeixis eriosoma (Noctuidae; Plusiinae; Argyrogrammatini)

The above also looks like a fly, but i don't know for sure. It is at the active predatory act as shot, having a big ant for its prey. Look at the feet, they have some orange appendages that really look like hoya pollinaria. I wonder if the previous picture i once saw in the hoya group photos, i thought are pollinaria might be this species. This might be a very significant shot, as not many photos have been shot having those pollinaria, and hoya pollination is a very difficult job. It is not conclusive yet what insects do these, i just don't know if flies are one of them.

 Oh the above insect is very much known as a gardener's friend because it preys on many insects. The sad part is they also prey on beneficial and lovely insects. I saw a green one darting on a butterfly, but failed. Another one was successful in getting a butterfly i am currently shooting, but it is in the duranta flowers. Recently, i just noticed 2 egg masses of praying mantis on the Hoya diversifolia.

The above looks like a cricket. It is on a trunk which also has climbing hoyas. They are omnivorous, meaning they eat both plants and animals, as we do. They have preference for rotting plant materials, but also like tender growing plant parts. They are not discriminating when it comes to food, so i guess it is preying on many things in my hoya community, be it insect eggs, larvae, or plants. I hope it can be caught by the praying mantis.

Nature Notes

Macro Monday 2

Our World Tuesday

Image-in-ing

Camera Critters