Wednesday, October 6, 2010

backyard creatures















8 comments:

Goneferalinidaho said...

My faves are the hawk and the spider with all the babies on its back. What about Andy?

Tammy said...

These photos are amazing!!!!!

Amy Farrier said...

That spider with its babies is so cool...and so creepy. I like that grasshopper-y guy in the fourth photo, gripping the blades of grass.

Andrea said...

I know I always say this, but you've outdone yourself again with these spectacular shots. I don't believe I've ever seen anything like the mama spider.

Emily said...

goneferal--how could i forget andy?? silly me.

tammy--thank you!

amy--the grasshoppery guy is a katydid. they're very sweet creatures, much less hyper than grasshoppers and less aggressive than praying mantises. and their leaf-mimic camouflage is amazing, especially the larger ones with more oval-shaped wings.

andrea--the mama spider is a female wolf spider. they carry their egg sac behind them constantly until the babies hatch, then everybody climbs up on the mom's back and rides around for a while. they're generally non-aggressive toward humans and beneficial in the garden. and they're HUGE. they're also very common so you might be able to find one if you go into a nature area at night, shine a light around and watch for shiny little eyes--they're nocturnal hunters and their eyes reflect light like a wolf's.

be said...

wow! how amazing! xaria really loved these pics:) <3

Shaheen said...

My close up the are pretty scary. I am so glad they are small. I'd run fast if they were huge :D

Have a good weekend.

Emily said...

be--aww sweet, i'm glad she liked them! we need to play with bugs together sometime. you can watch from a safe distance, hehe.

mangocheeks--yeah, i'm pretty glad they're small too. i could definitely see the wolf spider as a monster in a horror movie--she hunts people down, immobilizes them, then her babies swarm and devour. i'd watch that movie.