A Stick Bug Still Shot and a GIF

Also Known As Walking Sticks

 

 

They probably have a Latin name for these bugs, too.

After I discovered there are hundreds of different insects like this, I'll settle for stick bug.

Here is what the rascal looked like on the walkway at Kin Dam.

When it first landed, it was in some tall grass.

Maybe, I spooked it when I lowered my tripod to get closer.

It took another short flight and landed in the grass again.

So, I lowered the tripod legs all the way down and, sat on the ground.

 There are some interesting things about these critters, you may want to know.

No 1.  They won't bite you.

No 2.  Females, don't need males, to help them make babies. 

No 3.  Stick bugs have the world record for being the longest bugs on earth.

For more information about these bugs, you should go see Debbie the Insect Expert.

She wrote, 10 Fascinating Facts About Stick Insects 

A GIF From the Neighboor's Garden I Was Snooping Around In

They Are Getting Used to Me

 

 

The landlord and the next door neighbors, is what I'm talking about.

Maybe, the bugs and other critters, too.

It was one of those days when nobody goes out with cameras; cloudy and windy.

So, I stayed around here and did office stuff, Groan.

That put me in a not so good writing mood. It makes my brain hurt.

For awhile, I was wondering, what the heck is there to write about today.

 Bugs came along and fixed everything for me.

The Garden Isn't Very Big

An 8x12 carpet could cover the whole thing.

The landlord came by to get in his car and a had  puzzled look on his face.

He saw me with a tripod and 50-500mm lens stretched out, sitting on the ground.

He sort of shook his head and, drove away.

Maybe, I'll catch him tomorrow and show him some of the 150 shots, I took.

Big Bertha (Sigma 50-500) was put away when I shot this Leaf Hopper.

For the GIF Motion photo, I was using a 50mm prime lens.

There was another, much larger, one of these insects, I was shooting, too.

When I went in to change lenses, it vanished.

Those photos are waiting processing.

If I have a nice sharp one, I'll print it for the lady next door.

For such a small garden, she sure has lots of stuff, growing in there.

About a dozen different types of vegetables and herbs, I'd say.

The Leaf Hoppers, didn't seem to be eating her Shiso plants.

Maybe, they eat some sort of parasites and help the Shiso along. Who knows ?

The gal was telling me one day, about the Green and Red Shiso plants she has.

I told her, "I know all about them."  Your plants are on my blog !

So, it might be nice, if I gave her a photo of some sort.

Tomorrow may turn out to be a nice sunny day and, we may hop over to another island.

It all depends on whether, I can get one of my infidel friends, to do the driving.

Er, else, I'll be stuck poking around in the garden, again.

Caterpillars Can Be Cute or Creepy (Photos)

It Depends on How You Look at Them

 

This little guy was crawling around outside my office.

The door just got locked and I was waiting for a ride, without my camera.

So, I shot it with my cell phone.

 

If Mrs. RyukyuMike saw it, she'd scream and squish the thing.

Green stuff, squirts all over the place when she does that.

I picked the little critter up and and put him in a neighbor's planter for safekeeping.

When I got done shopping, he was still there.

So, I grabbed a real camera and shot him.  The, put it back on the ground where it came from.

Here's a video, I found where people make this guy look cute:

The common name for this caterpillar, when it sprouts wings, is Hawk Moth.

Its scientific nomenclature:  Theretra oldenlandiae

Learn more about them at Hawk Moths of Australia


Would you call these critters cute or, creepy ?

Help Wanted: Is This Bug A Fly or a Bee ? (Images)

Sometimes It's OK to Ask for Help

 

 

Over in Okinawa, Japan we're having Obon this week.

It's a real busy time of year, with events going-on day and night so, I'll be out and about a lot.

This series of photos was taken two months ago in the Higashi area of Okinawa.

There haven't been enough spare hours in the day for me to identify the critter.

When I first spotted it, I was thinking, it's an odd-colored fly.

Chasing it around, to get photos from as many angles as possible, I noticed something.

Besides, not wanting to stay in one place too long, it liked flowers.

It really would be nice if someone could come up with a scientific name for this bug.

Right now, I'm not sure if it's a fly or, a bee !



Free To A Good Home: A Glabripennis Thingy (Photo Essay)

Asian Longhorn Beetle Needs a Place to Stay

 

It started last night when I found this creature about to enter the highway.

Coming back from the coffee machine, I spotted the bug on the sidewalk curb.

So, I picked it up and brought it to my office.

 The highway is no place for one of these little critters to be walking.

 This morning I let it out of the cage for some photography.

The Longhorn Beetle is an Anoplophra glabripennis to those who speak Latin.

An old blue envelope and strobe flash were used to take a few photos.

The insect acted a bit upset with me.

Normally, I don't like using flash but, I had no idea how fast this thing might move.

It wasn't going to hang around on that envelope for very long.

Once the rascal jumped down on the floor I had to move real fast, to take photos.

Then, I grabbed the envelope, again, to escort the critter out the door.

 The bug acted like it was all riled-up about something.

 All used-up and being tossed out like an old shoe, it may have been thinking.

 I shook it off at the bottom of the stairs and went back in the office.

A minute later, I looked over at the door and saw the critter trying to come back in.

There isn't enough time in the day nor, days in the week, for me to take care of this thing.

 Ever so gently, I kept pushing the creature back out the door.

There's no telling what you're supposed to feed them and, I'm too busy to find out.

 The little bug kept coming back.

And, insisting it be allowed in the office.

An incredibly stubborn insect, it wouldn't quit trying to come back inside.

So, I made a deal.  You stay in my office, in the cage, until I find you a good home.

If anybody is looking for one of these glabripennis thingies, come and get it.

You can have it free, cage included !

If you want to know more about the Longhorn Beetle

Dragonfly Photo: Orthetrum Triangulare or Glaucum

This dragonfly has me stumped.

It was photographed today at Kanna Dam in Okinawa, Japan.

It's going on 9PM and I decided it's time to go home.

Looking all over the internet for the proper ID can drive you buggy.

So, I figure I'll let you decide.

Is it a Orthetrum Triangulare, or a Orthetrum Glaucum ? 

It beats the devil outta me !


THIS JUST IN: THIS DRAGONFLY IS NEITHER OF THE ABOVE

HAVE A PEEK AT MY FACEBOOK PAGE

THERE WILL BE AN UPDATED DRAGONFLY ID, SHORTLY.

A Bug Called Kuwayamaea sapporensis (Photos)

Here is another one of those critters that I'm taking off the back burner.

One day back in October, last year, I was up in Motobu with MAP IT OKINAWA.

Sometimes, when he's doing all that off-the-beaten-path stuff, I hang around in the shade.

As easily bored as I can get, I can also be easily entertained.

Along came this bug. So, I entertained myself.

He really didn't want to stand still and pose for me.  And, I don't think he liked my camera.

 After he got done pickin' his nose, or whatever he was doing, the little rascal looked up at me.

And, he jumped, almost knocking me over on my rear end.

SEE MORE AT SAKURA.NE.JP


Visit my homepage for today's Feature Photo

 

Today's Photo Travel Fun: A Bath, A Bug and A Bar

Today, it looked like I'd be rained-in and stuck in my bar.  But, I convinced my shooting partners we'd have more fun if we got out and did some traveling around with our cameras.

Not sure how much they enjoyed it but, I had fun.

First, there was this old-time bath house I got to shoot right after it rained.

Check it out.  Ice cold water from a spring comes down out of the mountains.

There's a woodburning furnace to heat it up before you pour into the tubs behind it.

Just a wild guess, here, I'm thinking men to the left, women to the right.

That'd be because (you know how women are) there's more privacy on the right side.

Anyway, there was nobody taking a bath so, I got bored.

But, a bug came along and made my day. 

One quick photo of this dragonfly and I was ready to do lunch.

This is a bar and restaurant in the big city of Naha Okinawa, Japan.

Nope, I didn't touch a drop.  When I'm shooting travel photos, alcohol ain't allowed.

It's just nice to be able to show you the bar and pool table.

The restaurant, shucks, I go there to eat and forget all about taking pictures.

But, one of these days I'll get some for you.

If you really want to know more about this place, I believe

Doc, THE GOYA REPUBLIC GUY

or

RyukyuRu from MAP IT OKINAWA

Will be posting something about directions in the near future.

I'm just glad we got out of town and I got to shoot a bath, bug and somebody else's bar today.

It was fun !

Oops, almost forgot.  I promised the manager, something.

Look at his FACEBOOK PAGE and HIT the LIKE BUTTON, if YOU LIKE IT.  OK ?

VISIT MY HOMEPAGE FOR THE PHOTO OF THE DAY

Wildlife Photo: Longhorn Beetle (Anoplophra glabripennis)

Today's wildlife photo was taken by Guest Photographer Rusty Robertson, the dude from Texas.

He shot this Asian Longhorn Beetle (Anoplophra glabripennis) at night on the roof of a house in Kin Village Okinawa, Japan.

They have Longhorn cattle back where he comes from so, I thought it'd be nice to feature his bug shot here.

Showing him how I research critters before I post them was a good idea, too.  It's always best to have the common name and the scientific name when you post a critter's photo online. 

We both learned a lot about this bug today.  It's not some endangered species. It's a hardwood-eating pest.

It could wipe out forests and fruit trees according to THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT.

That didn't scare us.  We usually aren't scared of bugs.

But, we decided, a bug that has a name like GLABRIPENNIS, we ain't messing around with, anymore. 

Girls will have to go shoot them bugs from now on. 

Menfolk have more important stuff to do, like chase Longhorn Cattle !

Weird White Long-haired Lizard-looking Creature (Photos)

Standing on a bridge in Okinawa, Japan as the sun was setting last night, I spotted this thing that appeared to be a feather from one of the white egrets we have flying around here.

          It caught my attention because when the wind stopped blowing, it didn't stop moving.

        Too get a better look, I unholstered my camera and zoomed-in on it.  It looked back at me.

Feathers don't have eyes.  So, I climbed down off the bridge and got as close as I could without falling in the river.  There's no telling what this creature might be.  All I know for sure is it isn't a feather.  It might be a bug, a lizard or some kind of ancient mutated minature dragon and I ain't telling anybody where it lives until some scientist tells me the scientific name of the creature.

If they don't have a name for this critter, I'll name it for them.  It'll be something like:

WIERD WHITE LONG-HAIRED LIZARD-LOOKING ANCIENT MINATURE DRAGONASARUS ryukyumikusjaponicus, or something like that.  You ever seen one ?