Katydid Surprise

 

So, this insect landed on a leaf in front of me. I only had time to take one picture before it jumped away again. Is it just me, or is it making a face at me? I see one of those arm-waving inflatable tube men. Click to enlarge.

Here's the uncropped picture, showing a pair of extremely long antennae. It is a male short-winged meadow katydid. I've seen meadow katydids before, but I guess not from this angle, because I have never noticed any cartoon-face markings on their backs! From the side, this guy would resemble a grasshopper with long antennae. Male short-winged katydids are known for singing buzzy female-attracting songs during both night and day. But, really, get a load of the antennae on the guy.

Indian Pipes

I found these Indian Pipes growing in a shady spot under some stately old beech trees. They are white and waxy with black flecks. And rare. I can count on the fingers of one hand the times I've found them growing in the wild. They are also called Ghost Plant.

According to the Morgan Library and Museum, this was the favorite flower of the poet Emily Dickinson. She wrote a poem that begins: 'Tis whiter than an Indian Pipe, 'Tis paler than a lace.

Look like mushrooms, don't they? They are not. They're flowering plants, but they don't have chlorophyll. Instead of making their food photosynthetically, they take it parasitically from fungi that grow around tree roots. (Those fungi essentially exchange minerals and moisture from the soil for sugars produced by the tree.)

Each pipe stem has one downward facing flower. They are pollinated by flies and bees, and they make tiny seeds that are dispersed by the wind.

How to Photograph Six-spotted Green Tiger Beetles

Here's a pair of six-spotted green tiger beetles.

They are mating. Click to enlarge,

I usually notice these beetles in areas that are clear of brush, like dirt paths, roads, and even sidewalks. They run along very quickly, glittering like little Christmas ornaments, while they search for their arthropod prey. My typical encounter with a green tiger beetle consists of seeing one, following for a moment while I try to focus on it, then snapping a blurry picture just before it flies away. Is the secret to photographing them becoming obvious? Find a pair that are distracted while mating and snap away.

Bumblebee on Buttonbush

 

A bumblebee on a "honeyball" of tiny flowers of the native North American buttonbush.

Bees, hummingbirds, moths, and butterflies visit the shrub, which is also a host plant for several kinds of moths. This bumblebee is collecting nectar while spreading pollen among the blossoms, a good deal for both the bee and the bush. Click to enlarge.

I recently heard this African proverb: "When the bee comes to your house, let her have beer; you may want to visit the bee's house some day."