On our walk today, I spotted this male Eastern black swallowtail butterfly (Papilio polyxenes asterius) flitting about among the swamp milkweed and chased it down for a closer look. And it was flying quite well, despite an injured wing. Read more …
Confession: I don’t know the name of this dragonfly. But it was too pretty not to share. Read more …
It’s not the best season for butterflies in Madagascar, but you wouldn’t know it from a visit to Zombitse National Park, where every break in the forest canopy meant a patch of sun filled with butterflies. I don’t have an insect book for Madagascar, so here are some pictures with no identification. I’ll have to research when I get home.
This bug gets its name from its huge proboscis (nose). The young ones, pictured, excrete a waxy, cottony substance as a defense against birds, who don’t like the texture. At about three months, they become adults — and much tastier, because they stop producing “cotton.” Instead, they develop mottled wings that serve to camouflage them. They keep the awesome red … Read more
These look huge in documentaries, but they’re about the size of an American ladybug. They are picky eaters and live only on one tree of the genus Diecanthera. (I may have the spelling wrong, but will wait to Google it until I have a better internet connection.)
I don’t know what kind of grasshopper is, but it sure is pretty. We saw it tonight on an evening walk outside of Andasibe National Park in Madagascar. Read more …