Insects

The Hummingbird Imposter

At first glance it appeared to be dozens of tiny hummingbirds getting nectar from a large flowering bush in my neighbor’s front yard. Excited, I darted in the house to grab my camera. Once I got closer to the shrub it became apparent that these were not hummingbirds, but hummingbird moths. These moths have plump […]

The Wasp Moth

Here is an interesting creäture. At first glance it looks like a large, dangerous wasp. It is not. It is an oleander moth, also called the polka-dot wasp moth. Resembling a wasp is a survival mechanism. Birds seeking insects to eat will avoid the it like the plague. While most moths are active at night […]

Sleeping Bee

I came across a wild aster this morning and found a bumblebee clinging to one of the small flowers, motionless as if frozen in time. Was it dead? Was it sleeping? Did you know that bumblebees sleep in flowers? If the bee does not find its way back to its nest before the cool evening […]

The Delaware Skipper

While photographing a wild aster a Delaware skipper landed on a flower, much to my delight. Like butterflies and moths, skippers are in the lepidoptera family of insects. There are many species of skippers; most of them are small and usually dull colors of orange-brown and tan. Most skippers resemble a F-22 Raptor jet fighter. […]

Warning! This is Gruesome and Nauseating!!!

Eastern gray squirrels are frequent visitors to our backyard bird feeders here in central Florida.  One day in early August, a squirrel appeared full of what I thought were cancerous growths on its body. The growths were large, dangling enlargements that protruded an inch or so from the pelt of the squirrel. Despite its “diseased” […]