Photo Adventures with Curiosity and Learning


July 27, 2008:Nephila and a hunting wasp

As I was setting up I looked to the side and so this sort of a delta wing moth

jul 27 6068 moth

This wasp, I believe is a banded paper wasp, Polistes sagittarius or Vespa affinis if I managed to get it correctly with Google

He just found this, what I thought was a cluster of dead leaves, next and you can see some sort of head peaking out at the top and another abdomen below.

jul 27 6072 wasp and

Here an eye is more evident as well as some sort of abdomen below

jul 27 6073 wasp and

Here he looks to be hunting and probing. How was he attracted to this specific next? Probably some sort of pheromone.

jul 27 6075 banded wasp

More probing

jul 27 6076 hunting

A closer look

jul 27 6077 hunter

Detaching a segment of the structure

jul 27 6083 detaching

Finally harvesting a piece of the structure that contains what appears to be some sort of larvae

jul 27 6084 harvesting

This little flower was just above ground level, about 4 - 5 mm across

jul 27 6090 purple flower

An orange and black banded Syntomis huebneri

jul 27 6091 orange banded something stem

Side view

jul 27 6096 orange banded something

Dorsal presentation

jul 27 6105 orange banded something

I am enchanted by this flower, Melastomataceae, - it just happens

jul 27 6113 Melastomataceae

Walking home, I passed a group of banana plants. Between two of the leaves was this small Nephila. Though not well focused, the dragline was very evident.

jul 27 6125 nephila single strand

From the side - against the blurred green background, she is simply stunning. A small Argyrodes has already invaded her web

jul 27 6137 nephila background

Then I moved my tripod and she dropped to this blade of grass.

jul 27 6144 nephila grass

Another view

jul 27 6166 nephila

A dorsal view

jul 27 6172 nephila ventral

Another

jul 27 6174 nephila ventral

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C. Frank Starmer

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