When I was a kid, I found the world’s biggest, hairiest spider in the gutter in front of my house! I should have left her alone, but I didn’t. I poked her with a stick, and then watched in horror as her “hair” ran in a thousand directions! My World Book Encyclopedia informed me that she was a Wolf Spider, a species known for carrying their babies on their backs. And I thought I knew “all about” insects. Hah! I was wrong–way wrong.
There are 10 quintillion insects in the world. That’s 10,000,000,000,000,000,000 –200 million of them for each of us! And we’ve only discovered or named about 20% of them (or they us, for that matter). Which is a shame, because…
We have a lot to teach each other.
Click on any image to enlarge it, or to start slide show.
(Don’t miss the quotes after the pictures.)
Atlas Moth
BOGO Katydids on sale ths week only!
Happy hour
I love these all-you-can-eat aphid buffets!
Yes, I’ve “always been multicolored.” Now go away!
The exotic Antango!
Tiffany, Billy, get away from there right now! Remember what happened to your father!
Hey, babe, share a leaf?
A Chorus Line
Rhinocerous beetle, Costa Rica
How does an ant change a light bulb…?
This is my new pet. I call him Spot.
The real Jiminy: Wetas are the world’s largest crickets.
I love my new dentures!
Borneo Cicada
“I’m puttin’ on my top bug, brushin’ up my tail.”
Giant Isopod – not your typical household roly-poly.
Take me to the corner of leaf and vine, cabbie. And be quick about it!
Do you hang out here often?
Gee, this branch is so soft!
Jeannie, stop biting Julie! Oh, wait, you’re not Jeannie. Jerome, Jason, where’s Jeannie?
Hurry up! We won’t be able to see a thing once the sun goes down!
Walking Stick
I’m in love! Of course she’ll eat me later, but, hey, love is like that.
Raymondo Ant: Water Juggler Extraordinaire!
Wolf Spider mom: Stay together, kids, or we’ll never get to Grandma’s!
Heck, if I know, Bob!
What the…?
This Late Waspian Dynasty settlement must be a thousand years old, Professor!
No ant left behind!
Wait, I don’t think we’re all ladies here!
But how do I carry it home without spilling it?
‘Scuse me, but that’s my flower you’re sitting on.
Larva life is not for introverts.
‘Sup?
Ant aviators
Oh! Hello.
And on a final, beautiful note.
“Insects are not drawn to candle flames, they are drawn to the light on the far side of the flame. They go into the flame and sizzle to nothingness because they’re so eager to get to the light on the other side.” ~Michael Cunningham (I.e. They’re a lot like us. ~MT)
“As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect.” ~Franz Kafka
“No living thing is ugly in this world. Even a tarantula considers itself beautiful. And a dung beetle couple in love constantly proves that you still can be in love living on sh-t.” ~Munia Khan
“Go to the ant, O sluggard. Observe her ways and be wise.”
~Proverbs 6:6
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About mitchteemley
Writer, Filmmaker, Humorist, Thinker-about-stuffer
This was an interesting post 😄
I like spot too and I like the no ant left behind one the most. And yes, no living thing is ugly. God is so awesome!
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Amen!
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I don’t care for insects at all. Lol. But, I do love ladybugs and I’ll tolerate grasshoppers and butterflies.
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I love insects, just not a big fan of those hairy, lots of legged ones, AKA; spiders.
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I have as many flowers as possible in my garden, never use any insecticide, have an insect hotel, but I don’t actually know much about insects. But the fascinating thing is they don’t conform to any natural laws that govern our bodies – they walk upside down on ceilings, walk on water, don’t have lungs? I wake up in the middle of the night and think of questions such as how do insects breathe and what if they were the same size as us?
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;>)
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Love it! Blessings, Mitch!
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You too, Cindy.
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Love this post!
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They are kind of beautiful, aren’t they. Except wolf spiders (not technically insects, but close enough). Those are hideous. I wouldn’t be brave enough to touch one with a stick.
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Good insect quotes! (Never thought I’d hear myself say that . . . )
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I don’t remember ever being so fascinated and totally creeped out, both at the same time!
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Interesting post
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The pictures are awesome, but the captions are genius.
I really expected to be grossed out, instead I was drawn
to these creatures and their unique ‘personalities’ .
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Yeah, I had fun with the anthropomorphisms, but relating to them was my goal. I agree, Sarah, that as different from us as they are, they do indeed have personalities.
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Pingback: Insects – God’s Illustration – Know Your Flocks & Herds
Insects like mosquitoes tend to bug me.
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You always offer such a variety to all your posts. Where would WordPress be without you?.
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Aw, thanks, JW. I have a wide range of interests.
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You have a talent for locating amazing photos. There are though insects I could do without. Flies and mosquitoes come to mind.
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Yet another dazzling collection of images and related quotes!
Love the colors of the grumpy grasshopper, whose head looks suspiciously like the head of a sea turtle. That’s OK; we’re not doing entomology here. But I can’t help wondering if the blue and red were added to the quite plausible yellow and black.
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Yeah, I wondered the same.
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Fantastic!
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