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It’s all Joan’s fault. But that’s OK.
Because she has me looking at the world in a different way.
Now If I could just get more angles.
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I don’t know bugs from bananas, but I’m learning with the help of Kaufman’s Field Guide to Insects of North America, which says, “Jerusalem Crickets, Stenopelmatus, are perhaps our most maligned and misidentified insects. They are not crickets but more closely related to the wetas [whatever that is] of Australia and New Zealand. They are nocturnal [yet it was broad daylight], burrow in loose soil in dry habitats [yup, it crawled under a rock], probably predatory [it was about one inch long and Wiki said it can be up to 2.7 inches], not venomous but can deliver a wicked bite if carelessly handled. [OMG, do you see those mandibles? Sorry Joan, I wasn’t about to handle it.] The life cycle may take four or five years to complete.” Wiki also said they eat dead organic material and other insects.
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I don’t know bugs from bananas, but I’m learning with the help of Kaufman’s Field Guide to Insects of North America, which says, “Jerusalem Crickets, Stenopelmatus, are perhaps our most maligned and misidentified insects. They are not crickets but more closely related to the wetas [whatever that is] of Australia and New Zealand. They are nocturnal [yet it was broad daylight], burrow in loose soil in dry habitats [yup, it crawled under a rock], probably predatory [it was about one inch long and Wiki said it can be up to 2.7 inches], not venomous but can deliver a wicked bite if carelessly handled. [OMG, do you see those mandibles? Sorry Joan, I wasn’t about to handle it.] The life cycle may take four or five years to complete.” Wiki also said they eat dead organic material and other insects.
By getting down on my knees to get this capture I had visitors stopping to look and also photograph. Very cool. Next time I’ll know what it is. Thanks Joan for reminding me to look at the insect world up close.
BEautiful and lovely shot !!Great Post..Unseen Rajasthan
That's awesome! Looks like an unholy cross between an ant and a cricket!
That is so cool. I love bugs!
You are most welcome Gaelyn. I see us going insect hunting in Kruger too and to hang with the lions. LOL!!
These are brilliant shots. Now you know what I feel like when I am crawling around and people are looking at me as if I have gone senile. LOL!! See if I care what they think.
Gaelyn: Neat shots, looks like a cross between a wasp, giant ant and cricket. Neat capture and great job on the game this week.
That is a fabulous close up shot!
Great find Gaelyn. Aren't they the most interesting? I have to say in a certain way they give me the creeps, and I am not really sure why….. strange lookin creatures.
You are kidding, going crazy about insects like Joan! Whereis the world coming to?!
But I have to admit, your pics of this creature are perfect LOL
Other bloggers have made me look a lot closer at the world around me and I am seeing things I didn't before. It's easy to forget in a place with a scale as large as the Grand Canyon that there are many small inhabitants that are fascinating. We just need to take the time and look. Very nice closeup shots of this thankfully very small creature!
These guys are pretty big too. They have an alien quality to them. I usually run into them while hiking through the deserts. Sometimes I will wake up with them next to my pillow. Perhaps they were feeding on some thoughts that were beginning to decompose within my mind. 🙂
Hi Gaelyn,
I have not seen one of those little critters before…I can't believe that they bite!
Holy cow, that's one creepy cricket!
That is a truly awesome picture, Gaelyn, can't say that it floats my boat but I can appreciate the effort it took to get the shot. Ugh! The hair on the back of my neck shot up as I wrote that.
That bug could give a person nightmares.
What a great shot! I am trying to id birds and maybe butterflies. There are way too many bigs for me.
Cool, yes, but ewwwwwww!!! Great shots.
What a beautiful place to live, but I'll stay away from those Jerusalem crickets, thank you very much!
wow! looks like its a cross between an ant and a bee. first time I saw such a critter.
Very cool cricket. Nice close-up shot too.
a very interesting critter. thanks for the information.Thanks for your comments on my website regarding the slot canyon photos. I am glad you are enjoying them. You are a good commentator with insightful words..
Oh my gosh – I've never seen such a thing! It has the rear of a wasp or yellow-jacket, the head of an ant and the legs of a spider. What a creepy, creepy creature!
Hello, Gaelyn! Thanks for your recent comments on my blog. I like your photos as well as your philosophy. I definitely envy your lifestyle; the closest I will get is taking a road trip in the US, I hope in the not-so-far-off future. I'm adding your blog to my favorites.
I liked the look of your macro shots of the ant with the legs of a cricket. It must be unique to your area.
Thanks for helping me to make history.
Pick a Peck of Pixels
Absolutely great photo and post Gaelyn. Have a great day.
Smiles
Very cool bug, and a great find. You did a super job on the macro shot.
Great close-up! I find bugs interesting but I like to keep my distance…
I've never seen that insect before! It looks really interesting!
I have now gotten to the point where I don't really care what people think when I get down on my tummy or on my knees to get a shot of an insect or flower.
Ohh..love this ..glad your getting down and checking out the little things too! fun isnt it?
Yes,life cycle may take four or five years to complete also the pictures are outstanding.
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