I found this flesh fly resting on a leaf in my garden. It was captured handheld on Canon EOS 70D with Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM lit with Godox Ving V860c E-TTL Li-ion Camera Flash with LumiQuest SoftBox III. Flesh flies (Sarcophagidae) belong to the calyptrate flies (Calyptratae) along with house flies, blow … Read more
I found this Cactus Fly belonging to Telostylus species. This single fly was a tough one to capture as it used to disappear behind leaves as soon as its big eyes spotted my camera. I had to wait for it to reappear and disappear again. We both were playing hide and seek in the process. … Read more
Who would consider ants farmers? Farmer is not a vocation naturally assigned to these tiny insects. The fact is that they herd and care for aphids to keep a much-loved food in constant supply. Aphids and ants on plants are as interdependent as Idli & sambar. I saw this Camponotus Ant on the underside of … Read more
I found these major workers of Weaver ants (Oecophylla smaragdina) hunting a nymph of a cockroach. As these nymphs grow they are compelled to moult their cuticle, a process known as Ecdysis. After moulting, an arthropod is described as teneral, a callow; it is fresh, pale and soft-bodied. They are pretty vulnerable to attack by … Read more
I found a bunch of Blue Mud Dauber wasps in my garden sleeping on a dry vine. These Blue Mud Daubers, Chalybion bengalense are pretty common blue household wasps we encounter at home. Even though these are solitary wasps, males have a habit of sleeping in a group together. I was using my Canon EOS … Read more
I found this Flat-head Leafhopper Nymph belonging to Ledrinae Subfamily of diverse leafhopper family Cicadellidae in my garden. While photographing it jumped on to my trousers. I was not sure which was its host plant. The leafhopper also looked pretty transparent and was having a very good camouflage. To highlight that transparency, I decided to … Read more