Black and Yellow Mud Dauber

I just saw this Black and Yellow Mud Dauber building nest on one of the granite pillars at my courtyard. As the reflection of twin lights on the round body of the insect was quite harsh, I wanted to try new diffuser on my Canon MT-24EX macro twin light flash. I usually have Gary Fong … Read more

Psyched

Death in the domain of the insects can be swift and cruel but retains a magnificence and beauty that is somehow at odds with the brutality of what is happening. Today rain had subsided a little. I wanted to photograph Psyche (Leptosia nina) butterfly which was flying around those tiny pinkish flowers which I couldn’t … Read more

Oleander Hawk-Moth

Daphnis nerii or Oleander Hawk-moth is a member of the Sphingidae family, whose members are commonly known as the hummingbird, sphinx or hawk moths. This beautiful and attractive species has a wingspan of 8-12 cm. Its forewings are intricately patterned in gorgeous shades of olive green and marked with small blotches of pink and white, including a pale white apical band on each forewing. The hindwings, on the other hand, are greyish green, with a pale white wavy line. Body is mostly olive green too, with white markings and measures about 5 cm from head to tail.

Hanging Hairy

This Euproctis species caterpillar belong to Lymantriidae family was feeding on leaves on cucumber tree (Averrhoea bilimbi).Lymantriidae is a family of moths with about 350 known genera and over 2,500 known species found all over the world, in every continent except Antarctica. They are particularly concentrated in sub-Saharan Africa, India, Southeast Asia and South America; … Read more

Thorn Mimic Treehopper

This curious insect belongs to the group of trehoppers belonging to family Membracidae. It is also called thorn Mimic treehopper as it looks like a thorn. most treehoppers are considered as pest, but some like Leptocentrus taurus was found feeding on the noxious weed Parthenium hysterophorus in Karnataka, India, thus acting as potential biological control … Read more

Male Giant Crab Spider

Today for breakfast I had a house guest in my kitchen. A Male giant crab spider also known as common house spider(Heteropoda venatoria), huntsman spider, banana spider (due to its occasional appearance in marketed bananas) appeared over a kitchen tile. He was a huge guy, body around 3 inches in size. He was patient enough … Read more