Monday, August 23, 2010

BUG encounters...

i mentioned in a previous post that the bugs are really big here in NC.  there are also bugs that i have never encountered before.  here are a few of our bug encounters from sunday afternoon...

jeff found this one in the yard... luckily he was dead.  this thing is HUGE!  even jeff had never seen anything like it.  if you know what it is please comment and let me know.

this one is really cool looking.  he wasn't very big, maybe 3/4" long.  we don't know what this is either

this spider has taken up residency on the porch.  it was hard to get a good picture because her web is up quite high.  jeff said this was a garden spider.  it's web is very intricate... she sits on that spiral and waits for her victims.  the spiral is very white and perfectly formed... at first glance, it almost looks like a plastic spring.
there are lots of blue tailed lizards (skinks) around, they move to quickly to get pictures.  so far i have seen only one snake... thank goodness!!!

6 comments:

  1. The top one is a cicada. They make that loud buzzing/grinding noise in the trees. We had them up in Indiana too.
    The yellow garden spiders grow huge down here.

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  2. no wonder the cicadas here are so much louder than in NH!!!!! the garden spider was pretty big... not sure i want to run into any larger ones...

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  3. yep, cicada for the first.

    2nd looks like it got dressed up for something!

    3rd is also called a "writing spider"

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  4. My friend Linda posted this on my facebook page...

    Your photo is of a saddleback caterpillar. These can sting.
    Here is what the Virginia Extension Service says about contact with this caterpillar It has poisonous spines on the four large projections (tubercles) and many smaller ones that stick out from the sides of its body. Contact with them causes a burning sensation and inflammation that can be as painful as a bee sting. The irritation can last for a day or two and may be accompanied by nausea during the first few hours. Usually the site of contact reddens and swells much like a bee sting. A person "stung" by a poisonous caterpillar should immediately wash the affected area to remove any insect hairs and poison that remain. An ice pack will help reduce swelling, and creams and lotions containing steroids will lessen the discomfort.

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  5. To go along with the cicadas, we have cicada wasps. There are black and yellow and almost as big as cicadas. They look like a huge yellow jacket or hornet, but we don't take the time to figure out which is which. They kill the cicadas and drag them down into the ground. And they send us running and ducking.

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