Dobson Fly / Adult hellgrammite

This is what a Hellgrammite larva turns into.  They are called Dobson Fly.  They reach 3-5 inches long and cant inflict a nasty bite with their pinchers.  They are harmless as far as not having any venom or poison but they will bite it disturbed.  You can pick Dobson fly up by grabbing the back of the wings.  They will attempt to bite you by reaching back but they can't reach the back of their wings.

Lady Bug Larva

I was at a local park taking photographs when I came across an unusual orange and black insect larva on some concrete.  I had seen a few of these before but never photographed them and never really took the time to identify them.  I had my Canon MP-E 65mm 1x-5x lens with me so I put it on and snapped a few photographs and a few videos.

Once I got back home I searched and identified these are Lady Bug larva.  I was quite surprised since nothing about the larva indicated to me that it was a going to turn into a lady bug.

Ladybug Larva

Ladybug Larva

A year or so later I observed the same larvas shedding.  A tree in the yard had several of these Ladybug larva on it.  The video below shows a Ladybug larva shedding.

Slug photographs

These are some photograph of a slug I took a few years back.  I took them using a Canon 5D Mark II camera body and a Canon MP-E 65mm 2.8 1x-5x lens.

Slug

Slug

Squash Beetles

We tried to grow a lot of Squash this year in the garden.  The Squash Beetles were worse this year than normal.  We barely managed to get any squash after the bugs got most of the plants.  These are some photographs I got of the Squash Beetles.

Squash beetle nymphs

Squash beetle mother with eggs

Squash beetle hatchlings

We spent a lot of time trying to get rid of these pest.  We didn't want to resort to using any pesticides so we tried some natural things and they didn't work.

Jumping Spider on yellow flower

These are two shots of a tiny jumping spider on a yellow flower I took.

Black Swallowtail Caterpillar photographs

These are some photographs of Black Swallowtail Caterpillars(Papilio polyxenes).  I planted some Parsley plants in my garden.  These caterpillars showed up and ate all of the Parsley.

Black Swallowtail Caterpillars are orange, white and black.  The pattern can vary quite a bit so its not easy to describe them.  They are usually mostly white with orange spots or stripes and black stripes.  Black Swallowtail Caterpillars like to eat Parsley and related plants.

Yellow Jacket photographs

These are some photographs of Yellow Jackets.  I found these Yellow Jacket Wasp under a log on a cold morning in spring.  These wasp, just like most other insects, slow down and cant fly during the colder days.  I was able to get these macro photographs of Yellow Jackets without any problems because the insects were cold and couldn't fly.

I shot these macro photographs of Yellow Jackets on my Canon 5D Mark II using a Canon MP-E 65mm 1x-5x macro lens and a Canon MT-24EX flahs unit.

Yellow Jackets are predatory insects that feed on necture, other insects and meat.  They live in colonies and will fiercly defend their nest.  Generally holes in the ground, bushes and other protected areas are used for nesting.  Yellow Jackets are mostly harmless to humans except for a painful sting.  Only people allergic have anything to fear.

These are some macro videos I took of Yellow Jacket Wasp.

If you would like to license the use of any of these photographs or videos email me at productester999@gmail.com

Jumping Spider photographs

These are some macro photographs of jumping spiders.  Jumping Spiders are very common throughout the world.  These small arachnids are named because they are quick and like to jump to capture prey and escape danger.  Jumping spiders come in many different sizes colors and shapes.  Jumping spiders have incredible eyesight and are very alert.  These arachnids hunt by sight.  When one of these spiders sees movement they will generally turn towards the movement or sometimes shy away if they sense danger.

Jumping spiders are mostly harmless to humans.  Most are not aggressive and will not bite unless harassed.  You can handle most jumping spiders without fear of being bitten.

I dont not know what exact species most of these are.  I took these macro photographs of jumping spiders in Texas.  Some were found in Austin, Dallas and Fort Worth.

I shot these pictures on a Canon 5D Mark II with either a Sigma 180mm or a Canon MP-E 65mm 1x-5x lens.

My favorite photographs are the first three where the jumping spider is on some pink colored flowers called Red Yucca.  The jumping spider had actually caught another jumping spider and was eating it.  I got a few photographs before the jumping spider got scared and dropped his meal.  This was my first time to see a jumping spider eating another spider.

I shot these three photographs of jumping spider in Farmers Branch Texas in Gussie / Waterworth Park.  Every year the park is full of flowers and roses.  I usually find a lot of insects to photograph in this park.  This was the first time I have seen a jumping spider eating another spider.

These are some videos I have taken of jumping spiders.

Sackens Bee Hunter Photograph

This is a Sackens Bee Hunter.  I came across this insect by accident one day.  I thought it was a Bumble Bee at first but I quickly realized it was a bee mimic.  I took a few photographs and began my search on the internet.  I have never seen one of these and I have lived in the same house for 25 years.
It turns out I took photographs of a Sackens Bee Hunter.  These bee mimic will capture and eat other bees.  They blend in and using the same color patterns are Bumble Bees.  They are stripped yellow and black but are not as wide bodied as a Bumble Bee.  They also stand differently in a different posture.
I have not been able to get much information on the internet as these seem to be elusive and not very common.  I found some articles that state they can bite of sting and that it is quite painful.  They are not aggressive and would only sting you if captured or maybe stepped on.  These insect are very good at mimicking bees.  If I wasn’t trained to notice details on insects because of my fascination with macro photography I would have dismissed this Sacken’s Bee Hunter as just another bee.

Macro Photographs of Red Harvester Ants

Texas is full of Red Harvester Ants.  In fact my guess would be that other than the invasive Fire Ants, Red Harvester Ants are the next most common species.  These insect love the heat.  Huge nest f Red Harvester Ants are often found in gravel fields and along road ways.

I took these macro photographs of Red Harvester Ants in Double Oak Texas.  The photographs were captured on a Canon 5D Mark II.  The nest has been here at least 2 seasons.  Last year the nest was in the same location.  This spring the nest re-appeared.  There were trails in the grass where these ants travelled so much.

I also took a few macro videos of Red Harvester Ants.  These videos were captured in HD on the same camera using a tripod.

If you would like to license any of these photographs or videos please email producttester999@gmail.com

Photographs of a Tarantula.

These are photographs of a Tarantula I shot a few weeks ago.  My co-worker knows that I like to take photographs of animals.  Over the fourth of July weekend she offered to bring me back anything unusual she found at her parents ranch.  She called Sunday and said she had found a Tarantula Spider for me.

The first photograph is my hand holding the Tarantula.  These arachnids are mostly gentle and wont bite unless you really harass them.  

Tarantula in hand.

I decided I wanted to get some shots of the spider crawling on a branch.  I grabbed a branch from the yard and set it up so that the Tarantula was crawling on it.

Tarantula Spider

In the end I wanted to do some stock type shots as well.  I couldn't think of anything except using some toy blocks to spell the word spider and have the Tarantula crawl on it.  These eight legged arachnids are pretty slow moving and calm so it wasn't hard to get a few photographs of the Tarantula.

Tarantula on blocks

Slug photographs

These are some photographs of slugs I took.  Slug are similar to snails except they do not have a hard shell.  Slugs must remain moist or they will die.  I took these macro photographs of slugs using a Canon 5D Mark II and a Sigma 180mm lens.  These Slug photographs are the only ones I have taken of this species.

slug photographs