Bugs of Moyo Hill

This past summer taught me to love bugs, all kinds of bugs, but especially moths.  All bugs are fascinating and so unique and odd in the evolutionary scheme of things.  Here are some of my most exciting bug finds on Moyo Hill.  

Luckily, Emily is just as big (but probably bigger) bug nerd than I am.  Let's just put it this way; she has a bug book.  Ha.  Emily, you know I adore you.  I'm just giving you a hard time.    

 

 Probably the most beautiful moth I've ever seen.  It also was wider than one and a half of my hands across!  It's literally a flying piece of art!

So is this one.  This species of moth attracted Emily's and my attention one morning and without a second thought we took off running after it as it flitted away.  Nuru, the very attractive new addition to our mechanic team, then attempted to help us.  Unfortunately, I found this guy on one of our last mornings at camp and made the mistake of showing Nuru.  Many of the locals don't have the same knowledge of animals and nature as we do and holding a moth like this by its wings has no consequences.  He seemed so excited to hold it up for me to take a picture that I couldn't bear to tell him no.  I know it's strange, but this event really upset my internal balance for the next couple of hours, especially since I didn't take the opportunity to possibly teach someone something that may improve their future actions.  Oh well.  These pictures at least represent the damage that can be done to small critters handled ungently.  

Pig nose.

Frisky ladies.

 This image reminds me of something straight out of the movie A Bug's Life.

Cam, this one's for you.  The very painful-if-bitten baboon spider.  That's a toothpick on the left.  I found even bigger ones than that but this one was easily photographed because it was indoors.  

This is a mud dobber.  Emily taught me that they make their nests, like this one is doing.  Then they lay their eggs in the nest, go and catch another insect, like a spider or a caterpillar, and stuff it in the nest too.  They quickly cover up the opening, entombing the living insect with its eggs.  When the eggs hatch, the prey insect is then eaten, dead or alive.  Aren't insects cool!?

A little flower mantis.

 

Yay bugs!