Monday, June 29, 2009

Bug Journal Page 17



Here is page 17 of the Bug Journal. I have a couple of interesting things on this page I think.... When I looked up the Velvet Ant the book says that the female packs probably the worst sting of any North American insect! I can't hardly imagine that considering I got in a mess of fire ants this weekend and wound up with several stings on my hands. I am glad I didn't get in a mess of Velvet Ants. 

The other interesting thing is the Spider Wasp or "Tarantula Hawk". Several species of wasps will put spiders in their nests for their larvae to feed on but these big wasps go for the big, BIG spiders -- tarantulas and garden spiders.

The little honey bees are one of my favorite insects.... I love to watch them as they congregate in my bird baths and in the dog's water bowl and get their drinks in the afternoons. (The dogs don't really appreciate them though.)

Ink & watercolor in the Moleskine Watercolor Journal

3 comments:

  1. We have Fire Ants here in Florida, too, and I hope we don't have Velvet Ants; they sound pretty awful. Fire Ant stings are quite painful (to me), I hope your poor hands are okay!

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  2. Great art illustrating...they appear live and could get up and move off the paper.

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  3. Well I am gobsmacked. I just saw my first Spider Wasp in my garden here yesterday! It wasn't the bigger species that tackle tarantulas down south, but our own smaller version. It was dragging off a spider to its burrow. I got video footage!!!

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