Naaldekoker : Dragonfly

Nalekoker

Laurika Rauch

Die kind was lief vir nalekokers vang
Bloues, en rooies, en miskien ook geles
Groot aardigheid ril deur sy lyf
Vannie bewe vannie nalekokerlyf
Ou man staan by donkerrooi blom
Ligrooi nalekoker op donkerroooi blom

Ou man steek hand uit
Bewe, tas mis
Hy lag verleë vryf sy nek
Die mense sal mos dink hy’s gek
Nalekoker, daggaroker, moerskwaai moker
Dissie wind dissie wind geswind
Hiert jou nalekoker
Hiert, hiert!
Jou nalekoker

Woorde en Musiek: Boerneef/ Laurika Rauch

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http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/10047/giant-dragonfly

New Zealand’s largest dragonfly, Uropetala carovei, is often seen in summer near bush streams and swamps. Dragonflies are strong flyers and hunt smaller flying insects for food.

Story Challenge: Letter M = mandible

Story Challenge: Letter “M”

by frizztext

Hi Bloggers! Do you have to share a story or a short reflection tagged with the letter “M”? For example I’ve written about MANHATTAN (read below), about Madrid or Munich, modern times and mouths, Mexico and Montenegro, mothers and motorcycles, memories and musicians, milk or moon, military or mankind, minaretts and metronoms, Metropolis or Mursi people, mosques or the Mekong river etc. – I’m sure you’ll find an own story or a short reflection tagged with “M”!

http://flickrcomments.wordpress.com/2012/09/25/story-challenge-letter-m/

My letter M stands for MANDIBLE

Mandible (insect mouthpart)

Insect mandibles are a pair of appendages near the insect’s mouth, and the most anterior of the three pairs of oral appendages (thelabrum is more anterior, but is a single fused structure). Their function is typically to grasp, crush, or cut the insect’s food, or to defend against predators or rivals. Insect mandibles, which appear to be evolutionarily derived from legs, move in the horizontal plane unlike those of vertebrates, which appear to be derived from gill arches and move vertically.

My story goes like this:

One late afternoon Trompie(my dog) was barking at something outside on the deck. I went outside to investigate.

To my surprise, against the wall, was a Weta( Tree Weta: live in trees, common in forests,gardens and firewood). I have never seen one alive, neither has Trompie. Both of us watched for a while. It just sat there.

I decided to pick up Trompie and put him on the table so he could sniff at it. Trompie did not like that, not the idea of standing on the table and also near this insect or thing that is moving its feelers. I took some photos  which were not that good. Then I just touched the weta’s feeler and guess what?

Up came his hind legs ready to attack. Thrompie did not like this movement. He jumped away.

The interesting part of this whole thing was that when I touched a feeler, his hind legs shot out and up and it was also in the meantime making a noise by opening and closing its

MANDIBLES.

It gave a warning signal every time I touched him. It sounded like somebody flicking their nails. This noise would frighten  anyone.

The first two photos it was sitting against the wall.

The next two it is on the table kicking up his hind legs with hackles.

Looks very dangerous.

(Weta = Orthoptera.Anostostomatidae)

They are found in other countries too where they are known as KING CRICKET.

One-Shot Wednesday

New Zealand Praying Mantis

Orthodera novaezealandiae

This species is found only in New Zealand. It has a bright blue-purple parch on the inside of its front knees. The front section of its body(behind the head) is broad(unlike the African praying mantis) It can eat 25 flies a day.( from Andrew Crowe – A mini guide to identification of New Zealand INSECTS)

This praying mantis had only one front leg but was still very quick to catch the fly.

http://beetlesinthebush.wordpress.com/2012/04/18/inaugural-one-shot-wednesday/

This is how it works:

”One-Shot Wednesday”! Ever photograph an insect and only get off a single shot? Not just one keeper from a series of photos, but only one single photo of the insect, like it or lump it! That’s what I’m talking about here. The subtext, of course, is that there was only that one chance to get everything right—exposure, focus, composition, lighting, etc. Obviously, it’s not my plan to show crappy photos as part of this meme, but rather that occasional instance where I only got off a single shot, and for the most part everything worked pretty well to produce a decent photograph. I would, of course, be more than happy to see this meme take off and spread throughout the insect blogging community, but if it doesn’t and it remains a BitB exclusive then that’s fine also.

Toad stools

Look what I was up to today! Day before yesterday I saw the first one popping out. Two days later it did not look that good anymore BUT I took two good ones today!

This is yesterdays  one.  It’s got a kind of a insect on it that I don’t know!

Here is the same one this morning. Was windy and rainy the weekend, that’s why it looks battered.

This one is the same one but more from the bottom.  I was really crawling on my hands and knees in the wet grass to get these photos( maybe it is time for a better camera!)