Insect Observations

A mantis most people would walk straight past On Christmas Eve 2024 I was out in the Dominican Republic when a praying mantis caught my …

A patient hunter with spiny legs On Christmas Eve in the Dominican Republic, a small, angular insect was sitting on a plant stem near the …

A stick-thin mantis of the Caribbean On December 24 in the Dominican Republic, a mantis was stretched along a twig, so long and thin that …

A conehead with a night job Christmas Eve in the Dominican Republic, and the daylight insects had all found their hiding places. On a leafy …

A green mantis from the land of Santo Domingo Christmas Eve in the Dominican Republic delivered a second mantis before lunch. This one was green, …

A thorn-armored bug on a warm Caribbean evening It was late December in the Dominican Republic, and the dry-season warmth had brought the true bugs …

A zebra-striped butterfly drifting through the dry-season garden In late December the Dominican Republic was warm and dry, and this butterfly drifted through the garden …

A tiny mantis that turned out to be a lacewing in disguise On a September afternoon in Pittsburgh, this small insect sat on the surface …

A cone-headed katydid in the wet Himalayan dark On an August night in Medog, the forest was loud with katydids, and this one had come …

A giant silk moth fresh from the monsoon dark Late one August night in Medog, this moth came to the light and instantly silenced the …

A stag beetle of the eastern Himalaya In August 2024 I was in Medog, in southeastern Tibet. It is the lowest and wettest corner of …

A giant longhorn that looked like a piece of polished wood It was resting near the forest edge in Medog, and at first I took …