Insects Are Tiny Psychedelic Dinosaurs

Please don't squish them! Those tiny bugs are wondrous creatures, somewhat like little, mysterious dinosaurs of our modern world.

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Lily Moth / Polytela Gloriosae

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Whoa! Check out this scary pirate face hiding in this innocent little grasshopper

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The Comet Moth (Argema mittrei), or Madagascan moon moth, is the one of the largest species of wild silk moths (family Saturniidae), found only in the rainforests of certain parts of Madagascar. A male wingspan is of up to 20cm wide and a tail span of 15cm long. Its caterpillars feed only on fresh eucalyptus leaves, but the adult moths do eat and lives for 4 to 5 days. Unfortunately, the species is seriously threatened in the wild due to habitat loss. The moths hovering outside my house never seem to be quite this stunning... Image: Bob Jensen http://500px.com/photo/4111453 — with Artist Pierre.

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Amazing blog! :)

Thanks! :)

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Order: Lepidoptera Family: Saturniidae This Southern Marbled Emperor caterpillar (Heniocha apollona), closely resembling a stegosaurus, is found in South Africa. At the end of metamorphosis he becomes a beautiful white/brown moth with yellow details. They're among the largest of moths and often have "eyespots" on their forewings, a startling defense against predators. And watch out, these caterpillars often release toxins.

Photo courtesy of Flyingfeet http://www.ispot.org.za/node/178449

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This is a stunning closeup of a dragonfly, a member of the Odonata order, suborder Anisoptera, which comes from the Greek words "uneven" and "wings" because the hindwing is much broader than the forewing. Their beautiful, dominant, and transparent wings make them excellent in the air. It's easy to see though why their walking skills are greatly lacking... We should be grateful because their predatory nature leads them to eat mosquitoes, flies, bees, wasps, and other small and pesty insects.

Order: Odonata Suborder: Anisoptera

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Metallic Green Weevil Eurhinus magnificus Gyllenha

This weevil is found in Florida, probably imported through plant trade. It feeds on host plants and are often metallic and vibrant, making them look like small psychedelic elephant bugs. Weevils are part of the Coleoptera family. They're often found in foods including nuts and seeds, so careful when you're opening your next bag of flour- there could be some weevils hiding out! (At least they make for a good source of protein)

Photo courtesy of Oscar Antonio Blanco

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This beauty may not technically be considered an insect, but she is an amazing arachnid, captured by Robert Lopshire. Araneus marmoreus is found throughout all of Canada to Alaska, the northern Rockies, and from the East to the Atlantic. They have large abdomens and construct vertical webs that have a signal thread attached to the center that notifies the spider when prey has been captured. Pretty unique, right? Many orbweavers spin a new web every night. After they've eaten their old one, they rest for a bit then make a new web by first floating along a line in the wind until it attaches to another surface. It's a shame I can't say I've ever seen any human engineers construct new homes with such style!

Order: Araneae

Family: Araneidae

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The Anax Junius, or better known as the Common Green Darner, is abundant throughout North America and is best known for its extensive migration from the northern U.S. to Texas and Mexico. They can grow to be rather large - sometimes over 3 inches. Males often host huge pond-skimming races in order to impress the ladies and find suitable mates. They are also extremely proficient aerial hunters, using their incredible eyesight to catch other insects by their wings, sometimes at flying rates up to 18 miles an hour! Next time you're near an aquatic area abundant in these dragonflies, get ready for a spectacular air show.

Order: Odonata

Family: Aeshnidae

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Derbid Planthoppers are easily recognizable by their googly eyes and their habit of holding up their oversized wings. These cute little creatures eat mosses and fungi and create a waxy substance that allows them to have a better grip on leaves. These insects are not only beautiful, but still quite mysterious, considering not much research has been done on them.

Order: Hemiptera Family: (Derbidae) Photograph taken in Malaysia, courtesy of Simon Shim

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These psychedelic creatures are jewel beetles, belonging to the family Buprestidae, order Coleoptera. Their color is similar to that of a reflecting CD because light reflects in many directions off of the texture in their cuticle. Their iridescence comes from their cuticle, not from the pigments in their exoskeleton as you might think.

Unfortunately, their metallic beauty is an interest to jewelers, who use their wings to make jewelry. Animal cruelty... Unkind. On a more positive note, scientists have also recently discovered that they can detect forest fire flames up to 50 miles away! It uses tiny pits on its underside to pick up infrared radiation from the flames of a fire. As of now, only this beetle and some species of snakes are known to have this capability.

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Another gorgeous photo by Omid Golzar of a beautiful green lacewing, part of the Chrysopidae insect family. Lacewings are delicate creatures who prey on soft-bodied garden pests, especially aphids. Their name comes from the Greek word chrysos, meaning gold, a literal illustration of their bug beauty. Most of them have lace-like, transparent wings and long alligator like bodies. I must say, they are amongst my favorite tiny insect creatures!

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Another stunning photo of a quick, clever, and predatory tiger beetle. Photo taken by Omid Golzar.

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Dragonflies belong to the scientific family Odonata, which means "toothed one" in Greek. As larvae, they'll eat just about anything, and thankfully for us they snack on mosquitoes! They're also expert fliers, considering they only eat their prey in the air. They are even known to mate in the air. That's some extreme multitasking! Dragonflies also have incredible vision, with eyes that have about 30,000 lenses and encompass almost every angle except right behind them. When oxygen levels on Earth were way higher during dinosaur times, dragonflies grew to monstrous sizes with wingspans of up to 2 feet. What a complex and beautiful small creature!

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Hey there! I love the images you've posted so far, never enough bug lovers in the world!

Thanks! And couldn't agree more. People forget how awesome bugs are!

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Psychedelic tiger beetle! Or cheetah beetle for that matter. They can run up to 5.6 miles an hour, which in perspective, would be about the same as a human running 480 miles an hour. Impressive, right? Not to mention they are also natural indicators of biodiversity. But watch out- despite their beautifully metallic bodies, they are angry little predatory critters.

Order: Coleoptera Family: Carabidae; Subfamily: Cicindelinae