Critter Pics

Haven't posted some critter pics in a long time. Although I frequently hike on the trails around my house, it seems that there are fewer and fewer critters about to take photos of. I think the trails simply host too many hikers now, and the bugs have moved elsewhere. But when I went out yesterday I had good luck with critters...like this lovely ladybug, for example. [click on any photo to be taken to its Flickr page.]

Too far away to get a good shot, but a dragonfly is always a good pic.

The recent rains have trashed the path in several places, forcing detours through the bamboo farms on the hillside.

Who knows what weevil works in the shards of fen?

The trail was absolutely lined with the webs of gigantic golden orb spiders. Never have I seen so many.

Mimicry always delights. Here is a beetle in Dead Leaf Camo hiding under a leaf.

This tiny fellow took time out from web building to pose for me.

Of course I shot a large spider. Goes without saying. This one was only of middling size, not quite as big as my palm.

On weekdays most of the hikers appear to be retirees.

When I took his picture, I assumed it was one of those caterpillars one sees hanging down from trees all the time. I thought myself fortunate to get such a clear picture of him, moving rapidly in low light conditions. Only later did I fully realize my luck: it was a master of mimicry: a spider disguised as a stick, right down to the spots on its joints echoing the knobs on a branch. No wonder I've never spotted his kind before.

Local lychee farms tend to have their own apiaries, and they sell honey right from the honeybees along the roadside.

The safety rules on Trail 8 recommend that if you encounter a toxic snake, suck the venom out. Isn't that the wrong thing to do?

Nothing like a stunning dragonfly to crown a morning hike through the woods.

[Taiwan]