The martha of all butterflies

Live your wildest dreams with Martha - that is if you, like me, dream of B.O.U.S.s (Butterflies of unusual size)

Want to bring all the splendor of a summer meadow into your bedroom? Well apparently you can with the new...GADZOOKS THOSE ARE HUGE!

I doubt very much that Martha consulted her entomologist before publishing this advertisement.  Not only do mutated butterflies adorn the wall, but also multiple size variants of what looks like Urania ripheus - a cool day flying moth from Madagascar.  The scene recalls to mind the classic tabloid headline: "Farmer shoots 6-ft. butterfly!"

Thanks to my grandmother for thoughtfully putting this advert aside for me!

Why hiking with me takes patience...

I know that the blog header says 'photography by Brian Cutting,' but today that is a lie.  I took none of these, and it won't take you long to figure out why:

C'est moi.  When lizards are everywhere, why shoot the one on the ugly plastic bag?  I think maybe the hat is a bit too tight.

That's right, the perspective has been flipped and today I'm highlighting fashion in wildlife photography:

With most of my insect photos, I find that a pleasing natural background is critical.  Khakis are great for an image that makes you think 'what was I thinking?'

 I try to have my camera within reach as often as possible, and have lugged my photo rig along on some great trips I've been able to take in the last year.  I would hate to be caught sans-camera and miss cool shooting opportunities, but I think sometimes I require quite a bit of patience from those I travel with:

"Just a few more shots and we can go - I may never see this again"
"Would you mind holding my flash?"
"Blast! It's blown out"
"Can you please pull that blade of grass out of the way?"
"Argh, underexposed"
"You guys can hike ahead, I'll catch up" (unlikely with 10 extra pounds of photo gear in my pack)
"Just a few more and you can make it stop biting you"
"Shucks, lens cap"
"Oh, sorry!  I should have warned you that the flash was about to go off in your face"

Nevertheless, a few people still go on adventures with me.

Creeping in the bushes in Costa Rica

Chunks of lava make questionable knee pads, Kona, Hawaii

Salamanders in the rain, Shenandoah, Virginia.  Let's face it, there is no way to look cool while doing this.

 The above photo demonstrates one of the greatest assets to my photographic endeavors; my beautiful wife who is both good at finding critters, and also willing to hold them for the duration of the ensuing photo shoot.

Thanks to Aliesha Shutte, Jeff Smith, Noelle Diana, Doug Tallamy, and Kiri Cutting for the photos and for being such endlessly patient fellow travelers.  Your night vision will recover in an hour or so...

Happy In(sect) dependence Day!

Nothing says 'American work ethic' like Apis mellifera.  It's from Europe.

Break out the fireworks, flags, and apple pie.  It's July 4th!  Many of us will celebrate our independence from tyranny at picnics; a great opportunity to appreciate some of our 6-legged compatriots!  Would we have ever thought up polka-dots without the iconic 7-spot ladybeetles?  What could be more American than a honeybee?

The answer is: just about anything could.  Both of these species are natives to Europe (incidentally, so are polka-dots).  They are as American as mushy peas and red phone booths.  So if we are so keen on giving king George III the heave-ho, why did we then go and pick European insects to represent our states?

States that designate the "European Honeybee" as their state insect:

Arkansas
North Carolina
New Jersey
Georgia
Maine
Nebraska
Kansas
Louisiana
Vermont
Wisconsin
South Dakota
Mississippi
Utah
Missouri
Tennessee
Oklahoma
West Virginia

Cocinella septempunctata

States that designate the European 'Seven-spot ladybeetle' as their state insect:

Delaware
Massachusetts
New Hampshire
Ohio
Tennessee

With 91,000 named insect species in the United States, I think we could probably find one cool enough without having to borrow from another continent.  Maybe we just miss being colonies.  What do you think?

Thanks to this discussion over at the Entomological Society of Canada blog for reminding me about this entomological pet peeve of mine.

First Dog-day Cicadas of 2012

After several years as a subterranean juvenile, a Tibicen species Cicada molts to its adult stage

Kiri has been finding a lot of cool stuff lately!  Two nights ago she found this Dog-day cicada molting - I had never caught one in the act before.  After several years feeding on the roots of the sycamore tree behind our house, the cicada climbed up from the soil, and shed its nymphal skin.

Fluid is pumped into the insects wings, which then harden for flight

It takes some time for the insect's exoskeleton to harden.  We call these soft-shell crab style insects 'teneral.'  While teneral this cicada was a vibrant green!  The cicada's call is one of those summer sounds that makes me smile - but this one will not be singing, rather it will be the object of the song as she's a female!

Ninja Cicada?

The striped structure in the center of her face is called the clypeus.  It houses strong muscles that help suck plant juices from trees.  I first saw this 'mask' as a kid and ever since cicadas have reminded me of a certain character from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: