Gardening/Greenery/Garden Insects | My Indoor and Outdoor Photography

White Butterfly

By on July 8, 2013

Summer has passed,the same kind of butterfly visited our garden.For almost a month now, very few care to visit in the morning,I guess, it was it was driven by the constant rain showers in the morning and most of the day,it’s foggy and cloudy and that, the sun barely appeared.

Only these kind of butterflies has the courage to visit. I took  some snapshots with different angles during their daily visit, I just don’t know it if it’s the same butterfly who came to visit yesterday. Previously, I’ve completed the photos of butterfly life cycle.It took some time for me to make the completion because it was hard to determine their real eggs.So far,I’ve gathered few to complete my details about species around.

These white butterfly has rounded wings which makes it different from other butterflies around. The butterfly was quiet small and very active, it was  tough to photograph these tiny little thinge even though it is small, it looks bigger enough to view it in close-up.

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Gardening/Greenery/Garden Insects | My Indoor and Outdoor Photography

Ants: Busy Life

By on June 10, 2013

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Soldier ant, take a closer look.You can clearly see the external features here; head,thorax and the abdomen.The strong mandibles ready to bite,it was wide opened.

A termites nest I’ve discovered.Ants live in colonies and underground.In these photos you can see all types of ants; worker ants,carpenter ants and the soldier ants.They are red and black in color.The soldier ants role, from the word,”soldier” itself, they are responsible to protect their queen and fellow ants, the worker ants getting busy to gather food all day long and the carpenter ants dig in the woods for more convenient and comfortable nesting site.They usually store foods for rainy days.During rainy days, ants can’t go out to gather food,this is the reason why,they store food in advanced or before rainy days. The foods was stored inside their nest and good enough to sustain the entire colonies.

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Worker ants in large numbers.It is common to my place that you’ll see them everywhere.Their nest seems to be a very crowded place to live in.The annoying part is the pain bites injecting sting.

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The soldier ants on duty.Ants also live in stems of the tree

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The ants hill.

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Carpenter ants live here.Master carpenters,they dig deeper inside the wood.You can just imagine how strong their jaws are.

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Carpenter ants nesting place. Fully displayed revealing deep excavation. Whew ! I  learned a lot from my own discoveries.

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Gardening/Greenery/Garden Insects | My Indoor and Outdoor Photography

Harvest Man Spider

By on June 3, 2013

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Harvest man spider

A spider with long legged legs,feed on flies,mosquitoes and other tiny insects usually spinning web to catch all kinds of insects. I’ve found these harvest man spider while cleaning the house,I was lucky to discover it during daytime. Spiders usually hide by day,this one remains hanging and sleeping quietly on his own web.

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Gardening/Greenery/Garden Insects | My Indoor and Outdoor Photography | Wildlife/Animals/Pets

Tweet-Tweet Wake Up

By on May 15, 2013

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Gray wagtail bird

Sounds of gray wagtail bird wakes me up,singing and chirping rhythmically outside the window early in the morning.I was trying to figure it out what’s happening outside.It seems they are trying to get me do something for them. Quickly,I get up and run outside,I saw these gray wagtail birds eating and enjoying slices of bread left on the table yesterday.

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Originally,The gray wagtail was alone,making some noises calling her mate, and minutes after, her mate has arrived  to join her. It’s a bird behavior during food sharing.

 What a morning excitement,these is how birds behave when they see something good in the morning.It was just a morning surprise for them. Nevermind, chirping has the power to wake you up, cheer you up, and makes you happy.

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Gardening/Greenery/Garden Insects | My Indoor and Outdoor Photography

Curling Millipede

By on April 20, 2013

They are Antropods.You can clearly see here the 2 pairs of legs in each segment.Being curious with their slow crawling and curling movements,I took few shots. Check how they curl up when being disturbed.

(Click on images to view larger)

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While crawling,

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When being disturbed,

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Rolled up to protect the legs.

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the ability to comouflouge and pretending to be dead.

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Ended up in a rounded curl,looks like an elegant bangle.

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Gardening/Greenery/Garden Insects | My Indoor and Outdoor Photography

BEAUTY IN THE WILDERNESS

By on March 29, 2013

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As the soil dries up in the wild, feathery looks of a wild grass flower has its own intrinsic beauty as blown by the wind in the wild.These is a beautiful ornamental grass that can be use for decorative purposes,they have become more widely popular. Some wild grasses with creamy white flowers have been grown for certain purposes, they have been grown till they dried up and cut when they reach maturity but according to our gardener,over-exposure to full sun makes them brittle.

I took this shot on top of the mountain in Tagaytay city.Perhaps,If you won’t climb,you’ll not see the beauty of the life.In a hot and dry lands,these wild grass can survive in the wild even without water.Along the mountain top,you can see flowering trees around that normally live for many years.

Other types of wild plants are found practically around,rare species of evergreen,clusters of white wildflowers and charming shrubs which is not easy to grow.

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Gardening/Greenery/Garden Insects | My Indoor and Outdoor Photography

GYPSY MOTH CATERPILLARS

By on March 19, 2013

The Gypsy moth caterpillar is a garden pest that resembles the looks of a cacti.The close-up images shows the over all external features that it has needle-like spines and brisly hair-like spines too. Although many species of worms has hair that looks like spines,the hair is soft and considerably smooth to touch. This is to protect them from predators.Great numbers of gypsy moth caterpillars in the garden is a total damage to the leaves of plants and trees. I found these caterpillars eating the leaf of an atis tree(a fruit tree), peppers the leaves leaving the with big holes and sometimes, consumming everything leaving only skeleton of a leaf.

(Clock on images to view larger)

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This is the most stunning and stylish worms I’ve ever seen. The short hairdo at the top is delightfully a hairstyle.The appearance of the greenish body is just like a branching ribs.

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Appearing on this image above, the Gypsy moth caterpillar’s body has a radial and needle-like spines which is soft.

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Looks like a real cacti.

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Gardening/Greenery/Garden Insects | My Indoor and Outdoor Photography | Wildlife/Animals/Pets

FRUIT OF THE BIRDS

By on March 18, 2013

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Grey Wagtail bird with a fruit in its beak.

Most gardens has a fruit tree of some kind,or at least the fruit bearing trees that attracts the insects and the birds.Particularly our own garden has some kind; Manzanita fruit which the birds loves,Papaya,Chico and Atis. The grey wagtail and tree sparrows keeps coming back because of this fruits.These fruits are freshy, moist inside and sugary sweet tastes that the birds feast on it. Sometimes the fruit dries up and gradually will open after ripens and others will just naturally fall and it’s up for the birds to pick it up.

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Gardening/Greenery/Garden Insects | My Indoor and Outdoor Photography

CACTI

By on March 16, 2013

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Month of March is summer in the Philippines.During summer,work increases and gives me the chance for an outdoor gardening.Since we are now experiencing the direct heat of the sun, perfect time to plant any variety of cacti because it suits the dry area of the garden and surely flourish in equally full sunlight.Most species of cacti have hard spine and I hate the needle-like protruding spines. Preferably, I would like to have the kind with a  white hair growing on the stem and the rounded bearing red,pink and yellow flowers. Although half part of the garden is moist. With careful selection,an original flowering plants may be added so, it would be subdivided into different kinds of plants. Planting some beautiful varieties of flowering plants depends on the climate and the kind of soil where you live.I just hope the drainage will work out well for the new flowering plants.

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Gardening/Greenery/Garden Insects | My Indoor and Outdoor Photography | Wildlife/Animals/Pets

BLUE TONGUE LIZARD

By on March 14, 2013

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Blue tongue lizard is 9 inches long with a shiny grey spot which is pale in color.

A common sight visiting the garden everyday.I’ve found this Blue tongue lizard inside the rock hole  beside the pond.The hole is the main quarter which serves as a good shelter from the sun and a perfect place to hibernate.The pond is cool and moist place which is good for the body temperature.It’s hard to distinguish whether it’s male or female.According to my research, Male lizards are orange or red dotted with black,the female is paler.I guess,it’s a female one because it’s paler in color. Some lizards can regenerate tail if it is lost and shed their skin in several pieces. The house lizard which is common inside the house is one good example. When the tail was cut off, the other part is still moving and seems alive after it’s been cut off.Lizards feed on insects like bees, spiders and worms.Sometimes, climbing the walls,rocks and trees.However,this lizard loves to steal food meant for the dogs.Every time the dog turns away, this reptile comes out to steal it. Food scraps is sometimes a special attraction for this blue tongue lizard.Got lots of dogs around and I hope,lizard bite is not as fatal as the snake.

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