Insect Life, August 2004
A pair of mantis, or manti?My attempts to photograph insects around the house are mostly failures.  Here are a few.  The green mantis is common in the garden.  This pair of brown mantis on a fence was a surprise to me.  The intense morning sun washes out the background.

Praying Mantis on glassHere is a nice photo of another praying mantis.  A different color and body shape.

Spider as big as a nickelThis large fellow was shifting around the inside of the mailbox as I reached in to grab the contents.  I gently lifted it out on the letters and set up this shot to show you the size.  It was remarkably large and hairy.

Spider on glassThe same spider closer up and from underneath.  This shot through a glass table top actually turned out well. You can see an amazing amount of detail brought out by the flash.  Notice the two missing legs or stumps and are those fangs?  You be the judge.

Mantis on Tournament of RosesThis is yet another mantis on a rose.

Caterpillar on Tomato plantLarge caterpillar caught feeding on a tomato plant.  Easily found after seeing droppings and stems with the leaves missing.

Large spider on GardeniaThis large spider would spin a large web.

A big spider caught insideA large spider posed on a cd and compact flash card.

No insects were harmed in the production of this webpage.  Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.  And for me the ability to capture minute details is a beautiful thing.