White - Barred Acraea Butterfly, Acraea encedon Family: Nymphalidae
Butterflies use their feet to taste.If everything up until this point was already a part of your existing butterfly knowledge, this fact may come as a curveball. However, if you think about it from the butterfly’s point of view, it isn’t that unusual. A butterfly’s daily activities consist of eating and mating, both of which require landing – even if it is only briefly. When food is the priority, those taste receptors help the butterfly locate the right plants and the key nutrients it needs for survival. Info - www.suburbanexterminating.com
Caterpillar - Moth in the making
Caterpillars vary in size and can be as small as 1 mm up to 14 cm.
Like most insects, caterpillars have three body parts; head, thorax, and abdomen, the also have an external covering called an exoskeleton.
Info - www.kidskonnect.com
Safari Ant
Ants are very social insects, and they divide jobs among different types of ants in each colony. The queen or queens have only one job - to lay eggs. All other female ants are workers; they feed the larvae, take out the colony's trash, forage for food and supplies, or defend the nest. Male ants' only job is to mate with the queen. Info - www.pestworld.org
Cotton stainers
Cotton Stainers
Why are they called ‘cotton stainer’? They stain the cotton bolls they feed on – when the bug punctures the cotton boll, a yellow sap seeps out.
They are considered an agricultural pest as they damage other plants such as peaches and oranges. Info www.mightymudskippers.wordpress.com
Cotton Stainers
Why are they called ‘cotton stainer’? They stain the cotton bolls they feed on – when the bug punctures the cotton boll, a yellow sap seeps out.
They are considered an agricultural pest as they damage other plants such as peaches and oranges. Info www.mightymudskippers.wordpress.com
Chameleon
Contrary to popular belief, when a chameleon changes its skin color, the animal usually isn’t trying to camouflage itself by blending into the environment. More often, this remarkable ability is used as a way of controlling its body temperature. By lightening their skin, chameleons can cool themselves down, since lighter colors are better at reflecting the sun’s rays. On the other hand, adopting a dark complexion is a good way to warm up when it gets chilly outside.
Another primary function of color change is communication: Altering skin tone can let potential mates or rivals know what’s on your mind. For example, a female common chameleon (Chamaeleo chamaeleon) displays bright yellow spots when she’s ready to mate. Afterwards, she’ll darken her skin tone and show off blue and yellow spots to inform nearby males to stay away. (Angry hisses also help get the point across.) Info - www.mentalfloss.com
Caterpillar
A caterpillar will move its head from side to side at times to judge depth and distance.They have tiny hairs all over their bodies called setae.
A caterpillar breathes through small holes called spiracles.
They are able to sense touch through their setae and antennae.
A caterpillar uses three pairs of legs located on its thoracic segments which it retains when it turns into an adult. Info - www.kidskonnect.com
Garden Spider
Garden spiders weave their orb-shaped webs in sunny places with little or no wind. As long as their insect prey is plentiful, these pests will stay for an entire season. They prefer gardens and grassy areas, anchoring their webs among twigs and stems. Info-www.orkin.com
Grasshopper
Grasshoppers and Locusts Are One and the Same
When we think of grasshoppers, most people recall pleasant childhood memories of trying to catch the jumping insects in meadows or backyards. Say the word locusts, however, and it brings to mind images of historic plagues raining down destruction on crops and devouring every plant in sight. Info-www.thoughtco.com
Leaf Beetles
Beetles are a tough species to impress when it comes to mating.
Male beetles have developed elaborate physical adaptations including conspicuous antlers, giant mandibles, or bright bioluminescent lights that can be used to impress a mate. Some species use perfumes (pheromones) or serenade their potential mates with drumming or stridulation, a type of strumming. Others provide gifts in the form of nutrients, while still others undertake elaborate pre-mating rituals that include the male doing headstands and flips or hugging the female and caressing her antennae. Info - www.fireflybooks.com
Chameleon
A chameleon’s foot consists of two fleshy pads that oppose each other. One pad contains three digits that are fused together while the other has two fused digits.
Up in the tree canopies where they live, these feet come in handy. Like a set of pincers, the opposing pads on each foot firmly clamp down onto vines and branches. Also, whereas most lizards have sprawling limbs, chameleons usually hold their legs almost directly underneath their bodies. This gives them an athletic gait for a modern reptile—walking this way keeps the center of gravity directly above the feet, which helps the animals stay balanced.
Info - www.kidskonnect.com
White - Barred Acraea Butterfly, Acraea encedon Family: Nymphalidae
Butterflies and moths are part of the same group of insects, known as ‘Lepidoptera’. To tell them apart, butterflies fly in bright sunshine, while moths are most active at night. Info- www.penguin.co.uk
Sepia Ringlet Butterfly Neocoenyra duplex Family: Nymphalidae
Butterfly wings are transparent.Before you feel the need to schedule an eye exam, let us explain. The wings of a butterfly are covered in a multitude of miniature scales – thousands of them. And those colors you see when a butterfly flits across your yard are the reflection of various colors through the scales. The wings themselves are made up of a protein called chitin, which is the same protein that forms an insect’s exoskeleton. And much like an exoskeleton, chitin is transparent. Info-www.suburbanexterminating.com
Grasshopper
Grasshoppers Have Ears on Their Bellies
The grasshopper's auditory organs are found not on the head, but rather, on the abdomen. A pair of membranes that vibrate in response to sound waves are located one on either side of the first abdominal segment, tucked under the wings. This simple eardrum, called a tympanal organ, allows the grasshopper to hear the songs of its fellow grasshoppers. Info - www.fireflybooks.com
African Honeybee
Honey bees are super-important pollinators for flowers, fruits and vegetables. This means that they help other plants grow! Bees transfer pollen between the male and female parts, allowing plants to grow seeds and fruit.
Info -www.natgeokids.com
