Rick

Amateur naturalist, macro photography, bug lover.

[Rick @rickmalad]

@An_Angel_of_God Thank you kindly!

[Rick @rickmalad]

Extreme proboscis, extreme wings, extreme fluff, and extremely cute—the Greater Bee Fly (Bombylius major) doesn’t do anything in moderation. They’re also super quick and skittish, so when you catch one snoozing, you take advantage.

[Rick @rickmalad]

@TheKylieChi @t_NYC Safest time to do it is at night when when they’re less likely to fly; the colder the better

[Rick @rickmalad]

I have yet to actually see a bolas spider, like this Mastophora stowei, actually catch a moth… but getting to photograph them ready to sling is still a real treat. She must have been catching her share, because she dropped a bunch of egg sacs later in the year.

[Rick @rickmalad]

Certainly the most striking feature of the snipe fly Chrysopilus velutinus is its eyes—they look almost too big for its relatively slender body, but boy what a dash this gentleman cuts. Quite the impressive set of photoreceptors!

[Rick @rickmalad]

Just a great, big, beautiful Marbled Orbweaver (Araneus marmoreus) in her perfect fall colors. The quintessential late season spider around here—not particularly uncommon, but uncommonly pretty, this lady especially so.

[Rick @rickmalad]

A wee bit late to the party (or more than a wee bit early), a Magicicada sp. periodical cicada just after its final molt and resting atop its exuvia. There were no 17 or 13-year cicadas due in our area this year, but sometimes you’ll get an oddball

[Rick @rickmalad]

How fortunate am I, that not 100ft from my back door this wonder of evolution decided to post up. She—a bolas spider, Mastophora stowei—spent her nights luring in moths from the low branches of a sassafras. Luckily she picked an ideal spot to capture her with a bolas at the ready

[Rick @rickmalad]

She has assured me all she wants is a hug…One of my favorite animals, a Misumenoides formosipes crab spider, on one of my favorite plants, Lobelia siphilitica. She’s in hunting mode here, waiting for some prey to visit the flower so she can cuddle them into submission.

[Rick @rickmalad]

I swear all you have to do is look at them funny, and Marbled Orbweavers (Araneus marmoreus) scurry off to their hides, usually near the top of their webs. Definitely not winning any commendations for bravery, these ones—but they’re stop-you-in-your-tracks gorgeous animals.

[Sasagani_ya @Sasagani_ya]

遂に、マメイタイセキグモの投げ縄作成行動の撮影に成功！！
同属のムツトゲイセキグモにおける行動は既にNHKの番組などでも取り上げられていましたが、本種の行動が動画で公開されるのは世界初と思われます。
Bolas-building behavior of Ordgarius hobsoni filmed for the first time on earth!

[Rick @rickmalad]

Syrphids are awesome for several reasons—chiefest among them is their ability to look like something not totally harmless, when in fact they are… totally harmless. The Yellowjacket Hover Fly (Milesia virginiensis) is especially imposing since it’s huge—almost an inch long

[Rick @rickmalad]

What an absolute stunner of a bee. I don’t get too many opportunities to photograph Megachile species but this little beauty was caught up in a bit of rain. Those eyes and that perfect golden fluffy do are downright irresistible.

[Rick @rickmalad]

This sharp-dressed man is a Sharptail Bee (Coelioxys sp.), shot a bit before sunrise and still with some dew on him. Named for their pointy abdomens, they are cleptoparasites of their family members—other Megachilid bees—laying their eggs in nests built and supplied by others

[Rick @rickmalad]

The loooong boi, a male Myzinum sp. thynnid wasp. Males have relatively large hooks on their abdomens called pseudostingers, which look pretty nefarious but really don’t do much save for deliver a bit of a poke. It’s not visible in this photo but they’re also just real pretty.

[Rick @rickmalad]

Maternal behaviors in arthropods are always cool to see. This Tmarus sp. crab spider mama has tucked her eggs into a leaf which she’s folded and sealed shut, and she’s seen here guarding it. She’ll put up with an awful lot before abandoning her babies

[Rick @rickmalad]

He’s handsome and he knows it: a male Io Moth (Automeris io) with his big fancy feathery antennae, perfect for picking up the chemical trail of a female. This is his sole purpose as an adult, as he has no functional mouthparts; his is not to reason why, his is but to mate and die

[Rick @rickmalad]

@Brians_birds OM1 MkII & OM 90mm

[Rick @rickmalad]

It’s #WorldBeeDay today, so here’s this beautiful female Nomad Bee (Nomada) backlit by the rising sun . Diversity of bees is pretty wild, with many being pretty darn small. They’re very easy to overlook if you don’t take the time to appreciate them, so go appreciate some bees!

[Rick @rickmalad]

@CameraBob5 Thanks!

[Rick @rickmalad]

The view from the driveway last night, where the fireflies were putting on quite the show! I’m told there are at least some Photuris species in there—the canopy looked as if camera flashes were going off in a crowded arena. Getting to watch them never gets old.