Interesting specimen from the sample jar

[Crater Eddie]

DSCN9581 b-002.jpg (305.42 KiB) Viewed 3849 times

I have been watching the nymph for a couple of months, wondering what it was eating. I hoped it would wait until spring to emerge, but no such luck... he is flying around the house now, no doubt searching for a meal. I'm sure he'll end up as a cat snack very soon.
CE

[Pat Thielen]

DSCN9581 b-002.jpg
I have been watching the nymph for a couple of months, wondering what it was eating. I hoped it would wait until spring to emerge, but no such luck... he is flying around the house now, no doubt searching for a meal. I'm sure he'll end up as a cat snack very soon.
CE

How very cool! But yeah, it would have been so much better had he emerged in the Spring. I doubt there's much for him to eat in your house.

[apochronaut]

We had a pet yellow jacket wasp, one winter, that lived under the dish drainer but sometimes on sunny days, would venture into the window nearby. When I was washing dishes, she would almost always venture forth and sit on the rim of the dish drainer, drink some water and then eat a tiny blob of honey, I would stick to the drainer. That went on for almost 4 months but sometime in Feb., I decided to paint the kitchen and removed Jack( Jack Hornet) to , a little used rear bedroom window, for a few days, until the paint dried. Unbeknownst to me there was a spider living under the window sill and that's where I found poor Jack, the next day. Trussed and mummified.

It is easy to breed fruit flies. That might sustain your guest until the spring? We always have insects in the house here. It's -10c. out with 2 feet of snow outside my window and I saw a mosquito land on my laptop screen last night. No idea where it came from but we usually see mosquitoes in winter a couple of times. Maybe from the fish tank?

[charlie g]

Beautiful example of rhythm of development out of synch with seasons. Beautiful insect too, CE. It reminds me of how much life goes on in the waters we collect from...I've also had adult insects emerge from sample waters I collected.

I love dragon flies but I'm 'bruck-bruck.chiken' to handle them with my fingers..funny how that is!? Charlie guevara

[Crater Eddie]

It has been interesting watching the nymph, though I suspect it was responsible for the disappearance of all my amphipods. If the cat doesn't catch the dragonfly, it will probably end up feeding one of the carnivorous plants. I have always had a fondness for dragonflies, probably because of my paternal grandmother. She was quite a homespun naturalist if I may use the term. She always called them "snake doctors" though I never new why.
CE

[charlie g]

This is a terrific lead to 'run down for origins'..your gram's term: "snake doctors" for these oh so ancient flying insects. Intrest to me how like 'huming bird/ hawk moths'..dragon flies evolved the wetware neurology to hover-fly, fly backwards...and at such an ancient earth time frame...I sense few insects pursued hover-flight/ backwards flight...I wonder why?!

And here yours emerges from the collection sample! Charlie Guevara BTW in my artificial pond/ stream floundering project...my son and I marveled at a dragon fly immature aquatic stage digging in to the soft gut of a hapless prey frog tadpole...the tadpole larger than the dragonfly aquatic stage predator...but snagged on it's side and helpless to dislodge the predator.

[Crater Eddie]

I just noticed tonight, that since this dragon fly nymph is gone I now have a new population of amphipods in that sample jar! I didn't add them, I guess they are repopulating now that the nymph isn't there to eat them all. Yay!
CE

[75RR]

Must be difficult being an amphipod. Could you post a photo of a relived looking one when you have a moment. Thanks ;)

[einman]

Incredible! Thank You for sharing.