Bugs, continued

Technically not a bug, but for the time being .....

Robber fly

Some bug photos are accumulating, so to the press. Identification by Ted MacRae. See comment.

Praying mantis

This praying mantis was so skinny, it would have made a matchstick look like an elephant. And the little creature was very aggressive. As I took my time photographing it, never once did it turn away from me. The closer I got with my camera, the higher it stood up. I don't know if they have teeth, but it so, I'm sure they were snarling at me.

Gil Serique

I was feeling guilty about having scared up that grasshopper into the spider web, but my friend Gil Serique told me a story even more somber. "Steve, once I inadvertently scared up two Orinoco geese that fled from the river bank and landed in the water. They were followed by 7 or 9 chicks that landed by them. All these chicks were eaten by a school of piranhas that did not give them a chance to fly. I got that on tape, just in case you want to check it." Image, Gil lecturing to a group of visitors from a cruise ship.

Runoff

Proper drainage seems to be the secret to avoid erosion and giant mud holes. The runoff seen in the attached image is coming from the Santarem-Cuiaba Highway and it's heading in the direction of Bosque Santa Lucia. For a couple of years it ended up in a mud hole that became the size of a football field. My readers will remember that I named it "Lake Maria" in honor of our mayor, whose government did nothing to better the access in this part of the region. Thanks to the voluntary services of a neighbor on the highway and his bulldozer, we were able to bury Lake Maria in February of this year, thus opening up access to the Bosque again. The runoff from BR-163 hasn't changed, but at least it's not accumulating on the dirt road.

International Day of Water, continued

All this rain eventually makes its way to creeks and the rivers. My friend in Mararu, Sr. Dagaberto, does his best to use the creek that runs through his property for raising fish, but nature takes it course during the rainy season. He's built brick walls and all kinds of construction projects to avoid losing his creations, but the fast moving water takes it all away. Image, an American egret overlooks summer construction ... and an easy lunch at the expense of Sr. Dagaberto.

Bromeliad in water

Winds and rains bring down things from up in the trees this time of the year. I found this flowering bromeliad float next to the footbridge.

International Day of Water

We're certainly not lacking for water. Our rainy season is at its best this time of the year. Annual rainfall is approximately 2,000mm and most of it falls between between February and May. The river system raises and falls some 8-9 meters between high and low season here in Santarem and there are years when the water floods the streets down at the orla. Image, our 42 meters footbridge at Bosque Santa Lucia, which has been under water twice this year. Cleuson applying a sprinkling of sand to make it less slippery.

Spider food

I inadvertently scared this grasshopper from wherever it was .... right into the web of this hungry spider. In a split second the spider descended onto the web to immobilize the victim in a straitjacket. Then it was all over for our long-legged friend. I came back to have a look some three hours later to find that the spider was still munching on its food. I had thought that it would have sucked out the liquids from the grasshopper, but as you can see from the images, the body tissues were being consumed too. As I was poking around too much, the spider fled the scene. In the top image, I removed the victim from the web to have a better look. I also rescued the butterfly, which was very much alive.

Furry Bug

I discovered this furry one on the frond of an açaí palm. My first reaction was "something new." I took several pictures and from time to time I would return to take more, taking advantage of different sunlight exposures. The more I looked at the insect, the more I thought that something was very strange about all that "fur". I finally came to the conclusion that the creature was being consumed by fungi. Was it a case of parasitism? Could it be a cicada?

Another bug

And this colorful bug? A treehopper, I suspect. In the image it looks to be as large as an elephant, but it's less than an inch. P.S. See Ted MacRae's comment on this post. You'll be surprised, as I was.

Warty leaf beetle

I suspected another weevil, but I didn't know for sure. One of a kind sighting and never again. P.S., refer to Ted MacRae's comment for the real story. Thanks.

Black ant

A glossy black ant makes off with what would appear to be an embryo of another ant. Could it be a case of moving the family, or is it food for thought?

Pudgy bees

I discovered these pudgy golden bees tending their nest in a termite infestation on the side of a 200 year old Brazil nut tree. You'll need to enlarge the images to get a better view of them.

Woodsmen

It's not often that we need six woodsmen at Bosque Santa Lucia, but when the British ship Artemis comes to the Amazon, we work at our limits. This past Wednesday, we conducted tours for six groups in the morning and three in the afternoon. Each group is led by one English speaking guide and a local woodsman. We expect the same number on March 11th, when the ship comes back down the river from Manaus. In the attached image from left to right: Bimba, Cleuson, Waldemar, Carlos, Kleper and Luiz.

Wasp and treehoppers

I'm not sure what's going on here. I assume some symbiotic relationship between the wasp and these bugs (aphids?). Cleaning up? Maybe Ted MacRay could offer an explanation.

Ted reports: The nymphs look like they belong to the genus Aetalion, a primitive family of treehoppers (order Hemiptera) - I can see an adult in the lower left, which helps with the ID. Treehoppers suck plant sap and excrete excess sugars as 'honeydew' - I presume the wasp is there lapping up the sweet sticky stuff. Treehoppers are often guarded by ants, who protect them from predators in exchange for their honeydew.

regards--ted

Wasps

When construction got under way on this nest, there was only one worker. At about this stage in the building, another worker appeared.

Cicada

The perfect image of a cicada!

Another butterfly

This little beauty seems to be one of those half-butterfly and half-moth varieities.

Butterfly

Another butterfly, very much in tact, except for the antennas, which I cut off in the cropping.

Butterflies

Hung up!

Alamanda flower

Ginger, here's the flower of the alamanda. Not the same bud, by the way.

Alamanda bud

An alamanda bud (Alamanda cathartica) noses its way out into the light. By tomorrow it'll transform into a large trumpet shaped flower.

Worldwide web

The most beautiful worldwide web I've seen.

Caterpillar in the honey

Check out this unwelcome caterpillar feeding on an extra-floral nectary, a right reserved for ants, so they say. From the looks of the ingá leaves, it also helped itself to the main dish. Click on the image for an enlargement.

Colorful wasp

This colorful wasp didn't fly off like most. It decided to hide under a leaf.

A new character

I know, I know! This image isn't in focus, but I couldn't do better under the circumstances. My camera is about ready for the recycling bin. Nevertheless, I found this small insect so intriguing, so different than any other I've ever seen, I couldn't resist sharing with my readers. Check out the turquoise colored gloves and boots! And those tattoos? Click on the image for an enlargement. This is the first time I've seen this character at the Bosque, but I hope it won't be the last.

Another beetle

This colorful beetle seemed to be mired down in water and humidity from an early morning rain.

Hairy Caterpillar, continued

I read somewhere that the word "caterpillar"means the hairy cat in French. It's not difficult to understand why when looking at the attached image. This caterpillar is not the same one shown on the previous post. It's much smaller and its hair is well combed. Amazing.

Hairy Caterpillar

I discovered this hairy caterpillar on the sink of the porch at the reception center today. Several of our woodsmen testified that this is one of the most poisonous of the caterpillars. Some of the descriptions convinced me that this little devil was to be respected.

Blue dragonfly

I thought there might be something different about each of the above images, but maybe I am presenting an overkill. The subject matter is quite small, as you can see by comparing the size of the leaf. It was so small, I did not even notice the colors. Turns out to be quite a beautiful dragonfly. That area where the wings are attached looks like some complicated mechnical engineering.

Hibiscus

Another hibiscus flower, likewise showing off.

Hibiscus

A hibiscus flower showing off.

Bosque logotype

The two readers participating in the opinion poll of the best logotype for Bosque Santa Lucia, chose the latest graphic design created by my son, Arthur Daniel. I personally liked the first one he did a few years ago. Maybe sentimental feelings because I've used it a lot. Daniel, top image. That's me hiding behind the tree!

Centipedes, continued

As I remember it, this little creature is also a centipede. It has that look of not being very friendly, but I'll ask Ted MaRae to give us a reading on that. This one was making its way across the floor of the back porch.

Millipedes

I followed the larger millipede around for a few minutes trying to get a picture of it as it moved in and out of the foliage. Compact digital cameras aren't noted for their fast shutter speeds ... and I'm not very speedy myself. But at last I was satisfied that I had at least one good image. It wasn't until I downloaded the chip onto the computer that I realized there was a second millipede. I wonder what else is down there under all those leaves? Post script: I originally called them centipedes. See Ted MacRae's comment.

Calabash gourd tree

We were in Alter do Chão last Sunday. I spotted this beautiful calabash gourd tree in the front yard of a small bar, only meters away from from where the Tapajós River and Lago Verde meet. Look at the fruit on that small tree. And there were a few others I didn't include in the photograph!

Geniparana flower

One pedal of this geniparana flower (Gustavia augusta) seems to have taken a liking to the stem of the tree. The family is Lecythidaceae, the same as the Brazil nut tree.

New logotype for Bosque

Our younger son, Arthur Daniel, is a graphic designer at a marketing firm in Belém. He has done all the logotypes for Bosque Santa Lúcia, the latest being the bottom design. The one I've used most is the first one listed in this post. To my readers, which one do you like? Click in the "comments" link.