Let's see your dung beetles, African insects and arachnids...

[Abena]

And I have no idea what this is, but a friend of mine said "it looks like it's from Jamaica" LOL!! Naw, it's just from Ghana

 

[Tom Kellie]

Here's a Papilio dardanus or Mocker Swallowtail butterfly. Thanks @@Tom K for the ID!

 

(personally, I think that butterflies, as well as dragonflies, deserve their own thread :P )

 

~ @@Abena

 

That's such a lovely photograph.

I agree with you, dragonflies deserve their own forum, as do butterflies.

It's been such a pleasure to work with you on species identification.

Tom K.

[Abena]

Thanks so much, @@Tom K - your encouragement makes me trust my photography enough to post pics!

[Tom Kellie]

And I have no idea what this is, but a friend of mine said "it looks like it's from Jamaica" LOL!! Naw, it's just from Ghana

 

 

~ @@Abena

 

It's Euchromia formosa, Splendrous Hornet (moth).

Thank you for the beautiful image!

As usual, you spoil us with Ghana's lovely wildlife.

Tom K.

[Tom Kellie]

Thanks so much, @@Tom K - your encouragement makes me trust my photography enough to post pics!

 

~ @@Abena

 

As consistently pleasing as your Ghana wildlife images have been, you have ample reason to be confident.

We greatly appreciate your ongoing image selections from West Africa.

Tom K.

[Game Warden]

@@Abena... you need to spend more time on ST...

[Vince_VdB]

And here one of my attempts

 

sized_DSC_1025

[Tom Kellie]

Grasshopper's Perspective

Photographed at 11:10 am on 29 July, 2015 directly above the Emakoko safari lodge, Nairobi, Kenya, using an EOS 1D X camera and an EF 400mm f/2.8L IS II super-telephoto lens.

ISO 200, 1/3200 sec., f/2.8, 400mm focal length, handheld Manual exposure.

*****************************************************************************************************

This image was made during a nature walk in the nearby environs of the Emakoko, beside Nairobi National Park, led by guide @@Peter Muigai. It required repositioning at a distance to focus the 400mm lens.

The bright green grasshopper stood out from the rocky soil surface. How did such an incongruous insect end up in such a barren patch, where it was vulnerable to any predator with color vision?

[PHALANX]

There is life everywhere in Africa. Be careful not to tread on it.

[PHALANX]

Golden Orb spider.

Taken on my first trip to Kenya more years ago than I care to remember,

and cannot remember photographic details.

[Game Warden]

@@PHALANX I've merged your topic with a previous one. Matt

[armchair bushman]

 

Grasshopper's Perspective.JPG

Grasshopper's Perspective

The bright green grasshopper stood out from the rocky soil surface. How did such an incongruous insect end up in such a barren patch, where it was vulnerable to any predator with color vision?

@@Tom Kellie

I believe your grasshopper is one of the several species of "Foam Grasshoppers" from the Family Pyrgomorphidae. It is most likely a Phymateus sp. "Milkweed Locust". The reason it has no fear of predators out in the open is that it is highly toxic because of its diet - Milkweed (Asclepias fruticosa), and poisonous Solanum spp. They produce a foul smelling foam as a defence as well as showing off aposematic colouration when in flight.

[Tom Kellie]

@@Tom Kellie

I believe your grasshopper is one of the several species of "Foam Grasshoppers" from the Family Pyrgomorphidae. It is most likely a Phymateus sp. "Milkweed Locust". The reason it has no fear of predators out in the open is that it is highly toxic because of its diet - Milkweed (Asclepias fruticosa), and poisonous Solanum spp. They produce a foul smelling foam as a defence as well as showing off aposematic colouration when in flight.

 

~ @@armchair bushman

 

Thank you for the clarification and additional information.

It was so brightly green that it stood out in an otherwise monotonous landscape.

Definitely a highlight of the walk at the Emakoko conducted by @@Peter Muigai. and his friend, Evans.

Tom K.

[Bush dog]

In Selinda, last month.

 

 

Golden silk orb-weaver.

 

[Bush dog]

In Hwange, last month!

 

Yellow Pansy.

[Bush dog]

Ruaha, in 2014.

 

Spiny flower praying mantis

[ice]

Edited April 20, 2016 by Game Warden

[Game Warden]

@@ice You just need to put the Youtube link in, not the embed code...

[ice]

@@Game Warden

 

so I noticed, even before you mentioned it ;-)

 

however, I would still like to find out how to embed the video so that you do see its preview picture and not simply the link

Edited April 20, 2016 by ice

[ice]

@@Game Warden

 

pure magic

[Game Warden]

Pop that as a question in the Help subforum, thanks, Matt

[ice]

it has already been asked and answered there, I just didn't find it at first

[Soukous]

[Abena]

This is a species of hummingbird moth from Ghana - @@godfried and I call it "the flying lobster"

 

[Abena]

And this one is a Splendrous Hornet (actually two, mating and eating at the same time?) I love the name, how poetic :-)