A small part of a garden's ecosystem...

Just because it's Monday doesn't mean I can't critter up my blog :) Click away to see this little bug(ger) up close... desktop style!

Looking for a mate...

My wife saw this critter in the grass.


He seemed to be probing the air for a mate.


It reminded me of the big beetles in Starship Troopers that were blasting bombs out their rears.


That spear kept pulsing!


Do you dare click?


Come on! Click that last one for a freaky desktop image.

Be sure to check out more critters using the below link:

Tree beetle...

...or a baby roach in the wild? Really not sure what this is. Looks too "squat" to be a roach... and the fact that it was out in broad daylight doesn't go with the whole skittering in the sewers and staying in the dark. Unless it was rabid! :O Can insects be rabid? Does he have a little foamy mouth? Are you tired of my rambling?

Trip on a log...

While looking at some firewood in my yard I noticed some bugs traveling along and around the logs. There were two different bugs (one black and one red) but they were both just millimeters in size. Sometimes you really have to just sit and observe to see something that is ordinarily right under your nose.







The red bug reminds me of a cicada... only on an itty bitty scale.

Call me tiger...

Getting good reception...

Just hangin' out and feelin' floral.

California... Day 4... Part 2 of 3...

I was quite surprised to see so much green in the desert. Click for a desktop image...


These formations are from the earths plates pushing together and upward over millions of years. I really fealt like I was on another world. Click for another desktop image...


"Is that a rattle toy I hear?"
"No Waggy! Leave that rattle toy alone!"


These plants were a new experience for "The Wag" and he has a boo-boo on his nose to prove it.


If I was younger and in better shape I would have loved to do this sort of thing. Can you spot the climbers?


As teenagers we used to climb tall trees and get on rooftops of houses and buildings. And we didn't use any fancy ropes or clips. (I sound like an old codger. "When I was your age...")


What a sight they must have!


I wondered what it must be like after a storm in these valleys. I could imagine how quickly a flash flood would overtake a hiker.


Old Old Lady in the Hills has shown us some great cactus blooms and I found a few of my own.


The flowers were a haven for insects.


And this bee found a nice place to rest and keep cool in the warm afternoon.


Click for a desktop sized bloom and bee.


Here is another to click for a closer look.


Check back tomorrow for the day 4 roundup.

Woody let this one go...

He was up in my tree making holes and eating bugs...






But he let one go. Click for desktop sized.


I found this monster skittering across the floor late at night. Click for desktop sized.