At times, I am astounded at their actions to defend themselves from predators.
It seems like this Fruit Chafer has 4 eyes, two on each side. But in fact, the eyes on its hind leg are false. This is to fool predators, as they will see the distance between the 2 eyes, and think that it's a very big insect.
Insects are a very important part of the eco-system, as they perform many crucial tasks. No pollinators, mean no flowers or fruits. So many species are pollinators.
Now to back me up about what I said above, read this section below.
The importance of insects: The critical importance of insects in natural ecosystems, is best illustrated by imagining what would happen if all insects suddenly died out. Within days, thousands of insectivorous invertebrates, fish, amphibian, reptile, and mammal species would begin to starve to death, as would the larger predators that feed on them.
Since most flowering plants rely on insects for pollination, these would also die out. Within a few decades, the only surviving large species would be wind, or water pollinated plants, and a reduced number of other invertebrates. In many ecosystems, insects such as termites are the most important recyclers of nutrients. In their absence the fertility of the soil would drop, causing the mass death of plant life. Interestingly, although both terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems would be dramatically transformed, the marine environment would hardly be affected, as insects are almost completely absent from the sea-the only habitat that they have failed to colonize successfully.
Source: Book. Insects of South Africa. ISBN 978-1-77584-584-3.
Below are two shots of a shield bug with its camouflage on our Jacob's Ladder plant.
Perfectly blending in with the plant in the background.
This is a female Carpenter Bee, and it's two yellow bands are the same color as the flower that its sucking nectar from.
Unfortunately our indigent wasps have no camouflage abilities, and they are becoming endangered, due to the attacks from the invasive Yellow-Jacket wasps.
I so wish that we had seen this pupae earlier when its top was closed, as then we might have seen the Acrea butterfly emerging from it. But not to be, and the open top means that the new born was gone.
Dragonflies have their speed and their erratic flying patterns to protect them, but during mating, they are at their most vulnerable.
And sadly, I leave you with this to ponder on. The worst predator on this planet is mankind. Think about it. We can kill anything in nature, and this dead little bee is evidence of it. It landed on our stainless steel table in the back garden, not to rest, but to die. The yellow flower pollen on its little legs can clearly be seen lying next to it. An unexpected death?
Oh yes, pesticides have that effect on the bees, and also on most other insects. A sad and angry situation for us.
I have to admit that some insects, bugs, aphids and worms, to name only a few regarded as pests, can seriously deplete the quality of fruit and vegetables. Especially for those that produce the products in bulk. But scientists have been investing the insect control systems over the years, and sadly no harmless solutions to the problem have yet been discovered.
Organic, (meaning no pesticides) is the current buzz word, but for some reason there are only a few that adopted the organic system to produce their products, and for another obscure reason the organic produce is more expensive.
There might be others here on Hive that are more conversant with this situation, and if it is you that are reading this, then maybe you can give me some insights about this subject in the comments section below.
I hope you enjoyed the pictures and the story.
Photos by Zac Smith. All-Rights-Reserved.
Camera: Canon PowershotSX70HS Bridge camera.
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