#africanbugs

Locust. #artwork #artistsofinstagram #art #artsy #art🎨 #bugs #bugsmatter #ilovebugs #locusts #africanbugs #watercolor #watercolour #watercolours #watercolorart #watercolorartist #illustration #illustrations #illustrationart #illustrationbook #illustratorsoninstagram #originalart #originalcharacter #green #shadesofgreen #hoppers #ink

A lot has happened recently including myself and Karry moving into our own little cottage in Victoria Falls town itself. As such, I've been busy and had precious little WiFi access. But here - as a return post - is a mopane worm; technically not a worm, but a grub of the Mopane Moth. As the name would imply, these docile little grubs live and feed on mopane trees. They're a local delicacy where they're stripped of those formidable spines, dried, and sometimes marinated in tomato and onion gravy. They're surprisingly tasty and I was shocked to discover how pretty they are too. #Zimbabwe #insect #bugs #africanbugs #Africa #mopane #mopaneworm #lepidoptera

As an indicator of how docile these scorpions are, when disturbed with a pencil this was the only "threat display" I got. Normally, when threatened, a scorpion freezes, holds out its open chelae (pincers), lifts the tail, and unfurls the telson (sting and bulb) to face the threat. Notice here that the chelae are still closed and, the tail is up (though not fully), and the telson is still withdrawn. #Zimbabwe #Africa #scorpions #scorpiones #scorpion #Opisthophthalmus #Burrowingscorpion #AfricanBugs (at Gorges Lodge)

A large Darkling Beetle resting on the ground at our house in town. These beetles (Order Coleoptera, Family Tenebripnidae) can grow fairly large and robust (this individual was nearly two inches in length) but are perfectly harmless and very gentle. #zimbabwe #toktokkie #beetle #coleoptera #insect #africanbugs (at Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe)

Now how's that for a big insect?! It's a stick insect (Order Phasmatodea, Family Heteronemiidae, Bactrododema tiaratum - Giant Stick Insect), although Twig Insect seems to be more fitting! Sorry for the blurry photo, he wouldn't sit still! These majestic insects are perfectly camouflaged against trees where they feed on leaves, I walked right past it before Karry pointed it out to me! They're totally harmless, they don't bite and have no defenses other than their camouflage. #Zimbabwe #Insect #AfricanBugs #stickinsect #Phasmatodea (at Gorges Lodge)

As you may have guessed, I love dung beetles. They're so docile, they're harmless, and so comical to watch. They also grow to a fair size here. This one was a good 2-3" in body length. Easily noticeable in the garden. #zimbabwe #dungbeetle #insect #beetle #Africanbugs #coleoptera (at Victoria Falls)

Here's a still shot of that Common Stick Grasshopper (Acrida acuminata - Order Orthoptera, Family Acrididae) on the driveway where we first spotted him. These insects have elongated rear legs, perfect for jumping. They are herbivorous and, believe it or not, an individual can often eat more than cattle or antelope (up to 130kg of grass per year). #zimbabwe #Insect #Orthoptera #Acrididae #Acrida #Grasshopper #Africanbugs (at Victoria Falls)