Tent Web Spider-Cyrtophora citricola

Tent Web Spider (Cyrtophora citricola), Family: Araneidae

Eudocima materna-Owlet Moth

Eudocima materna is a moth of the Noctuidae family (Owlet Moths). They are medium sized moth with a wingspan of about 60 mm. The adult moth has fawn forewings with a variable pattern of pale and dark lines and patches. The hind wings are bright yellow to orange, with a broad dark border having white spots and a dark spot in the middle. The adult is an agricultural pest on citrus and other fruit. It damages the fruit by piercing it with their proboscis in order to suck the juice. The larvae feed on Menispermaceae species, including Roundleaf Vine and Snake Vine.

Eudocima materna (Owlet Moth)

Red Spider Mite

Red spider mite is one of many species of plant-feeding mites belong to family Tetranychidae (spider mites). The spider mites are arachnids, related to spiders. Red spider mite is tiny, crawling, wingless pest that suck the plant's sap from leaf surfaces, causing a heavy damage to plant. They start life with six legs, but develop eight as they grow mature.

Red Spider Mite

Citrus Whitefly-Dialeurodes citri

The Citrus Whitefly (Dialeurodes citri) is a tiny white fly in the family Aleyrodidae. It is a mealy white insect with mealy white wings. Both sexes have two pairs of wings. The wingspan is less than 4 mm.
The citrus whitefly is an economically important pest of citrus. However it also feeds on other species of plants. It attacks the underside of the citrus tree's leaves, sucking sap from it which causes leaves to curl up and turn brown. The adult fly produces honeydew, a sweet by-product of digestion, upon which a sooty fungus grows that damages the fruit and foliage.

Citrus Whitefly (Dialeurodes citri)

Summer Fun

Summer Fun

Antlion Larva-Doodlebug

The term Antlion is generally used for both larval and adult form of insects in the family Myrmeleontidae. To differentiate between the larval and adult form we use the terms antlion larva  and adult antlion. It got the name antlion because it's voracious predator of ants and other insects.  A beautiful name for Antlion Larva is Doodlebug. Antlion larva lives underground and digs a cone shaped pit in the sand to trap ants and other insects. The pit is sloped in such a way that once an ant or other insect falls in, it slides to bottom of the pit, where it's grabbed by the antlion larva using its large jaws.
In my childhood doodlebug's pits were great entertainment for me. I used to drop ants in the pits, but never dig a pit to see what is inside.

Antlion Larva-Doodlebugs Pictures

Doodlebug's Pit

National Bird Of Pakistan

The Chukar Partridge or more specifically Red-legged partridge (Alectoris chukar) is beautiful bird in the pheasant family Phasianidaethe. Chukar Partridge has black and white bars on the flanks and a black band running from the forehead across the eye and running down the head to form a necklace that encloses a white throat. It has red legs, beak and eye rims. Chukar Partridge is the national bird of Pakistan.

The gloomy and weak chukar, you see here in the picture, is the true representation of Pakistani nation, who is facing in-numerous problems including poverty, high inflation rate, low education standard and literacy rate, unemployment, political instability, poor economic growth, terrorism, insecurity, corruption and particularly the energy crises. A nation who is facing 20-22 hours daily electricity load-shedding. A nation who claims to be the 7th Nuclear Power, but got no medal in the 2012 London Olympic games, even after 66 years of its independence.

National Bird Of Pakistan

Praying Mantis Mating

Praying Mantis Mating

Butterfly Chrysalis

Different species of butterflies have different types and colors Chrysalises/Pupae. Here are the pictures of Chrysalis of 12 different species of butterflies including painted lady, common castor, common leopard, grass yellow, plain tiger, bath white, large cabbage white, common emigrant, blue pansy, danaid eggfly and striped pierrot respectively.

Butterfly Chrysalis/Pupa

Jujube Tree

Jujube Tree (Ziziphus mauritiana)

Green Metallic Beetle

This Green Metallic Beetle is Chiloloba acuta the only member in the genus Chiloloba. It belongs to subfamily Cetoniinae (Flower chafers beetles) in the family Scarabaeidae (Scarab beetles). It has a stout hairy body, usually having shiny, metallic green color. Adults occasionally feed on cereal crops like sorghum and maize, while their larvae generally feed on roots of grasses. It's commonly known as green flower chafers beetle or more broadly green scarab beetle.

Green Metallic Beetle

Owl-flies

Owl-flies are dragonfly-like insects that form the family Ascalaphidae in the order Neuroptera (net-winged insects). They have large bulging eyes and long knobbed antennae and are about 50 mm long.  They are diurnal or crepuscular predators of other flying insects. Their predatory larvae are similar to antlion larvae, but do not build pits to capture prey, rather they lie on the ground or in vegetation, waiting for their prey. The thorax and abdomen of the larval body have finger-like appendage on the side of each segment. The larvae have large sickle-shaped mandibles, which are used to capture prey.

Owl-flies (Family Ascalaphidae)

Owl-fly

Owl-fly

Owl-fly

Owl-fly Larva

Owl-fly Larva

Rainbow Bee

Rainbow Bee (Nomia sp.) is a species of bee in the family Halictidae. The species' name is referring to the red and green reflections on the blue bands. Rainbow Bee is an important pollinator.  It visits our eggplants very frequently.

Rainbow Bee