I'd like to see an invert forum (or at least, really scary spiders.)
We've got Fish and Birds...
Any thoughts?

Tim

No, that's dumb...oh, sorry, replied to my own post.

I would have nothing to add to it besides a couple of purdy pictures like this one




but I love seeing good macro shots of insects (and spiders, even though I'm terribly arachnophobic), I'm all for it.

-Marisa

If we have inverts, we'll need a mammal forum . I've got a couple of me-holding-armadillo shots laying around

The Dragonfly's nice. Screw the mammals. (jk) Forum hijack.

I'm down for an invert forum.

Josh - armadillos can carry leprosy

Speakin' of leprosy!



Lifer armadillo (or as I call them, kangaroo turtles)...

To me, the herping experience is the whole package: the hunt, herps first, habitats. then all other interesting verts, interesting inverts, plants, geological formations, the “human factor”, etc, etc.

That said, I applaud the idea, Tim, but I think we’d best be served with a quarterly or semi-annual recurring theme like “what cool bugs did you see herping this year?” or “Did you see any neat mammals this quarter?
.
There is also a pretty good website for laypersons and ologists alike:
http://bugguide.net/node/view/15740.
.
Spider Wasp gets Fishing Spider food for the kids (Tachypompilus with Dolomedes)
.

Bill, I'm thinking more along the lines of all the cool stuff I stumble across that needs ID. (I would probably end up working that angle more than anything.)

Whaddya think Scott?

Tim

I'm sure there are plenty of invert forums out there already....

There are also other nut cases, but you remain one of my favorites.

I'd like to see an invert forum added to the mix. I very rarely visit the birding or fishing forums, but would definitely browse and occasionally post in a FHF invert forum.

Is that REALLY a legitimate concern though, unless you're going to be snorting 'Dillo nasal discharge? Has anyone actually ever caught leprosy from one? Just curious. . .

Count me in!!!!

By the way, no Leprosy infections have been found in the more than 2,500 armadillos examined in Florida...not a problem here.

Thanks Daryl.

I guess if it means that invert pics (and wildflowers) are absent from field herping posts, then i'm all about it. It's bad enough having to look at all the amphibians.

Careful, now, Joe…… The amphibs are watching you…..

Hmmmm... time to start bringing salt packets out with me.

Spiders are scary -


But some bugs are cool

Herps are #1 in my book, but inverts (especially Hymenoptera) are a close 2nd.


Minnesota Mantispid




And a little of my seldom seen artistic side....





-Chris

And here I completely misinterpreted the intended subject of this thread

Invert forum would be cool in my book.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VV-CCnOASyw

Not a Lepidoptera forum, but invert is OK by me.

Little Calisoga looking for a fight:



Cool scorpion (Serradigitus?) from between some rock flakes:



And to keep it herp related... Toad Bug:

Thanks for saving this thread Robert.

I agree, 'cause don't you want to see what happens next?

Ok, Tim B,
You see what you started....
Ugly, scary spiders, scorpions, and snakes!!!! Eeeeeeewwww.
.



"You tawkin' to me?"





"Yeah, I'm tawkin' ta you...."



You're really buggin' me with this. Scariest of all, when periodic Cicadas attack:

.

I would like to see a bug forum too! Not interested in keeping bugs but i like photographing them when the herps aren't around.











Chris

DO IT!!!!!!

it brings up a good topic, I know that some people would want to keep this site pure, and just herp related, but personally I think a one stop shopping thing would be good,
more people would stay on the forum if maybe there were some more subforums.
alot of members are "all" around naturalists.
bugs,flowers,mammals,rocks, and the posts show this.
so yes, I think a mammal subforum would be great.

Heck, I'm ready to start now!!!

Carolina Wolf Spider (Lycosa carolinensis)




Yellowjacket Queen (Vespula maculifrons)

I remember catching an armadillo well into my cups one night around a campfire. We scrambled around trying to catch it and I finally had one by the tail after stumbling a lot. Proud of my capture I showed it off to hear "hey don't those things cause leprosy?" I immediately dropped it...

Bugs are cool I spend the dogs days of summer hunting Odonata, and Spiders, and Leps.










I could post bugs all day long.

Bug


Bug Eating:



Bug sex


And something to fuel your nightmares...




Dan

I forgot to add the arachnids!

Kansas. Argiope sp.


Kansas scorpion



These things were all over Arkansas!!

Brown Recluse Spider, Loxosceles reclusa



-Chris

hey. Some of the inverts squick me out so I' d love it if they were segregated (wasp...centipedes...shudder)

Yes. One invert and one invert forum, please. Can you get those back to me by Monday?

I don't surf around on to many other forums, so I'd be all for another sub-forum. I like this thread already. Plus a lot of the critters would be found while herping.

I don't have any flutterbye photos so this will have to do. Sorry Paul.
Brazilian Black & White, Nhando Chromatus


-Dell

"kangaroo turtles" now that is funny

Caught these africanized bees sleeping right at dusk, yesterday.

Haven't been able to herp that spot for 2 yrs now...cause of them... flipped 10 lizards in 10 min...
Mammals?...well ok... but they gotta be flipped...

OR... getting ready to flip YOU...

I confess... I do like butterflys... jim

For Paul.





Tim

Helli, how do you know they're Africanized? I've been told we have some hybridized down here and have seen a couple colonies that were (IMO) overly testy, but don't know what to look for beyond that. Any tips on what to ignore and what to avoid?
Thanks

You know they're africanized when they're still stinging your dead carcass three days later.

I'd leave em' all alone - they're all over the cane fields in the prairie.

What if we combined mammals and insects?????
.
.
A squirrel with wolves......
.

.
.
OK, maybe not.....
.
Just a wolf?
.

haha, hellihooks likes butterflies,
can we do a flower forum when this is all done too. I like flowers

oh, i'm fine with spiders (well I hate flipping black widows but that's a safety thing). It's mostly things that A: Have the ability to fly as well as B: sting me repeatedly.
Centipedes...it's just a few too many surprises flipping

but + 1 for mammals and flowers! I see lots of neat flowers out herping in the spring/early summer.

Mostly a guess, I guess. We've had what the county declared 'killer bee' hives here in Hesperia before... pretty rare though. The house I'm currently working on, for instance, has a hive in the eaves right by the front door... very mellow... we sit and eat lunch not 10 feet away.. no problem.
These guys however, start swarming out of the hive bout as soon as you pull up in a car... and I don't stick around when bees get obviously agitated.. But it's cool... they are out in the boonies, at an abandoned building, far from other properties. And they keep the boards there from getting flipped... so now that I know when it's safe to approach... jim

Yes Millside...I do. Had a huge bug collection when I was a kid.... even a tarantula hawk/tarantula mounted in combat...which was a very cool behavior to witness. this was back in the day when you could take classes like entomology in high school... jim

What self respecting field herper takes pics of bugs? Seriously? Well, here are a few of mine:







I saw the above armadillo down in Texas a few months back. I was scared to pick it up, which is curious since i had just dragged a juvie gator out of a lake with my hands... So yeah, i'm more comfortable picking up an alligator than an armadillo.

Bugs eh?
Bird poop caterpillar

Moths





Some of my stick insects.



A few mammals, some snake food first.

Now two strange hairy mammals.

How about a general "other cool crap you find while herping" forum....? I dig the idea...

What is this dude doing?
























I was photo'ing these guys


And this guy jumped out at them. I didn't even realize he was in ambush!



-Marisa

Inverts? My time to shine:

Peanut Bug, Fulgoria laternaria:


Leaf-mimic Mantid:


Copiphora sp. (Copiphorinae)




Forest Flatworm:


Black and White Monkey Hopper, Paramastax sp. (Eumastacidae)


Walking Stick:


Emerald Moth Racheospila ecuadoriata (Geometridae)


Scorching Sapphire, Phareas coeleste (Hesperiidae)


Blue-Footed Evil Weevil:


Planthopper, Mysidia sp. (Derbidae)


Spider eating Spider:


Whip Scorpion:


Ogre-Faced Spider and web:


Phoneutria fera:




-Mike

Mike: That stick insect looks like a grasshopper to me.

I am a big invert fan-but I think a "other random critters" forum would be the best bet for them and mammals. fish/birds get a free pass as they are so closely related. After all lizards in their colorful glory strutting their stuff are like little land fish. So perhaps birds are a bit of flying lizards.

I do like inverts though. If anyone stumbles on vinegaroons they are more than welcome to send them my way

Marisa: You are probably braver than most of the guys on this forum holding that centipede's head like that! Those are one of the few bugs that I feel uneasy handling. Their spazzy way of moving and thee fact that both ends can bite always makes them fun to deal with(but they are also frustrating as it is all to easy to maim them through rough handling!)

Looks like some species of sphinx moth larva burrowing in preparation to pupate underground.
Stunning photography BTW!

White lined sphinx.