Setting Priorities

We had my daughter's 2-year birthday party yesterday. In the middle of it, as I was showing off my garden, I dashed back inside and demanded the camera from my wife. You can get pictures of a cute, adorable two-year-old anytime. What you can't get is a shot of the awesome spider sitting in the bud of a sunflower! When I came back in I plugged the camera in to the TV and started flipping through all the pictures I'd taken the last few days of bugs. I was explaining (in my authoritative pseudo-expert way) what kind they were, whether they were beneficial to my garden, why they had the coloration they did, etc. One guest asked, "How do you know all this stuff about bugs?", to which I replied, "I read Insect Picture of the Day".

Props to David Brady for this awesome site and the inspiration he has created in me to go crawling around bravely photographing creepy-crawlies that make others scream like little girls.

Except for little girls. Or at least my little girl. The cries of joy, "Daddy, bug! 'pider, 'pider!", as she examines the tiny spiders running along the porch are just too adorable!

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Tags: bugs, spiders, cuteness

Spider Friday Rules!

So chalk this one up to the same strange impulse that causes humans to crane their necks to view an accident scene or watch auto racing with the secret hope that someone will crash. One of the sites that I check daily is called Insect Picture of the Day. There have been some really creepy critters on there that have literally made my hair stand on end. Because of this site, I have actually gotten quite interested in the little buggers (pun intended). It's not uncommon to find me on my hands and knees with a camera, trying to get pictures of some interesting, beautiful creatures.

I finally figured out the macro setting on the camera and nailed a great picture of a wolf spider. Insect POD apparently thought it was good, too, because it made today's Spider Friday! Check it out here. You've got to click on the picture to get the full-sized version to really appreciate this gal's creepy beauty.

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