Chad Norman » Critters

Giant Millipede Found in Backyard

Chad Norman — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 00:57:02 +0000

For weeks we’ve been finding dried-up dead millipedes here at our new home, so we were pumped to finally stumble upon a live one! This giant millipede, narceus americanus, was living under a leaf-covered plastic bag buried deep in the mulch. The boys loved touching it and watching it curl into a tight protective ball. My one-year-old, being the ever brave outdoor girl that she is, gladly touched it too – but once it started moving, she wanted nothing to do with it. Here are a couple shots next to a U.S. quarter for scale (they get up to 4 inches long!)

Viceroy Butterfly Hatching from Chrysalis

Chad Norman — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 03:42:27 +0000

Yesterday, during one of our evening backyard games of kick-fly, we stumbled upon a monarch viceroy butterfly emerging from its chrysalis. Needless to say, this stopped us in our tracks. We all watched as this minute-old insect slowly dried its beautiful wings and prepared to take flight. My mother-in-law taught me everything I know about monarchs, so I was surprised to see the chrysalis attached to a willow tree rather than some milkweed (now I know this is because it’s a viceroy), but this little guy must have found plenty to eat. I like how you can still see some of the caterpillar’s pattern on the empty chrysalis – so cool! About an hour later, it was gone…

Update: Thanks to reader Kelly for telling me this is a viceroy, not a monarch!

Our Banana Spider of the Year

Chad Norman — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 04:39:26 +0000

We love our resident banana spiders, and each summer we chart their progress as they move around in search of the perfect spot. Back in July, a giant female setup shop in a vast expanse of empty space near the marsh. She built her web about five meters above the ground and is still there as I write this. She attracted 2 males and a female, who together patrolled a giant swatch of our backyard airspace for the better part of 2 months. I’ll miss her when she runs from the cool temperatures to come, so today I made sure to take a photo of our banana spider of the year.

Tree Froggery

Chad Norman — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 03:03:05 +0000

Ahhhhh, tree frogs and bokeh make for nice bed fellows…

A Mantis Among Us

Chad Norman — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 00:37:01 +0000

This shot came from a set taken about 2 months ago, but I never posted it here. Not totally in focus, but still showing off some of the features that make mantises so sci-fi.

Red-shouldered Hawk on Daniel Island

Chad Norman — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 00:06:18 +0000

The boys and I were wandering around Daniel Island today and bumped into this extremely tame red-shouldered hawk. It looked as big as a red-tailed hawk on-site (around 50 cm), but when I saw the photos I knew otherwise. His long yellow legs were the real giveaway, as well as the rusty breast. It is always a pleasure to see a critter like this up close, especially with my kids…

Mister Mantis

Chad Norman — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 23:53:14 +0000

We caught this male (I think) praying mantis sunning itself on our deck.

Blue Fly Friday

Chad Norman — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 03:10:47 +0000

This brilliant blue fly was buzzing all around us the other day, and I couldn’t resist trying to capture it. I had no tripod, nor was I prepared to shoot a fast moving nervous fly, but I got this shot out of the 10 I fired off. You gotta love blue critters.

Ahhhhhh, Grasshopper

Chad Norman — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 00:32:23 +0000

Hey, have a look at this dead, ant-filled grasshopper. Spiky legs!

Green Chunky Goodness :: The Io Moth

Chad Norman — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 17:22:29 +0000

We found something amazing in our yard the other day, and it turned out to be an automeris io, or Io moth. This green spiked caterpillar eventually turns into a beautiful moth with giant circles on its wings that look like eyes. It’s common throughout the continent, but I’ve never seen one in all my years of nature gawking. Which is weird, because this thing was florescent green and the size of my thumb.

Enjoy the pics.