The headless bug

First off, the sensational nature of yesterdays blip obviously drew in a few more viewers than usual, but to all those that took the time to leave a comment I thank you, it is very appreciated. A huge thank you to all my regular viewers, it is your interest and comments that drive me on and make me strive to do better.

Well how do you follow that, as they say in show business. The blip monster did have a few suggestions, offering me grass hoppers, a repeat of the caterpillar from the other day, A sick cuckoo bee, a butterfly and this.

In its normal state a very impressive and imposing creature, looking very much like a giant red ant with wings, its body about an inch long. I have photographed it before, but it was well beaten from blip status by the yellow striped butterfly.

I would love to see what it was that ripped this giant apart. First the attacker cut his head off as he was trying to escape up the stem. He managed to catch his head with one of his legs but to no avail, a quick repair was not going to be possible. The attacker then consumed the voluminous abdomen, of which all there is left is a couple of dribbles hanging down. The world of beautiful butterflies and ladybirds does have an ugly side that makes our troubled world look like a kindergarten spat.

As for the cuckoo bee, I noticed it fly past and then fall out of the air into the undergrowth. I investigated with a stick, lifting up a couple of leaves. The bee took off again and plopped down on a leaf near by. It didn't seem very interested in any more aeronautical endeavors so I took this as a photo opportunity. Using stealth and elbows, I collected a profusion of images from different views. I realized that the bee definitely did not look in pristine condition and the images would not be of use.

Back at the lab it was worse than I thought. The bee seemed to have some kind of mite on its back, but the image evidence was not clear or conclusive so I decided to go with the masticated mammoth ant. As for the butterfly, very pretty, but I'll get him another day.

Dave