Natural Predators....

[Andyh]

So happy the frogs are active in my greenhouse again. They over wintered in here and some are still choosing to stay in. I have considerably less slug damage to plants such as Epiphyllums and opuntias than previous years. Sparrows fly in on all the time harvesting trapped flies and hopefully are eating some pests too.

[Brian]

The thought of frogs hopping around and birds flying in and out of my greenhouse fills me with horror. I dare not imagine what would remain of my cacti & succulent plants.

The last time I experienced animal life in my greenhouse was when a local cat squeezed in, then panicked, and jumped straight through the glass to escape.

[MikeT]

I lost a plant of Mammillaria thornberi ssp. yaquensis in the greenhouse when a frog was caught on the vicious hooked spines, died, and attracted slugs in which then started chewing the Mammillaria as well the frog, leading to the plant rotting. I suppose if I'd spotted the entangled frog at an earlier stage I could have intervened before losing the plant. Though I have no idea how I could extract a frog from those spines.
Frogs jumping around in the greenhouse do get me concerned for a while when I hear the noise and before I spot that it's a frog not a mouse.

[MalcolmP2]

Little Miss Muffett sat on her tuffet repotting her cacti,
when along came this !
scary ! loud buzzing, ginormous wasp-ish looking thing !
and promptly tried to commit suicide in a tub of water nearby

630s.jpg (53.45 KiB) Viewed 2503 times

Eeek!

I'm sure it could be loved by it's mum (if she were ever to know it, (subjunctive, Mogg might like that?) ), and having now read up on it and found that it is not a beastly Asian hornet (just a European hornet)
I will let its brethren go about their business as long as they dont come close to my tuffet again !
Cos I am sure they must be top predator to something or other and have a use in the general ecology etc&etc

But really, at 3cm tip to toe, that is a bit OTT compared to the usual annoying wasp ! Isnt it ! !

619s.jpg (87.58 KiB) Viewed 2503 times

[el48tel]

Little Miss Muffett sat on her tuffet repotting her cacti,
when along came this !
scary ! loud buzzing, ginormous wasp-ish looking thing !
and promptly tried to commit suicide in a tub of water nearby

630s.jpg

Eeek!

I'm sure it could be loved by it's mum (if she were ever to know it, (subjunctive, Mogg might like that?) ), and having now read up on it and found that it is not a beastly Asian hornet (just a European hornet)
I will let its brethren go about their business as long as they dont come close to my tuffet again !
Cos I am sure they must be top predator to something or other and have a use in the general ecology etc&etc

But really, at 3cm tip to toe, that is a bit OTT compared to the usual annoying wasp ! Isnt it ! !

619s.jpg

Excellent use of macro photo gear ...... and the subjunctive.

[MalcolmP2]

Excellent use of macro photo gear ...... and the subjunctive.

Thank you

Straying slightly from the predator OP theme into the macro, and re-examining my folder of that day, thought you may like to see a bit more of its scary anatomy ! :-
An interesting structure inside its eye. Surprised to see the size of those 'bits' compared to the surface of its compound eye ( which I have not quite resolved in the jpg, and foolishly it seems I was not recording RAW as well that day,which is unusual )

EyeBeholder.jpg (25.94 KiB) Viewed 2307 times

[el48tel]

Excellent use of macro photo gear ...... and the subjunctive.

Thank you

Straying slightly from the predator OP theme into the macro, and re-examining my folder of that day, thought you may like to see a bit more of its scary anatomy ! :-
An interesting structure inside its eye. Surprised to see the size of those 'bits' compared to the surface of its compound eye ( which I have not quite resolved in the jpg, and foolishly it seems I was not recording RAW as well that day,which is unusual )


EyeBeholder.jpg

Methinks a tad wobbly - but you could try one of these sharpening and shake reduction apps eg Topaz Sharpen AI

[MalcolmP2]

Methinks a tad wobbly - but you could try one of these sharpening and shake reduction apps eg Topaz Sharpen AI

Touché
but it was hand-held and I didnt mean to study entomology* (I only took the pics on spur to aid in later identification, which I since think it may have been a queen as well ?)

I dont do apps., Gimp is good enough for me, do you want me to do a fiddle in wavelets ?

*I feel a new hobby coming on

So, what is that structure,, anyone ??

[MalcolmP2]

Methinks a tad wobbly

Touché
but it was hand-held and

1/30s f2.8
what u want,, blood ?

[el48tel]

Methinks a tad wobbly

Touché
but it was hand-held and

1/30s f2.8
what u want,, blood ?

Yup!