It's a small world after all.

 

I've been taking pictures of little bugs. Bees are one thing, they are relatively large, but when the bugs get really small, it's hard to get good shots of them.  Still, it's interesting and the resulting pictures are not too bad...well, some are better than others.  

This one is at most 1/4 inch wide and less than that long.  

I also saw this same species on the railing of a bridge over the Opanuku. Here are those shots.

It's a gorgeous place, in a 'jungly' (like a jungle) sort of way. 

And here is one more on a plant at Waitakere Gardens. What amazing, tiny wings. 

This is a crane fly I believe. 

I like this close-up.  It looks like a machine.  Talk about -0- body fat. 

These first three critters on the white background that I've showed you were sitting on the stucco wall of our balcony last night. You can see that this last one is really small.  The stucco looks like a field of boulders. 

These are aphids on Jeanne's geraniums.  

She gets rid of them by adding one drop of vegetable oil and two drops of dish soap to a spray bottle of water.  Applies liberally.  I keep telling her to also add a drop of hot sauce to the spray. Maybe the word will get around the aphid community that there's a real nasty character on our balcony.  They might stay away. 

Ants on a concrete pedestal next to the mop-headed hydrangeas. (These were taken next to where I took the bee photos from the first bee post.)

These are not big ones, like carpenter ants.  They're tiny little guys.  

Two views of some sort of fly on the railing of a pedestrian bridge over the Opanuku.  

Lichen growing on the same railing.  Not even as tall as the fly.  

 
I was just about to go to bed one night when I saw this female mosquito on the wall in our bathroom.  It is an amazing little creature and beautiful in a way.  At least it was before I squashed it.  

One morning, I found this tiny worm in our apartment.  How it got here I can't imagine.  Possibly was carried in on some vegetable that Jeanne harvested and brought up.  At any rate, I had the bright idea to photograph it on a small make-up mirror of Jeanne's.  Worked out great.  Who knew they have tiny 'hairs' on them?

Yesterday, I was coming in the entrance from the African Garden and almost stepped  on this little critter.  This one is smaller than you might think; just over an inch long.  

That's it for now.  Hope you've enjoyed this 'little' look at the small fry among us.  (I have a lot more pictures - just a hint of things to come.)       -djf