Holliday Park Hauntless Halloween

Take one talking tick. Add in a boisterous box turtle. Throw in an outgoing opossum and what do you have?!?! A post just slightly more far-fetched than the last one Janet put up (how cool is that herbivorous spider, by the way!)

These creatures were part of the recipe for the annual Hauntless Halloween event put on at Holliday Park this year. Last Thursday, Friday and Saturday families braved central Indiana's first blast of autumn air to hike the candlelit trails and meet some woodland creatures who had come alive for the evening.

Tyler T. Turtleweather- check out my carapace!

Opal Opossum- silly humans, I don't hang by my tail! That's what my hallux is for.

Sally Salamander- always wanting to show off pictures from when she was a larvae.

American Dog Tick- no Lyme disease here. Those Deer Ticks give us all a bad name.

After learning about each creature (a turkey vulture also shared her natural history- the kids loved hearing how she goes to the bathroom on her legs to stay cool), participants headed back up to the nature center to warm up by the campfire, roast marshmallows and test their creativity with some fall crafts.

Over 400 people were able to enjoy the event thanks to help from dozens of volunteers and Indy Parks staff. A huge thanks to everyone- we couldn't do it without you!!

A Herbivorous Spider and a Carnivorous Butterfly

Yes folks, sometimes life throws you for a loop. You have a handle on how things are "supposed" to work and then BOOM, you find out something new that shatters that whole idea. Has this ever happened to you?


Just the other day, I came across an article that had to be a hoax, somewhere up there with newborns singing Christmas carols. I figured it was probably put out by The Onion, but was intrigued to find out more. After reading the story in a few more reputable sources, I realized it was indeed true. There are spiders that are herbivorous, meaning their primary diet is......PLANTS!


I am a lover of spiders, an arachnophile, if you will. I am not an expert, but thought I knew quite a bit about the critters. In all my life, I had NEVER heard of a spider that ate plants. I was quite excited about it.


And here is a picture of said critter. The species is Bagheera kiplingi, a type of jumping spider. Its name comes from The Jungle Book. Bagheera was the name of the black panther and kiplingi is in reference to the author, Rudyard Kipling. This species of spider has been found in Costa Rica and in Mexico. The population that is causing all the recent fuss is located in Mexico and is believed to have a diet of 90% plants. This is unheard of in the arachnid world.

Bagheera kiplingi ©2008 Robert L. Curry

So what is the spider in the photo above eating, you may wonder? The small orange item looks much like an aphid, but actually it is the spider's favorite food called Beltian bodies. Beltian bodies are scrumptious parts of the acacia tree. They are located on the very tips of the leaves and are guarded by ants. Beltian bodies, named after their discoverer Thomas Belt, are rich in proteins and lipids (fats). The spider spends most of its time scurrying around stealing the Beltian bodies and avoiding the ever wary ants.


The picture above shows some ants guarding the Beltian bodies. There is a symbiotic relationship between the acacia tree and the ants. The ants protect the tree from predators and destroy any neighboring plants. In return, the tree gives the ants housing within the thorns, tasty Beltian bodies and nectar .

Besides feasting on Beltain bodies, Bagheera kiplingi also eats nectar from the tree and a few ant larvae. Ant larvae look very similar in shape to the Beltian bodies. I wonder if ant larvae primarily made up the spiders diet at one time and then, maybe by accident, a spider started eating the Beltian bodies. Just a theory... Nature truly ceases to amaze!

For more info on this amazing little spider, visit these sites.

http://uanews.org/node/27932

U.S News and World report

And, not to blow your minds all in one day, there is also a carnivorous butterfly in existence and it lives right here in Indiana. One of my friends even had one visit his back yard. This is a horror story that will curl your toes people! You will never look at those cute little butterflies in the same light. But I will cover that story in my next post. (How is that for a teaser? ; P )

For more Camera Critters from all over the world, go here.

Indy Big Sit 2009!

A day to bird, eat and socialize. What could be better!

Where: Next to the brand spankin' new Eagle Creek Ornithology Center within Eagle Creek Park on the northwest side of Indianapolis, IN

When: Sunday, Oct 11th from 8am-6pm.

Bring a dish to share, if you would like. Come for all day or just hang out for a little while.

We will be birding within a 17 foot circle, counting whatever birds we see. Plus, getting to know other birders and having a grand ol' time. Also, check out the new Eagle Creek Ornithology Center. Fabulous! Hope to see you there!

Snake vs. Toad ---Snake 1-Toad 0

My nephew-in-law, Mike Heindl, sent me some interesting pics this week. He and my niece, Brenda, live in Hockessin, Delaware at the Oversee Farm, a Nature Conservancy Property. They are currently acting as caretakers and helping restore the buildings on the property.

While out walking, Mike found an American Toad, Bufo americanus, in a load of trouble. Apparently, an Eastern Garter Snake, Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis, had snuck up on the toad and was proceeding to eat it alive. WARNING-The following pictures are a bit graphic.

I have never seen a garter snake eat a toad, and never imagined they could swallow a toad that large. Amazing! (Mmmmffff, delicious toad burger.)

This pic really shows the toad puffed up. One of the toad's defense mechanisms is to inflate himself to appear larger and to make it difficult for the snake to swallow him. The toad has its legs spread out to further deter the snake. (I am gianormous, you cannot eat me, snake.)

Here the snake has really expanded its jaw to swallow the toad. They can unhinge their jaw to swallow prey much larger than their head. If we could do this, we could swallow a melon whole. It also looks like the toad has given in to its fate.

This photo is great because it looks as if the snake has arms. By now, I would think the toad knows it is a goner.

This photo shows the large lump the toad has made in the snake's belly.

This last look shows the toad's leg pushing against the side of the snakes belly. Is he kicking? Waving goodbye? Or possibly another common American hand signal... Poor toad!

Thanks, Mike for the great pics!

For more critters from all over, visit Critter Camera.

Praying Mantis

We had an insect program earlier this week. What a blast! We found all kinds of great bugs. Caterpillars galore, beetles, black-legged meadow katydids, and tons of spiders were found. The most popular find of the day was this little lady-a very pregger praying mantis. If you look at her abdomen, it is very swollen with eggs. I would guess she will be laying her egg mass sometime in the next few days.

When I first picked her up, she tried to nail me. She reared up and threw her front legs toward my hand. If you look at her front legs, she has wicked raptorial spines on her legs. She uses these to reach out with lightening fast quickness and snatch her prey. Then she will squeeze it like a pair of pliers while the spikes impale the hapless victim. She usually eats the critter while it is still alive, struggling to get free. What a way to go! Large Chinese mantids, like this one, can even kill hummingbirds with those spines.

Here is a closeup of the raptorial spines on the legs. If you

are a bug, you are NOT escaping those.

I let her go on my hand and after she realized I wasn't going to eat her, she calmed down and just explored. Such a curious animal! I then let the kids take turns holding her. When I explained what she was doing and how to react to her, they were no longer afraid of her. It was great to see so many of them that had never held a big insect like that, grin with delight. It was great to see them conquer their fear of bugs.

After the program, I snapped some pics of her and set her free behind our building on a False Sunflower. I hope she lays her eggs back there, so I can watch for the little praying mantises this spring!

For more Camera Critters, go here.

Blue-faced Meadowhawk

A couple a weeks ago, we had a few visitors at our pond at Southeastway Park. They were Blue-faced Meadowhawks, Sympetrum ambiguum, and they were the first ones I had seen at the park. So beautiful! I just love their little blue "noses". At the time I had shot a few pictures, but sadly they all turned out blurry. When my friend John Howard sent me a shot he took in Ohio, I was delighted and knew I needed to share these amazing creatures.

Spiders and Pajamas

Labor Day weekend I visited my sister in Ohio. While there my brother-in-law, an avid gardener, called me outside to look at a spider that had taken residence in his beans. I was quite excited to find this whopper, a beautiful female Fishing Spider, Dolomedes tenebrosus, with a nest.

She had taken silk and fastened a few leaves together to make a nice protective nest. She was on guard on the outside. I warned my brother-in-law that spiders can be very protective when around their young, so we were careful not to bother her too much. At one point, while taking pictures, I got too close and she jumped at me. I backed off pretty quickly. Normally, I don't mind spiders at all and will even pick them up, but I knew she was in defense mode and might bite.

Such beautiful markings on this spider and such a large specimen. With her legs outstretched, she was about the size of my palm. (Yes, I know for some of my readers in Australia and other parts of the world this is a small spider, but for Ohio and Indiana, it is a big one! )

I walked aroung the back part of the nest and could peak inside and see some of the tiny spiderlings. They were so cute!

Kyle, my nephew's fiance's four-year-old child, is a bug lover and wanted to see the spider later that day. I took him outside and we looked at mama and the babies. He was absolutely thrilled. It was time for us to go, so I told him it was time for the spiderlings to go to bed, that they needed to put their pajamas on and brush their fangs. He thought that was hilarious and giggled about it for the rest of the evening.