I always wanted a bug collection

I always wanted a bug collection, but I could never kill the bugs and then stick little pins in them. Thanks to the net I've finally found a way to collect bugs. Most of these bugs were carefully caught by me, photographed, and then released back outdoors where they could continue to do their buggy thing! Even the smallest, and often most unloved, of God's creatures have a purpose in life so, unless there's a good reason for killing them, we need to leave them be.

Out of all the spiders in the US, there are only two that can cause serious
injury. One is the Black Widow, and the other is the Brown Recluse. The Recluse
is also called the fiddle back spider, for good reason. From the close-up
you can easily see the fiddle on the back of his head (cephalothorax). Also, the rear
end (thorax) is a solid nut brown color. Most other spiders have some sort of
patterning on their thorax.

The picture to the left is about 1/3 larger then the actual spider. He's about 1/2 to 3/4",
and has very long legs compared to his body. Compare his legs with the spiders above.
I can usually identify a recluse without seeing the fiddle because of these legs, but just
to be on the safe side I also look for the fiddle.

I have a young granddaughter who comes often to visit so if there's a doubt I'll be able
to safely catch the spider, I will kill this species. Only 10% of the Brown Recluse bite
turns into anything serious, but that 10% chance is enough for me to take extra
precaution when dealing with them. This fellow, however, was easily captured after
posing for this great photograph and released in an unpopulated area.

	The little fellow left may look similar to the brown recluse, as many spiders do, but the pattern on his rear (thorax) says he's totally harmless to humans!

Bug Navigation - Just click on the page number
General Bug Pages 1, 2 / Moth Pages 1, 2 / Butterfly Pages 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 , 8, 9
Camouflage Page 1 (photos of bugs well hidden. See if you can "spot" the bug)