Poetic Shutterbug

Today marked the opening of the Big Bugs Outside the Box exhibition at the San Francisco zoo.  These life like sculptures of bugs and insects are simply amazing to see.  I am not a bug person so I didn't know if I would like seeing these so huge and up close but I loved it.  To see these creatures in detail gave me a new appreciation for the insect life.   The exhibition also includes detailed information about each species along with history and interesting facts.  If you are in the San Francisco area, this is a must see exhibition. Formosan Long - Armed Male Scarab Beetle These beetles use their long arm appendages to fight for female beetles and tree branches.  They are losing their habitat in the wild and are currently fighting for survival. Female Watanabe's Lanternfly These critters were called lanternflies because it was thought that the golden appendage on their heads would light up in the dark.  However, they do not lig...

All of these photos were taken at the San Francisco insect zoo. Photo above a tarantula. Click photos to enlarge (at your own risk :D) Some kind of ant. Centipede HUGE wood cockroaches. These guys blended in with the tree bark and were about two to three inches long. I don't know what these were but I found their healthy food choice interesting :) Update: Thanks to my friend George, this is a millipede. First I have to say insects of all kinds give me the creeps. I have been to the insect area of the SF zoo before and taken photos but due to the lighting they rarely come out well enough to post. Today, however was different. I was in there alone for a while and had to admit I felt very uneasy. Even though all of these species were behind glass I kept having visions of being somehow locked in there at night with all of these creepy crawlers surrounding me. I did have some great ideas for a horror movie :) My two questions this week are: 1. Are you afraid or uneasy around ins...