Dread Offspring
I'll never forget my first encounter with mosquito larvae. It was summer, and I was out back staring into our goldfish pond (I did this a lot as a little boy). I saw these little squiggly things squirming their way about the water and hanging just below the surface. Then, much to my horror, one of my goldfish swam by and swallowed several of them. I was mortified (and a real softy).Had I known that those squiggly things were the dread offspring of the nasty little creatures that left itchy bumps on my legs, I would have rooted the goldfish on.These photos come from Booge. As Booge put it, "They give me a case of ick right in the back of my throat." I second that bile-induced sensation.
O. KAY - nerd that I am. I had TONNES of fun with these guys as a kid. Okay, yes... I did spend a lot of my childhood poking around in puddles.
ReplyDeleteMosq. larvae, and others taught me a lot about ecology. I mean, these guys look nasty until you meet dragonfly larvae. And check out the amazing USE OF SPACE in these pupae. They need to open to the surface so the abdomens, with the least changes, stays down, compared to the rest. Check out the outlines of the beginnings of an adult mosquito. It is pretty elegant and amazing.
Upsidedown Rockettes!
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