Dragonfly Emerged

Remember this? It was captured on April 4 in Shangzhuang Reservoir. At first I thought it is Anax nigrofasciatus

Yesterday I found it turned green. It’s time to emerge.

About eleven in the evening, it climbed on to the branch from water. In the following hours it writhed tail frequently, climbed up and down.

After warming up, at 2:50, the eclosion started.

Have a rest. The picture on the screen is another post about the growth by slmok

Suddenly it did a sit-up, catching its old skin and whipped out abdomen quickly, then spread wings slowly.

In the morning. The eclosion was successful. Now it turned out that this is a male Anax parthenope, I was wrong at first. In my childhood, I ofter tied a female one of this species on a string to entrap male ones.

I put it in the sun to warm its body and it flew away at last.

Feast

Place: Beijing Botanical Garden
Date: 4/25/2009

My Aquarium 3: Fish

Here are some local species in Beijing. I got them in March and April when searching aquatic insects. Unfortunately, I know little about fish,

A big fighting fish, about 6cm. Macropodus ocellatus is the only fighting fish species in Beijing. Place: Greenlake Wetland

And this is the smallest one, less than 2cm. Place: Greenlake Wetland

A golden loach (4cm) Place: Greenlake Wetland & Shangzhuang Reservoir

another bigger loach (6cm). Place: Shangzhuang Reservoir

Unknown species, 5cm Place: Shangzhuang Reservoir

Unknown fish, maybe it’s just a common carp, 2cm Place: Shangzhuang Reservoir

A small goby, 2cm Place: Shangzhuang Reservoir

A big one. It should be another species differ from the above one Place: Shangzhuang Reservoir

The big goby, 6cm Place: Shangzhuang Reservoir

Another goby species (2cm) Place: Beijing Botanical Garden

Frogs & Tadpoles in Botanical Garden

There is a stream and several ponds in the Botanical Garden. So I went there three times for aqutaic insects. Of course, I can always find different frogs and their offsprings during the exploring.

In March, a lot of eggs could be found in the stream.

I took some to my dormitory and they grow very fast. You can find tadlopes swimming after one week.

Eggs of a toad, quite different from frog’s.

One month later, masses of tadpoles appear in ponds. Every child in the garden was holding nets and cans to catch some.

I also took some to feed my dragonflies.

Toad’s tadlopes are black and abundant while frog’s are gray and only can be found in running streams.

It’s time to…

a frog found in stream

I’m not sure if it is the same species with the above one

A young toad

They hide under the stones in the stream, so you have to turn oven stones to find them

Am I beautiful ?

Tulips in Garden

I am terribly sorry that I posted nothing last week. I have a lot to share but somehow I was lazy these days…not lazy when I hold a camera. I keep taking photos in this flourishing spring. Then countless photos stuff in my hard disk, most are spam. Sometimes I don’t know what to do with them and I have no time to sort one by one. This is really a trouble in Digital Age.

Today’s sunshine made me rush to the Botanical Garden recklessly again, though I have just visited it last week. I was intending the nymphs of Cordulegasteridae. Meanwhile, the beautiful tulips are blooming! Wonderful scene!

Camera: SONY DSC-H1 (my friend’s)

My Blog Award & My Nominations

THIS IS THE FIRST BLOG AWARD I GOT :)

It was awarded by Nishant Nischal. I am so surprised to get this and please allow me to say THANK YOU VERY MUCH. Moreover, I would say thank you to all people who visit my blog, follow my blog and leave their comments! I tried to start this English blog in Dec. 2008 to practice my English and sharing my photos, but I know nobody in this English blogging world at first. Easyparadise might have been devastated for a long time but for your supports. Now blogging has become a part of my life, I have learned a lot from it and made plenty of friends all over the world. Please continue supporting me, I will show you more! Nishant, I love your photos and your country so much. Thanks for sharing them! I’m hoping more of your masterpiece! BTW, I love the little mouse in your blog and I also have put one in my space, LOL.

Nishant’s link: http://nishantnischal.blogspot.com/

NOW HERE ARE THE RULES........

1) Add the logo of the award to your blog. 2) Add a link to the person who awarded it to you ( Not necessary, only if you want. ) 3) Nominate at least 5 other blogs ( Only if you want.) 4) Add links to those blogs on your blog. 5) Leave a message for your nominees on their blog to come and pick their award from your blog.

AND HERE ARE MY NOMINATIONS..............

This is really a hard work because there are so many marvelous blogs I love. However, I have to make choices. The following sites are the best in my eyes.

1.) South African Photographs http://saphotographs.blogspot.com/

A blog shows the fantastic South Africa. Lots of pictures of all kinds of creatures and plants can be find there. Joan, the blogger, is a very kind and helpful lady who has encouraged me a lot.

2.) Beetles In The Bush http://beetlesinthebush.wordpress.com/

This is an excellent blog of insects. The author, Ted C. MacRae, is an entomologist in Missouri. Maybe his blog is a little professional (maybe I feel that because my poor English) but full of information.

3.)A Bug's Eye View http://macromeditations.com/

I really really love those macro dragonfly pics!!!

4.)Butterflies of Singapore http://butterflycircle.blogspot.com/

I enjoy this one very much! It’s a place to introduce butterflies of Singapore, full of information and the pictures are prefect!

5.)Wild Light http://www.bugdreams.com/

Another blog shows the beauty of nature. I especially enjoy those snaps of tussling birds in the air!

6.)Birders Of Sabah Borneo Island http://horukuru.blogspot.com/

All kinds of bird from Borneo is showing. I love Borneo, I love rain forest!

7.)Sebastián Molano. Fotografía de Naturaleza http://chanjaime.blogspot.com/

It’s not an English blog so I can’t read it. But I do enjoy the bird photos in it.

Still Life 1: Lily Flower

This yellow lily flower is used for our botany experiment last term. Because we were the last class of the experiment, so I took one of the rest flowers to my dormitory, posed and shot.

Can you guess what the black background was? Haha, that’s a pair of my black pants!

My Aquarium 2: The Molting

I found one of my dragonflies (the sixth one in this post) was a little unusual this morning. I looked it for a while and I found it’s going to change a new dress!

The process lasted about 20 min. Now the dragonfly is bigger and more beautiful. But its skin was soft at the moment so I removed other fish in the box in case they harm it.

Maybe this is the last molting before it becomes an adult. I’m looking forward.

Bugs in Campus 1

A Polygonia c-aureum L. dancing in spring after a winter of hibernation. 
Date: 3/19/2009

A syrphid fly. It just reminds me of Joan’s latest post. LOL!
Date: 4/9/2009

A lovely leaf beetle that I captured in a boring politics class
Date: 4/9/2009

aphids on Shepherd's purse
Date: 4/8/2009

The first shot of insect in 2009!
Date: 3/19/2009