Today I will share two pictures of scary Anthropoda. I was trying to think of a catchy post title and thought of Scary Insects, but one of these is not from the Insecta Class. I had to go back to the Phylum. This made me think back to my Junior High science days with Mr. Gilmore where we learned scientific taxonomy. I remember the books for classifying insects. We would be given an insect to identify and we would try and find the scientific name for it.

The first picture today comes from the Insecta Class. I was not able to determine the species for this one, but I believe that the Yellow Jacket pictured below is from the Genus Vespula. I really love the contrast of the Black and Yellow of a Yellow Jacket. I snapped this picture in my front yard when I was doing yard work. I just had to run in and grab my camera to capture him. I also love the detail of the wooden post he is on. This was one of the support posts for the tree in my front yard.

The second picture is from the Arachnida Class. I believe that this is the Western Widow or Latrodectus hesperus as it is the species that is typically found in California. This picture was taken in my garage shortly before she ended her life. One of the interesting facts that I found out about the members of the Black Widow or Latrodectus genus is that the females will usually kill and eat their partner after mating. However, the Western Widow is an exception and the male will often mate several times during its short lifetime.

Another interesting fact that I found, was that the silk of the Western Widow is stronger than a steel wire of the same thickness. This is why you will hear a snap when you break a thread of a Western Widow web.

Steven