DAY 11: UFO

Only eleven days into this project and I am getting desperate. But I am not giving up.

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Sometimes it’s fun to try taking close-up pictures of insects. It’s hard to do without a tripod, which is pretty much out of the question when you’re photographing tiny moving creatures. You just have to hold your breath, keep the camera as still as possible and hope for the best.

This mysterious insect landed on one of my yellow tomatoes on a sultry summer afternoon.  It was SO hot out that day, but I temporarily forgot the heat (a biggie for me) because I was just fascinated with him – he looked  like he was wearing a welding mask - and was getting seriously down to business.

That black probe-like tentacle extending from his welding mask seemed like it should be a stinger – but it wasn’t very sharp. The little fellow kept trying to pierce the tomato with his probe thing but couldn’t manage to do it. I could see the tomato skin denting in a little as he pushed, but no matter how hard he tried he just couldn’t manage to insert his prong into the object of his affection. I felt sorry for him.

So I caught him in a jar and sliced a little cube of tomato for him. He seemed to enjoy it, but it turned out to be his last meal, as he died shortly after that.  

I still have him in that jar, hoping I’ll someday meet an entomologist who can identify him. I labeled the top of the jar with this picture cut into a circular shape to fit the lid. It's not a quart jar or anything...just one of those tiny little jelly jars.

You know, the thought just occured to me that if - no WHEN - "something" happens to me and people are left with the chore of sorting through my meager earthly possessions...they might ponder the significance of this bug in a jar - especially since I thought so much of it I took a picture of it in life. All the more reason it would really be nice if I could learn the official name of this little guy.