nature at the smaller end of the specturm; and tortoise beetles

We all have a natural tendency to associate nature, wilderness and the animal kingdom with those at the larger end of the spectrum, like lions, tigers, antelopes, and those of the kind we often see at the zoos. Of course, these all are a part of nature. Nevertheless, at the sametime, many of us rarely stop by and watch the spectacles and stories of nature at the smaller end of the spectrum. We will open our mouth 😮  and watch an elephant passing by, but rarely would we stop to watch an insect or even a bird flying by.

As I said, it is a natural tendency. Large objects easily catch our eyes, and the rest is easy. But when we limit our observations at that, we are surely missing a lot of wonders of nature! Not only that, these small creatures play as significant a role, or a greater role, in the sustenance of life and environment.

Here is a group of small, beautiful tortoise beetles (2 species, green and golden), for you to enjoy and celebrate the small wonders of nature 😛

green and black tortoise beetle
Date: 20 Sept 2005
Location: @ Mangalavanam Sanctuary, Kochi, Kerala, India
Camera: Olympus C770UZ + MCON-40 Macro Lens

Tortoise beetles get their names from their tortoise shapes, with outer shells (known as carapace) which are translucent at the edges. They are not so rare, but easy to miss! They have a size of 5-7mm. Not too small for an observant eye, especially since they have catchy, bright colors.

green and black tortoise beetle
Date: 22 Sept 2005
Location: @ home, Kottayam, Kerala, India
Camera: Olympus C770UZ + MCON-40 Macro Lens

golden tortoise beetle
Date: 27 Jul 2007
Location: @ home, Kottayam, Kerala, India
Nikon D80 + Tamron SP AF90mm f/2.8 Di Macro Lens

For me they look like small UFOs 🙂

19 Responses

  1. Why is ur blog named rocksea and sarah?

  2. Beetles to hear , beetles to see ! Lovely sight ! From now on I should be more observant to Gods of small stature !

  3. bindu says:

    They are so tiny and perfect!

  4. rocksea says:

    kayode and laura, grazie for the thoughtful comments!

  5. The second picture is a very good one! (the others are also great, but the composition in the second one is very good and the light and shadow also)

  6. Happy Kitten says:

    guess the only small creature that I would watch at close quarters and maybe touch would be these!

    nd what lovely pattern and color! God’s handiwork indeed..

  7. Very nice image of these little bugs; love the colours as well

  8. mmm, I’m not sure if I have an affinity to all these creatures rolling out in this blog of late.. The colours in the photographs are attractive though, just the colours ok? 🙂

    PS: I’m not entomophobic 😉

  9. rocksea says:

    grazie, mridula and elaine 🙂 Yes they are lovely to watch.

  10. Elaine- says:

    aren’t they pretty!! on par with lady bugs 🙂 lovely pictures of them too!!

  11. Mridula says:

    Absolute beauties! Particularly the second one.

  12. Gorgeous photographs!!!!! Beautiful Beatles, will be observing more carefully now!!! I have taken many pictures of moths with lovely subtle colours and patterns on their wings!

    Are the shells transparent too, or do they change so prettily to the colour of the background… one has some green , one has some red…

    • rocksea says:

      Hey Homemaker, I guess these tortoise beetles could be seen at your place too, they are much common in the tropics. Only the edges of the shells are transparent. They don’t change their colors. The two shown here are different species, I should have mentioned it in the article!

      You should post your moth pictures sometime! Or have you already?

  13. sarah says:

    😀 the last picture reminds me of a green sky speckled with stars and the beetle as the moon (or a UFO?) :P. Beautiful creature!

  1. September 9, 2009

    […] a previous article, we talked about observing nature at the smaller end of the spectrum. Living temporarily in a city, we rarely have a chance to amuse ourselves on those miniscule […]

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