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22nd Annual Los Angeles Bug Fair

Filed Under Uncategorized, YouTube, entomology, graphic design, international travel, kahunna.net, local travel, photography, retrotravels.net

Who gets excited for bugs? I do! Who has been wanting to go to the annual Bug Fair? I have! Who spent seven hours walking around the Natural History Museum like a kid in a candy store? I did! Who’s the biggest geek? I am!! I’m really starting to concentrate on being a better macro photographer - specifically an insect photographer. The details that small creatures have can make is seem you’re looking at an alien. I brought my Macro Ring Lite (MR-14EX) and used it on most of my shots. They had added extra lighting in the dark halls of the NHMLAC, but not enough to really light up the displays of insects well enough. In this shot, I held the ring light behind and to the left of this Rose Haired Tarantula (which was alive and for sale).

This Cobalt Blue Tarantula had a gaze like Dirty Hairy… I mean, Dirty Harry.

I tried to write down info of each insect/arachnid I photographed, but I missed writing down the names of these guys, so I’ll make up names for them until someone posts a comment and gives me their real names. This first one is called the Kryptonite Bug, only found in the Arctic Circle on the underbellies of polar bears.

Below is the famous Cross-Eyed Skipping Beetle from Zimbabwe:

Next up is the Bunza Wunza found in the jungles of Tazmania. it was named after the sound its wings make while attacking small (very small) villages.

The Goldminer Beetle from Niger actually eats gold, which seeps onto its back to form a hard shell.

Little known fact: Pea Soup is actually made using the Pea Soup Beetles, pictured here:

Ok, I’ll stop with the fake names. Here are some photos of creatures and their real names: Silkworms eating lunch:

Phil Mays’ famous collection of beetles. One girl asked “were these painted?” Natural colors can be so beautiful, some find it hard to believe they exist without some help from us.

Morpho Butterflies:

Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches really are beautiful when you look at them closely.

Scorpion:

Phil Mays’ Butterfly Collection

They had a beehive on display:

Despite the photos so far, there were some humans at the bug fair. While waiting in line, I spotted Huell Howser interviewing a staff member. Huell is the host of California Gold, the longest running television series about California. You’re in the right place if Huell is around.

This girl looked so much like Dora The Explorer, it was uncanny. Her hair was just a bit longer but in the same style and she wore a Dora backpack, evidence to me that she has been a fan of the children’s animated character for a while.

By the time I left around 4pm, this guy had filled two boxes with his butterfly purchases!

While I was at the Natural History Museum I decided to visit the Pavilion of Wings, an seasonal exhibit of live butterflies. Although the butterflies were everywhere, the helpful docents were excited to point out butterfly eggs and incredibly small caterpillars. I’m really glad I brought my macro lens! Eggs: Caterpillar: Butterfly: