Blue Darner Dragonfly Replica

Dragonfly Replica 1, originally uploaded by blankenshipimages.

Materials Used:

White polymer clay
Clear polystyrene sheeting
Ink
Acrylic Paint
Nail Polish (eyes)
Peacock Feathers (leg hairs)
Craft Wire
CA Glue

Praying Mantis Replica - Before Paint and Wings

Praying Mantis Replica 5, originally uploaded by blankenshipimages.

This is the early stage of my polymer clay model of a praying mantis. Next steps are to etch and attach the wings, detail the body, apply paint and add feather material for fine hairs. More pictures to come.

Insect Replica Group

Insect Replica Group, originally uploaded by blankenshipimages.

Scarab Beetle replicas alongside my Red Wasp for a size comparison.

Red and Green Jewel Scarab Replica

Red and Green Jewel Scarab Replica, originally uploaded by blankenshipimages.

Materials Used:

Polymer Clay
Craft Wire
Ink
Acrylic Paint
CA Glue

Size: 1.5" long and 1" wide

Green Jewel Scarab Replica

Green Jewel Scarab Replica, originally uploaded by blankenshipimages.

Materials Used:

Polymer Clay
Craft Wire
Ink
Acrylic Paint
CA Glue

Size: 1.5" long and 1" wide

Red Wasp Replica 2

Red Wasp Replica 2, originally uploaded by blankenshipimages.

Red Wasp Replica

Red Wasp Replica, originally uploaded by blankenshipimages.

Materials Used:

Polymer Clay
Craft Wire
Plastic Sheeting
Ink
Acrylic Paint

Size: 3" long with a 4.5" wingspan

Green Jewel Scarab Replica

Green Jewel Scarab Replica, originally uploaded by blankenshipimages.

The third in a new series of scarab beetle replicas. This one is available for bidding on Ebay here.

Dark Green Jewel Scarab Replica

Dark Green Jewel Scarab Replica 2, originally uploaded by blankenshipimages.

The second in the new series of scarab beetle replicas.

Fiddler Beetle Replica - Eupoecila australasiae

Fiddler Beetle Replica - Eupoecila australasiae, originally uploaded by blankenshipimages.

When I searched for the family Scarabaeidae, I found a photo of this colorful beetle on the Wikipedia entry. Commonly referred to as a fiddler beetle, this specimen is from eastern Austrailia. I liked the contrasting colors, so I made this my first in the series.

Painting and Drying Rack

Painting and Drying Rack, originally uploaded by blankenshipimages.

Over the weekend I decided to work on a series of jewel scarab beetles, but I needed somewhere to let the bodies dry before I did the final painting and touch-up work. So, I glued three wooden clothes pins to a block of 1/4" pine and there you have it, a ready-made drying station complete with a palette for the paint.

Here you see the first three beetles in the series drying after they've been detailed. This little trick worked out pretty well as a place to park the work while switching one or the other back and forth onto the fly tying vise.

Cottonwood Borer Beetle Replica

Cottonwood Borer Beetle Replica 1, originally uploaded by blankenshipimages.

This is the next in my latest series of beetle replicas. This is the cottonwood borer beetle, which is tied much the same way as other beetles in my collection. Materials include the following:

Thread
Foam
Fish hook
Glue
Ink
Acrylic Paint
Craft wire

California Laurel Borer Replica

California Laurel Borer 2, originally uploaded by blankenshipimages.

This is a handmade replica of a California Laurel Borer beetle. Materials used include the following:

Fish hook
White thread
Glue
White foam
Craft wire
Nail polish
Acrylic paint
Ink

Female Fork Tail Bush Katydid (Scudderia furcata)

Macro shots allow me to do research later to learn the various anatomical parts of the insect. I have tentatively identified this specimen as a female fork tail bush katydid (Scudderia furcata). Using Microsoft Visio, I've identified several key anatomical areas, but there are far more than one diagram can cover.

Today I learned about the ovipositor and cerci of the order orthoptera. The presence of the ovipositor tells me this is a female.

Damselfly Mating: Strange Connections

So I took this picture last weekend of two damselflies flying around connected to one another. A little bit of web research this week taught me enough about their mating habits that I could make this diagram and teach you something you might not already know. Therefore, until a real entomologist emails me to say I'm completely misguided, here is what I learned.

1. The male clasps the female behind her head
2. The female curls up her abdomen and picks up the male sperm in between the 2nd and 3rd abdominal section



Look closely at this second picture. You can see the green male on top and the blue female on bottom curling her abdomen up to receive the male sperm. It's hard to see what's really going on here when these pairs are flying around. But that's it. Take a closer look next time.