Beautiful critters in our new garden!

I will show you some lovely residents in nature here and the first is a Blue Dropwing Dragonfly!

As usual I am out for a walk in the garden of our new place and thought to have a look at the smaller beings amongst the plants. Some lovely critters pitched up for a photo shoot. So many say that they wish that all insects should be killed, obviously they don't know what they are talking about and I have written here about the catastrophe if all insects were to be killed.
Let me show you!

I stand corrected but this looks like a Mantidfly of the Mantispidae family!

This little one moved about constantly, but I think it is some type of Cricket.

And what do you think this is? See the answer below!

It is some sort of Fruit Chafer bug and some soldier ants having a Sunday picnic on a Granadilla flower!

I love the little things in life and in nature their beauty is so intricately constructed. We tend to ignore them as pests, but most of them form a critical part of nature's subsistence. Some farmers would rejoice if all bugs would be killed, but insects are vital in our eco-systems. In fact their importance for a healthy eco-system is paramount.

In fact should all insects be killed; "Within days insect eating vertebrates and other non insect anthropods will start to die. A few weeks later the following species will become extinct. All amphibians for example all 160 species in Southern Africa will die. Next, birds about 550 of the 960 species of birds will die. Reptiles, approximately 380 out of 600 species will become extinct. Fresh water fish, about 160 out of 370 species will die. Mammals, an estimated 200 out of 350 species will die."

"The first wave of extinction will be animals: In one season more than 1750 of the 2460 species in southern Africa will have vanished - directly or indirectly as their food chain is removed. The second wave of extinction will be the plants. Firstly insect-eating plants then the flowering plants will start disappearing. Next the annuals. Perennials will eventually also become extinct with no insects pollinating them.

The last wave of extinction is the soil. Degradation of the soil happens when dead plant litter and animal remains no longer get buried and decomposed by insects. With no ant tunnels, no aeration of the soil happens and water can no longer penetrate the soil. Topsoil is eroded and the underlying bedrock is exposed".

Taken from: Insectopedia: the secret world of Southern African insects. 2017.

And so think again about the killing of all insects. Think carefully!

We hope that you have enjoyed the pictures and thank you for visiting a post by @papilloncharity

Team South Africa banner designed by @bearone