A Closer Look
Story and photographs by Jacob Zadik
Have you ever gazed into nature and felt you were looking right at something, yet couldn’ t see it? This happens to me all the time, especially as I explore amidst the wonderfull and lush maritime forests of Kiawah Island. Despite being unable to get a better view, I am one that does not give up easily. I have found that if you take a moment to look closer and look smaller, you may discover what caused that feeling. You may even enter into the bizarre world of bugs.
Bugs often get a bad rap, probably because the ones we easily see are typically presented to us as a result of a nuisance behavior. This is the case with the“ palmetto bug,” a. k. a. cockroach, in our cupboard, or the common house spider in a top corner of our bedroom. For me, both are incredibly interesting in their own ways. They are also harmless, doing little more than gazing at you in fascination. I do not intend to use this article to criticize bugs. Instead, the goal of this article is to show you things you may not have yet had the opportunity to see, and perhaps this will spark an interest in gaining a better understanding of the little things around us.
Before continuing, I must do some housekeeping and clear up some wording. The word“ bug” has come to have two different interpretations. First is the common meaning: essentially referring to most terrestrial arthropods and some aquatic species. Then, there is the scientific meaning: referring to insects in the order Hemiptera, or true bugs. The true bug group includes insects that have mouthparts designed for piercing and sucking such as assassin bugs, treehoppers, and cicadas. Here I use the word“ bug” in the common sense, but I certainly will touch on Hemiptera. In fact, let’ s start with them.
I find myself constantly revisiting the east end of Kiawah Island and exploring the vast tracts where dune vegetation( young maritime forest) intersects with the adult maritime forest. One particular time, I was scanning some newly bloomed flowers when I noted a white speck, no larger than a grain of rice, lying just inside the flower petals. In bug world, you never write anything off, so I looked closer. With some intense squinting, I was astonished to make out the slow-moving outline of a bug I had never seen before. It was the nymph of an ambush bug( Phymata spp.), the ultimate sit-and-wait predator. It was hoping for the flyby of an unsuspecting pollinator so it could lash out with its mantid-like forearms grabbing hold of its victim. It then, almost simultaneously, inserts its proboscis, injects a fluid that paralyzes its prey, and begins the digestion process. They are often seen grasping onto bumble bees, wasps, and other organisms over ten times their size! The ambush bug, only a few millimeters long, has a huge appetite. I was lucky to have the opportunity to observe this creature. The adults are often very camouflaged in coloration, almost entirely matching the flowers where they lurk most frequently.
Ambush Bug
Other bugs that have less of a sit-and-wait predation method and more of a pounce-and-go-get type of hunting. In this case, I am talking about spiders— which are arachnids. When I mention spiders, many might think of the very common large, yellow inhabitants of Kiawah Island known as golden silk orb-weavers. However, the name of this spider entirely refers to the web in which it sits and waits for prey to get caught. So, no, I am not talking about a go-getter hunter. I am referring to its smaller, non-web weaving cousins known as jumping spiders.
Regal Jumping Spider
58 Naturally Kiawah