Encountering Interesting Bugs

Standing at my back door I noticed a really different looking bug satisfying its hunger at my basil restaurant. It looked at first like a damsel fly, I thought. Upon closer inspection, I realized it looked more like a waspy kind of critter. I thought: If I go get the camera, it won't be here when I get back. Oh, heck. I'll go get it anyway. And I did. Then I thought: If I open this door, it's going to fly away and I'll never get a picture of it. But if I try to take a picture of it through the glass (double pane and all) it will distort the image and that won't help at all. Well, I took a chance on the "through the window pane" and got this shot! I was amazed to learn much later that it worked! (I'm constantly learning about things.)

I went outside by another door (so I wouldn't disturb the little wasp-looking creature) and headed out back. Well, the insect was fine until I pulled the camera up to take a picture. Then it skittered away in flight across the backyard. Disappointed, I realized that I had plants to water. The 3 inches of moisture we received a week ago, via Gustav, now have to be replenished manually. I stuck the camera in my pocket and went about the chore at hand.

Then, low and behold! I saw an amazingly beautiful different variety of Tiger Swallowtail butterfly! And it was in pristine condition. Let me tell you . . . I whipped out that camera and began following the lovely creature across the yard striving for a "good shot" at it. It was more shy than the previous butterflies I posted a few days back. I managed only to find it pumping its wings as it freely drank from our lantana flowers. Man! That was frustrating. When I tried to move in--just a touch--attempting to get a good shot of it with wings fully extended...off it flew across the neighbors fence and out of view. I was VERY disappointed.
When I got back to the patio and basil plant, guess who had returned! The little black wasp-looking creature. Its radar was still working to a "T" and never allowed me to take a picture other than when I was behind the glass. It was even still around when my husband and daughter got back from work and I could point it out to them.

This little sweetheart had no problems with camera shyness. It's not as flashy, perhaps, but I appreciate how unaffected it was in posing for pictures. How nice to find somebody who's not afraid of the camera. Or photographer. So do these critters have a sixth sense about people being too close, or is it just the camera? I mean, when I simply stand close by and watch the little bugs, they don't seem to mind. But lift the camera to take a shot at them? Pfffzzzt! Gone! Do you suppose the camera puts off some strange kind of vibes or something? Maybe it makes a noise that only bugs can hear? I don't know! Except for this: When the camera comes up for photo shooting, the bugs high-tail it!

I want to know how to compensate and get the "good shots" anyway--without having to spend the heart-stopping $$$$$$$$ my husband assures me it will cost to get camera + equipment that will do all the wonderful things I'd like a camera to do. *Sigh*

I did enquire about that one black bug (the first mentioned in this saga) from my entomologist daughter. She's supposed to be getting back to me about it. On that. What it might be. I looked on the internet and found some interesting looking waspy things but they don't look like the bug I saw yesterday. The antennae aren't right. The body shape is close, but colors don't match . . .