Holy spider! Time to get out the long lens.

Sitting on the dock of Gorman Chairback Wilderness Lodge, I was watching dragonflies when my eyes settled on this beast. Almost the size of my hand (with those creepy legs). It crawled up over the side of the dock and just sat there in the sun. So I snapped a few photos at a safe distance. I’m aware that spiders are not typically dangerous in Maine… and maybe you could say this arachnid is rather impressive and beautiful in its own way… but it still gives me the shivers to think of it crawling over my skin. And just look at those chompers.

Photo by Aislinn Sarnacki. July 2012.

Moving on. Here are some dragonfly photos I took, all the while keeping my eye on my eight-legged companion.

Photo by Aislinn Sarnacki. July 2012.

Photo by Aislinn Sarnacki. July 2012.

And here are some other bug photos I snapped lately. Sometimes it’s just cool to see them up close.

Photo by Aislinn Sarnacki. July 2012.

Photo by Aislinn Sarnacki. July 2012.

Photo by Aislinn Sarnacki. July 2012.

Photo by Aislinn Sarnacki. July 2012.

If you can identify any of these insects, please do so in the comments below. I know a Japanese Beetle is in there … and that’s about it.

“If all mankind were to disappear, the world would regenerate back to the rich state of equilibrium that existed 10,000 years ago. If insects were to vanish, the environment would collapse into chaos.”

-Edward O. Wilson, an American biologist, theorist and author (born 1929)

 

Aislinn Sarnacki

About Aislinn Sarnacki

Aislinn is a Bangor Daily News reporter for the Outdoors pages, focusing on outdoor recreation and Maine wildlife. Visit her main blog at actoutwithaislinn.bangordailynews.com.