ignored
pratyush gupta
ignored
pratyush gupta
ignored
copyright Š 2010 by Pratyush Gupta, Srishti School of Art, Design and Technology All rights reserved. No Part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means- graphic, electronic or mechanical without the written consent of the copyright owner Manufactured in India First printing, 2010
Contents Preface
4
millipedes
6
ants
9
grasshopppers
13
tettigoniidae
15
butterflies
17
Index
21
3 1
Preface Insects are my obsession. Very long ago, In second grade, i did a project on ants. I was so amazed by their intelligence and strength, that i still haven’t stopped admiring them. They caught my attention, or rather, kidnapped it. Soon i realised that not only ants, but each and every member of the insect world had something intriguing to offer. They some how manage to crop up in almost all of my projects and art works. There is so much more to them, which most people can’t even imagine, or like some, have chosen not to. I still don’t why people find insects ugly, annoying and even scary. So in this book, through my experiences and interactions with different insects, i have tried to bring out a different side to them, a side which most people ignore; and through this, i hope to change at least one such person’s perspective
24
5
millipedes
I had decided. i would not use insects for any of my projects again. well, at least not for this project. I got on my cycle heading towards an unknown place, looking for an interesting subject for my project, when this creature decides to come right in front of my wheel. I immediately pulled my brakes. It survived. And then i knew. It was my destiny to photograph this arthropod.
6
7
This majestic millipede was about 0.7 inches
protecting their delicate
fat, 4 inches long with 56 segments (i counted),
legs inside an armored body
aptly dressed, tip-toeing on its almost 200
exterior. Many of them emit
legs across the road.
poisonous secretions as a
Millipedes are powerful burrowers. With
secondary defence. Animals
their body moving in a wave like pattern,
such as Capuchin monkeys
they easily force their way underground.
have been observed inten-
Due to their lack of speed and their inability
tionally irritating millipedes
to bite or sting, millipedes’ primary defense
in order to rub the chemi-
mechanism is to curl in to a tight coil,
cals on themselves to repel
the wanderer
mosquitoes. This milipede however, was in an extreme hurry, and not at all afraid of me. it did not surprise me
It was my destiny to photograph this arthropod.
with any of its amazing antics. It let me photograph it in all its glory, as it crossed the road twice, for no reason perceivable to me
8
ants ANTS are all around us. they crawl above us, below us, gnawing at the crumbs that we wasted during lunch. They are master architects and farmers. They have colonised almost every part of the world. They are, the kings of the insect world. The ants to the right were actually right wrewhere i met the millipede. From far they looked like black dots, scurrying here and there; but on closer inspection, you could see a world food of action, suspense and tragedy
9
From far they look like black dots, scurrying here and there
10
sky is the limit
ANTS are one of the most clever insects around, and definitely the most civilised. but hunger or threat can make them into the most savage beasts. ones that we too tend to fear
12
grasshoppers
the solitary leaper
This grasshopper seems to be in a very pensive mood, almost as if it was contemI find grasshoppers to be one of the most
plating murder; no wonder
difficult insects to capture on the camera.
it got a bad image in Aesop’s
They can sense you coming from 2 meters
Fables.
away, and would launch themselves immediately. The one above is a tiny nymph grasshoppper. These youngsters are rather similar to the adults, the only difference being their body and wing size.
13
I found this colourful pair of grasshoppers
In certain countries,
hiding in a mango orchard. They were very
grasshoppers are eaten as
camera shy (for obvious reasons) and would
a good source of protein. In
keep going round and round the bush to
Mexico for example, They
evade me.
are usually collected at
After fertilisation the female digs a hole of
dusk, using lamps or electric
about 2 inches underground and deposits
lighting, in sweep nets. They
the eggs. The eggs can take up to 9 months
are then placed in water for
to hatch, after which the grasshopper lives
24 hours, after which they
up to only 3 months
can be boiled or eaten raw, sun-dried, fried, flavoured with spices, such as garlic, onions, chilly, drenched in
in certain countries, grasshopppers are eaten as a good source of protein
lime, and used in soup or as a filling for various dishes.
14
tettigoniidae
When i took this photograph, i was amazed to see such a cooperative grasshopper. It was a perfect model, without mood swings. It was not afraid of me. I poked it, put that yellow leaf under it, but it didn’t budge. its movements were just like a praying mantis’. I was really confused. on Googling, i found that this was neither a praying mantis nor a grasshopper. It was in fact a tettigoniid, commonly known as katydid or bush grasshopper, even though it is more closely related to the crickets
15
their antennae may exceed twice their body length They can be distinguished from grasshopppers by the length of their antennae, which may exceed their own body length. I found the tettigoniid to the left mimicking a leaf, with its front legs and antennae looking like the stem. Is was still as, well a dead leaf, when i approached it, but as soon as i touched it lifted itself up, split its antennae, sprouted 4 more legs and took flight
16
Butterflies are one of the few insects that get the attention they deserve, mostly because of their large, often brightly coloured wings and conspicuous, fluttering flight. they have infact been over exploited for their beauty, be it in art, literature or even music
butterflies, bugs
the aviator
Melanitis leda
I flicked the ant away, but it was determined Acanthocephala femorata
This leaf footed bug is considered a pest, eating and causing damage to fruits; In this case, mangoes
This bug looked drunk. It could walk forward, backward and sideways, but was always confused in which direction to choose. And it loved climbing ropes.
This milkweed bug is dressed in bright orange to keep predators at bay The patches on its back unmistakably resemble the Nazi leader- Adolph Hitler.
19
Oncopeltus fasciatus
Scarabaeidae
I chanced upon this white grub while
into the earth, but the ants
gardening. It was burried deep in its grave,
wouldn’t let it. I couldn’t
waiting to be born once again. Waiting to be
stand so many ants digging
transformed into one of the most beautiful
their jaws into its jelly-like
and prized insects- the scarab beetle.
skin; so i dug a tunnel for
I left the grub aside and continued gardening.
it. It quickly krept inside.
before long an ant sniffed it. it attacked. The
Before the ants could find
grub wriggled with pain. I flicked the ant
it, i covered the tunnel and
away, but it was determined. It returned
planted a sapling on it.
with back ups. the grub tried crawling back
20
Index ant, 9-12, 20 black leaf footed bug, 19 bush grasshoppper, 15-16 butterfly, 17-18 caterpillar, 2 drunk bug, 19 grasshopper, 13-14 katydid, 15-16 milkweed Bug, 19 millipede, 6-8 moth, 10 nymph grasshopper, 13 scarab beetle, 20 tettigoniidae, 15-16 wasp, 10 white Grub, 20
21
my journeys and experiences about the various insects and other arthopods that i have encountered over the years