Dusky Stink Bug

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Dusky Stink Bug

August 24, 2013 by Mike Powell

I probably should have come up with a more creative title for this posting than the name of the featured insect. I mean, really, how many readers will be enticed to read a posting about a Dusky Stink Bug (Euschistus tristigmus)? I word “stink” is enough to turn off some people.

Stink bugs are pretty much all shaped the same, but they come in different colors and patterns, many of which are similar, so identification is not always easy. In this case, for example, I had to determine if the shoulders were rounded or pointed to distinguish between two brown stink bugs—they look pointed to me.

The stink bug was hanging upside down, feeding on a plant that I can’t identify, when I encountered him. He seemed to be feeding, although I never did get a look at his face in order to verify my assumption. The upside down perspective is a little odd and I thought about rotating the image, but ultimately decided to leave it with its original orientation.

Posted in Bugs, Flowers, Gardening, Insects, Macro Photography, Nature, Photography, wildlife | Tagged Alexandria, bug, Canon 50D, Dusky Stink Bug, Huntley Meadows Park, stink bug, Tamron 180mm macro lens, VA | 9 Comments

9 Responses

on August 24, 2013 at 8:48 pm | Reply Jeremy Sell

I actually prefer a straightforward title. And yeah, there are so many drab-colored stink bugs that I don’t usually go to the trouble of identifying them beyond the family level.
on August 24, 2013 at 9:09 pm | Reply nhillgarthnaturalist

for such a great photo you don’t need any other title!
on August 25, 2013 at 2:50 am | Reply afrenchgarden

Great photograph but I cannot muster up any affection for stink bugs.
on August 25, 2013 at 4:20 am | Reply margosnotebook

and they do stink!
on August 25, 2013 at 9:15 am | Reply New Hampshire Garden Solutions

That’s a great shot. I was going to ask if they really do stink, but I see by other comments that they do. Now I wonder what they smell like.
on August 25, 2013 at 3:30 pm | Reply Charlie@Seattle Trekker

I like the orientation. Last night while I was walking I came across a squirrel that was hanging upside down from a branch feeding in a fruit tree, it was quite odd and interesting. I enjoyed the stink bug information and would have spent a fair amount of time watching it feed as well.
- on August 25, 2013 at 6:37 pm | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Charlie. I like to think about the composition when I am shooting and after the fact. We are used to seeing things right side up, so it’s always a risk to have subject upside down.
on August 25, 2013 at 5:04 pm | Reply Bella Remy Photography

The composition on is flawless!
- on August 25, 2013 at 6:31 pm | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks. In many ways, it was the composition that drew me to the subject in this case.