Camouflage 101

"Things are seldom what they seem, skim milk masquerades as cream." HMS Pinafore.

Today was the first field trip when I truly feared that I would have nothing interesting to shot. I had walked almost all the way to the summit of a hill but I had not seen a single animal. Not even a single insect. And I was in a nature reserve which made things more ironic.

Anyway something caught my eye. Do you see it? The thin green line that has 6 thinner green lines linking to it. It could be a stick insect but I am no entomologist.

Something about you I can't quite figure out .......

The side view will give some clue as to what caught my eye. Camouflage is especially helpful when you are not bigger, faster or deadlier. It pays to be part of the background when you are a prey. Of course it looked a little strange against a wooden pillar. If this bugger was on a plant, I would not have seen it. Or rather, I would have seen it for it wanted me to see it as. Part of the background.

You found me, you found me......

Of course when I was going downhill, I found some monkeys looking at me.

It is not over until the fat lady sings.