My Little Buddy, the Clover Mite!

I would like to introduce you to my little buddy, otherwise known as a Clover Mite! :D Steve and I drove over to the Rogue River yesterday for an hour or two of photography and I was really excited about having a different environment to explore. I am very pleased to report that I got lucky and found all kinds of neat things to photograph!

I was nose-close to the ground, looking around for anything interesting when I saw a tiny flash of red crawling on a leaf. "OOOH!!! A BUG!!!" I squealed happily and carefully maneuvered the itty bitty critter onto a twig so I could get him to a place to take some pictures. Measuring only about 1/16th of an inch in diameter, I knew this mite would be a challenge to photograph. I have tried many times to take pictures of miniscule gnats and other insects that I can hardly see, but I haven't been successful...until now! YES!! I was able to get these four images and I thought a collage would be a fun way to show off my tiny friend!

Clover Mites are related to ticks but are plant eaters and can be a garden pest. Did you know that mites are actually in the spider family?! Like spiders, they have eight legs, and these little guys are distinguisable by their extra long forelegs, which are twice as long as their other legs! If you would like to know more about Clover Mites, you can visit this page: familytreetreeandturf.com/clovermites.html