Lately I have been making organisms out of legos. It started when I designed a grasshopper head, which led to an entire grasshopper, to more insects, to other types of arthropods, to the other major animal phyla, to plants and fungi, and eventually protists, which I am currently working on. I hope you like these posts, lego, art, and nature lovers!
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Scarab beetle. Family: Scarabeaeidae (scarabs), Superfamily: Scarabeaeoidea, Order: Coleoptera (beetles). Representative for: beetles. |
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| Lego trick, hidden stud holders: certain lego items, like these handcuffs, can not only be used as something other than their original purpose, but also host a clever Lego trick. The arrows show how the studs in the plate attach to the holes in the handcuffs. |
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| Giant silk moth Subfamily: Saturiinae, Family: Saturniidae (giant silk moths), Order: Lepidoptera (moths and butterflies). Representative for: moths and butterflies. |
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| Lego trick, Keep on the cuteness: I used these bricks with clip-y parts and some tubular bricks to keep the fuzzy, cute vibe going. The long front leg and eyes low on the head also plays a major role in the cuteness. While this all happened randomly, this lego features ended up as a real happy accident |
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| American Pelecinid Wasp Family: Pelecinidae, non-taxonomic group: parasitoid wasps, Order: Hymenoptera (wasps, bees, ants, and sawflies). Representative for: Wasps, bees, ants and sawflies. |
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| Lego trick, technically technic: Technic lego pieces aren't always for cars and machinery. Sometimes you can use axles, like these, to add a bit of shape, texture, and thickness to your builds. Just be sure not to get you pieces stuck! |
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| Robber Fly Family: Asilidae (robber flies), Order: Diptera (flies). Representative for: Flies |
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| Lego trick: studs with holes will fulfill your goals: I used studs with holes to attach the rods on pieces to go into the places that studs go. While this is a fairly common trick that I use, it's a good one and I want to share it with people who didn't discover it for themselves. |
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Giant Water Bug Family: Belostomatidae (giant water bugs), Order: Hemiptera (bugs, hoppers and allies). Representative for: Bugs, hoppers, and allies |
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| Lego trick, true to nature: I decided to add eggs on the bug's back and give it a proboscis. While actual giant water bug dads carry eggs on top of their wings instead of below, it doesn't really matter with this 'cause it isn't a real giant water bug dad. |
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| Lubber Grasshopper Family: Romaleidae (lubber grasshoppers), Suborder: Caelifera (grasshoppers), Order: Orthoptera (grasshoppers, katydis, and crickets). Representative for: Small insect orders. |
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| Lego trick, full throttle on the thorax: Getting the thorax correct for this insect was hard. I had to match up a bunch of different lego pieces to get something that could both support the legs on the side and be compatible with the rest of the insect. It was also hard to fit in the rest of the legs, but at the end of the day, I was very proud with my creation. |
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| Springtail Class: Collembola (springtails), Suborder: Hexapoda (six-legged athropods). Representative for: Non-insect hexapods (yeah, so this one technically isn't an insect, but it's pretty close). |
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| Lego trick, go where your heart (and your bricks) belong: when I found the old plate at the bottom of this arthropod, I decided "oh, this would be great for a springtail. I'm gonna make one!" It was a really fun process of adding plates and making it look more like a springtail with every step. The socket piece on its head are antennae, and the ball piece is the mouthparts, which are stored in a pocket. (One of the distinguishing features between insects and no-insect hexapods.) |
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