What do you do when you’re driving and a spider runs across the inside of your windshield? Like any good entomological photographer, I pulled over at a safe place and took its picture, of course. Done with the photo shoot, I hearded it onto an envelope and ushered it outside. Really, spiders are nothing to […]
Anthony Westkamper
Posted inLife + Outdoors
HumBug: By the River and Under the Sand
Here we are, middle of winter and once again I’m finding variegated meadowhawk dragonflies along the Van Duzen River, where I regularly walk. Although this is a small dragonfly, it is the largest insect I see flying this time of year. I find them perched on rocks in open sections of river bar, often 20 […]
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HumBug: Pushing the Limits of Small
Taking a break from splitting firewood, I noticed dozens of tiny creatures flying in the sunlight. Curious, I captured first a gall wasp, then a tiny rove beetle and, finally, a creature too small for my eyes to discern anything other than a black speck crawling on my hand. A session with my dissecting microscope […]
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HumBug: Winter Butterflies
The winter solstice is passed but I can’t see any lengthening in the days yet. It’s almost not worth waking up for — at least it might seem that way to an overwintering butterfly. I have spotted at least three species flying on recent warm winter days: a painted lady, red admiral and mourning cloak. They’re […]
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HumBug: Heartworm
I caught a new bug recently. Unfortunately, it was not the kind I could skewer with a pin and put in a frame, but the kind where you’re supposed to drink plenty of fluids and get some rest. So I took the opportunity to do a bit of online research to answer a question recently […]
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HumBug: Bugs in the Wood
In July, PG&E sent a crew to take down some big trees on its easement across the back of my property. I had no objection, as this area is unused. Now, six months later, when I finally got around to bucking and splitting it, I find the wood already colonized by insects. The bugs gnawing […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
Predators and Paparazzi
Ground Beetles Tip over a rock and you’ll likely encounter something. Frequently, you’ll see a black beetle a little smaller than a pumpkin seed scurry away from the light. These are a type of ground beetle, members of the family carabidae, one of the largest families of animals in the world. They are predators, preying […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
HumBug: Ground Beetles
Tip over a rock and you’re likely to encounter something. Frequently, you’ll see a black beetle a little smaller than a pumpkin seed scurry away. They really don’t like the light. These are type of ground beetle, members of the family carabidae, one of the largest families of animals in the world. They are predators, […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
Little Bugs, Little Biters
Itsy bitsies It is a very human thing to look for the largest of anything. Here in Humboldt County, we have the world’s tallest trees and largest stonefly. We have giant water bugs and giant silkworm moths, and so it is easy to overlook small things. But I find them fascinating. Yesterday I saw a […]
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HumBug: Shooting in the Wild
Despite my best efforts, I didn’t see any interesting new insects this week. To be sure, there are many out there but the ones I encountered were all species I’ve mentioned before at some length. I photographed them anyway just for the practice. I am always trying to improve. Entomological photography can be challenging. Rain or […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
HumBug: Itsy Bitsies
It is a very human thing to look for the largest of anything. Here in Humboldt County, we have the world’s tallest trees and largest stonefly. We have giant water bugs and giant silk worm moths, and so it is easy to overlook small things. But I find them fascinating. Yesterday I saw a column […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
HumBug: The Return of Old Friends
Tonight, following our second rain of the season, I went out, camera in hand, looking for one of my favorite insects. Pterotus obscurripinis, our local glow worm. They hide in the ground all summer long awaiting the wet season. Serious snail hunters, they feed on some of our smaller local native land snails and slugs. […]