Lacewings I was cleaning up storm debris from my yard when a tiny creature fluttered daintily by. I recognized its flight pattern immediately as one of the prettiest and most delicate things I know: a green lacewing. It brought a smile. The order Neuroptera (“nerve winged”) has some really dainty insects. It is a bit […]
Anthony Westkamper
Posted inNews (NCJ)
HumBug: Bee Alert!
Yesterday while working outside, I noticed a large black and yellow bee diligently working its way around the periphery of one of the many dandelions in my yard. I paused and took a picture of it to report to Bumblebee Watch. They are tracking various species of the genus Bombus, some of which are endangered. […]
Posted inNews (NCJ)
HumBug: A Winter Walk
Tuesday was mostly clear so I put off house cleaning and took a walk. Along the road I saw a few pale lavender colored Milkmaid flowers (Cardamine californica). They are the first wildflower I see every year. Aside from having to extricate myself from quicksand up to my knees, I had a good time taking […]
Posted inNews (NCJ)
HumBug: Bugs in Midwinter
The middle of winter is not the best time to be a bug guy. There aren’t many around and most of the ones that are hide under rocks. Sometimes though, they surprise you. Returning home one recent night, I found a dozen or so medium sized, dark colored critters on my front door. Even without […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
The Dead and the Glowing
Skeletons in My Closet I collected my first insect when I about 6. It was a honeybee from the iceplant in my front yard. That was followed by a bumblebee. My folks encouraged me with books and supplies. Together they made me a butterfly net. Now in my 60s, I have accumulated a lot of […]
Posted inNews (NCJ)
HumBug: Lacewings
A couple of days ago I was cleaning up storm debris from my yard when a tiny creature fluttered daintily by. I recognized its flight pattern immediately as one of the prettiest and most delicate things I know: a green lacewing. It brought a smile. The order Neuroptera (“nerve winged”) has some really dainty insects. […]
Posted inNews (NCJ)
HumBug: Skeletons in My Closet
Let me get one thing out of the way right off: I am not an entomologist in the sense that I have no degree in the subject, nor do I work at it as a profession. Like Sherlock Holmes, I like to think of myself as a talented amateur. I do it because I enjoy […]
Posted inNews (NCJ)
HumBug: Millipedes
The biggest land “bug” that ever lived was a one-foot-wide, 6-foot-long millipede called Arthropleura. The largest nowadays is the foot-long giant African millipede, which some folks raise as pets. The good news is that millipedes on the whole are inoffensive critters, content to dine on decaying vegetation and fungi. By nature millipedes are shy and […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
Bugs in Winter
I got down to the river about 2:30 p.m. but my little dragonflies were nowhere to be seen. I saw one fly and a tiny spider and a baby centipede under a rock. That was it. All this raises the question, “Where do the bugs go in winter?” They are ectothermic (cold blooded) and in […]
Posted inNews (NCJ)
HumBug: It’s a Bug’s Life
I should explain I am using the word “Bug” in the generic sense … any small creepy crawly critter born with more than four legs. There is another technical definition for the word: a member of the insect order Hemiptera. The “true bugs” are generally shield shaped, with front wings about half the size of […]
Posted inNews (NCJ)
HumBug: Walking on Water
A quick flick of movement across a calm spot on the water brought a water strider to my attention. Although they might resemble spiders with their with spindly legs and dark bodies, they are actually members of the order Hemiptera (half wing) or “true bugs.” Their remarkable ability to skate so adroitly across the surface […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
Coming Back and Slipping Away
Look What the Rains Brought As the seasons change, the macro invertebrate fauna (aka bugs) change. It’s November, and it finally rained at my house. At night I’m seeing my long awaited friends, the glow worms. Rapacious slug hunters, these little firefly relatives are usually found on the ground among conifer needle litter when it’s […]