On a recent walk through a local redwood grove, my young companion, knowing I’m interested in bugs, pointed out a beetle on the path. It was dead and, although it was in the middle of a footprint, externally undamaged. So I collected it. Hey, it was dead when I got there. Interestingly enough, it was […]
Anthony Westkamper
Posted inLife + Outdoors
Drafting Along with Whirligig Beetles
The other day I was talking on the phone with my fiance when I saw a large flying insect investigate a tree in my back yard. I made my excuses, set down the phone and got my camera. The critter in question was a Blue Eyed Darner (Rhionaeschna multicolor) dragonfly. Thankfully, they were both quite […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
Humbug: That’s One Big Moth
Coming home late from the Fortuna fireworks display on July 3, on a whim, I stopped at the Carlotta Fire hall. To my surprise I got to see a species of moth I photographed for the first time last year. Near the light was a Polyphemus Moth. At 6 inches it has the largest wingspan […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
Big, Ugly
Mr. Big Moth Back when cameras used film, I noticed large sections of leaf chewed away on the madrone tree in my front yard. I found three large green caterpillars gnawing away at them. I watched carefully over the next few weeks until they each spun a cocoon. I put a mesh bag over each […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
HumBug: Late Bloomers and Frisky Dragonflies
The walk started off noticing my neighbor’s elm tree is infested with mourning cloak caterpillars. They’re going to town on one of the branches, stripping the leaves right down to the tough ribs. I didn’t tell him. It’s a big tree and I doubt loosing a few leaves is going to have much effect on […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
HumBug: Mr. Big Moth
Back when cameras used film, I noticed large sections of leaf chewed away on the madrone tree in my front yard. I found three large green caterpillars gnawing away at them. I watched carefully over the next few weeks until they each spun a cocoon. I put a mesh bag over each of them and […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
Oregon Butterflies and Wasps
One good thing about insects as a hobby is there are so many of them and they’re everywhere. The high desert environment of central Oregon is so different from our coastal rainforest that it gives opportunities to encounter entirely unfamiliar species. So, I took my cameras on a trip last week. It was easy to […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
HumBug: Giants
On a recent trip up to central Oregon, at a rest area along the Rogue River there were several giant California stoneflies (Pteronarcys californica). This is the largest species of stonefly in the world. Common along my stretch of the Van Duzen River, I recognized them immediately. They are totally harmless and their presence indicates […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
HumBug: Back to the River for Swallowtails and Sawflies
As the weather begrudgingly warms up, more bugs are emerging. Lately along the Van Duzen River, I’ve noted pale swallowtail (Papilio eurymedon) and Lorquin’s admiral (Limenitis lorquini) butterflies among others. You can find quite a few stonefly (order Plecoptera) exuvia, or cast off husks, near the water’s edge as naiads emerge, shed their last larval […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
HumBug: Oregon Butterflies and Wasps
One good thing about insects as a hobby is there are so many of them and they’re everywhere. The high desert environment of central Oregon is so different from our coastal rainforest it gives opportunities to encounter entirely unfamiliar species. So, I took my cameras on a trip last week. It was easy to add […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
HumBug: Aphid Cows and Ladybugs
I recently wrote about spittlebugs and how their larval form covers themselves with a bubblebath of processed plant sap for protection. At the end of their last larval stage (instar) they climb out of the slimy soup, shed their skin one last time and emerge as a stout looking version of their leafhopper cousins. As adults […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
HumBug: Strange Defense
The nymphal spittle bug is a wondrous creature. It sips plant juices and processes the waste into a bubbly foam with which it surrounds itself. If you’ve ever gotten the stuff on your hand you know it is sticky and gooey. I understand it is unpleasant tasting as well. (I’ve not done that experiment.) It […]