Hitching a Ride Hoping to attract one of the huge and impressive Ceanothus or Polyphemus moths that live hereabouts, I’ve been running a light trap when it isn’t raining too hard — so far without luck. You never really know what might show up and last night was no exception. Among the expected looper moths, […]
HumBug
An exploration of invertebrates and nature photography
Posted inLife + Outdoors
HumBug: Mystery Markings
I can’t say how long it’s been since I first noticed many of the honeybees in my backyard appeared to have been marked. Their thoraxes looked white and dusty on top. At first I thought they might have been branded by the owner of their hive. A tiny brush near the entrance to the hive […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
Shoo, Fly
Willows on the River It was sunny when I went to get my hiking boots but by the time I got dressed and out the door, it was 49 degrees and drizzling. I went anyway. The path down to the river was dark, the only sounds were the gentle pok, pok of water dripping from […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
Rained Out and Lit Up
No Bugs Today Last week, for the first time in several hundred excursions along the Van Duzen River spanning over 20 years, I saw no bugs. Only the sad remnants of a few abandoned spider webs and a bit of residual leaf damage testified to their existence. Despite a lifetime of experience at picking out […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
Epic Battles
Man vs. Fruit Fly Confined to my house for some weeks by illness, I missed my usual walks along the Van Duzen River. Fortunately for me, there is seldom a shortage of insects wherever I go. While I was more or less bedridden, an inordinate number of tiny flying bugs invaded my home. Although I had no […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
HumBug
Black Widows I spend a lot of my outdoor time looking for and at bugs. Especially ones that are dramatic looking or interesting to photograph, so when I noted a medium-sized spider on the front of the Carlotta post office last month (“Black Widows Found at Carlotta Post Office,” Sept. 30), I got closer, tilted […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
Black Light Party
Like Moths to a Black Light Last week I set up a light trap in my backyard with only limited success. Then I tried it with black compact fluorescent lights rather than Coleman lanterns. The old gas lanterns give off a great deal of heat and frequencies in the lower end of the spectrum but […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
Horny Buggers
Three Critters on a River Anyone who has spent much time poking around streams and rivers has encountered the wondrous “Whirligig Beetle.” Shiny black ovals a bit more than a quarter of an inch long, they are a most remarkable animal. Easily seen as they pirouette wildly, skimming along the surface of ponds and slow […]
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Eaten Alive
Scary Scenarios If you like the Alien movies, you’ll love the solitary wasp. Take one of my favorites, Eumenes, the potter wasp. She flies up and down tiny branches, diligently seeking small caterpillars. When she finds one, she darts down, grabs it and paralyzes it with a sting. Once it’s immobilized, she takes it to […]
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Hello, Handsome
Love Songs Walking through the woods near the Van Duzen River, something caught my eye low in the weeds along side the trail. On close inspection, I was surprised to see a cicada. I usually associate them with warm weather later in the year. It was pretty subdued so I was able to take plenty […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
Signs of Spring
Dandelions In a recent exchange on an entomological Facebook page, someone urged me not to destroy the dandelions in my yard. I was told they are one of the first and most persistent sources of pollen and nectar for early emerging insects. The idea that the scourge of the lawnmower set could be so important […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
Lace & Fuzz
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 […]