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 […]
Beetles
Posted inLife + Outdoors
HumBug: A 10-year Mystery
About 10 years ago I found a round black beetle about the size of a large pea in my dog’s water bowl. I could tell right away it was a scarab. A closer inspection revealed it had an impressive horn on the tip of its nose. Although I wasn’t actively collecting, it was impressive, it […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
HumBug: Beetles and Gadgets
It was cool and windy when my friend and I went for a walk at the Humboldt Bay Wildlife Refuge area. Large flocks of geese attested to the success of conservation efforts over recent decades. Egrets, grebes, ducks of several species, mud hens and one of my all time favorite song birds, bi-colored blackbirds put […]
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 […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
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 […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
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
HumBug: Look What the Sun Brought Out
I for one have had enough rain to last me a while. Many insects don’t have very long to get down to the business of procreation and continually postponing it due to rain can be worse than deadly. In nature, insects only live for one purpose: reproduce, that’s it. So, now the weather has turned, […]
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HumBug: 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, crane flies and […]
Posted inNews
HumBug: An Inordinate Fondness for Beetles
The great geneticist and evolutionary biologist J.B.S. Haldane once said, “The creator, if he exists, has an inordinate fondness for stars and beetles.” It is believed there are more species of beetles than any other order of animals on the planet. They fill so many niches in the environment it is no surprise to happen […]
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HumBug: The Devil’s Coach Horse
It is a rare event that I go out looking for a particular species of insect and find it. Well, for once I succeeded. A week ago on one of those sunny-ish days I took a walk down the Van Duzen River and noted dozens of tiny flying insects. I chased a couple down and […]
Posted inNews
HumBug: Great Beginnings
A great way to start the New Year! Astronomically, meterologically and biologically, winter solstice marks the end/beginning of our annual cycle. My year is starting off most auspiciously. About 1 a.m. on December 21st I counted eight glow work rms in the little grove, a record for the year. The day started sunny and bright […]
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HumBug: Three Critters on the River
Since I started writing this blog, it has been my intention to be as current as possible so that anyone in the area might have the opportunity to see the critters I was talking about. On my recent trips down to the Van Duzen River, I’ve seen an increasing number and variety of “bugs” as […]