There are next to no flowers blooming now. Most adult insects have lived out their lives, their eggs and larvae sequestered in anticipation of winter. The showiest life is along the river. The large body of moving water moderates the temperatures and many species employ this time of reduced predator numbers to complete their lifecycles […]
mayflies
Posted inLife + Outdoors
HumBug: Caddisflies and Fishing Flies
When I was a boy, my dad introduced me to the joys and frustrations of trout fishing. In his opinion the best bait were what he called “periwinkles,” little bugs that cover themselves with twigs or stones and crawl around in creeks. Skip forward to 1981 and Gary LaFontaine, a noted writer, published a book […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
Out of the Water and into the Sky
Mayflies on the Van Duzen Getting a late start, I made my way down to the river after the sun had gone from the canyon. I noted many tiny flying insects 6 inches on either side of the water’s edge. A spotted sandpiper (Actitis macularius) strolled up the minute beach pecking here and there as […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
HumBug: Mayflies on the Van Duzen
Getting a late start, I made my way down to the river after the sun had gone from the canyon. I noted many tiny flying insects 6 inches on either side of the water’s edge. A spotted sandpiper (Actitis macularius) strolled up the minute beach pecking here and there as it went. The insects I […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
Spring Revival and Indoor Death
Spring at last After a few false starts it feels like spring is finally underway. Days ago, a walk in the woods with my dogs produced a tick. I’ve said before I do not like ticks but as a community service I try to give a heads up when I see them about. I also […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
HumBug: Autumnal Potpourri
As the days get shorter and the nights colder, many insect species have attained their adult phases. With one important exception, it is only in the adult phase that winged species get their fully developed wings and can reproduce. After spending a year or two as water breathing larvae, mayflies (order Ephemeroptera) make their way […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
HumBug: Critters in the Water
The river is low enough now to wade upstream for miles without getting in over my knees. You have to be careful because the rocks are slippery with algae. The annual blue-green algae warnings are in effect and it is suggested you keep pets from drinking the water. A small camp towel is handy to […]
Posted inNews
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 […]
Posted inNews
HumBug: Bugs in Winter
I got down to the river about 2:30 p.m. I was too late; the angle of the sun didn’t light up the ground anywhere. My little dragonflies were nowhere in evidence. In fact, without the sun on the ground I saw one fly and a tiny spider and a baby centipede under a rock. That […]
Posted inNews
HumBug: Flying Rods
The Van Duzen River provides me with endless things to see, photograph and ponder. In my excursions I have never once been disappointed. A while ago I watched a “hatch” of Mayflies (order Ephemeroptera) flying upstream against the gentle breeze following the river. There were hundreds in view and I could imagine how many there must […]