Happy New Year!

Wishing everyone a Happy 2008!

Love you and hope every one enjoys themselves!

R.I.P

Well found out that another one of my hermies passed and I thought that I'd just tell you. I have 1 left now.......

Bluish Spring Moth - Lomographa semiclarata

Butterfly? Nope this is a moth! When I found this browsing the web I couldn't believe my eyes! Looks like Spring Azure butterfly! Definitely going to look into these more. They're in the family Geometridae so that's a start.

Tell me what you think of it! I love it!

EDIT: Found this:

Family:	Geometridae
Common Family:	Geometer moths
Food:	The larvae feed on alder, Juneberry, cherry, chokeberry, hawthorn, and poplar.
Emergance:	This is a day-flying moth and is sometimes mistaken for a butterfly.
Status:	Common

MERRY X-MAS!

MERRY X-MAS!!!!

R.I.P Again.....

Another one of precious hermies passed today.....I have 2 left now. And I'm worried about them.

My day was hectic because I wasn't feeling well and then to have all this other crap put on me doesn't help one bit.

OTOH,

Happy Holidays!!! And Happy New Year!!!

R.I.P :*(

One of hermies passed today and I went into an emotional rampage........ :( I don't feel very good right now. I don't think that there are any words to describe how I felt or feel at this very moment.

Black Locust Underwing

Info on the way!

Snail Eating Beetles

Just found out about these today and I'm going crazy looking up different species. I'll update this when I get more info.

Clara Satin Moth - Thalaina clara

Another beautiful moth. And not much info on it. They're found in Australia.

Alpine Black Swallowtail Papilio maackii

Beautiful butterfly. Unfortunately the only info I could find was in Japanese ( where I got the photo from ) and when I translated it online it came out as rubbish. You couldn't understand it. :(

If any ones knows any additional info please tell me and I'll put it here with credit to you. Thankies!

Black Widow Palpopleura lucia

Couldn't find any info on these unfortunately. Just a bunch of photos. The one shown here is a male.

Luehdorfia japonica

Another beautiful swallowtail butterfly.

*Cliky for info!*

Apparently the person who wrote this does speak good English. But at least it's understandable.

Enjoy!

Glyphodes sp.

Some of my favorite moths in the genius Glyphodes:



Glyphodes actorionalis



Glyphodes perspectalis

Spangled Swallowtail Papilio protenor

Larva

"Green, with a yellow collar and brown lichen-like markings. Feeds on Zanthoxylum alatum." (Mackinnon quoted in Bingham.)

Pupa

"Some pupae are coloured like rough bark, others are uniformly green." (Mackinnon quoted in Bingham.)

From Wikipedia here. More can be found at the site.

Amazing Crab Spider

ANT-LIKE CRAB SPIDER (Amyciaea lineatipes)
The abdomen imitates the head of the familiar "Kerengga" ant (Oecophylla smaragdina) with the two dark dots simulating the ant's eyes.

The cephalothorax is exaggeratedly arched, giving the impression that it is the abdomen of the ant.

The first two pairs of legs are often jerkily held up and down while the spider moves about in an advance-and-halt fashion.

It feeds on Kerengga ants at night. It remains stationary and waits in ambush for some unsuspecting ant to crawl by. On seeing an ant, it pounces on the ant. While holding the ant in its jaws and anchoring itself with a safety line of silk, it falls with the ant.

The silken safety line allows the spider to remain suspended in mid-air where the ant has no chance to mount a counter-attack. The ant soon ceases its futile struggle when the venom takes effect.

From this site. And photo from flickr.

Sericin Swallowtail Butterfly - Sericinus Montela

Info:

http://www.tolweb.org/Sericinus_montela/65396

Has 2 pics

And this is the name of it in Korean: 꼬리명주나비 And the info on it in Korean

Korean:

꼬리명주나비(Sericinus montela) 여름형 암컷 - Sericin Swallowtail Butterfly 꼬리명주나비 - Sericinus montela (Gray, 1852) - Sericin Swallow-tail Butterfly 나비목(Lepidoptera) 호랑나비과(Papilionidae)에 딸린 나비. 거의 앉지않고 팔랑팔랑 날아다니가만 하던 아름다운 나비. 주로 암컷이 10여마리 정도 눈에 띄었고, 수컷은 달랑 한마리 밖에 보지 못함. 수컷은 검은색이었는데, 절대 앉지 않는 바람에 촬영은 못했음. 대전시 유성구 갑천 상류 지역에 있는 둑방의 풀섶

I translated it and using a translator....does not make any sense so it's not worth posting. It's a pretty butterfly. I'll look for info in English. I had no idea that the info on the site would be in Korean sorry about that.

If you can translate it that would be greatly appreciated.

Deadly Spider Bite!

My love and fear of these things just increased...

Worlds Biggest spider

Ok. So that's a freaking huge spider but it's not the biggest in the world. I'll tell you that. :)

But I was shocked to see how big it was anyway! O_O

Apioscelis bulbosa

I absolutely love these grasshoppers! Yes this is a grasshopper. The photo posted is also featured in one of the books I'm reading and on this site which is in French and it shows pictures of other species of Apioscelis.

I think that they're adorable! Don't you?

Happy Thanksgiving!

Wishing you all a good one!

I love you guys!

Another Mystery Solved

See this? This is the beetle that I saw at camp this year that's be bugging me ever since I left. And I finally found out what kind of beetle it is via 2 sources blessed by God:

❀ The book I got for my birthday this year

❀ The internet/Bugguide.

And it's Colliuris Pensylvanica. Long-necked Ground beetle. :) And no they're not that big! They tiny! I will search for decent info on the life cycle and what ever else I can find and update this post.

Pear Slugs ♥

Just found out about these today and I love them! No they're not caterpillars they're the larvae of sawflies!

Pear Slugs! They're called that for obvious reasons :)

Written on the 18th due to the internet being down that day.

Found a Lady Bug

Yippee! I found a Harmonia ayxiridis Asian Lady bug outside on my balcony! He's in a little box with a see through lid. I don't think I'll be able to get any pics but I just thought I should let you know of my findings :)

Peace!

We need more of it in this world......

Ms Frankenstein's Spider Goat

This is true. I'm not making this up. I couldn't believe what I was hearing.....

False Ringlet Butterfly Coenonympha oedippus

A rare and very seriously threatened species. As is usually the case, habitat destruction is forever responsible for the decline of a rare species. I found it flying in an idyllic spot above Lake Como in 1997 in mid July. I revisited in the early season of 2003 when it was well out on mid summer's day, and probably had been flying for some weeks. I've heard reports that it is found further east on the southern slopes of the Alps, fairly widespread but always extremely local on limestone grasslands.

It flies low in the characteristic manner of the Coenonympha (Heaths) but is very plainly darker. It does not bask with wings open so I was very lucky to find this specimen flexing its wings in the shade of a tree trunk in extremely high temperatures. It can be seen to completely lack the more normal orange of the Coenonympha on the upperside. The bright underside eyespots are also diagnostic. Only the equally rare Coenonympha hero resembles this insect.

Photo and info from http://www.eurobutterflies.com/species_pages/oedippus.htm

Water Hyacinth Weevils & Moths

This is really interesting because last night I watching Nature and they were mentioning invasive species and other animals to control them. And they mentioned an insect that I've never heard of before The Hyacinth Weevil. They explained that these insects were needed to bring down the Water Hyacinth because they were so numerous.

This took place in Lake Victoria. The Water Hyacinth was taking up so much space and the people that live in that area couldn't get food because they were every where. But when the weevil was introduced the plants started decline until there were no more.

I was searching for info on the beetle and that's how I came across the Water Hyacinth Moth. I don't know if the life cycle is similar to that of the weevil but to think that the beetles emerge out of the water is amazing. I found a site that mentions both the moth and the weevil.

Clicky!

The picture above show 2 different species of Water Hyacinth weevils Neochetina eichhorniae and N. bruchi. Got them from the site provided.

Papilio homerus

Found out that this beauty is a threatened species. I found this on it as well as some other stuff that I will post soon. I'll see if I can find more pictures of this beauty.

Papilio xuthus - Asian Swallotail

Another beautiful Swallowtail that I came across today via Google and Wikipedia. There's not much on Wikipedia but it has some very decent info. Here you go!

White Monarchs & Orange Pupae?!

I wouldn't be posting this if it weren't true. I came across 2 pictures of White Monarch Butterflies! I know it's amazing and what's eve more amazing is the fact that the pupae of some Monarch butterflies come in the color Orange! I'm stunned with amazement and excitement.

There's a PDF that mentions the orange pupae and it also mentions the white monarchs too. It's featured on this site and it's the 1999 issue and it's on pages 50-53. I still can't believe it.

Bug Of The Month

I've decided to this one early. So any it's the Chinese Peacock Swallow Tail Papilio bianor It's a beautiful butterfly. I found a site with all kinds of tropical butterflies. Alot of Swallow tails that I've never even heard of. Of course they're 700 species of Papilionidae so I'm not going to know or see every single one.

But to find so many beautiful ones that I've never heard of or see is a jack pot to me. This beauty for some reason seems to fit the month though.

They also have a number of subspecies too according to Wikipedia. Linky!

I'll post more pics later. They're really pretty. There's also a Filipino Peacock and another one that I can't remember the name of but I'll definitely do something on those too. :)

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Bet you're wondering what happened to me. I've been really really busy lately and also I haven't been feeling to good. So that's why I haven't posted in a few days. So if you don't see any posts in a while it's due to the problems I've been having.

Wishing every one a Happy Halloween!

Bug Of The Month - Pseudomasaris edwardsii

A cute adorable wasp.

Range:

USA: WA, OR, ID, WY, CO, UT, NV, CA, and AZ.

Mexico: Baja California Norte

Food:

Adults may take nectar from various plants, but females provision their offspring with a mixture of Phacelia nectar and Phacelia pollen.

Info and photo from Bugguide. Enjoy!

Picturewing - Rhyothemis variegata

Another beautiful dragonfly. I originally was looking up R. fenestrina and came across this one. And this is what a few sites had to say on this species and any subspecies:

"It is a slow flier and hence less trickier to follow and take pictures! The variegations come in different combinations."

- Dave's Garden

"A beautiful dragonfly, looks like a butterfly. It is called 'Onathumbi' in Kerala India."

- Tarique Sani.net

And pictured here are 2 of the variations.

Dawn Dropwing - Trithemis aurora

Another beautiful dragonfly indeed. Especially the males. Got the photo and the following info from Chin's Nature Corner:

"Trithemis aurora: Is a beautiful dragonfly of medium size with a pink body and deep red veins."

- Chin's Nature Corner

The one pictured here is a male. And this is another reason why pink is one of my favorite colors. ♥

Disclaimer: The photo doesn't belong to me. I didn't take it. All credit goes to Chin's Nature Corner.

I ♥ Neurothemis sp.

They're so pretty! They're some of the prettiest dragonflies I've laid my eyes on. The one pictured is Neurothemis tullia and Wikipedia says:

"The Pied Paddy Skimmer ( Neurothemis tullia ) is a species of dragonfly found in South India. It is fairly common, with a black body and black and white wings with transparent tips."

- Wikipedia

Seriously I want to know more but there doesn't seem to be much on them. Another one that I like is Neurothemis ramburi which is similar to N. terminata. Another beautiful dragonfly. And luckily there's some decent info on N. fluctuans too which I'm happy about:

http://www.treknature.com/gallery/Asia/Singapore/photo134474.htm

Hee hee hee! n_n It has a nice picture of the male too. And then there's one more that I know about which I'm going to see if there's any info on them or pics and get back to you. In the mean time enjoy them.

Flannel Moth Caterpillars

...They're fuzzy.......they're cute......but what ever you do don't handle them! And this is why:

From Wikipedia:

Very dangerous. Seek medical advice immediately. The venom from the spines must be treated within hours of first contact.

And the rest can be seen here along with photos and additional info. I'm telling you do not want to mess with these things.

Also Bugguide has a nice page on 2 species in the genius Megalopyge. Go a hunting and learn even more about these little devils. >:)

Cutest Millipede EVER!!!!!

Octoglena anura is the cutest millipede ever! I ❤ it! I love seeing them EVERY WHERE during the summer. If I could I would keep them. Wish there was more info.

Shocking Pink Dragon Millipede - Desmoxytes purpurosea

I'm not joking on this one either. I found out about via Arachnoboards and I was posting in the Centipedes and Millipedes section and that's when I came across the topic about them containing the PDF and photos.

The PDF list other species in the genius Desmoxytes as well. So I'm going to look those up too in the mean time enjoy the PDF which has alot of info in it.

They Came!

*Jumps up and down like a boingy* My hermit crabs came today and I've got 4 and like the other ones that I had before these they have the same shell so that's the only thing I'm trying to work on in naming them.

What can I do to tell them apart without hurting them in any way? I was thinking of marking each shell with a different color mark with a permanent marker but I don't know if that would harm them in anyway and I don't want to risk it.

Any one have any suggestions?

Mopane Worm - Imbrasia belina

Well as I said I provide you with info.....IMO the whole eating of the poor innocent larvæ is a crime. Any way Wikipedia has alot to say. These are definitely not on bugguide because they're in Africa! ;)

The Edible Stink Bug - Encosternum delegorguei

Ladies and Gentlemen I present the edible stink bug Encosternum delegorguei! Don't believe me? Click here and see for yourselves! Now please excuse me while I go puke.

Next: The "Mopane Worm". Yes this is edible too and is featured on the same site as the edible stink bug. If you have an uneasy stomach I would highly suggest that you stay far away from this post in particular......

.....it's for your own good.

Poke Weed

Warning this post is completely off topic.......

Ok so I finally found out what my mystery plant is! It's poke weed and just as I had suspected it's poisonous......fatally poisonous.....I wasn't expecting it to kill you though. God bless Wikipeidia! I couldn't live without it really.

Although it isn't always reliable it is helpful most of the time. It's helped me answer alot of my questions about what ever mystery thing I've come across.

Mystery Hermit Crabs

Well I wasn't expecting this nor was my mom. We got hermit crabs the only thing is that they're freaking tiny and they're definitely not what we ordered either. And half of them are dead because I have no idea what to do with them.

Nor do I know what kind they are. Oh yeah and they're snails in there too! O_O WTH is going on with my beloved Carolina Science? I know that they sent these by mistake I was just looking forward to hermit crabs full grown decent sized know what to do with hermit crabs.

All I know about these is that the thrive in water....lots of water.

Hermit Crabs And Books

Today I got the 2 insect books my mom ordered at the beginning of this week and the hermit crabs are coming tomorrow. I forgot what my mom told about why they didn't come but any way it gave my mom time to fix up the tank.

And the new pebbles are sooooo pretty! I also have a water dish and a plastic tree and a rock that I had since 1998 when I had my first hermit crab. That rock means the world to me because it has so much history behind it. Plus all the hermit crabs that I've had over the years crawled on it, pooped on it, moved it around, and sat on it.

So practically they're memories written all over it. My mom washed it of course. And the names of the 2 books that I got are:

❀ Peterson's Field Guide to Eastern Butterflies
❀ Peterson's Field Guide to Insects

And I have 1 more left that my mom will get for me. ♥

Hermit Crabs

Tomorrow I'm getting my hermit crabs! YAY! I'll get pics ASAP.

Milkweed Tussock Moth - Euchaetes egle

Size: Wingspan 32-43 mm

Identification: Wings are usually unmarked and gray. The abdomen is yellow with black spots.

Range: Easter half of the US plus Quebec and Ontario.

Habitat: Fields and edges with host plant ( milkweed ).

Life Cycle: Larvæ feed on milkweed ( Asclepias sp. ). Adults are sometimes found on the host plant during the day. Females lay eggs in "rafts" and the caterpillars are gregarious during instars 1-3. They become solitary in later instars when marked with bright tufts.

May defoliate milkweed. But at least they're not pest right? ;)

Hermit Crabs

My mom ordered my hermit crabs and she told me that they're coming on Thursday! YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY! I'll pics! *Does her happy dance*

......And Finally

......GOODBYE ❀SEPTEMBER!❀

HELLO OCTOBER!

Snail Shells!

See here for more info. I'm telling you they're freaking huge. I'll try to get some pics with the Polaroid camera my mom has. I got them from Central Park. So this post was a brief interruption of what I really wanted to blog about. So they're 2 post for today.

Isn't that wonderful? I know. I'm extremely happy. Any way just wanted you to know. I also saw alot of bees and on huge Hover Fly of some sort along with a cricket and a cute spider.

Wild Olive Tortoise Beetle - Physonota alutacea

Linkies:

Bugguide Info

Info On The Species

The last link was recommended by Bugguide.

Bug Of The Month

Aaaaaaah one of my favorite beetles in the tribe Cassidini ( Tortoise Beetles ) and IMO are soooooo cute! I'm going to do more on these in the following days. They're adorable! The one shown here is the Mottled Tortoise Beetle ( Deloyala guttata ).

And now the info from Bugguide:

Size: About 5 mm.

ID:

Adult: Broadly oval shaped. The margins of the pronotum and eytra clear or golden. The elytra usually mottled black and yellow but variable. Some specimens being completely orangish-yellow.

Larva: Dull green, blush along the back covered with broad branching masses of *excrement.

* They do this to hide from potential predators. It makes them look like nothing of interest to any would be predators and who would want to eat something that doesn't look like anything you'd see everyday?

All the rest can be found on Bugguide including this photo and tons of other ones.

Disclaimer: I didn't take this photo and I'm in no way associated with it or the person who took it.

Really Cute Beetle Larvæ!

Just found these right now prior to posting the Bug Of The Month and I think that they're adorable! Don't you? I'll go a hunting for info on this species tomorrow. It's late and I should get to bed. The species is Physonota alutacea.

Last Updated On: September 28th

Anchor Stink Bug - Stiretrus anchorago

One of the most variable and beautiful stink bugs that live in the USA that I've seen. I really would like to see one in person someday. Bugguide has info on them here.

Similar Species:

Florida Predatory Stink Bug - Euthyrhynchus floridanus

This species is also featured on Bugguide. So go check it out.

Stink Bugs - Chlorochroa sp.

Both the nymphs and the adults of this species are beautifully marked IMO. See for yourself! I'm not going to lie to you. n_n All photos go to Bugguide and the people who shot the bugs. Hopefully one of these days I'll get a decent camera and get some decent photos up.

Someday.....I just hope it's soon. Any way enjoy yourselves! Learn something new!

Cabirus Procas - A Beautiful Butterfly

It's from Ecuador. Unfortunately there isn't any info on them or that many pics for that matter. There's only 1 and thankfully it's a good one as you can see. I'll keep looking for info though. I hope I get lucky. What I do know is that it's a Skipper butterfly.

Wheeeeee!

I went to the library today and I re-newed my Dragonflies of The World because I wasn't finished reading it yet and I also checked out another book on insects too. I got some names ( and I'll get more ) of some insects that I want to look up on the internet from the book.

So you'll be seeing post about these insects with info and photos of them soon ( I hope that they have decent photos and info on all of them )!

Another Monarch!

I went out today to the clinic and I saw another monarch! YAY! Thank you god!

Almost Done!

I'm almost done reading the book Dragonflies Of The World! I'll let you know when I'm done with it. I also got a bunch more favorite dragonflies and damselflies from it too! And this time I hope at least one of them has decent info on the internet.

Dark Fishfly - Nigronia sp.

I like the pattern on their wings and they live in the USA so I hope I see one someday! More info on Bugguide.

Place Holder

I'll find something to put to here.

Leopard Slug Mating

OMG! This is both weird and beautiful! Check it out.

My Favorite Damselflies - Neurobasis chinensis

Pics of the beautiful Neurobasis chinensis which is mentioned in Dragonflies Of The World. More Damselflies to come! Tell me what you think! And if you're wondering where the fore wings are they're there they're just see through.

Pretty damselflies!

Pretty Odonata

These 2 damselflies are the some of the prettiest I've seen. One is mentioned in Dragonflies Of The World ( I have it ) and the other one I found while web surfing different Odonata. But I think that they're beautiful. What do you think? Which is your favorite?

I also just found out that there's a a yellow spotted ladybug like beetle in the house and I hope I see it again. I think it's a Spotted Cucumber beetle but I'm not sure. It's about the size of my pinkie nail.

♥ 9-11 ♥

Wishing all the families who have lost a loved one some peace.......Wishing all those who lost their lives happiness in heaven while watching over their families.....God Bless all. ♥

♥Brittanie♥

Wish List

A little list that contains the insect books that I want:

♥ Dragonflies Of The World

♥ Garden Insects Of North America

♥ American Insects: A Handbook of the Insects of America North of Mexico

Butterflies!

Just some random pics of butterflies from my collection of insect and spider pics.