....And I Rise....From The Dead....Once More....

Hello!

Ok I know you're wondering where I was for 2 months.......I was in really huge rough spot and I haven't been getting proper sleep for a very long time. I wanted to let you know that I'm still alive and I haven't forgotten about this blog of mine.

I just haven't been feeling well lately due to everything that's been keeping me busy for the past few months. I've just finished reading all of the recent messages on my Cbox thingy and to answer some of the Q's more "properly" here I go:

Lisa: http://insectsgalore.blogspot.com/2008/05/16-spotted-ladybug-halyzia-16-guttata.html

As for katydids look on bugguide for pictures and info on many species. It's a kind of cricket. They're also known as "bush crickets".

So! I'll get some more things up tomorrow. For now I just wanted to pop in and check on everything. Remember if you don't see on here for a period of time it usually means something's caught up with me and is keeping me busy.

But sooner or later I WILL let you know what's going on.

*Kisses*

European Paper Wasp - Polistes dominula

Saw one of these today at the pool......got to hold it more then once it was amazing. It was a male. I had to save the poor thing from drowning but it was always heading back for the water.

Apparently it liked the water. Also saw these:

♥ Cabbage White
♥ Dragonfly of some sort

Seeing all of them made my day. And I learned something too. No true yellow jacket has orange antennae. And this "yellow jacket" had orange antennae.

Never knew that! Thanks Bugguide!

Blue Admiral - Kaniska canace

One of my favorites.

In Japanese it's "ルリタテハ" - Ruritateha. There are other races of it too. The one in the photo is the Japanese race K. c. no-japonicum.

Wikipedia also has more pics and tons of info. This is for Raito.

Handsome Trig - Phyllopalpus pulchellus

Ironically this was in the latest issue of Ranger Rick and I had to find out more about them. So I Googled them.

Picture from Bugguide. And the info. Enjoy!

Japanese Emperor - Sasakia charonda

OMG!

There's so much on these but I think that this is one of the best sites I've found that has decent info on the butterfly ( no offense Wikipedia but you're not always reliable ).

Has pics too along with some kick ass close ups:

Click here you know you want too

God bless that site. Again this is for Raito. Also the photo is from the results from Googling the beauty. And it's funny how they call them the Japanese Emperor when it has the colors of our flag!

They should rename it! :P

This was posted on August 26 2008. Ignore the date on the post it's a fill in.

Thank you!

Beautiful Marbled Moth - Eublemma purpurina

This very attractive species was first noted in Britain when an individual was trapped at Portland in Dorset, in August 2004.

Subsequent investigation revealed that a number of individuals appeared around the south coast around this time, some predating the initial record, and in fact a hitherto misidentified specimen was unearthed from 2001.

The species has since occurred on a number of occasions, all in the south and south-east of England.

Occurring in mainland Europe, the larvae of this species feed on thistles (Cirsium), and inhabit open, dry grassland.

Picture and info from UK Moths.

Updates

So I bet you're wondering why I've been absent for 2 months? Well it's because I haven't been feeling well and I've been under alot of stress.

But I'm getting help so I'll be posting more now. As you can see I'm filling on all the days that I've missed for the 2 months. I don't if I'll be able to do the entire 2 months but I'll get a considerable amount done on both of them.

Just letting you know that I haven't forgotten about this blog ( I couldn't it's too important to me ) and that I'm still alive. :P

Peace!

Weird Bug - Aphelocheirus aestivalis

I found this on them and some photos. I'm going to look into these some more. I wonder if they're any in the US?

This bug just won my heart!

Bugs

I went to a doctors appointment and I saw these along the way:

♥ stink bug of some sort
♥ 2 yellow jacket wasps
♥ 1 moth

Made my day.

More Bugs

♥ Green Treehopper
♥ Tiger Swallowtail
♥ Woolly Bear Caterpillar ( Halysidota sp. )

Saw these on the way to the clinic

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For Now.

Glassy-winged Sharpshooter - Homalodisca vitripennis

Glassy-winged Sharpshooter - Homalodisca vitripennis

Synonyms and other taxonomic changes:

Homalodisca coagulata

Size:

11-14 mm.

Identification:

Flattened head and "glassy" wing patches.

Range:

Southern US, but introduced elsewhere, including California.

From Bugguide and the picture is from the Wikipedia article.

Yet Another Ant Entry

Solenopsis molesta The 'Thief' Ant:

Appearence:

S. molesta range anywhere from 1/32 (0.5 mm) of an inch to 1/8 (3 mm) of an inch long. They can be yellowish or brownish tones of color. These ants have a two-segmented petiole connecting their abdomen to the thorax.

They have 10 segments in their antennae, which end in large segmented clubs. Thief ants have small stingers on their oblong abdomen, and generally have small eyes. Worker ants have large jaws for carrying food back to the colony.

Distribution:

S. molesta are native to the United States. They can more commonly be found in the central states and the east coast.

Habitat:

The habitat of Solenopsis molesta is infinite, because they can survive just about anywhere. They can live in people’s homes, in the cracks or under the floorboards. They can build nests anywhere, such as under rocks, in any exposed soil, and rotting logs.

If they cannot find any of these things, then they move into another colony. Their nests are generally large for the ants’ size, and have tunnels that lead to another ant colony for a reliable and steady food source.

The rest can be found here. I don't know if there pictures of this species or not but I'll have looksie on Google.

Common Red Ant - Myrmica rubra

This is some of what Wikipedia has about them:

They are very common in Europe, and meadows and gardens. They live on a diet of honeydew excreted by aphids, and, being very aggressive like to eat many types of insect and other invertebrates. They will attack any creature that disturbs their nest, but are not as aggressive as the Red Imported Fire Ant.

They are polygynous, and can have up to one hundred queens per nest. They are also polydomous, with many nest sites per individual colony. These queens will have gathered together after their nuptial flight and will have formed a nest and laid their eggs in it. The queens can live up to fifteen years.

Nuptial flights take place normally in late July to mid- August in Europe. Hundreds of young queens and males take to the air to mate together. Afterwards, the males die and the queens shed their wings to make a new colony. No nuptial flights have been witnessed yet from this species where it is living in North America.

The picture is also from the entry which can be found here.

Jackpot!

Saw all of these in one whole day! Yippee! ^_^

♥ 1 Scarab Beetle Larvae
♥ 10,000 ants and their larvae
♥ 1 plume moth
♥ 1 cabbage white butterfly
♥ 1 firefly
♥ 1 ladybug ( in my house )

Please note that I have no idea how many ants I saw. It just looked there were 10,000.

Cream-bordered Green Pea - Earias clorana

Cream-bordered Green Pea - Earias clorana

Wingspan 16-20 mm.

A small but distinctive species, only likely to be confused with the micro Tortrix viridana, which however rests with a much 'flatter' aspect.

It is scattered locally throughout south-eastern England, with occasional records elsewhere, and inhabits fens, marshes and damp woodland.

Flying mainly in May and June, sometimes there is a second generation in August.

The larvae feed on various willows (Salix), including osier (S. viminalis).

- UK Moths

16-Spotted Ladybug Halyzia 16-guttata

These sort of look like the Cream Spotted Ladybug.

Info:

Latin name: Halyzia 16-guttata

Size: Approximately 5.5mms

Distribution: Found in many parts of the U.K. Increasing in numbers, especially in England.

Months seen: April to October

Food: Mildew

Habitat: Woodland. Frequently found around sycamore trees

Special features: Bright yellow or orange in colour, with a translucent border to the wing casings and pronotum (bit between the head and wing casings). Usually features 16 creamy-white coloured spots, but there can be as few as 14 spots. It has an orange head, and legs, and the eyes are black.

The info and pictures can be found here. Just do a search on them there and you'll find them.

A Little Visitor

Found a silverfish in my bathroom today.

Beautiful Day

Today was beautiful out! I went to the park and came across these jack pots

❤ 3 Cabbage Whites
❤ Tons of winged ants ( Mating season! )
❤ 2 winged Queen Ants
❤ 1 velvet mite
❤ 1 striped jumping spider ( it was black and white and I got to hold it )
❤ 1 hover fly
❤ 1 honey bee
❤ Tons of Robins
❤ 2 Canada Geese and their 2 chicks

The last one really hit me because it was so beautiful to see new life walking around me. I almost cried. Nature is beautiful.

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I'll put something here soon.

Bug Of The Month - Common Wanderer Pareronia valeria

I know the name of the butterfly makes you think of the Monarch because it has the same name ( or almost ) as this one. The only difference is this! Photo from Wikipedia obviously. ;)

But what a read huh? And this one including other species in the genius Pareronia are on my favorite butterflies list now. W00T

Peace Out!

OT: A Little Note

Just wanted to let you guys know that I'm still alive. I'm on a roller coaster atm and that's why I haven't updated this ( or my other 2 blogs on here ) in a good while, because all this crap I've been through has been keeping me busy.

I'm working on filling in missing dates in April and maybe I'll do March as well because there's not that many post for that month.

I hope that all of you are well. I will try and update ASAP.

Peace Out!

Bug Of The Month - Turquoise Emperor Doxocopa laurentia

I couldn't find anything on these except for pictures. I love the Emperor butterflies though. The one shown is a male.

If you have any info on these please tell me! Thanks!

OMG! Butterflies!

Well I went to the park again and.....OMG! Just read below:

* Eastern Tailed Blue Butterfly ( Saw almost as soon as I walked out of my house )

At the Park:

*1 White Egret! ( Never in my whole life have I seen one in person and got so close to it I could see the greenish feathers around it's eyes! Also saw it catch some fish! )

3 Koi Fish

Numerous Cabbage White Butterflies

Numerous Turtles

* A Mallard ( Male )

Nearly cried tears of joy when I saw these. The ones marked with the little stars are the "jackpots".

Happy Birthday Selena!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SELENA!

I went to the park today and I saw all of these:

♥ 4 Canada geese
♥ 5-6 cabbage whites ( first of the season! )
♥ 40-50 bees around a flowering tree ( honey bees, black carpenter bees, and American bumble bees )
♥ 2 red ants
♥ 1 Earthworm
♥ 2 garden centipedes
♥ Numerous turtles at the lake
♥ Numerous Robins ( never seen so many! )


I almost cried when I saw the butterflies and all the flowers. I had a feeling I would see some.

R.I.P 1971 - 1995

Argentine Ants - Living Devils......Seriously

These things are monsters.

"Carnivorous Argentine ants that have invaded coastal California devour other insects. When that food's gone, the ants become vegetarians.

The amazingly adaptive behavior, detailed in what is the first study of this ant's diet, has allowed the invaders to spread successfully and rapidly."

And the rest of this intriguing article can be found in the depths of Hell.

Velvet worm attack beatle - Onicoforo vs luciernaga

I know it's in Spanish but this how they attack their pray. Awesome! I love these even more now.

Thanks to a friend of mine on AB for sending me this.

First Bugs Of The Season!

I went out today and it was very nice out. I went looking for insects. I didn't think that I would find anything but when I flipped over one of the rocks surrounding this mini garden thing in the field outside my house.......

.....I found my shinies! ^.^ Made my day sort of. I know I haven't been on here in ages but I'm back so whoever missed me can just hug the crap out of me when they see this post! ^.^

1 Earthworm
1 black fly ( Yesterday )
5-6 pill bugs ( so cute! ^.^ )

So that's what I saw today along with the trees starting to bloom. I love Spring!

April Fools!

APRIL FOOLS!

Indian Fritillary Argynus hyberbius ( continued )

I found some nice info on this beautiful butterfly on Wikipedia and here's the link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argynus_hyberbius

They also have some photos of them too.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Wishing you all a Happy St. Patrick's Day! Hope you all are well. In Hindi: विशिंग यू अल अ हैप्पी सैंट पत्रिच्क्स डे! होप यू अल अरे वेल्ल। In Kannada: ವಿಶಿಂಗ್ ಯೌ ಆಲ್ ಅ ಹ್ಯಾಪಿ ಸೈಂಟ್ ಪತ್ರಿಕ್ಕ್ಸ್ ಡೇ! ಹೋಪ್ ಯೌ ಆಲ್ ಅರೆ ವೆಲ್. In Malayalam: വിഷിന്ഗ് യു ഓള് എ ഹാപ്പി സൈന്ട്ട് പതൃക്ക്സ് ഡേ! ഹോപേ യു ഓള് ആരെ വെല്. In Tamil: விஷிங் யு ஆல் ஏ ஹப்பி செயிண்ட் பற்றிக்க்ஸ் டே! ஹோபே யு ஆல் ஆர் வெள். In Telugu: విశింగ్ యు ఆల్ అ హ్యాపీ సెయింట్ పత్రిక్స్ డే! హోపే యు అరె ఆల్ వెల్.

Bug Of The Month: Blue Tiger Tirumala Halmata

Description
A large butterfly with a wingspan of 75-95 mm. Sexes are similar. At rest, the male can be distinguished from the female by the bell-shaped elevated scent patche located between the first and second veins of the hind wing. The upper side of both wings is black with pale blue markings. These markings are broad streaks at the base of the wings but become smaller and more circular towards the outer margins. The ground color of the under side is a beautiful olivaceous brown. The markings below are similar to those on the upper side.

Beautiful right? I think so. Info from here.

Blue Pansy Junonia atlites

Description
Wingspan of 55-65 mm. A medium sized light gray butterfly with darker coloured wing margins. The sexes are similar. The upperside is marked with a row of post-median ocelli on both wings. There is a series of short wavy bands hanging off the costal margin of the forewing. The underside ground color is much paler, and the hind wing has an oblique line running across the wing. The markings and the intensity of colour on the undersides of this butterfly are quite variable; the dry season forms showing the lightest colour and fewest markings.

Habits
Its behavior is very similar to that of the other pansies except in egg laying. It will often lay eggs on plants above the waterline in rice fields or open water bodies. The larvae are capable of surviving a rise in water levels by moving to high ground or other host plants nearby with relative ease. Like the other pansies, it joins migratory flights.

Info and photo from here. These are also known as "Buckeyes". Never knew there were so many!

Insects Are Kicking Ass!

And I'm afraid that's our asses being kicked.

Go See!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MEEEEEE!

Yes that's right I've turned 16 and time goes by way too fast. But I'm happy to say that everything went well today. Exceptionally well I must say. And I thank God for that.

You'll be hearing from me again shortly.

Peace!

Bug Of The Month

Yeah I know it's not very colorful but the nymphs of this bug Alydus eurinus look like ants and I'm guessing that has something to do with actual ants. Maybe sneaking into their nests and stealing their food or something. ;)

Any way this is what Bugguide has to say about it ( the photo is also from there ):

Numbers:

One of six species in North America

Size:

11 to 15mm

Range:

Widespread over North America ( That's good because I'll keep an eye out for them during the summer )

Season:

Late Spring to Fall May-frost ( North Carolina )

Food:

Takes plant juices but sometimes on carrion.

The rest can be found here along with this photo and a bunch of others. No copyright infringement intended.

Indian Fritillary

---

Description
A medium sized dark orange butterfly with a wingspan of 60-80 mm. The upper side of both sexes are a dark brownish orange with a large number of black spots. Both sexes have a submarginal band of spots on the hind wing. In the female, the apex is almost back and has a white subapical band. The black area of the apex often carries a bluish sheen, and in some specimens there is a pinkish wash towards the base of the wings. The underside has white, black and olive green markings. This species frequently shows up aberrations.

Similar species
The male resembles the Common Leopard, but is much larger. The female resembles the Plain Tiger.

Status, distribution and habitat
A high elevation species that occurs above 3000 feet. It is not uncommon along the edges of tea fields bordering forests that support its larval food plant violet. It is most abundant in April.

Habits
The male is more abundant than the female and may be seen day after day in the same location. It often settles on gravel roads through tea estates or forests. Its flight is very similar to that of the Common Leopard. However, unlike like the Common Leopard, it does not incessantly move its wings when settled. The female flies slower than the male and mimics the Plain Tiger. It is common to see it fly in and out of tea bushes in neglected weedy plantations in search of violets, its larval food plant. This is a hill topping species and may be seen in fair numbers on top of hills.

Early stages
The eggs are laid singly on the leaves of violet, which is its only known larval food plant in the island.

The one shown here is a male.

Lawn Shrimp

Yes this is true. I find them awfully cute.

Clicky!

Centipede Joke

I nearly fell off my seat when I finished reading this.

A man goes into a pet shop and tells the owner that he wants to buy a
pet that can do everything. The shop owner suggests a faithful dog.
The man replies, "Come on, a dog?"
The owner says, "How about a cat?"
The man replies, "No way! A cat certainly can't do everything. I
want a pet that can do everything!"
The shop owner thinks for a minute, then says, "I've got it! A
centipede!"
The man says, "A centipede? I can't imagine a centipede doing
everything, but okay, I'll try a centipede."
He gets the centipede home and says to the centipede, "Clean the
kitchen."
Thirty minutes later, he walks into the kitchen and it's
immaculate! All the dishes and silverware have been washed, dried,
and put away; the countertops cleaned; the appliances sparkling; the
floor waxed. He's absolutely amazed.
He says to the centipede, "Go clean the living room."
Twenty minutes later, he walks into the living room. The carpet
has been vacuumed; the furniture cleaned and dusted; the pillows on
the sofa plumped; plants watered. The man thinks to himself, "This is
the most amazing thing I've ever seen. This really is a pet that can
do everything!"
Next he says to the centipede, "Run down to the corner and get me
a newspaper."
The centipede walks out the door. 10 minutes later...no
centipede. 20 minutes later... no centipede. 30 minutes later...no
centipede. By this point the man is wondering what's going on. So he
goes to the front door, opens it... and there's the centipede sitting
right outside the door.
The man says, "Hey! I sent you down to the corner store 45
minutes ago to get me a newspaper. What's the matter?"
The centipede says, "I'm going, I'm going, I'm just putting on my
shoes!"

Bug Facts Series #2

Yet more facts! This is something I didn't know about ladybugs ( see bold ).

The Lady Bug (Beetle) was introduced to the
United States by the U. S. Department of Agriculture
as a biological control agent. The tree-dwelling
insect can live up to three years. They are a predator
of aphids and other pests. They do not bite, sting, carry
human disease or feed on wood, clothing or food.

A male emperor moth can smell a female emperor moth
up to 7 miles away!

Some caterpillars and moths avoid being eaten because
they resemble bird droppings.

A Joke

This was found browsing the older messages on the Yahoo! Group Bug Facts:

Two roaches were munching on garbage in an alley. "I
was in that new restaurant across the street," said one.
"It's so clean! The kitchen is spotless, the floors are
gleaming white. It's so sanitary the whole place shines."
"Please," said the other roach, frowning. "Not while I'm eating!"

LOL!

Bug Facts Series #1

IN THE NEWS
The following article was found at www.spacedaily. com

SUPER SPACE ROACHES!
Cockroaches conceived in space onboard the Russian Foton-M bio
satellite have developed faster and become hardier
than 'terrestrial' ones, a research supervisor said on Thursday. The
research team has been monitoring the cockroaches since they were
born in October. The scientists established that their limbs and
bodies grew faster.

"What is more, we have found out that the creatures... run faster
than ordinary cockroaches, and are much more energetic and
resilient," Dmitry Atyakshin said.

Cockroaches, as well as other types of insects, can give birth
several times after one impregnation, and the cockroaches that
conceived during the bio-satellite' s September 14-26 flight have
since given birth to their second and third batches of offspring.
"The second and third batches did not show these peculiarities of
growth and physiology," the scientist noted.

'Ordinary' cockroaches are already known for their extraordinary
resilience. Some species can last almost an hour without oxygen or a
month without food, and are able to withstand high doses of
radiation.

The September 14-26, 2007 flight was part of an ongoing experiment
into the effects of space flight by the Institute of Biomedical
Problems (IBMP). The creatures were sealed in special containers,
and a video camera filmed them during the flight.

Spoon - Winged Lace Wing - Chasmoptera hutti

I seriously love these. I just found out about them today and I'm going to go crazy looking for more info and hopefully more photos. This is all I could find atm:

Chasmoptera, with seven species, is confined to south-western Australia. Other genera of spoon-winged lacewings occur in Africa, southern Europe and South America. The common name (spoon-wings) alludes to the stalked hindwings with subapical expansions.

One species is still found in bushlands around Perth during November and December. Little is known about the behaviour and life-history of these odd insects. The hind wings of the species pictured measure up to 40 mm in length.

Bug Of The Month Figure Of Eighty - Tethea ocularis

Wingspan 32-38 mm.

This attractive moth adopts a cylindrical posture when at rest, with the wings curled tightly around the body. The white '80' mark on the forewing, from which the moth gets its name, varies in shape and intensity.

Fresh specimens often have a violet or purplish tinge to the brownish ground-colour.

It can be found in woodland, parks and gardens, from Yorkshire southwards, and the larvae feed on poplar (Populus).

It is single-brooded, flying from May to July.

Info from here.

Bug Facts Series

All of the following is from one of the Yahoo! Groups that I'm a member of about insects and spiders. Well one thing you should know before reading the first set of fact is this:

Warning: The following will contain facts that might not be so easy on your stomach. So if you have an uneasy stomach, STAY AWAY FROM THESE POST.

Thank you and have a good day

*Claps hands*

Now on to business!

1. Sex among African bat bugs is a violent affair. During copulation,
males of the species pierce the abdomens of their mates with their
genitals and ejaculate directly into their blood. (OUCH!)

It's true! Look it up if you have to!

2. The Asian Cyprian honeybee kills its nemesis, the Oriental hornet, by smothering with other honeybees as a mob, causing the hornet to asphyxiate.

I shall look these up further.

Bug Property Laws:

If you own a rat take responsibility. Follow the laws.

RAT PROPERTY LAWS:

1. If I like it, it's mine.
2. If I've peed on it, it's mine.
3. If I can take it from you, it's mine.
4. If I had it a little while ago, it's mine.
5. If you've got something larger, it's mine.
6. If I'm chewing something up, all the pieces are mine.
7. If it's in my reach, it's mine.
8. If I saw it first, it's mine.
9. If you are playing with something and you put it down, it
automatically becomes mine.
10. If it's broken or it tastes bad, it's yours.

More coming! Enjoy! Bug Of The Month coming shortly.

Giant Cockroach

I was just discussing cockroaches on AB and came across this along with the picture posted above. It's incredible! Looks more like a beetle though.

Amazing all the same.

Green Burrowing Bee - Ctenocolletes smaragdinus

This glorious metallic green species is much larger than a honeybee. It is one of 12 species of its genus and, like most of them, is confined to W.A. It is found in heathlands of the southern wheatbelt and southern goldfields and flies during the spring flowering season. It nests solitarily and its nest entrances are very inconspicuous.

I love the color on these!

Rosalia alpina

This is a beautiful Long Horned Beetle. Photo from here. And here are links to more info about them:

From Wikipedia

www.cerambyx.uochb.cz/rosalia.htm

There is also another species R. batesi. I'll go looking for info on that one tomorrow.

Notice

I've been through alot lately which is why I haven't posted in a good while. I just wanted to let my readers ( if any one actually reads this ) that I'm okay. Emotionally I'm not, and the past few days have been absolute hell.

I haven't forgotten about this blog and I'm going to start filling in the "missing posts". This is one of them. :)

Lots of L♥ve!

Spanish Moon Moth - Graellsia isabellae

Isn't that gorgeous?! I went hunting for moths and I came across this along with decent info here and WOW! *Drools on keyboard*

Beetle

Found this really small brownish reddish beetle crawling on me in my room and I have no idea what kind it was nor do I have any clue as to where it came from.

On another note since we're talking about beetles I'd thought I'd mention that I found the following on Bugguide:



Golden Net-winged Beetle - Dictyopterus aurora

Other Common Names: Red Net-winged Beetle

Explanation Of Names: Specific name aurora refers to the Roman Goddess of the Dawn, no doubt referring to the color of the beetle.

Size: 6-11 mm

Identification: Small bright red/orange beetle with pleated elytra and prominent pronotum. Active in early spring in woodlands.

Range: Much of North America, also Europe.

Habitat: Woodlands with decaying logs.

The rest including this and additional photos can be found here. No copyright infringement intended.

Banana Stalk Fly - Telostylinus lineolatus

Couldn't find much on these but I think that they're cute!

Tersa Sphinx Moth - Xylophanes tersa tersa

I love these! See this for info and photos. I'm going to go and check out the site some more.