Friday, February 08, 2008

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.

Thursday, February 07, 2008

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.

Wednesday, February 06, 2008

Lawn Shrimp

Yes this is true. I find them awfully cute.

Clicky!

Monday, February 04, 2008

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!"

Sunday, February 03, 2008

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.

Saturday, February 02, 2008

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!

Friday, February 01, 2008

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.