Thursday, July 31, 2008

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.

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

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!

Monday, July 28, 2008

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!

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

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.

Thursday, July 17, 2008

More Bugs

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

Saw these on the way to the clinic

Friday, July 04, 2008

Thursday, July 03, 2008

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.

Wednesday, July 02, 2008

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.

Tuesday, July 01, 2008

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.