Monday, October 08, 2007

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.

Saturday, October 06, 2007

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.

Friday, October 05, 2007

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.

Thursday, October 04, 2007

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. ♥

Wednesday, October 03, 2007

Hermit Crabs

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

Tuesday, October 02, 2007

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? ;)

Monday, October 01, 2007

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*

Sunday, September 30, 2007

......And Finally

......GOODBYE SEPTEMBER!

HELLO OCTOBER!

Saturday, September 29, 2007

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.

Friday, September 28, 2007

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.

Thursday, September 27, 2007

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

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

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.

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

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!

Monday, September 24, 2007

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.

Saturday, September 22, 2007

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 )!

Friday, September 21, 2007

Another Monarch!


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

Thursday, September 20, 2007

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.

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

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.

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Place Holder

I'll find something to put to here.

Monday, September 17, 2007

Leopard Slug Mating

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

Sunday, September 16, 2007

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!

Thursday, September 13, 2007

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.

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

♥ 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♥

Monday, September 10, 2007

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

Sunday, September 09, 2007

Butterflies!



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

Saturday, September 08, 2007

♥Monarchs♥




I saw one of these today when I went out. It was amazing to see one where I live! More info here and god bless monarchs! εĭз

Friday, September 07, 2007

Incredible Spider Webs And Spiders

I can't believe this..... This is insane.......Can you believe that spiders did this? I've heard of this before but never in this quantity. Insane and I wanna go and see it. εĭз

http://texasento.net/Social_Spider.htm

Thursday, September 06, 2007

Adorable Caterpillar


I just found this adorable Tiger Moth caterpillar ( Halysidota sp. ) and I had to show it to you it's so cute. We get them here too and they're variable as well. This is one of the variations. Don't you just want to kiss and cuddle with it?

I love them. They're one of my favorite caterpillars. εĭз

Wednesday, September 05, 2007

My Photos Came

.....but they're crap. :( You can't see much and the ones that did turn out okay don't even give the insect any detail.......and the whole thing cost $38.00 and my mom practically wasted her money on photos that didn't even turn out decent......

Never again. I just hope that I get one of those cameras that aren't disposable because it turns out that they're only good for taking pics of people ( e.g. me ) and Canada Geese that are in the lake at a nature park we went to in 2006. I'll post the Geese ( maybe ) but right now I'm not to happy.

If only I have $38.00 that I could give my mom...... :(

Tuesday, September 04, 2007

Hooray!

I got my own Cbox! So now I can chat with ppl! YAY! Any way just thought I should let you know. εĭз

Monday, September 03, 2007

Interesting Spiders

I found some stuff on a very interesting spider that has the most unusual web I've ever seen! Here's some info and the link that I got it from.

Crytophora spiders build what appears to be a three-dimensional irregular web. At the bottom of the irregular structure is a dome-shaped platform that is actually a non-adhesive orb-web with an exceptionally fine mesh.

Unlike the webs of other Crytophora spiders, the web of this spider is free of debris.

The spider hides in a silken tube in the centre of the web. Egg-sacs are lodged inside this tube.

And here is the link that I got the info from:

http://habitatnews.nus.edu.sg/guidebooks/spiders/text/Cyrtophora_beccarii.htm

There you go! I hope you enjoy it. They have photos on the page of both the web and the spider.

Sunday, September 02, 2007

Can You Believe This?


You see this photo? You see how beautiful it is? I got it from bugguide and added it to my photo collection because it's so beautiful. Now the guy that took this shot posted it on bugguide some time ago and now I hear that he wants to frass it!

*Faints* I can't believe this. A beautiful picture of 3 Hackberry Emperors on a tree in the wild and he wants to chuck it in the trash. *Shakes head in disbelief* Well here it has a place where people can honor it for it's beauty where it WILL NOT BE THROWN AWAY and worshiped by people who like nature and photography and for those who just like it.

Disclaimer: I don't own this photo. I didn't take this photo with my camera because I don't have one. All credit for this photo goes to Kenneth Dwain Harrelson who apparently doesn't realize that frassing this photo is a BIG mistake.

Saturday, September 01, 2007

Boxwood Leaftier - Galasa nigrinodis


Boxwood Leaftier - Galasa nigrinodis

Identification: The forewings are dull red with light gray borders partway along the leading edge; antemedial ( AM ) line is whitish and zigzagged; medial ( M ) line is inconspicuous; cost wavy forming two shallow concavities where the AM and the M lines begin. The subterminal line is composed of several longitudinal black streaks on the front legs with conspicuous dark tufts of hair at the joints.

Range: Eastern North America ( W00T! )

Seasonal: Adults fly from June to September

Food: Larvæ feed on the leaves of the boxwood ( Buxus spp. ).

And this moth has one of the strangest poses I've ever seen I couldn't tell where the wings started or where they ended! It's in the photo. Tell me if you've seen anything like that before. Go to bugguide to see more photos of the moth. This is where I got the photo from.

I just had to show this to you.....amazing!

Friday, August 31, 2007

Bug Of The Month


Creosote Bush Katydid - Insara covilleae

Identification: Pronotum is "saddle-shaped". Green or dark green with prominent white markings on the fore wings.

Range: Southern Nevada, deserts of southern California, across southern Arizona to the southwestern corner of New Mexico.

Food: Feeds on Creosote, Larrea tridentata.

IMO, this is one of the most beautiful Katydids in the USA that I've seen or heard of. So I had to make it Bug Of The Month! :)

Thursday, August 30, 2007

Two Barred Flasher


This is a beautiful butterfly indeed. I love the colors on it. Photo and info can be found here. The butterfly pictured here is a male.

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

W00T!

I went out with some friends of mine and I had a blast! I saw 2 bumble bees and I have some facts on bugs for you ( I'll edit the post later ) from a book that I read when we went to the library including a wasp that I want to learn more about. :)

Peace for now!

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Datanoides sp.


These moths are weird. What's up with the front legs and what purpose do they serve? I couldn't find anything on them except images and a site page in Japanese with photos. If I could translate it may be there could be some answers in there to my questions?

I'll get back to you on that. The moth in the photo is D. fasciatus.

Monday, August 27, 2007

Satyr Comma - Polygonia satyrus

This is a new one for me! Info below and taken from enature. Bless them!

Most anglewings look rust-orange as they flash by; the Satyr is golden. Its broods are not so strikingly different from each other as are those of the Question Mark and the Comma. The Satyr roughly replaces the Comma as the common anglewing of the West; it is not entirely clear just how the 2 species relate in eastern Canada. The Satyr Anglewing is not to be confused with the satyrs of the family Satyridae; fanciful lepidopterists dubbed them both satyrs because they inhabit woodland glades. Other mythological rustic deities are commemorated in this group of anglewings, including Faunus, Zephyr, and Oreas, as well as the nymphs, for whom the family Nymphalidae is named.

description 1 3/4-2" (44-51 mm). Wing margins ragged. Bright tawny-golden above with black blotches. HW above lacks strong dark margin, having only band of golden spots narrowly lined with brown. Beneath, male bright yellow-tan marked with tiny dots and striations; female brown, slightly violet-tinged, darker on basal half. Silver comma mark in HW below clubbed or hooked.

Sunday, August 26, 2007

Yellow Peach Moth


Adult

The orange-yellow moths have a wing span of 2.5 cm and a number of conspicuous black spots on the wings and body.

Immature stages

The eggs are small and are laid on the developing fruit or near the growing point. The entire larval stage is passed in the plant tissue. After about 3 weeks in summer larvae are mature, 2.5 cm long, greyish-green and tinged pink. They pupate on the outside of the fruit in shelters of webbed frass.

Life history

The life cycle from egg to adult takes 6 weeks in summer.

Distribution

Throughout Queensland

Host range

Yellow peach moth infests a number of other crops including citrus, cocoa, coconut, maize, mango, papaya, peach, pomegranate, sapodilla, sorghum, cotton, custard apple, lychee, macadamia, rambutan and durian.

I love the colors on this one! I found a whole bunch of moth and butterfly photos on Flickr and I'm researching all of my favorites and including the photos that I've come across ( 99% on Flickr ). YAY Lots more learning and work to do for me! Wheeeee! n_n

Saturday, August 25, 2007

Happy 200!

It's my 200th post and thought I'd let you know about some very good news. On Tuesday I'll be going to the drugstore to get some of my photos from camp developed! And I have 2 cameras worth of photos! YAAAAAAAAAAAY!

Happy 200!

Friday, August 24, 2007

Yellow Striped Clearwing


I couldn't find any info on this butterfly but I think it's beautiful!

Thursday, August 23, 2007

Glasswing Butterfly


The following information on this butterfly is finally here after what seemed like hours of searching for it:
Oleria paula is commonly known as the Thick-rimmed Clearwing Butterfly or the Glasswing Butterfly. It is in the order Lepidoptera, family Nymphalidae. The species is identified by a thick band of dark brown around the outside of the wings, a strong white medial bar on the tip of the wing, and the clear areas in the middle of the wings. This insect is fairly common and ranges from Mexico to Panama. The Glasswing butterfly has a wingspan of 56-58mm. The larvae eat the leaves of plants which include deadly nightshades, oleanders, and dogbane. From these poisonous food plants, the Glasswing larvae collect toxic alkaloids, which make them unpleasant for predators to eat.

The Glasswing butterflies have evolved large clear patches on their wings which help camouflage them while they are flying from one flower to another or while they are perched on a plant. Predators that are looking for lunch may not recognize the Glasswing as a butterfly because their transparent wings break up their outline. Glasswing butterflies feed on nectar from aster flowers. This particular flower is important to their reproduction because male Glasswings obtain a chemical from these flowers that they use in producing their pheromones, chemical scents they use to attract mates.

Ecologists use the presence of the Glasswing butterfly as an indication of high quality habitat, and its demise alerts them of ecological change. Since the international trade for butterflies is growing, Glasswing specimens are often taken from the wild, and they are also cultivated for sale on butterfly ranches. Such activities as logging, coal mining, farming with agrochemicals, and increased ranching greatly threaten Glasswing populations. The Glasswing butterflies are often viewed as delicate gems among nature.

Source: http://entweb.clemson.edu/museum/webonly/exotic/ebfly1/ebfly11.htm

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Cicada Killer -Sphecius speciosus


Oh man! I finally found a decent amount of info on the life cycle of the Cicada Killer Wasp Sphecius speciosus. And of course it's via Bugguide. :) Not that I was looking for info I just stumbled upon it while browsing the wasp section of the site looking for an interesting looking wasps to write about on here.

Well any way here you go:

Life Cycle: In 2 or 3 days after the egg laying, a wasp larva will hatch from the egg. The larvae immediately begins eating the cicada. When the larva finishes the cicada, leaving only the outer shell ( about two weeks ), it will then spin a cocoon and hibernate until the following Spring.

In the Spring the larva will leave it's cocoon and become a pupa ( resting stage ). From the pupa an adult Cicada Killer will hatch. It will dig its way out of the ground and look for a mate. Male wasps die shortly after mating. Females die after they lay all of their eggs.

Food: Adults eat very little , nectar from flowers. Larvæ eat cicadas.

Monday, August 20, 2007

Termites Are Cockroaches

WTF?! I know I just found out about this today and it's so weird. All along I thought that termites were related to Bees, Wasps, and Ants ( Hymenoptera ) but recent research has prooved that they're a type of social cockroach! And here is the link proving it:

http://www.livescience.com/animals/070420_termites_cockroaches.html

There you go! I can't believe it myself but it's true and amazing! I'm definitely going to look into this alot deeper.

Sunday, August 19, 2007

Bugs 07-21-07

Morning:
1 snout moth

Afternoon:
1 small beetle
2 mating fire flies ( wish I had my camera )
1 katydid
2 cabbage whites
1 chafer beetle
1 long legged fly
1 green bottle fly
1 red spotted purple butterfly
1 deer fly
*1 spider with egg sac

Evening:
1 moth

* The spider was some sort of wolf spider or a fishing spider carrying her eggsac with her on the side of the pool. It was awesome to watch. I made sure that she was safe while she was going where she was going. Heh typical me. I can't stand to see insects or spiders suffer. :)

Saturday, August 18, 2007

Spined Micrathena - Micrathena gracilis


I love these spiders and I've seen this particular species alot at camp. They tend to vary in color and pattern but bugguide says different:

Identification:

Females are mostly white or pale yellow mottled with black or brown. They have ten spines on the chunky abdomen. Size 8-10 mm.

Males are flat with an elongated yellowish or white abdomen. They lack all but one or two of the abdominal spines and are smaller then females averaging to 4.5mm in size.

The one in this photo is a perfect example of that. They say nothing about the color of the cephalothorax or the legs. But any way at least you know what they look like. The ones that I've seen at camp were black and had black abdomens or white on the top.

They belong to the family Uloboridae :)

Friday, August 17, 2007

More Interesting Arachnids

Found out about these today. Awesome looking spiders indeed. These belong to the family Uloboridae. And here's a Wikipedia page about one of them: Uloborus plumipes.

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

Enjoy! I'll be looking for more info on these spiders as well as the Oplionidae. YAY! more research and learning for me! n_n

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

Opilionidae


W00T! I've just hit the jack pot today and here's why:

All along I've known that daddy long legs weren't spiders but they were arachnids. So for quite a while I was wondering what were they then? And today I've found my answer via Arachnoboards > Google > Flickr Photo & comment! Daddy long legs belong to the family Opilionidae Or "False Spiders and I went searching for pics on Google and I've found some of the weirdest looking ones I've ever seen.

I hope that I see some of the weird ones in person someday. I'm really glad I found out about these because the post about these don't stop here. I reckon that they'll last a good while as I go chasing info on different species ( mainly the weird looking ones ) of opilionids. I'm so happy! Wheeeeeeeee! n_n Expect another post!

The one in the photo is one of the bizarre looking ones.

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

सॉरी फॉर थे देले

सॉरी फॉर थे २ दय देले। थे इन्टरनेट वेंत दोवं फॉर २ देस फॉर सोमे उनक्नोवं रेअसों ऎंड ई गोट इत बैक येस्तेर्दय अत 8:00pm. ई'ल रे पोस्ट थे एन्त्रिएस फॉर थे देस ठाट वेरे मिस्सिंग सून बुत ई थौघ्त ई शौल्ड लेट यू क्नोव वहत हप्पेनेद ऎंड ठाट ई'म अल्रिघ्त। :)

Saturday, August 11, 2007

इन्सेच्त एंट्री इन हिंदी


ई देसिदेद तो राइट थिस एंट्री इन हिंदी इन्स्टाद ऑफ़ इंग्लिश। होप यू पीपुल व्हो कैन रीड इन हिंदी ऎन्जॉय थिस अलोत!

थे स्पिदेर शोवं बेलोव इस अ स्पेसिएस ऑफ़ थे गेनिउस Neosparassus sp. ओर थे हुन्त्स्मन स्पिदेर। थे स्पेसिएस शोवं अबोवे इस उनक्नोवं अप्परेंत्ल्य बेकाउसे थे सीते ठाट ई गोट थे पिक्चर फ्रॉम दिदं'त सय वहत स्पेसिएस इत वास।

Friday, August 10, 2007

Bugs In Hindi #2 बुग्स इन हिंदी पार्ट २

Stink Bug स्तिंक बग
Shield Bug शिएल्ड बग
Worm वोर्म
Mosquito मोस्कुइतो
Ground Beetle ग्रौंद बीतले
Snout Moth स्नौत मोठ
Grasshopper ग्रास्शोप्पेर
Cricket क्रिकेट
Katydid कत्य्दिद

More will be posted soon as I think of more in the mean time here are some names of arachnids in Hindi:
मोरे विल बे पोस्तेद सून अस ई थिंक ऑफ़ मोरे इन थे मैं टिम हियर अरे सोम नामेस ऑफ़ अरच्निड्स इन हिंदी:

Spider स्पिदेर
Scorpion स्कोर्पिओं
Tick टिक
Mite मिटे
Whip Scorpion व्हिप स्कोर्पिओं
Pseudo scorpion प्सयूदो स्कोर्पिओं

And some other ones:

ऎंड सोम ओथेर ओंस:
Snail स्नेल
Slug स्लुग
Insect इन्सेच्त
Millipede मिल्लिपेदे
Centipede सन्तिपेदे
Wood Louse वुड लौसे
Lice लिस

Well there you go for now. I think I covered them as far as typical insects go and not the different species of one type if you know what I mean.
वेल्ल तेरे यू गो फ़ॉर नोव। ई थिंक ई कोवेरेड थेम अस फार अस टिपिकल इन्सेक्ट्स गो ऎंड नॉट थे दिफ्फेरेंत स्पेसिएस ऑफ़ वन टाईप इफ यू क्नोव वहत ई मैं।

Thursday, August 09, 2007

Bugs In Hindi! बुग्स इन हिंदी!

Butterfly बुत्तेर्फ्ल्य
Moth मोठ
Caterpillar कातेर्पिल्लार
Ant अंत
Wasp वास्प
Bee बी
Termite तेर्मिते
Fly फ्लाई
Lace Wing लेस विंग

I'll post more soon in the mean time enjoy! I love this feature now that I found out how it works.

ई विल पोस्ट मोरे सून इन थे मैं टिम ऎन्जॉय! ई लोवे थिस फौतुरे नोव ठाट ई फौंद आउट हाउ इत वोर्क्स.

Wednesday, August 08, 2007

Mexican Two Tailed Spider - Tama mexicana

Just found out about this spider. The spinnerets are the largest of any spider I've ever seen mind you I haven't every species out there though. I Googled it when I found out about it via Arachnoboards ( I'm a member ) and then I went to post about here. There doesn't seem to be much on this spier but I'm glad to report that Bugguide has photos ( the one above ).

I like this spider! I'm going to see if there's anything else on it since Bugguide only lists the classification. Expect an update if I find anything! =)

Edit: Apparently I'm having a problem uploading pics since every time I try I get an error message. I'm contacting Blogger about it. I'll hope they can fix it soon.

Bugs 07-20-07

Morning:

3 Moths:

♥ Emerald Green
♥ A gray one
♥ A beige one

1 caddis fly
1 stone fly
1 snout moth
4 cabbage whites
2 snout moths

Afternoon:

1 katydid
1 leaf footed bug nymph
1 red spotted purple butterfly
1 shiny metallic ground beetle

Evening:

1 water strider ( at pool )

More coming soon!

Sunday, August 05, 2007

Bugs

I'm going to start listing all of the bugs I saw at camp soon. Hopefully all the pics that I have of then will turn out decent when I get them developed. Keep in mind I'm not a professional photographer. Wish I was but what wth? Can't have everything.

Hopefully some of the bugs that went home with me ( note I did not put them in there ) start coming out when all my clothes are taken out of my luggage.....=) They did last year!

Saturday, August 04, 2007

Home

I came home yesterday ( see here and here ) and I've got tons of bug photos to post once I get them developed. So hopefully that'll be done ASAP. In the mean time I'll post something on some insect or spider that I come across on the web.

In the mean time I wish all my readers well and feel free to comment and ask questions! Come on don't be shy! =)

Wednesday, July 18, 2007

Bye!

Just wanted to say my goodbyes! I'm leaving for camp tomorrow at 1:00pm. I'll be back in a month! So for now this is my last post and I can't wait to start posting about all the bugs I saw when I come home. In the mean time hang in there. You'll have something to look forward to reading when I get back.

And it's not all in 1 post either because the post will contain my diary entries from camp along with a list of all the bugs I saw and tons of photos of them including info once I found the name of some of them ( the ones I don't know what they are ). So you'll have something to look forward too. So good bye for now!

Love you! ♥♥♥♥

Brittanie

Monday, July 16, 2007

Bugs I Saw Today

These are all the bugs that I saw today when I went out:

4-5 butterflies
3-4 black bean aphids
1 fly
1 ant
1 green stink bug nymph

I got to bring the stink bug nymph home and I took some photos of it and then I let it go. Also this morning I found a mosquito in my room. I couldn't get to fast enough to get rid of it because she ( it was a female ) got away.

I had a nice day today. And Happy Birthday to my wonderful mommy! ♥

Elephant Mosquitoes, Crane Flies, & Look Alikes


BEWARE!.....OF SOME SHOCKING FACTS..........

Elephant Mosquito - Toxorhynchites rutilus

Size: Wingspan circa 12 mm, body length circa 7 mm. Pretty bug for a mosquito huh?

Identification: Very large for a mosquito ( Yes we already know that ). The body is covered with shiny metallic blue scales. The proboscis is prominent and it curves upwards.

Range: Southeastern United States.

Food: Adults feed on nectar?! They feed on nectar?! *laughs* Yes they feed on nectar. The females don't suck blood so they're harmless. So when you see one you don't have to be afraid....you can pick it up......it won't bite you because no other species of mosquito in the USA looks like the Elephant Mosquito in the picture above right?....

......WRONG! *Laughs evilly* There is another one and they're bad really! I'm not joking they're literally the spawn of the devil!.......

BEWARE!......OF THE SPAWN OF THE DEVIL..................

Warning: The following contains information about the spawn of the devil.
Read it at your own risk..... You have been officially warned by me......Do what you think is right before it's too late......>:)


The Mosquito From Hell: Psorophora ciliata

Size: The wingspan is variable. 6-6.5 mm

Identification: Adult: Very large mosquito ( duh! ).

Food: Adults: Males and females feed on nectar. Females are said to seek blood meals from large mammals. Females bloodfeed day and night and are able to bite through heavy clothing.....Eeek!

Just like the female horse and deer flies! Yikes! Told you!

Sources: Bugguide

And about the crane flies: They are your friends!

Crane Fly: Ctenophora apicata

Apparently there isn't alot of information on this crane fly on Bugguide. All it lists on it are the colors and the range. I'll keep looking for you so expect and update in this post if I find anything on them. Perhaps YouTube?

Oh and,

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOMMY! I ♥ U!

Sunday, July 15, 2007

Wasp Mimicking Crane Flies?!


That's right you heard me "Wasp Mimicking Crane Flies". Just found out about them. So I decided to tell the whole world about them. Or at least what I know so far. If you don't know what crane flies are then try picture an over sized mosquito ( yeah yeah, I know "your worst nightmare" ). But just bare with me please. You got the pic in your mind? That's sort of what they look like. Only thing is that they're completely harmless.

The adults don't even eat at all during their short lives! Only thing is that when I told you about imagining an over sized mosquito I forgot to tell you one thing.....They exist!.... I know your worst nightmare is a reality. And yes they live in NA. If I go on you might want to track me down and kill me so I'll stop with the mosquitoes and continue with the harmless pretty crane flies k?

Alright so the ugly wasp thing in the pic above as you might call it is one of the wasp mimicking crane flies. Remember they're harmless they can't do nothing to you. All they do is fly around all day looking for mates to create the next generation of crane flies of their particular species.

How On Earth Do You Tell a ♀ from a ♂?

Same way you do with mosquitoes and most moths, you look at the antennae and if the antennae have "branches" on the sides that you can see very clearly then it's a male if not then it's a female. Not that you would stick around to find out anyway :P

Oh and the crane fly in the pic is a Ctenophora apicata. And it's harmless! And tomorrow I'll post some more stuff on these including a "sneak preview" of one of the "Elephant Mosquitoes" I mentioned earlier in the post. In the mean time, Night!

Hope I didn't give you nightmares......

Saturday, July 14, 2007

Friday, July 13, 2007

Bugs I Saw Today

I went out today so I got to see some bugs:

1 lace wing larvae
1 fruit fly
1 small green stink bug nymph

Also I was in my room a few minutes ago and I believe I saw another small moth of some sort. YAY!

Thursday, July 12, 2007

A Night Time Visitor

At around 3:00am-4:00am I saw this HUGE moth flying around in my room and it landed on me crawling around on my chest still flapping it wings so you could hardly see them. I think it was some type of Geometrid moth. But that doesn't tell me anything since they're so many species of Geometrids in America alone.

Really glad I saw it though. :)

Wednesday, July 11, 2007

Dogwood Spittlebug - Clastoptera proteus


Unfortunately I could find any info on it via bugguide. I'll try some place else and see if I get lucky. These are one of the prettiest spittle bugs I've seen ( not in person ). And they're cute too.

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

Alder Spittlebug - Clastoptera obtusa

Alder Spittle bug - Clastoptera obtusa

Size: 3-5 mm

Food: Alder and other deciduous trees.

And there doesn't seem to be too much on bugguide on this one either. However I did find a decent amount of information on spittle bugs in general. The site does list the genus Clastoptera. Although I haven't read through it yet so untill I do just check out the entire page.

It's a very interesting read. I can tell just by glancing at it. :)

Spittle Bug Info Tell me what you think of it!

Monday, July 09, 2007

Blue Pansy - Junonia orithya wallacei

Blue Pansy - Junonia orithya wallacei

Common Name: Blue Pansy

Wingspan: About 4-5cm.

Range: Sri Lanka and India to south China and Taiwan, through Sundaland and the Malay Archipelago to Australia.

Habitat: Overgrown and grassy patches.

Food Plant: Hygrophilia.

Source: Chin's Butterfly Gallery

Sunday, July 08, 2007

Pics

Yellow brimstone butterflies. I love these!

Saturday, July 07, 2007

Banded Swallowtail - Papilio demolion demolion


Banded Swallowtail- Papilio demolion demolion

I love this butterfly because I think it's so pretty. One thing that I think is really interesting about this butterfly is the fact that it lays it's eggs on top of one another. So it looks like a beaded string. Here's the link I got the photo from. It also contains photos of the eggs.

This is the only Papilionid butterfly that I know of that lays its eggs like that.

Here you go

Thursday, July 05, 2007

Sumatran Sunbeam - Curetis saronis sumatrana


Sumatran Sunbeam - Curetis saronis sumatrana

Wingspan: About 3-3.75cm.

Range: Assam to Sundaland.

Habitat: Fringe of forests and mangrove swamps and river banks.

Food Plants: Millettia pinnata?

Other Remarks: This specimen is a male.

Source: Chin's Butterfly Gallery

Wednesday, July 04, 2007

Tuesday, July 03, 2007

甲蟲特蒐系列報導the king of beetles

I know that this is in Chinese but it's interesting to see all the different species of Stag beetles. Some of them I've never even seen.

Wish it had English subtitles though. Any way enjoy what you can from it. And if you know Chinese you are so lucky. n_n

And if you can translate some of it for me that would be greatly appreciated.

Monday, July 02, 2007

Bug Weightlifting: Strongest living species

One of the most incredible things I've seen! I feel sorry for the Stag Beetles and the Betsy bugs!

Sunday, July 01, 2007

YAY!

July is here and I'll be going to camp in 17 days! I'm so happy. As I said before I will get photos of all the bugs I see when I have my camera with me ( I'll make sure I'll have with me almost every where I go ). I also have some of my photos from last year that I want developed NOW! Any way just thought you should know.

In the mean time I'm working on the bug of the month. And it will be posted before I leave :P Any way hope you enjoy your evening. Peace out.

Saturday, June 30, 2007

National Geographic: Japanese Hornets / Bees

It's war between bees and wasp! Who will win? Watch and find out!

Comments appreciated!

Friday, June 29, 2007

Thursday, June 28, 2007

Danaidae

Links:

http://www.gwij20.chat.ru/Danaidae/danaidae.htm

Has pics of a bunch of species. 98% of the species listed I've never heard of before. I must go a hunting for info!

Wednesday, June 27, 2007

Forest Monarch - Danaus Formosa

Forest Monarch Danaus formosa

Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Undisturbed wasps

I thought that this was cute. I found it via VL. Hope you like it!

Monday, June 25, 2007

One Spotted Prepona - Archæoprepona demophon

One-Spotted Prepona Archaeoprepona demophon

The One Spotted Prepona is a butterfly found in Mexico, Central America, the West Indies, and the northern portion of South America.

Food Plants:

The butterfly larva generally feed on plants of the Genus Annona.

Source: Wikipedia

I'll see if I can find any more on this beautiful butterfly.

Saturday, June 23, 2007

Friday, June 22, 2007

Zombie Snails

Something I thought you should see. I read about this in one of my books. Now I know what it looks like. Tell me what you think.

Love the snails hate the parasites!

Thursday, June 21, 2007

Special Notice!

Special Notice!
____________

There will be insect and spider videos
posted on here from time to time as I
find more interesting ones. I'm very
happy about this since I think it will
give this blog something special and
more interesting.

I'm truly excited about this! Finally people
will get to see these insects and their relatives
in action while learning about their mysterious world
and realise that insects and their kin aren't all bad.

Also they're will be some funny ones on here too some with some language in them.
So don't say I didn't warn you about that one! Alrighty I think I'm done with this
announcement for today. I just thought you guys should know! n_n

One more thing before I go. Comments will be available to every one now that assholes
have stopped with their mean words. YAY isn't that great?! n_n

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

The Amazing Cataglyphis Ant

I found this on Youtube and it's amazing! Tell me what you think of it!

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Male Mason Wasp......

.....can sting! Eeek! I just found out about that today via one of the insect and spider forums I'm on! WOW! *Faints from shock*

Monday, June 18, 2007

Sunday, June 17, 2007

Eastern Tailed Blue Cupido comyntas


Numbers:

One of 2 species in this genus in North America. 2 subspecies listed. comyntas, texanus.

Size:

23-28 mm wingspan in United States 16-26 mm in Canada.

Range:

Throughout most of the United States and southern Canada; abundant in the east. Uncommon to rare over most of its Canadian range; common only in southern Ontario.

Identification:

Adult: Male's wings above are iridescent pale blue with brownish-gray along the outer margin. Forewings have a short oblique black bar near the middle. The hindwings have a row of submarginal black spots and a small orange spot at the base of each projecting tail. The female's wings are larger with longer tails, gray above on the body and wings with 2 or 3 small orange spots with black dots mear the margin of the hindwings. Wings of both sexes below have silvery gray with small dark spots and a few orange spots near the margin of the hindwings.

Larva: The body is hairy, variably dark pebbly green or various shades of brown with darker brown middorsal stripes, dark oblique stripes, and a white lateral line. The head is small and black.

Rest of the info can be found at: www.bugguide.net/node/view/464

Saturday, June 16, 2007

Cabbage White Pieris rapae


Cabbage White Pieris rapæ

Size:

Wingspan 30-50mm

Larvæ length to 35mm

Identification:

Adult: upperside of wings white or pale yellowish-white with black tip on forewing; upperside of the female forewing has 2 black spots and the male has 1. Both sexes have one black spot well out along the front margin on the upperside of the hindwing.

Larvæ: Green or bluish-green with a thin yellow dorsal line ( sometimes faint or absent ) and a lateral line composed of pairs of yellow spots. The anterior spot of each pair with a black central dot and the body is covered with short fine hairs.

Range:

Through out North America and many parts of the world.

Numbers:

Abundant in many parts of its range.

The rest of the info can be found at: www.bugguide.net/node/view/3259

Friday, June 15, 2007

God Bless Butterflies

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY! See here!

Thursday, June 14, 2007

Wednesday, June 13, 2007

Sharpshooters


Sharpshooter Oncometopia orbona

Why They're Called Sharpshooters:

Sharpshooters tap into the plants for food since the sap is mostly water they have to go through lots of it to get enough of the nutrients. The part they don't use is expelled, often with considerable force. I believe that the sap preassure is also a factor: if they didn't release some of the liquid they might burst!

- Chuck Entz

More info on them here:

www.bugguide.net/node/view/5256