Bronx Zoo Butterflies - Cloudless Sulphur Phoebis sennae

First off sorry. I'm gonna have to be lazy on this one and just give you the links to info for now as I'm very tired and can't think straight.

This little series of mine is going to go into the first 6 days of September!

Linkies:

Wikipedia
Bugguide

I will most likely edit this later don't know we'll see.

Bronx Zoo Butterflies - Giant Swallowtail Papilio cresphontes

Haven't had much experience with these except at the Bronx Zoo. It was wonderful.

The Giant Swallowtail Butterfly (Papilio cresphontes) is a swallowtail butterfly common in various parts of North America, particularly the south and east. With a wingspan of about 10–16 cm (3.9–6.3 in), it is the largest butterfly in Canada and the United States.

P. cresphontes is mostly seen in deciduous forest and citrus orchards where they are considered major pest. They fly between May and August where there are 2 broods in the North and 3 in the south. They can range from southern California, Arizona as deep south as Mexico north into southeastern Canada. Their main habitat is the mountain ranges of Jamaica.

As usual info from Wikipedia. Go do extra research please. Seriously Wikipedia tells lies sometimes and I don't want to have a "bad reputation" thanks. :P

I'm tired so that's why I didn't rant like I usually do. ^___^

Bronx Zoo Butterflies - Black Swallowtail Papilio polyxenes

I don't think I've seen these other then at the Bronx Zoo Butterfly Exhibit ( BZBE for future references ). I might've seen one at camp a million years ago with what I thought for certain was a Spicebush Swallowtail ( Papilio troilus ) but now I know better.

That butterfly was a Pipevine Swallowtail ( Battus philenor ). However since I'm feeling kind of weird right now I'm going to wrap this one up. Sorry no rant today. ^.^ Next time.

Bugguide and Wikipedia once again provide info:

The common names for the caterpillars vary because they can be found on many important cultivated plants in the Carrot Family. Pick the host plant, add the word "worm", and you have another common name that has probably been used and published somewhere.

Larvae feed primarily on plants of the carrot family (Apiaceae = Umbelliferae), and some in the Rue Family (Rutaceae). Commonly found on Dill, Parsley, Fennel, Carrot, and Rue in gardens, and Queen-Anne's-Lace, Poison Hemlock, and Lovage in the wild. They will occasionally be found on Citrus trees. Adults take nectar and frequently visit moist ground.

Quoted in part from Bugguide here. It has very nice pics to go with it and to help with ID, whihc I think is wonderful because so many other Swallowtails resemble these and vice-versa.

Next is a bit from Wikipedia. Some stuff might be the same. I advise reaserch after to confirm what is posted below please. Thank you!

The reason being Wikipedia is sometimes incorrect on certain things.

The (Eastern) Black Swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes) also called the American Swallowtail or Parsnip Swallowtail, is a butterfly found throughout much of North America. It is the state butterfly of Oklahoma. There is an extremely similar-appearing species, Papilio joanae that occurs in the Ozark Mountains region, but it appears to be closely related to Papilio machaon, rather than polyxenes.

The Black Swallowtail has a wingspan of 8 to 11 cm (3.1 to 4.3 in). The upper surface of the wings is mostly black. On the inner edge of hindwing is a black spot centered in larger orange spot. A male of this species has a yellow band near edge of wings; a female has row of yellow spots. The hindwing of the female has an iridescent blue band.

Rest of the info is here. Once again I advise you to do extra research. Thank you

Until next time!!

Bronx Zoo Butterflies - BOTM Monarchs Danaus plexippus

Yes I know I've mentioned these numerous times but it was almost inevitable that I would do so again. And here is yet another entry on the Monarch.

I believe this to be the most informative one yet due to the fact that I found out some new info that's shocking. Surprisingly I can't believe I've never thought of this before. But there are subspecies of monarchs!

To put it simply: Holy cow! In a sense how could I've been so stupid? How could I not have thought of this? Any who on with the info!

The Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) is a milkweed butterfly (subfamily Danainae), in the family Nymphalidae. It is perhaps the best known of all North American butterflies. Since the 19th century, it has been found in New Zealand, and in Australia since 1871 where it is called the Wanderer.

The common name “Monarch” was first published in 1874 by Samuel H. Scudder because “it is one of the largest of our butterflies, and rules a vast domain”.

But the name may be in honour of King William III of England. The Monarch was one of the many species originally described by Linnaeus in his Systema Naturae of 1758. It was first placed in the genus Papilio. In 1780, Jan Krzysztof Kluk used the Monarch as the type species for a new genus; Danaus.

Since Latin grammar requires that the specific epithet and gender names agree it is unclear if the genus Danaus is drawn from Danaus (Greek Δαναός), a mythical king of Egypt and great-grandson of Zeus or is a masculinised version of Danaë (Greek Δανάη), Danaus’s great-great-granddaughter.

The species name, plexippus, refers to Plexippus, one of the 50 sons of Aegyptus, Danaus’ twin brother. In Homeric Greek δαναος πληξιππος also means "a Greek who beats (= lashes, drives and urges on) horses", i.e. "Greek charioteer".

Holy.......oh it get's better ( note this was edited since there's so much on them ). Remember I told you about the white form of the monarch some time ago? Well there's a nice bunch of info on them too. I'm very happy about that.

Why? Well it's my favorite form of the monarch. And I hope to see one someday. Although I think for that to happen I'd have to go to Hawaii. XD

Once again on with the info! These will get a separate entry too.

A color variation has been observed in Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia and the United States as early as the late 1800s. Named nivosus by Lepidopterists, it is grayish white in all areas of the wings that are normally orange. Generally it is only about 1% or less of all monarchs, but has maintained populations as high as 10% on Oahu in Hawaii, possibly due to selective predation.

On Oahu, a white morph of the monarch has emerged. This is because of the introduction, in 1965 and 1966, of two bulbul species, Pycnonotus cafer and Pycnonotus jocosus. They are now the most common insectivore birds, and probably the only ones preying on insects as big as the monarch. Monarchs in Hawaii are known to have low cardiac glycoside levels, but the birds may also be tolerant for the chemical.

The two species hunt the larvae and some pupae from the branches and underside of leaves in milkweed bushes. The bulbuls also eat resting and ovipositing adults, but rarely flying ones. Because of its colour the white morph has a higher survival rate than the orange one.

This is either because of apostatic selection (i.e. the birds have learned the orange monarchs can be eaten), because of camouflage (the white morph matches the white pubescence of milkweed or the patches of light shining through foliage), or because the white morph does not fit the bird's search image of a typical monarch, and is thus avoided.

I wonder do the caterpillars look the same with this color variation? It's something to wonder about indeed. And as I've said they'll be getting a separate entry with the info provided above along with anything else I can find.

I'll also rant on these too. I won't do so here because I'm tired for one thing and the other I want to dedicate my rant to the special entry.

I'll probably interrupt this series of mine to post it. XD Rest of the info is here.

Enjoy! I sure did. I learned even more!

Bronx Zoo Butterflies - Julias Dryas iula

First off these butterflies are very variable. This I didn't know. I had thought that they were different species. But this wasn't the case. They were all in fact the same butterfly just very variable. Also according to Wikipedia they're over 15 subspecies known to science.

Wowzer. I bet you that these were once possibly variations of the butterfly. Hell the ones in the photo could be a subspecies for God's sake!

Why? Well let's see here:

1. Both male & female have this patterning.
2. It's common. As in it isn't something that's "unique".
3. Due to the above it could be classified as a subspecies

If of course it hasn't already. But for all I know it probably has.

Dryas iulia (often incorrectly spelled julia), commonly called the Julia Butterfly or Julia Heliconian, is a species of brush-footed butterfly. The sole representative of its genus Dryas, it is native from Brazil to southern Texas and Florida, and in summer can sometimes be found as far north as eastern Nebraska. Over 15 subspecies have been described.

Its wingspan ranges from 82 to 92 mm, and it is colored orange (brighter in male specimens) with black markings; this species is somewhat unpalatable to birds and belongs to the "orange" Batesian mimic complex.

This butterfly is a fast flier and frequents clearings, paths, and margins of forests and woodlands. It feeds on the nectar of flowers, such as lantanas (Lantana) and Shepherd's-needle (Scandix pecten-veneris). Its caterpillars feeds on leaves of passion vines including Passiflora affinis and Yellow Passionflower (P. lutea) in Texas.

The species is popular in butterfly houses because it is long-lived and active throughout the day.

So there you go ( for now, will be edited for more info if found ).

Enjoy!

Bronx Zoo Butterflies - The Queen Danaus gilippus

Well as a sort of tribute to all the butterflies I saw at the Bronx Zoo yesterday I'm doing an entry on all of the ones I was able to ID. Some of them have been mentioned before, yes but so what? ^.^ While on the search for info I came across some of my own in a sense.

Apparently there are a number of subspecies and species that are quite similar ( this I already knew ) to Danaus gilippus. IMO the subspecies could just be called variations of the butterfly because I honestly don't see that much of a noticeable difference.

But maybe I'm just blind? It's been known for me to overlook things that are staring me in the face I admit.....*blush* However this IMO deserves mention. Don't you think?

Now how that happened.....I haven't a clue.

Secondly a BIG taxonomic change apparently happened in the past. I was apparently stupid for thinking that when pretty much all of the Danaid (sp?) butterflies were discovered they were placed in the genus Danaus that was immediately thought up by whoever discovered them.

Pssh yeah right. No. Back way back when Your Majesty was known as Papilio gilippus. Oh Ho! cue the backlash. No honey there's proof. When I was searching for info on these I came across this site that mentions 2 of the many subspecies.

On the page that mentions Danaus gilippus berenice on the very bottom it clearly mentions this ( note I'm quoting just what's necessary ):

Genus Danaus Kluk, 1780

Zwierz. Hist. Nat. Pocz. Gospod. 4: 83-86, no. 145. Type-species: Papilio plexippus Linnaeus, 1758, Syst. Nat. (ed. 10) 1: 471, no. 80, by designation of Hemming (1933), Entomol. 66(845): 222. I.C.Z.N. Opinion 278 placed this name on the Official List of Generic Names in Zoology as name no. 699.

Danaus gilippus (Cramer, 1775)

Uitl. Kapellen 1(3): 41, pl. 26, figs. E ♀ D, F ♀ V; (8): 153 (index).

Original Combination: Pap[ilio]. Dan[aus] festiv[us]. Gilippus

Type Locality: “Rio de Janeyro...Brazil” “Rio Janéiro...Côte du Brasil”

Types: Type(s) probably lost.

Well let me tell you my jaw dropped when I read this. As you know ( or don't you? :P ) butterflies placed in the genus Papilio are Swallowtails.

Now where the big leap came from I have no idea. How did it get from the genus Papilio to the genus Danaus? And were they any other synonyms in between?

Gah! So many questions! >_<

Anyway I suppose I get on with the info then huh? I've done enough rambling for you. The first is bits and pieces from Wikipedia.

Once again Idk how reliable this is so I suggest you do your own research.

The Queen Butterfly (Danaus gilippus) is a North and South American butterfly in the family Nymphalidae (the brush-foots) with a wingspan of 2.75–3.25" (70–88mm). It is orange or brown with black wing borders and small white forewing spots on its dorsal wing surface, and reddish ventral wing surface fairly similar to the dorsal surface. The ventral hindwings have black veins and small white spots in a black border. The male has a black androconial scent patch on its dorsal hindwings.

This species is possibly a close relative to the similarly-colored Soldier Butterfly (or "Tropic Queen"; Danaus eresimus); in any case, it is not close to the Plain Tiger (Danaus chrysippus) as was long believed. There are about 10 recognized subspecies (Smith et al. 2005). As with other North American Danaus species, it is involved in Müllerian mimicry with the Viceroy butterfly (Limenitis archippus) where the two co-occur.

Fascinating I tell you. Honestly I need a really really good book on butterflies and their life cycles and any other interesting behavioral habits they have.

They are wonderful......beyond wonderful even. More info here.

Bronx Zoo Butterfly Exhibit

So I finally went today.......*happy sigh*

They were so pretty!.......

I couldn't possibly list all of the ones I saw today but I can list the ones I know I saw:

1. Queens ( Danaus gillippus ) * A male landed on me BEAUTIFUL!

2. Julias ( Dryas iulia )

3. Monarchs ( Danaus plexippus ) * Saw 2 mating on the wall

4. Black Swallowtails ( Papilio polyxenes )

5. Giant Swallowtails ( Papilio cresphontes )

6. Cloudless Sulpher ( Phoebis sennae )

7. Orange-barred Sulpher ( Phoebis philea )

8. Zebra longwings ( Heliconius charitonius ) * Saw 2

9. Comma ( Polygonia comma )

10. Red-spotted Purple ( Limenitis astyanax ) * Got to hold it

11. White Peacock ( Anartia jatrophae )

12. Polydamas Swallowtail ( Battus polydamas )

I was hoping to see a Luna moth but they had said that once they let them out into the house they only last about three days. Does anyone else see something wrong with this? I most certainly do. Luna moths live about a week according to all of my books.

Maybe it's too hot for them in there? Idk but hopefully I'll get lucky next time I go and will be able to catch one there. And before you ask yes I have pics.

Did you honestly think I'd go to the Bronx Zoo and NOT be prepared? You must be high. We went and saw almost everything else after that except a few things. But we saw most of the bugs of course. I even got bonus creepy crawlies crawling about outside of exhibits! Spiders and a bee of some sort.

YAY! So so happy. Not to mention TIRED! I will try and get the pics up here ASAP.

For now Byeee! Happy 10th Anni BoA!! WE LOVE YOU!

The Miniscule Series - Wormie Goes To The Beach ^.^

Absolutely adorable.



Posting this now as I'm leaving for the Bronx Zoo Butterfly Exhibit tomorrow. YAY!

Download:

Wormie Goes To The Beach

Spider Silk Fishing

Fascinating. One thing I must point out is that for these kind of things they always hunt specific species in other words Golden Orb Weaver, Banana Spider, ( Nephila sp. ) whatever you want to call it. Do you see any other spider silk being used in this manner?

Nope. Unless you can give me proof that other spider species's silk has been used for purposes like this then I stand by what I've read in my books and online.

Go look it up I tell you. I'll do an entry on these guys later.

SO FUNNY

I thought this was hilarious so I posted it. XD In case you're wondering the insect in the comic is fly. As for the flies in our house.......DIE!

Eh nothing entomologically interesting happened today. -_-

The Miniscule Series - The Mosquito in Honey & Flies With Spaghetti

LMAO! Can you imagine if mosquitoes were that strong?



These are the only flies that I will ever like ( I'm talking about Musca domestica and other flies commonly found in houses ).

So cute! As you can see you get 2 today. Your very welcome.

Download:

The Mosquito in Honey

Flies With Spaghetti

Enjoy! Until next time my pretties!!

These Damn Flies

No that's not disgusting. What's disgusting is the fact that we have too many and I haven't the slightest clue on where they're all coming from. We finally got screens but I still see them flying around the window! Like they're looking for a way in or something....

.....which they're probably are. And all the fly paper in the kitchen is covered in dead/dying Musca domestica. The bathroom is crawling with Musca domestica and they're starting to scare me now.....it's not even funny. It never was. First it was annoying.....and now they're scaring me.

I killed three but more got in. How? I'm going to close the other window until we some how get them all out because quite frankly this is ridiculous.

There was one in my room too. I don't think so. GTFO or die.

Mystery Solved?

I think I might've solved another mystery insect of mine. Quite a few times I've seen these moths in my house and I haven't a clue as to what they were.

But I got one. I believe that they might be Cutworms/Dart Moths of the genius Feltia. Unless of course there are other moths in Noctuidae that resemble the ones I have seen the most in this house. I will definitely check.

I will get back to you. In the mean time here's pics here. I will keep you updated on this of course ^.^

Whatever they are they are pretty.

Big Eyed Bug - Geocoris ugilinosus

I saw one today at the pool. Or at least I think it was this one it also might have been Geocoris atricolor too. Either way I saw a Big Eyed Bug Geocoris sp.

I love them. I think they're adorable. There doesn't seem to be info on them though, which is a shame because not only are they cute but they seem interesting. However this PDF mentions them being used to control Army worms.......

Interesting......so I'm guessing that that's one of their foods as nymphs. Don't know about adults though as I haven't read the whole thing yet.

Scroll down to page three and start reading on the left hand side.

Bugs I Saw Today:

♥ 1 Big Eyed Bug - Geocoris sp. ( at pool )
♥ 1 dragonfly
♥ 5 flies ( different species blue bottles, green bottles, Tachinids )

Until next time folks!

LOL WTF?

I have something to say on this. While black widows are extremely venomous and can be fatal they don't go out of their way to bite people. They only do so when they feel threatened. Secondly deaths are ( thankfully ) rare. Plus they're shy....awww ^.^

The worst you're likely to get if you're stupid enough to provoke one and get bitten is you'll get a very high fever, feel like shit, go to a doctor or whatever get the antidote and get better.

Of course symptoms are much more detailed but I don't feel good right now.

I'll explain them and provide linkies later ( expect an edit note containing info ).

Hermit Crabs

I FINALLY got some today. Thank you Allie!

God bless. And no they're nothing exotic. Just your regular Purple Pinchers. But they're just as cute as this one. I love them. ^.^

It's been way too long since I've had them in the house.

So I'm happy. Very happy.

The Miniscule Series - Dragonfly and Wasp In A Race

Once again Ultra Kawaii!!

Plus Karma's a bitch ain't it?

Download:

Dragonfly and Wasp In a Race

Your welcome!

Katydids!

I saw one today and I have to say I wasn't expecting that at all. It was a nice surprise. =) I believe it was a Microcentrum rhombifolium. Like the one in the photo. Only mine was a bit darker. There are 6 Microcentrum species in the U.S.

So of these so far I'm betting on M. rhombifolium being the one that I saw today. I have never seen Katydids that large over here before. I've seen plenty at camp sure but not here.

So like I said it was a pleasant surprise. As for info I can't find too much.

I'll keep looking though. One interesting fact is that Katydid eggs in general look like seeds. They take the camouflage thing very seriously don't they?

I'll let you know if I find anything on them.

The Miniscule Series - Dragonflies Bully Other Insects

I would love to see something like this in real life. XD

Download:

Dragonflies Bully Other Insects

Until next time my pretties!

Sleeping Bees?

Well as I was leaving the pool today I saw something rather interesting in the mini garden they have there. There were four bees clustered on a plant in a circle of sorts.

Now I've never seen such a thing so naturally I was wondering what they were doing. And now I'm pretty sure this is what they were doing. Cause first off the plant they were on was dead. Dead as a doorknob, as in there were no flowers no nothing.

I think I woke one up because I picked one of the seedpods off the plant to see if there was anything still inside it and the plant was dry it snapped like a gunshot when I picked one and one of the bees was startled and it flew off and was circling the plant before it landed and settled down again. So cute! ^.^

But that's what got me thinking that they were probably sleeping. I mean what else could they be doing you know? It was very interesting anyway.

As for what kind of bees they were....I can only guess. They were all black.

And very very cute. ^.^

Edit: They might be Melissodes desponsa.

Bugs:

4 bees ( possibly Melissodes desponsa )
1 picture wing fly
1 cucumber beetle ( Diabrotica undecimpunctata in my house)

Cute!

I thought this was cute. Auditioning for a circus perhaps?

Yes I think so......introducing the Physocephala balancing act!!

Copyright infringement not intended.

Mystery Butterfly.........

I saw a butterfly today at the pool flying.

I have no idea what it was. It could've been a monarch, red admiral, or any other orange butterfly that occurs around here.

Although I'm betting it was either a monarch or a red admiral or even a painted lady.

호랑나비?
작은멋쟁이나비?

....but the latter is most likely.

The Miniscule Series - The Lazy Bee

I've come to 2 scenarios and none of them involve the poor bee being lazy:

1. She's tired and doesn't want to be bothered with her "co-workers."
2. She doesn't like crowds.

Although she seems more tired to me.....

Download:

The Lazy Bee

Until next time my pretties!

These Are AMAZING!

I'm sure you remember the last Spilomyia species I briefly mentioned here yes? Well this one ( Spilomyia fuscata ) is mimicking the Baled Faced Hornet and if I didn't know better I would think it was one. Damn things are geniuses not to mention epic.

I couldn't find too much on any specific species but there's some on S. sayi:

Spilomyia sayi is a common species of North American hoverfly. It is a wasp mimic.

Adults 12-16 mm in length, are seen from June to October in the northern part of their range. Males engage in hilltopping, where they find high ground to await females. Larvae are found in decaying heartwood of deciduous trees.

This is from Wikipedia. There doesn't seem to be too much on them for some reason.

It's disappointing since I find these so fascinating. Happy August!

OMG! BEES!

Digger Bee ( Melissodes sp. ) Male

So I went to the park today again and let's just say that bug wise it was insane ( in a good way of course )! Today was simply crawling with bugs.

I'm honestly very happy. I have to send out a big THANK YOU to all my little friends.

Bugs!

7 Cabbage whites
1 Red Admiral ( 22 so far this year )
2 Honey bees
TONS of Digger bees ( Melissodes sp. So cute!! )
2 mystery flies ( have to find out what they are )
3-4 dragonflies ( 1 at park 2-3 at pool )
1 mud dauber wasp ( ? I think it was a mud dauber....idk )
TONS of Halictid bees
1 giant carpenter bee ( at pool )

Also a little question. While I was observing the digger bees pollinating flowers I noticed alot of males were not only drinking the nectar but they had pollen baskets and they were covered in pollen! What's up with that?

I've never heard of such a thing. I'd like to know why and what role they play in all of this. Apparently the males have more to do in this species then that of your "typical bee" where they bang the queen and then die. XD

I will definitely look into that and get back to you that's for sure. So for now I'm going info hunting and whatever I find you will be notified about.

Until next time my pretties! Enjoy this one!

The Miniscule Series - The Ugly Snail & Night of Horror

You get 2 today.



This is so cute.



This one got me all sentimental. XD I wanted to give the bee a big hug and some honey. ^.^

Download:

The Ugly Snail

Night of Horror

Your welcome! Until next time my pretties!!

Answers?

This is a Brachymeria sp. In other words it's the one I saw in my lobby only difference is that the one I saw was all black. Now if it's possible to narrow it down to species that would be nice.

I'll definitely keep looking as I would like to know more.

Bugs I saw today:

♥ 1 wasp ( ? ) at the pool
♥ 1 spider
♥ 1 lady bug ( just now flying around the light in the kitchen )
♥ 1 stink bug ( Halyomorpha halys possibly )

* At a time where I needed it the most. Thank you God.

I swear they follow me sometimes! ^.^ I'll keep you updated!

The Minscule Series - The Bee Prisoner

So cute!!

I can totally see something like this happening. ^.^

Download:

The Bee Prisoner

Until next time my pretties!

Chalcid Wasps

Isn't it cute?

I saw one similar to this one today crawling on one of the windows of the lobby. Idk what species it was or if it was even placed in a genius ( it most likely is known to science though ).

All I know is that it was A.D.O.R.A.B.L.E! *Happy Squee* ^.^

And for some reason I couldn't stop thinking about it and that has never happened before. Damn.....I think they might be brainwashing me....XD

That was the only bug I saw today but it was welcomed with open arms. Never mind the fact that they are parasites and lay their eggs in and on a number of insects and their eggs, larvae, and pupae. No completely ignore the fact. *Evil grin*

So it's quite unfortunate that there isn't alot on this family of wasps because they have some very pretty and interesting looking species.

I'm going to see if I can find out what species or genius the one I saw today is in.

Wish me luck! I'll let you know if I find anything!

Burrowing Bug Part 2 Melanaethus robustus

I saw one today. At the pool or rather in the pool.

I got it out alive and well. I'd like to know how it got in there though. They're capable of flight so I'm thinking it might've involved that somewhere along the line.

And here's a nice list of all the bugs I saw today:

♥ 2-3 Cabbage whites ( might've been the same one seen 3 times XD )
♥ 3-4 wasps ( European paper wasps or yellow jackets )
♥ 1 dragonfly
♥ 1 Burrowing Bug ( Melanaethus robustus I believe it was )

As usual no copyright infringement is intended.

Fly or Bee/Wasp?

Convincing isn't it?

Yeah this ain't no yellow jacket. It's a harmless fly. See here and you'll see more.

One in the photo is Spilomyia citima. More to come on these later.

Net-wing Beetles Calopteron reticulatum

Another fave. I have seen and held these beauties before. They are ( IMO ) so much fun. Believe it or not they're in the same family as fireflies. Yup.

Hell the larvae resemble Glowworms. Awesome! Found some info on Calopteron discrepans which apparently is closely related to C. reticulatum. Funny how the site never thought that C. discrepans might be a subspecies of C. reticulatum since they are so similar.

But it's also possible that I'm mistaken in this. But it's just one of my musings. I tend to over think on these things quite a bit. Bad habit....XD

Any way here's the linky: Clicky! It's very interesting.

Lycidae is a family in the beetle order Coleoptera, members of which are commonly called net-winged beetles.

Beetles of this family are elongated and usually found on flowers or stems. The adults of some species are nectarivores while some may have short-lived adult lives during which they may not feed at all.

The head is triangular and the antennae are long, thick, and serrate. Most of them are brick-red in colour. They are protected from predators by being toxic.

The predaceous larvae grow under bark or in leaf litter.

- Wikipedia ( Linky )

Bugguide also has some nice info. Apparently some moths mimic these because apparently they're distasteful to birds and whatnot.

I wonder ( if this is the reason ) what the beetles feed on to make them toxic?

Or if it's natural toxins.....? Eh too tired to think on it properly. Enjoy though. As usual no copyright infringement is intended.

Should probably head to bed now. XD

Spiders

Cheiracanthium inclusum ( photo duh :P )

It's occurred to me that I haven't done any entries on our eight legged friends in quite a while. I think it's time to rectify that don't you?

Yes I think so too. One mystery spider of mine has been ID'd completely by accident. Oh boy I'm happy about that. There's still a couple on my mind that need to have an ID to their "face" but all in good time. All in good time.

My mystery spider I saw in Morning Side rolled up in a leaf. That to me is the first give away. How many spiders do you know of that do that?

Not too many that I know of. Any way I've kept you long enough.

Long Legged Sac Spiders - Cheiracanthium sp.

I couldn't identify mine down to species but at least I know what kind it is. Also apparently there's been rumors and speculation that certain Cheiracanthium species are venomous. In other words poisonous enough to harm us

But there's been "evidence" against this which is mentioned on Bugguide on this page and this page on Cheiracanthium mildei. Since I don't know much about these I can't say much.

So I apologize. XD I'm going to get cracking on those articles soon.

This Is Insane

Can you imagine if something like this happened to us?

I'm not sure if I've posted this before or not. Forgive me if I did. XD

Geometridae

I found this nice site with list and info on all these different species of Geometridae:

CLICKY!

This is also going in my bookmarks. Enjoy!

Pretty

I thought this was pretty so I posted it. Found it while browsing on Bugguide. As usual no copyright infringement is intended. This is a Syrphid fly Sphaerophoria sp.

There are 16 species described, or in other words known to man. :P

That's about all that's known other then in order to identify on to species you have to have with you. Yes it's one of those bugs.

Well until next time kiddos!

Miniscule Series - The Ladybug and The Hungry Flies

Once again priceless. There's some truth to this. All flies think about are 3 things:

1. Get food......use whatever means necessary
2. Find a mate.....make more flies
3. Sleep....and don't get eaten!!

In other words NEVER trust the ladybug.....evil bastard. ^.^

Download:

The Lady Bug and The Hungry Flies

Until next time my pretties!!

BOTM - Halysidota Harrisii

I think it's time that I dedicate an entry to them.

I've had plenty of encounters with these over the years. I love them. I love all Halysidota sp. I've only seen one other Halysidota sp. Halysidota tessellaris and that was years ago.

These are just as variable H. tessellaris. They come in yellow, white, gray, or light tan-ish brown.

And they're all to die for. ^.^

The Sycamore Tussock Moth (Halysidota harrisii) is a species of moth of the Arctiidae family. It is found in South-Eastern Canada, the Eastern parts of the United States (but not Florida) and North-Eastern Mexico.

The wingspan is about 50 mm. The moth flies from May to June and from July to August depending on the location.

The larvae feed on Platanus occidentalis.

Did I mention that I love them to death? Yes? Ok good!

Bugs:

1 Eastern Tailed Blue
1 Cicada Killer
1 Geometrid ( ? ) Moth

Happy Birthday Mommy!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOMMY!

Hope you had a nice one!

And the bugs I saw today:

♥ 1 Halysidota harrisii *adult* OMG! ( on terrace )
♥ 1 Harmonia axyridis ( on the ceiling in the hallway )
♥ dragonfly? ( the pool )

Halyisidota harrisii Count:

6 as of today. :P 5 larvae 1 adult

I didn't realize that I would be counting the adults too. *facepalm*

The Miniscule Series - The Bee Convoy

So this is what happened to all the "missing" honey......



.....oh this is priceless...^.^

Download:

The Bee Convoy

Enjoy my pretties! Until next time!

P.S. Finally went to the park today. I saw these:

♥ 1 orb weaver of some sort
♥ A bunch of carpenter bees
♥ 4 Cabbage whites

Was lovely out! I also finally had some sushi! YAY!

Greenhouse Millipede - Oxidus gracilis

2 mysteries are solved here ( as of 07 -15 -10 ):

Questions:

1. What kind of millipedes are these?
2. Why do I often find then in swarms on top of each other?

Answers:

1. Greenhouse Millipede ( Oxidus gracilis )
2. As quoted by Aaron Goodwin from Bugguide:

A lot of times the male millipede will run over the top of the female to stimulate her with his legs. I've seen it with captive African giants and also desert millipedes (Orthoporus ornatus).

It's interesting to see them mosey along at a slow pace, and then all of a sudden a male will move really fast over the top of a female. Once he reaches her head, they turn face-to-face for copulation, or sperm transfer.

- Aaron Goodwin @Bugguide

Finally. I would see swarms of these on the fences at camp on damp mornings and lots of them would be on top of each other ( sometimes 3 at a time! Males fighting for dominance? ).

I'm immensely pleased to know the actual reason. I knew it had something to do with.....hem hem... sex but since millipedes don't mate on top of each other I naturally had questions. But I didn't know where to begin to search for answers.

So I'm finally happy to have some after years of wondering. I thought many things but all of them were wrong....in a sense. I was right about one thing.

It all had to do with.....*blush* sex. So there you go. XD

Hope Mr. Goodwin doesn't mind me quoting him. ^.^;

The Miniscule Series - The Big Race

*Giggle* This is so cute!



Again there's a lesson in this. 10 bonus points if you guess what it is.

Download:

The Big Race

Until next time folks!

Holy Sh*t!

Moth flies.....this one is Clogmia albipunctata. Cute little thing yes? WRONG!

They can kill you.......

According to Wikipedia they have venom that's potentially fatal. I have yet to find out if any of this is indeed true as we all know that Wikipedia does contain lies.

But for now.....holy shit! I saw one in my house yesterday.

Despite their small size, Psychodidae are able to inject venom through human skin. The actual amount injected is very small in physical volume. When this small amount of venom is diffused throughout the body of a healthy, mature human, it usually does not amount to a fatal dose.

Deaths in healthy adults from Psychodidae bites are relatively rare in terms of the number of bites per thousand people. However, if enough sustained bites go untreated for a length of time, they can prove fatal. Sixty-three deaths were reported in the United States between 1950 and 1959.

Sweet Jesus......I've actually held these things many times over the years and I've never felt them trying to penetrate my skin before.

Unless you can't feel it? But mosquitoes are also small and you can feel them when they try to steal your blood so what's up with that? Like I said I'm definitely going to ask around about this and see if I can confirm this to be true.

And if it is. I want to know if all species carry this potentially fatal venom. It seems so unlikely though yet Idk for sure since I haven't gone out to back this up even though I don't want to back it up because I'm hoping for a false alarm.

You will certainly know if it is a false alarm. I hate to believe something so common has the potential to be so deadly if enough of them bite you.....

Lord have mercy. The source to this and other info on Psychodidae: Clicky!

Grapevine Epimenis - Pyschomorpha epimenis

This isn't a butterfly. It's a moth. That's the first thing I should point out to you. Funnily enough when I was searching for additional info on these that's one of the things pointed out that it's often mistaken for a butterfly.

Smh....this isn't the first time the internet has more or less "read my mind" so to speak. Anyway what do I know about these personally? Only that they're *GORGEOUS* and if I had seen one I would mistake it for a butterfly until I got a closer look.

Unfortunately they're not found around here. So I'd have to go upstate or down ( as they can be found in Florida and Texas ) to see them.

I don't particularly mind as I have plans to go to Texas someday for completely different reasons ( SELENA! ) though but the insect appeal is also a bonus. :P

While searching for info I came across the guide page from bugguide here.

Any more info ( still searching ) I'll post here. For now this is it. Enjoy.

Bugs I saw today:

1 moth fly
1 transparent flying thing. Idk what it was. It's possible it could've been a moth fly of some sort.

But I really don't have a clue.

Kawaii!

This isn't a miniscule but it's too cute not to post.



Enjoy!

Download:

Japanese/Thai Commercial With Caterpillars

YAY!

Halysidota harrisii Count:

5 as of today. YAY!

This one was huge compared to the other 4. Must be getting close to the final molt. I wish it and all other ones all the luck in the world.

God bless them. Halysidota is one of my favorite Arctiidae geniuses.

The Flies Need To GTFO or DIE!

No I'm serious they need to go or this is war.....they don't want war I'm telling you.

So I've....We've been having a fly problem.....as in they've gone fucking crazy and won't leave me alone. They were bothering me all day today as if I haven't got enough bothering me atm. Idk why or what's making them pick on me but it needs to stop.

I mean we've always have had the occasional fly but it was never like this. They've as I've said gone fucking crazy. How? Well......

* They keep getting in my face.....
*.......landing on me......
* Following me everywhere ( Paranoid? Hell no! )
* Interrupt me when I'm watching TV ( by flying all around it & the entire kitchen )

The only thing they so far haven't done is try and get in my food. They better not even think about it or I swear it'll be the last thing they ever do.

I'm not playing here as I've got 0% tolerance for something like this now.

The Minscule Series - The Flying Ants

Ants are the smartest insects in the insect world. End of discussion. :P

Download:

The Flying Ants

There is some truth to this. Ants overcome obstacles so brilliantly it puts others to shame. ^.^

Bugs

I had a long eventful day today. Bugs I saw:

1 wasp ( mud dauber? @ pool )
1 red admiral or silver spotted skipper ( although I think it was a admiral )
1 dragonfly?

Yeah that's all for today I'm exhausted. -_-

The Minscule Series - Christmas With The Spider and The Fly

Normally I would post something like this during the X-mas holiday....



.....but since it's nowhere near Christmas.....Enjoy anyway!

Download:

Christmas With the Spider and The Fly

You're very welcome!

Wishing You All The Best

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!

Hoping you all have a good one!

Please stay safe!!

Common Sulpher - Colias philodice

These almost always have their wings closed. Why this is I haven't a clue. I had the pleasure of seeing the white form of the female on a button bush along with either a male or the yellow ( regular ) form of the female.

I really don't know which. I'm guessing it was a male since it was larger. But what do I know when the damn things won't stay still and won't open their wings?

Any way once more we go with the info. Do extra research!

The Common or Clouded Sulphur (Colias philodice) is a North American butterfly in the family Pieridae, subfamily Coliadinae.

This butterfly may be encountered in fields, lawns, Alfalfa or Clover fields, meadows, and roadsides. Swarms of these butterflies will congregate at mud puddles. They range over most of North America with the exception of Labrador, Nunavut, and northern Quebec.

This I already knew to some extent. What shocked me is this:

The pale yellow eggs are laid singly on the host plants. The eggs turn red after a few days, then turn gray just before they hatch. The young larvae will eat one another. The larva is green with a white stripe running along each side of the body.

The white stripes may contain bars or lines of pink or orange. The green chrysalis hangs up right by a silken girdle. Just before enclosion, the chrysalis turns yellow with a pink "zipper".

Holy shit.

Are you freaking serious?! If this is true I might as well stop thinking right this minute. I've heard and read about cannibalistic caterpillars but this is insane in the fact that it doesn't go into this more and left me not only with my jaw on the ground but wondering how any survive to make it to adulthood.

Surely some survive cause I wouldn't see any at all anywhere if they didn't. I wonder why? Is this a characteristic thing with this species or even the genius? This is not only horrifyingly fascinating but it's confusing.

And it's because they don't go into detail about it. Such a shame. I'll definitely look into this more. You mark my words I will. Although not now because I'm tired.

Interesting though huh? Copyright infringement is not intended.

Halysidota harrisii Count:

4 as of today. Ironic isn't it?

FINALLY!

Halysidota harrisii Count:

3 so far!

2 today and 1 yesterday. *Squee* I'm so happy and I certainly hope I see more. I'm keeping track of my fuzzy little friends. I brought one home to show mommy ( let it go afterwards ). XD

I love you!! God bless you!

Convergent Ladybug - Hippodamia convergens

When I saved one from drowning in the pool I was utterly shocked at how tiny these things are. But they're fast. Once it was pretty much dried off ( it was still working on it's wings ) it was running around my hand like crazy.

Mine was more orange though. You'd be surprised at how variable these things can get. Not within color so much ( it's always between red and orange ) but with the spots.

Crazy I say. I found this out while browsing for photos of this little pretty "lady".

Hippodamia convergens, commonly known as the convergent lady beetle, is one of the most common lady beetles in North America and is found throughout the continent.

Oh really? If it's sooo common then why is this my first time seeing one? I might've seen one years ago but I really don't remember.

Honestly Harmonia axyridis is more common around here! Maybe that will change?

Hopefully as I really like these petite ladybugs. Although if my memory serves correct the Ash Grey Ladybug ( Olla v-nigrum ) could give it a run for it's money!

I remember seeing one a million years ago at camp.....that was the only time I saw one.

And it was tiny!

Spotted Cucumber Beetle - Diabrotica undecimpunctata

Found one in my house. This would be for a second time in years. At least I know that they're around here which isn't something to be happy about for housing who plants all the plants around my house.

And I suppose me? But I don't think they'll attack Sycamores or Japanese Pagodas....

Would they? Idk but I do know that they are pests and shouldn't be taken too lightly. They should be watched just in case their numbers get out of control.

We wouldn't want that now would we? Nope.

The spotted cucumber beetle (Diabrotica undecimpunctata) is a major agricultural pest insect (see also cucumber beetle). In the adult form it eats and damages leaves of many crops, including cucmbers, soybeans, cotton, beans and many others.

In the larval form, which is known as the southern corn rootworm, it tunnels through the roots of young plants, stunting or killing them. These native pests have a wide range of host plants, but will readily infest a field of crop plants, most notoriously corn.

Adult beetles are greenish-yellow with six large black spots on each elytron. They are about half a centimeter long. The larvae are yellowish and wormlike.

They can obviously be mistaken for yellow ladybugs. There are yellow ladybugs but I haven't seen any around here. Chances are if I did most likely it would be some weird color morph of Harmonia axyridis.

Smh....so anyway I think the total of how many I've seen so far in my life time has been 3.

Yeah I know pitiful. :P 2 at home ( each a different year ) 1 at camp. Of course I probably did see more but I just don't remember.

And here's a linky with more substantial info: Clicky!

Copyright infringement is not intended. Please don't sue. -_-