Tag Archives: insects

A Neat-Looking Moth

This is one of the “crambine snout moths”, of which there are about 850 species in North America.  If I spent enough time looking at pictures I could probably come up with what it is. I photographed it on and … Continue reading

Posted in insects | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Bugs on Blue

I photographed a number of insects on spiderwort the other day.  I photographed them at a fairly high magnification.  I loved the blue/purple background. This is some kind of geometer (inchworm) caterpillar. An immature froghopper. And a beetle–probably some kind … Continue reading

Posted in Biological diversity, insects | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Caught in the Spit

This moth seems to have been trapped in the sticky bubbles released by a spittlebug, although it is possible it was killed and eaten by something else.  Spittlebugs drink the sap of plants, and are not considered to be predators. … Continue reading

Posted in Biological diversity, insects | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Something in the Air

Many of us live in cities, surrounded by closely cropped grass, cement, and asphalt.  I am fortunate enough to live a little ways away from the city. If you live in a good habitat for them, there might be small … Continue reading

Posted in diptera, insects | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

The End of the Butterfly Irruptions?

There have been irruptions–rapid increases in the numbers–of several butterfly species this season. Will irruptions of the natural predators of those butterflies cause a decrease in the numbers?  This is one of those natural predators.  This is a tachnid fly–I … Continue reading

Posted in Biological diversity, diptera, insects | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Spring Happenings

It rained fairly hard in parts of yesterday and today.  You can smell the earthworms–the boy-girl earthworms crawl out of their underground homes to meet up with other boy-girls (or is it girl-boys?) At the forsythia bush, during a light … Continue reading

Posted in Biological diversity, diptera, insects | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Another Critter in the Grass

I think this is a sawfly.  Not sure though.  There are a lot of species of sawflies and I don’t really know them well.  

Posted in insects | Tagged , | 1 Comment

More Summer-Like Weather

We are having very warm weather still.  Here is a photo I took a couple of days ago.  I was surprised by the number and diversity of very small insects flying around.  Are they present in the summer, and do I … Continue reading

Posted in diptera, insects | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

First Insect of the Year

We still have snow on the ground in places. I walked around a little bit today, looking for insects.  It is still not warm yet,  just a few degrees above freezing. I hoped to find something–a small fly, perhaps, or … Continue reading

Posted in insects | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

I Want to Learn About Flies

I know this is an odd goal, but I want to learn more about flies.  As a macro photographer I run across the most magnificant looking creatures, and often times they are flies. The thing is, even the scientists don’t … Continue reading

Posted in diptera, insects | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment