Unidentified Milkweed Bug?
September 26, 2009
I came across these bugs while working on one of our nature preserves. I have seen the bug before but not in this context. There were several of these inside of the seed head of a couple milkweed plants. What is this bug and what is its ecological relationship with milkweed?
Derek Rogers
Nissequogue, New York
Large Milkweed Bugs
Hi Derek,
This is a group of Large Milkweed Bugs, Oncopeltus fasciatus. The winged individuals are the adults and the others are immature nymphs. The food plants are plants in the Milkweed and Dogbane families. The insects feed on the juices of the seeds of the plants and will not harm the plants, and adults also take nectar. According to BugGuide: “In the course of feeding these bugs accumulate toxins from the milkweed, which can potentially sicken any predators foolish enough to ignore the bright colors which warn of their toxicity.” We found a nice Milkweed Bug Information page posted by the University of Arizona that has useful information. This is the third letter with an identification request for the Large Milkweed Bug that we have opened today. Your photo is quite beautiful and we are selecting your letter and photo as the Bug of the Month for October 2009. Throughout the month of October, it will remain at the top of our homepage.
Hi Daniel,
I would be honored to have my photo posted for the October bug of the month. Thank you for this information and your quick response. I am very impressed with the web site. I do nature preserve management for The Nature Conservancy and often come across interesting insect specimens. I will surely be in touch.
Derek Rogers
Plump Black and orange bugs
I found several of these bugs in a flower garden. It was the 4th week of September around 4pm. Can you tell me what they are? If they are beneficial, I don’t want to destroy them.
Cathy M
Kennett Square, PA
Immature Large Milkweed Bugs
Hi Cathy,
These are immature nymphs of the Large Milkweed Bug, which we just identified for you. Like other Hemipterans, they have sucking mouthparts, and they feed on juices from the seeds and seed pods of milkweed and dogbane. We have never located any information that this is a problematic species in the garden.
Black and gold bug
September 25, 2009
Found this bug on a milkweed seed pod in a flower garden. It was in September in late afternoon. It was slightly less than an inch long. Black and gold on top, red and black undersides.
Cathy & Carlos M
Kennett Square, PA
Large Milkweed Bugs
Dear Cathy and Carlos,
These are Large Milkweed Bugs, Oncopeltus fasciatus. The pale yellow specimen is freshly molted, and according to BugGuide: “their color becoming darker and more orangish with age.“
Thank you so much! I’ve never seen anything like it.
I love your web site! Whenever I run into something new and interesting, you always know what it is.
Thx
Cathy Matos
Green Spider, Red and White Patterned Back
September 25, 2009
Hi there! Found this beauty on my porch in July 2009 in Southern NJ. Haven’t seen him before or since. Pattern is really cool, haven’t been able to find anything about him here or online.
MYP in NJ
Southern NJ
Araneus cingulatus
Dear MYP,
It is quite unfortunate that this lovely green Orbweaver, Araneus cingulatus, does not have a common name. You can see additional images on BugGuide.
Golden Silk Spider from Mexico
September 25, 2009
Hi!
I just moved to a new house and it’s not on downtown so there’s a lot of vegetation and bugs.. I have found lots of this spiders and browsing your site i get to the conlusion that’s a Nephila clavipes, am i right? hehe well, I have my sister and my newborn nephew living with us and i want to know if this spider can be a danger for the little baby.. I never found one of this inside the house, they’re always in their spiderweb and I must say: That’s a strong spiderweb!! … I killed 2 of this on my garden the day I moved in but on an impulse of fear (you know, i’m not familiar with insects)… now.. if they’re not dangerous maybe i can live with that … because a new one showed up today and his web is amazing and I don’t want to kill her (it’s a female, right?) and excuse me for being such a coward, but my sister was very very scared of this
Guillermo Medina
Fortin, Veracruz, Mexico (Gulf of mexico)
Golden Silk Spider
Hola Guillermo,
Your identification is correct, and you have nothing to fear regarding the Golden Silk Spider. They are harmless to humans, but they will help to control flying insects that might be a problem, like mosquitoes and biting flies. We would encourage you to educate your sister and to live in harmony with these beautiful spiders. Yes, their webs are incredibly strong.
Need Caterpillar ID
September 25, 2009
Could you please identify this caterpillar? It was found on a Willow tree this week (September 2009), in Los Angeles, CA. It measures aprox. 1.5 inches long.
S Logan, Los Angeles CA
Los Angeles CA
One Eyed Sphinx Caterpillar
Dear S Logan,
What a nice find. This is a One Eyed Sphinx or Cerisy’s Sphinx Caterpillar, Smerinthus cerisyi. Bill Oehlke’s Sphingidae of the United States website has images of the adult moth as well as other stages of development. This is a wide ranging species in North America. In addition to willow, the larvae also feed on poplar.
Unknown Larvae Formations
September 24, 2009
We live in central TN and found these larvae formations around our driveway after heavy rains. Mostly seen in circular and abstract formations but always in clusters, never single larva alone. They also seem to stay in one location for long periods of time after patterns are formed. Their exterior has a translucent appearance rather than solid color and has a black tip or end. Do you know what this is?
Thanks for your help – Shannon
Central TN
Fungus Gnat Larvae
Hi Shannon,
We contacted Eric Eaton and here is what he had to say: “Hi, Daniel: Well, these must be the dumbest larvae in history to be going in a circle. LOL! They are the larvae of some kind of dark-winged fungus gnat, family Sciaridae. The larvae of some species are well-known for their occasional, spectacular mass movements.
Eric“
Fungus Gnat Larvae
¶ Posted 25 September 2009 § Gnats ‡ ° Moth?
September 24, 2009
This”moth” was labeled a stowaway. I’m uncertain if it came from the Denver Airport/airplane and stayed on my luggage till we got to Tulsa, Oklahoma or if it just greeted us in Tulsa when we were waiting for our ride. I was standing outside the Tulsa airport on August 2nd about midnight and looked down to see this LARGE moth looking thing (It was about the size of my iphone). He really liked my bag – Not wanting to touch its wings, I had a little trouble getting it off! I found a stick and kind of forced it to walk aboard and then I put him in a safe place. Can you tell me what kind it is?
Katie ~ Photographer
Probably Tulsa, Oklahoma
Pandora Sphinx
Hi Katie,
Bill Oehlke’s awesome website does not report the Pandora Sphinx, Eumorpha pandorus, from Colorado, but the species is found in Oklahoma, which is indicated as the western limit of the range.
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