Daniel – Bird Bath Rescue
Location: Hawthorne, CA
August 20, 2011 1:35 pm
Hi,
Here’s a small fly that I pulled out of the bird bath last week. The photo isn’t great, but I’m hoping it’s good enough for you to be able to identify.
Signature: Thanks, Anna Carreon
Yellow Masked Bee
Hi Anna,
We realized when we first looked at this photo two days ago that it was a bee and not a fly, but we did not have an identification, so we did not write back. We have now identified this little creature as a Yellow Masked Bee in the genus Hylaeus, thanks to this photo posted to BugGuide. According to BugGuide, there are over 50 species in North America, and we do not have the necessary skills to identify this individual beyond the genus level.
Many thanks for the id on this little bee. Maybe one day I’ll finally stop mixing up my bees and flies. I don’t have many bees that plunk themselves into the birdbath, and this was a very small one. My eyes aren’t what they used to be!
Anna
2
Daniel – What’s This Fly?
Location: Hawthorne, CA
August 21, 2011 8:21 pm
Hello,
I think I’m done taking pictures for the day, but here is a fly that is new to me. I can’t remember the name of the succulent whose tiny bloom it was feeding on, but have attached a picture of it. Thanks for everything!
Signature: Anna Carreon
Flower Fly
Hi Anna,
Though it doesn’t resemble your other Flower Fly that we recently posted, this is also a Flower Fly in the family Syrphidae. You will see by browsing through the images on BugGuide that this is a very diverse family.
Thanks very much. I do realize that this is a very diverse family. I did get a little more excited than normal about this particular fly because it’s so unlike most flies I’ve seen.
Anna
Ed. NOte: August 23, 2011
We believe we have correctly identified this Flower Fly as Pseudodoros clavatus based on photos posted to BugGuide. According to BugGuide: “Larvae feed on aphids.”
Daniel – New Fly
Location: Hawthorne, CA
August 20, 2011 1:29 pm
Hi,
Here’s another one of the many different flies that are attracted to the Eryngium tripartitum we planted this spring (the blooms smell a lot like cat poop). Can you identify it?
Signature: Thanks, Anna Carreon
Flower Fly
Hi Again Anna,
We are nearly certain this is a Flower Fly or Hover Fly in the family Syrphidae, however, we were unable to locate a match on BugGuide late last night. We hope to be able to identify the species for you before too long.
Flower Fly
Red Bug
Location: Safford, Arizona
August 20, 2011 6:59 pm
Can You identify this bug? Found in the Arizona desert on top of Mt Graham near Safford.
Signature: Zombiemarble
Potato Beetle Larva
Dear Zombiemarble,
This is a Leaf Beetle Larva in the family Chrysomelidae, and larvae can often be quite difficult to properly identify. Knowing the food plant is often a tremendous assistance. There is a strong resemblance to the larva of the Colorado Potato Beetle (see BugGuide), however, this is not a Colorado Potato Beetle larva. We suspect it is another member of the genus, or perhaps a closely related genus. Though BugGuide does not picture the larva, circumstantial evidence leads us to speculate that this might be the larva of the Reddish Potato Beetle, Leptinotarsa rubiginosa, a species only reported from Arizona on BugGuide.
Dragonfly looking bug
Location: Beaver, OH
August 20, 2011 9:00 pm
Found this bug on a picnic table in Ohio.
I’m not sure what it is but it looks like a dragonfly.
Signature: Conorr
Antlion
Hi Conorr,
Though it superficially resembles a Dragonfly, the Antlion is not even closely related. Your species is Glenurus gratus.
Interesting Alaska Bug in June
Location: Fairbanks, Alaska
August 21, 2011 12:53 am
Hi, we just found your site and have already found it really interesting. We are hoping you can help us identify an insect we saw in June at our house in Fairbanks, Alaska. As you can see, it was on a dandelion. We’ve looked, but we can’t figure it out. We’d really appreciate any help. Thanks!
Signature: Mother and Son bug fans
Elm Sawfly
Dear Mother and Son bug fans,
This magnificent creature is an Elm Sawfly, Cimbex americana, a nonstinging relative of bees and wasps that has a foliage feeding larva that resembles a caterpillar.
Katydid, grasshopper, or cockroach? Please let it be one of the first two…
Location: Cleveland, ohio suburb
August 20, 2011 5:05 pm
Hello, My husband found this insect in our northeast Ohio dining room. Our house is bordered by a large wooded area so I am thinking that it may be a katydid. However, I always worry when I see a large bug like this (can’t help myself)
Signature: worried in Ohio
Carolina Leaf Roller
Dear worried in Ohio,
Though your photo is blurry, we believe that, based on this photo posted to BugGuide, this is a female Carolina Leaf Roller, Camptonotus carolinensis, which is classified as a Raspy Cricket in the family Gryllacrididae. It isn’t classified in either the cricket family or the katydid family, though all three families are grouped together as Long-Horned Orthopterans in the suborder Ensifera. According to BugGuide, it is a beneficial insect that: “Hunts aphids at night.”
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