CATAPILLER
Location: TEXARKANA TEXAS
October 24, 2011 5:08 pm
FOUND THIS GUY MID DAY OCTOVER 23 2011. HE WAS CLINGING TO AN ABANDONED WASP NEST. I PLACED IT IN A JAR WITH SOME LOCAL VEGITATION AND WITHIN 6-12 HOURS IT HAD WOVEN A BROWN FIBOURS CACOON. I HAVE FOUND IMAGES SIMILAR TO IT BUT ALL THEM WERE OF GREEN CATAPILLARS
Signature: ERIC BATES
Pre-Pupal Luna Moth Caterpillar
Hi Eric,
Many caterpillars change from green to orange, brown or even pink just prior to pupation. This is a Pre-Pupal Luna Moth Caterpillar. Here is a similar photo from BugGuide. In the spring it will emerge into an adult Luna Moth, a beautiful pale green moth with long tails.
CA dragonfly?
Location: Irvine CA
October 23, 2011 8:52 pm
Hi Bugman, I am a Mainer visiting CA. Photographed this dragonfly at San Joaquin NWR in Irvine CA. What is it?
Signature: Steve
Variegated Meadowhawk
Hi Steve,
Because we knew we had identified this species once before despite not remembering its name, we needed to comb through our archives to locate the Variegated Meadowhawk. You can also see many marvelous images of the Variegated Meadowhawk, Sympetrum corruptum, on BugGuide.
What the hell!
Location: Spokane Valley – Eastern Washington
October 23, 2011 6:56 pm
These are some sort of gnat I think, they’re all over our tree out front. So just what are they and may I assume it’s a mating sort of thing…. huge swarm for sure! Curious about what they are and are they going to harm the tree?
Signature: Paul
Swarm of Woolly Aphids
Dear Paul,
We wish your photo showed an individual insect more clearly as it is difficult to make out details. Our initial guess is that these might be some type of benign Barklice, though we wouldn’t rule out some species of Ant. How long has the swarm been present? Did it quickly disperse?
Swarm of Woolly Aphids
We will try to get a second opinion for you.
Swarm of Woolly Aphids
Not ants … here are some individual shots. We’ve seen them flying around out in front of the house for about a week now, maybe more. They’re gnat-like and seem to have powdery white’ish butt… Good shots in this batch, should help quite a lot!
Woolly Aphid
Hi Again Paul,
Your new photos are a tremendous help. These are Woolly Aphids in the subfamily Eriosomatinae. Woolly Aphids have complex life cycles, often feeding on different plants at different stages. Earlier in the year, most individuals are females that reproduce parthenogenically. We believe the winged individuals are males. You can compare your photo to this image on BugGuide. Here is another photo from BugGuide. Knowing the host tree might help to identify the species.
Woolly Aphid
1
Lady beetle – near Toronto ON
Location: King City (north of Toronto)
October 24, 2011 8:15 am
Hello…
The attached lady beetle was found in a forested area about 30 km north of Toronto. Note the unusual marking and, even more, the embossed textured lines running parallel to the centre. Would this be another weird variant of the Asian multicoloured?
Date was May 19, 2011.
thanks!
Signature: Gavin Miller
Leaf Beetle: Calligrapha rowena
Hi Gavin,
Your beetle is not one of the Lady Beetles despite the black and orange coloration and the small size. This is actually a Leaf Beetle, and we followed our first suspicion that it is in the genus Calligrapha, and we quickly identified it as Calligrapha rowena, which has no common name. According to BugGuide, it feeds “on Cornus (dogwood).” The leaf in your photo appears to be a dogwood leaf.
Leaf Beetle: Calligrapha rowena
Hello Daniel:
Thanks very much for your quick reply! This makes a lot of sense, given the dogwood the beetle was on (and abundant in the area). And the patterning on the wing cases is indeed calligraphic.
cheers,
Gavin
1
LARGE Black Fly – Copestylum mexicanum?
Location: Hawthorne, CA
October 23, 2011 7:51 pm
I notice you have some photos of this large, bold fly here at your site. My question is, is mine also a Mexican Cactus Fly? It’s another ”new to the yard” bug, and I didn’t notice that it’s body was blue . . .
Signature: Thanks, Anna Carreon
Mexican Cactus Fly
Hi Anna,
Your identification of the Mexican Cactus Fly is correct. The body is actually black with a blue sheen. The blue sheen only shows when the light strikes the fly’s body from the right angle.
Mexican Cactus Fly
Thanks Daniel! I noticed that in a related post you say that this is a skittish fly. For some reason, our yard seemed to calm this particular specimen. It stayed for long periods of time and didn’t seem to mind the camera being very close to it. Not the first skittish bug this has happened with. We wonder why this is.
Anna
1
Not Even Sure What Order This is In
Location: Mt. Pisgah, North Carolina
October 23, 2011 8:07 am
We saw this insect in mid-October on a trail next to the Mt. Pisgah Inn on the Blue Ridge Parkway. It was quite active considering it was on the north slope late in the morning.
Signature: Steve
Oil Beetle
Hi Steve,
Your confusion regarding the insect order is quite understandable since this Oil Beetle is not typically “beetle-like” with its short flightless elytra and soft body. The Oil Beetle is a Blister Beetle in the family Meloidae, and many members of the family are atypical beetles.
Grasshopper-Crayfish
Location: Southern Palm Bay, FL
October 23, 2011 12:12 pm
Found this little beastie while out geocaching today. It had apparently been taken down by somehing else (possibly a car) and although still alive, the ants were already swarming for their feast.
I’ve looked all through my bug book and came up empty handed.
Signature: Wolfeitz
Conehead Katydid
Dear Wolfeitz,
Just yesterday we posted another photo and letter from Florida of this Conehead Katydid in the genus Belocephalus.
Conehead Katydid
1
Water Beetle
Location: Thunder Bay, ON Canada
October 23, 2011 9:00 am
Found this bug in my pond. When I accidentally scooped him out of the water on to his back. He easily flipped himself over and went straight back into the water. I’m assuming its some type of water beetle can you tell me any more about it. Do they bite?
Signature: Pond Beetle
Giant Water Bug
Dear Pond Beetle,
Giant Water Bugs are not beetles. They are True Bugs. They are commonly called Toe-Biters and they can deliver a painful bite if carelessly handled or accidentally encountered in the water.
1
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