Subject: Unusal request for a bug loving six year old
Location: Syracuse, New York
May 25, 2013 8:58 pm
Hello there!!!
I’m a long time fan of your site and have submitted many photos in the past which you’ve generously shared. I have an unusual request that I hoped you’d be able to help me with. My best friend’s little girl Aayla is a budding entomologist. She loves all creatures great and small, in particular the small! Aayla is going through some tough times. She has a yet undiagnosted condition that affects her mobility. It’s getting harder and harder for her to move fast enough to keep up with the bugs and butterflies she loves. I set up a fundraiser for her family on GiveForward.com to help pay for much needed diagnostic testing, and I wondered if you’d be interested in sharing the link with your readership. I think it’s so important to support the love of the natural world in our young ones, and even if money is tight Aayla can benefit so much from the kind words and encouragement of fellow bug lovers. Even if you’re not able to share the link, maybe you could post the awesome photos I’ve attached to help lift her spirits! Thank you so much for your site and continued championship of the smallest among us!
Kindly,
Emily Rush
Here’s the link to Aayla’s fundraiser http://gfwd.at/10TtznU
Signature: Emily Rush

Aayla with Daddy Longlegs

Dear Emily,
We are sorry to hear about Aayla’s mysterious situation.  We are posting your request and we feel confident that our readership will help to contribute to Aayla’s diagnosis and recovery.

Aayla and Katydid

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Subject: Weird bug with turtle shape
Location: Southern Connecticut
May 21, 2013 1:09 pm
The bug crawled over to my friend, and we both hadn’t seen anything like it. She immediately noticed what looks like a turtle on the back of the bug, while the edges are semi-translucent. We brought it outside and it disappeared shortly after.
Signature: AF

Clavate Tortoise Beetle

Dear AF,
Obviously the Clavate Tortoise Beetle is aptly named if you thought it resembled a turtle.

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Subject: What kind of bug is this?
Location: Miramichi, NB, Canada
May 15, 2013 4:57 pm
Dear Bugman,
I found it in my yard in Miramichi, NB, Canada. What kind of bug is this?
Signature: Corey

Bee Fly: Bombylius pygmaeus

Hi Corey,
This is a Bee Fly in the family Bombyliidae, and we quickly identified it on BugGuide as Bombylius pygmaeus.

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Subject: Finding Saturniidae
Website: ahandbasket.com
May 2, 2013 7:10 am
This spring and summer I’d like to find and identify and photograph as many of the large Saturniidae silk moths common to CT as I can find.  I have always waited for my insects to find my lighted porch at night and THEN photographed them, but this time I want to be sure to see certain ones.
So, in southern CT, right now (beginning of May), I should be looking for cocoons, emerging adults, caterpillars, what?  And where?  Under trees?  in trees?  I’d like to bring a few caterpillars/cocoons to a butterfly cage on my porch and feed them, watch and photograph them hatching and stretching, and then release them safely to do their thing.  My 5 yr old and I have been closely observing and photographing the insect life around our home for several years now and want to take the next step of watching captive caterpillars emerge.
I’ve looked but am probably not wording it correctly, so could you direct me to a website with pertinent info for my geographic area, and any advice or opinion you may have on the endeavor, keeping mind that I have done a bit of homework and know for certain that these creatures are plentiful and un-threatened, AND I plan to safely release them almost right after they emerge.
Thanks, and love your book!    Helen Epley
Signature: Helen Epley

Luna Moth

Dear Helen,
Thanks for your kind remark about The Curious World of Bugs.  The best websites for information on North American Moths include BugGuide and The Butterflies and Moths of North America.  You might also want to check with your local natural history museum to see if they have any programs.  With National Moth Week gaining in popularity, you can also check if you have a local group that you can get involved with.  We expect that now is the best time to find cocoons and adults.  Caterpillars should appear later in the season.  We applaud your involvement with natural history and education of your five year old.  Good Luck.

Daniel, thank you so much!  I’m going to look into all this info and check back in as you suggested, and if I have any super pix, I’ll share them.  Thanks again for sharing your time and expertise.

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Subject: Caterpillar that ate my Satsuma
Location: Livingston, Louisiana
March 23, 2013 7:34 am
It has been a while since I took this picture (it took me a while to find the picture). Around this time last year, can’t remember the specific day, I found this caterpillar on my small Satsuma. I have never seen a caterpillar like this one in my life. So I took a picture of them so I could see what they were. I found them on your web site, the Giant Swallowtail, but what I am wanting to know is – Do they hang around this area much? I live in Livingston Louisiana. I have lived at this residence for 15 years and this was the first time I had seen them. The small Satsuma they ate was mostly thorns. The Satsuma had been in the back yard for two years before I saw the caterpillars. Are they in this area much? If so I will leave the tree for them to snack on. I did not get to see the Butterflies and the caterpillars were gone the next day. I would love to see them in my yard more often. How can I do to get them to come back? What really peaked my curiosi ty was when my son touched one of them it put out a nasty odor and these bright red feelers or antenna. What do I need to do to bring one indoors to watch it emerge from a cocoon?
Signature: Rebecca Lambert

Orange Dogs

Hi Rebecca,
This might be our favorite photo ever of Orange Dogs, the caterpillars of the Giant Swallowtail, Papilio cresphontes.  We generally tell home gardeners that despite the caterpillars feeding on the leaves, the trees will survive and butterflies will follow, but we never get reports of so many Orange Dogs on a single tree.  Perhaps there was no other nearby food source, and that is why so many eggs were laid in one place.  Swallowtails deposit eggs singly, not in a cluster like some other insects.  We also love that your photo shows so many individuals with the osmeterium exposed.  The red horns, as you indicate, are a defense mechanism that acts as a visual deterrent as well as an olfactory one.  You are within the natural range of the Giant Swallowtail, a native species that fed on common pricklyash and other native plants prior to the introduction of citrus.  Cultivation of citrus has allowed a range expansion to occur and now Giant Swallowtails are common in southern California, a portion of the country that they are not native to.  The coloration of the Orange Dog is thought to resemble droppings from a bird, which acts as an additional camouflage protection.  You should be able to raise a caterpillar in an old aquarium with a screen top if you want to observe the eclosion.  We would also suggest planting nectar plants including lantana and composites like echinacea if you want to attract additional adult Giant Swallowtail butterflies to your garden.  Your letter indicates you took the photo last year, so we are guessing the 2007 date stamp is incorrect.

Orange Dog

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