rss Thank you!
August 3, 2010 10:23 pm
I’ve been faithfully reading every new entry on WTB, and I can’t help but feel happy knowing that you’ve created an avenue for the public’s questions about the little six-legged creatures they find. You have a wonderful way of encouraging the acceptance and enjoyment of the arthropod world, and I wish you best of luck on any future endeavors.
Thanks again!
Megan Hussey
Hi Megan,
Your email really cheered us up.
July 25, 2010
We’ve been Bitten …
… but we are not sure by what. Last night, after returning from the movies, we laid down on the couch before crawling into bed. About 12:30 AM this morning, we awoke to an itchy hand, so we doused it with Witch Hazel. Today it is a bit swollen and tender. It also feels warmer than the other hand. At first we suspected Mosquito Bite, and then Flea Bite, but now we are suspecting Spider Bite. About 13 years ago, a suspected Spider Bite on the foot put us in the hospital for a few days. If the hand doesn’t improve tomorrow, we are paying a visit to our General Practitioner. Hopefully, no drastic treatment will be required.
Update
July 26, 2010: 6 A.M.
Last night, we applied a poultice of baking soda and water with a splash of apple cider vinegar on the site of the bite before going to bed. The hand is still a bit swollen, but at least it isn’t any worse. Also, it doesn’t feel quite as warm. We have several meetings this morning, and after that, we will decide if a visit to the GP is necessary.
Update
July 26, 2010 6:49 PM
We have been prescribed an antibiotic for the presumed Spider Bite.
Update
July 27, 2010 7:13 AM
At Dr. W’s advice, we have been soaking our hand in warm water with Epson Salts. The swelling is going down and it appears we are on the road to a speedy recovery.
Your wonderful website assists in Blister Beetle “bite” in Arizona
July 25, 2010 1:42 am
Hi Folks,
Love your website and just registered. As soon as I can find my darned Visa, I will be sending along a donation; I truly appreciate your labor of love and use your site frequently. Tonight, I was “bitten” by a Blister Beetle, which I identified due to your website. Of course, I wasn’t bitten; Mr. Beetle was in my shirt (I had just taken it off the clothesline) and laid down on it…CRUNCH! Then, burning and swelling. I washed the area with soap, took a Benedryl, applied a cold compress over Neosporin on my back. There was no itching, but certainly a burning feeling, and I became very worried. The bug (crushed) was still identifiable with the help from your site. Then I googled Arizona Blister Beetle and found from other sites I was not “bitten”. The substance in the joints of the bug had caused a chemical reaction on skin that can result in blistering and just the reactions I experienced. I also found I had already done all the right things. But I wouldn’t have known where to
begin identification without your website. A big thanks, watch for my grateful donation!
elliemay
Dear elliemay,
Thanks for letting us know that we have been helpful. We hope you recover quickly from your encounter with the Blister Beetle.
Very pleased with the website!
July 19, 2010 9:17 pm
Thank you so much! I’m so pleased with your website, it’s opened my eyes to many things I didn’t know about certain insects which I was often surprised by, but now realise are benificial and/or harmless. I just recently got into studying bugs in what little spare time I have between writing electronic music and working. This website has helped me very much in identifying insects I have never seen before in my area (lots of interesting new insects popping up in Ontario lately that I cannot describe). If I happen to snap some photos of insects that baffle me (some husks and sheddings I have found in the northern parts of Ontario that I have never encountered before especially) I will let you know first hand and hopefully the team here can help us figure out what’s with the crazy and interesting new species I have never encountered before!
Thank you so much again,
yours, Cody J.
Thanks so much for your kind letter Cody.
New book on Alabama butterflies
July 19, 2010
Over the years, many of you have asked us to let you know when our book, Butterflies of Alabama: Glimpses into Their Lives, is published. We are excited to announce that it should be available at the end of August. Currently it can be pre-ordered from the University of Alabama Press at a substantial discount. It is also available at a significant pre-publication discount on Amazon.com. The attached flyer contains a description of the book as well as an order form. Please feel free to forward it to anyone you think would be interested.
We hope that by offering close-up views of butterflies, the plants they rely on, and their remarkable life histories, our book will further the causes of environmental education and conservation. Thanks to all who have offered support and encouragement!
Paulette Haywood Ogard and Sara Bright
Pre-order flyer
July 7, 2010
We seem to be experiencing a delay with the photos of our newest postings going live. The text posts immediately, but the photos are lagging behind. Please be patient while we work to correct the problem.
fanmail from a thankful sister
July 6, 2010
Dear Bugman,
I wanted to express how your site and the work you do has affected my life in such a personal way. My little brother, Brian, was diagnosed with autism when he was very young. He’s had a lot of trouble learning to use language and doesn’t really engage with other people. I’m his sister and around him all the time, and he used to hardly ever connect with me. About a year ago, though, I started researching because of my own interest in insects, and I started bringing bugs I caught into the house in small cages during the day to watch them. Brian was aware of them right away and kept asking me what different bugs I caught were, and he got really frustrated when I didn’t know. When I stumbled across your site one night, I was so happy it was easy to use to try to identify bugs, had so many resources, and, of course, let me send in pictures if I couldn’t figure one out for myself. Since then, Brian and I have been able to catch bugs together and find out what they are. He l oves it. He’s talked to me more in the past year than he has in his whole life. He sometimes tells his teacher about bugs he finds and takes worms off the sidewalk to put them in the grass (his first sign of empathy, I think). These are h-u-g-e steps for him. Even his psychologist is blown away by the changes he’s experienced recently.
I wanted to express my gratitude for the work you do and how important it is for me and my family.
Jenny
the picture is Brian at a butterfly habitat near our home
Brian with Gulf Fritillary and Morpho
Dear Jenny,
This might be the only time in the entire time we have been posting letters that we are totally without words of comment. Your letter made our day.
Love the new format!
July 6, 2010
I love the new format!!! I was not a fan of the last changes that were made, but the new changes are fantastic! Great Job!
inlovewithbugs
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