Tiny Little Guys
Location: Maryland
November 21, 2011 11:33 pm
Hi: I saw quite a few of these little guys around my garden this summer, in both of the colors shown. Not sure if it is the same bug that gradually changes color as it ages, or if the color is a gender difference, etc. They are about 1/4” long.
Thanks.
Signature: Barbara Thurlow
Tarnished Plant Bug
Hi Barbara,
In our attempt to identify your True Bug, we found this nymph of a Plant Bug on in the family Miridae on BugGuide that looks similar to your nymph, so we now suspect you have a Plant Bug which warrants additional research prior to posting. We believe we have correctly identified this as a Tarnished Plant Bug, Lygus lineolaris, based on photos and text on BugGuide. According to BugGuide: “nymphs and adults feed on cotton, soybeans, and more than 50 other crops, plus commercially-grown flowers, fruit trees, forest tree nurseries, and weeds (Over half of the US cultivated plant species are listed as host plants for tarnished plant bugs(2))” and it is described as: “Adult: a pale yellow “Y” shape on the scutellum is the most notable feature; elytra vary in color from light to dark brown; cuneus usually yellowish or clear, with a small black spot at the tip; color and markings vary between sexes and between overwintering and summer adults. Nymph: yellowish-green with 4 black dots on the back.” The spots are visible in your photo of the nymph.
Tarnished Plant Bug Nymph
BugGuide also notes that it is: “The most common plant bug in the US”
Tarnished Plant Bug
Green bug on my passion flower plant
Location: Maharashtra, India
November 21, 2011 5:59 am
Saw this green and white striped bug on my passion flower plant. Cant see in the pic but it has red antennae. Its about an inch long.
Signature: Sukhie
Planthopper: Eurybrachis tomentosa
Dear Sukhie,
This is a Planthopper in the order Hemiptera, possibly in the family Fulgoridae, however, we were not able to find any matching images or an identification online in our brief attempt. Planthoppers have sucking mouthparts and they feed off the juices found in plant stems, leaves and fruits.
Identification Courtesy of Karl
I believe this is a Eurybrachyid Planthopper (Fulgoroidea: Eurybrachyidae), a small Old World family of Planthoppers (according to Wikipedia). The India Nature Watch forum site has several pictures of what appears to be the same bug, identified as Eurybrachis tomentosa. Regards. Karl
Florida bug
Location: Spring Hill, Florida
November 21, 2011 10:04 am
Greetings! I live in west-central Florida and found this sitting on the wall outside my front door. Its face looks like a praying mantis but I couldn’t find any picture of one in a similar life stage. What is it? Thanks!!
Signature: Emmy
Grizzled Mantis
Hi Emmy,
This insect looks like a Mantis because it is a Mantis, a Grizzled Mantis, Gonatista grisea more specifically. They are very well camouflaged on tree bark. It is also known as a Lichen Mimic Mantis. Your individual is a male. Females have shorter wings.
Daniel, thank you so much!!! I appreciate your response and will share with all who I made curious! 
Emily
1
”in-line branch” bug pod – don’t know how to describe
Location: Lancaster, Pennsylvania
November 20, 2011 3:09 pm
Any idea what sort of insect grows inside these ”pods” on these shrub branches? When I cut them open there is a 1/4 inch ”grub” in the center.
They make great toy spinning tops.
Thank you for your time and your help!
Signature: cfunck
Goldenrod Galls
Dear cfunck,
This is a sight our editorial staff is quite familiar with having grown up in eastern Ohio. Interestingly, this is the first submission we have received of Goldenrod Galls despite having this online column for more than 12 years. These Galls are formed by the Goldenrod Gall Fly, Eurosta solidaginis. You may read more about this insect on BugGuidewhere it is stated: “Larvae form round galls on the stem of certain goldenrods, Solidago. They feed there, then pupate in early spring. Adults emerge April-May and mate near goldenrod.” Galls are growths on plants that are often caused by insects including flies, wasps and moths, and sometimes by mites. Galls are abnormal growths that generally do not harm the plant, and though they are usually produced by insects and other arthropods, they can also be cause by other sources.
Goldenrod Gall
Daniel,
Thank you so much for this information!
Kind regards,
Chris Funck
1
An ode to one of my fave sites
November 21, 2011 11:39 am
Hey whatsthatbug friends!
As I love your site and think that people should have a little more tolerance towards our buggy friends, and spent much time procrastinating on your site, not to mention that you’ve helped me identify things I’ve never seen before or now want to hunt down and see, anyhoooooooo, I made a blog posting dedicated to your site and some of my favourite or most interesting bugs. Here’s hoping you may have a chance to take a gander through my top tens (at least the pics 
)
Take care & awesome job maintaining such a superb site!!
Signature: Van
Well that was kind of silly of me I forgot the link to my blog.
http://vanswisdom.wordpress.com/2011/10/08/bugs-bugs-bugs/
Thanks again!!
Hi Van,
Thanks so much for the great endorsement.
1
Dragonflies (Anax junius)
Location: Florida
November 20, 2011 6:00 pm
We’ve had lots of these Common Green Darners (Anax Junius) in our yard this summer and fall. Today I saw two pairs of Green Darners mating, flying in the tandem position. Both pairs would periodically land on the ground, and the female would immediately push the end segment of her abdomen down to the ground. I know dragonflies lay their eggs in water, so she was not laying eggs though it might have looked that way. I’m very curious about her behavior–do you know what she was doing?
Thanks again for this great site!
Signature: Karen in FL
Green Darners Mating
Hi Karen,
Thanks so much for sending us your excellent images of Green Darners mating to include in our archive. We do not know what the activity you describe means. You are correct that Dragonflies lay eggs in water, not on the ground. Perhaps someone with knowledge of this behavior will write in with an explanation.
1
Spider Carrying Babies on Abdomen
Location: Northern Utah
November 20, 2011 9:23 pm
I took a wonderful picture of a large brown spider with hundereds of babies on her back. I’m just curious as to what kind it is.
It doesn’t look like a wolf/recluse spider because is had a white stripe going up its head between its two largest eyes.
Signature: Cloudiie
Wolf Spider with Spiderlings
Hi Cloudiie,
To the best of our knowledge, among spiders this type of maternal behavior is limited to Wolf Spiders, though among Arachnids, Scorpions also transport their young. Wolf Spiders are harmless. We believe this may be a Rabid Wolf Spider, though your sighting is further west that those indicated on BugGuide.
1
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