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.
34
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
Sent a donation!
May 23, 2010
Dear WTB,
I identified “my bug” of interest,thank to your photos,and descriptions.Also I was looking it up,because I had a bit of insomnia last night,since a loved one is in the hospital ( gonna be fine) but anyway,after fulfilling all my bugelicious curiosity,I am not quite sleepy..MUCH better than a sleeping pill. Thanks!
OH,and my critter was a snake bug! Our little vineyard welcomes them!
Leslie in Penn Valley,Ca 95946
Hi Leslie,
We are happy the site was helpful and that things are well with your ailing relative. Thanks for your kind donation.
note of thanks
May 12, 2010
Thank you for providing this great resource! After moving to Gainesville FL I was overwhelmed and a bit terrified by the variety of ‘bug’ life outside (and sometimes inside). After discovering your site I’ve turned every encounter into an identification game. Even after five years I’m still finding new creatures. Just yesterday my house was covered in Red Shouldered Bugs. Funny little things. Anyway, thank you! I’ve pre-ordered your book on amazon and can’t wait for it to be released.
Jennifer
Hi Jennifer,
Thanks for your kind email. We just returned from five days in Ohio and we have 100s of emails, and we are only going to be able to answer and post a few, and your fanmail letter is the first.
April 16, 2010
It IS wonderful to see how the site has grown but it’s darn near impossible to get a message through to Dan and Lisa, let alone a photo. But I still love these guys! I know they’re as busy as bees!
Joannne
Now in Romeoville IL, not Darien IL
Hi Joannne,
We see you have added an n to your name since the last time we wrote back to you. We haven’t noticed any mail from you, but we don’t always read names in an effort to be more impartial when reading our mail. Though much more would get answered if we hired staff, we like maintaining a personal touch with our responses.
Dear, dear Joannne,
We will never forget that “hornet’s nest” you stirred up a few years back with your wry comments. As always, we love being a bit edgy and controversial, and even adult in our humor, but we strive to maintain public decorum and we always refrain from posting obscenities and foul language to our humble site, either from our own keyboards or those of the public. Try resending that photo Joanne.
Thanks so much for remembering me, Dan! I have left my partner of 18 years and am now living on my own in Romeoville, IL. It’s for the best so don’t worry!
My best friend lives in Sheridan, IL and whilst staying with her the weekend I left my partner, I found this beautiful garden spider and her husband….sperm donor….whatever. I will send three images on a separate email.
I am looking forward to a summer of new bugs in Sheridan, IL. My friend out there and I have been buddies since 1977 so I know I’m welcome out there any time!
Much love,
Joanne (still 2 “n”s I think I was drinking…)
April 15, 2010
Great Job!
Wow guys! You have done an awesome job with the site! Can’t belive how much it has grown since you first started, and I asked for my first bug ID! I share this site with people who have kids interested in bugs, so they can learn more, and be less afraid of these critters.
Good job, keep it up!
Kaye
find a click beetle
April 6, 2010
Dear Bugman,
I can see that many folks find strange creatures, take a picture, and then ask you to identify the odd looking things.
Though I have used your site numerous times, I truly cringe at almost all of the photos. In fact, there are some, that I can not even bring myself to see. Having said that, I now homeschool three children, and in our studies it is extremely important that they grow to love nature. That includes the bugs. So, with great effort, I overcome my desire to scream and smash, and I gently capture the insects that roam around our home. We admire them and learn about them for a brief time and let them go again. This week, we have found a really nice big black Carpenter Bee! Your site helped us identify it.
So, with the greatest trepidation, I must ask for your help in the reverse. At some point in the past I had an encounter with a click beetle. It was startling, to say the least (remember, I shudder at all bugs), but interesting in how it flips over. I still live in Chandler Arizona USA where I met this click beetle. So now I get to my question….. Could you tell me where to look for another click beetle? My children would be ever so happy to see this little bug, which has also been romanticized in a children’s book by Eric Carle (which by the way is how I came to know what the bug was that I had encountered). Any ideas of where to look for these? Thanks in advance for any information you could share.
Michelle and her three kiddies
P.S. Chandler AZ is southeast of Phoenix, in the valley, and we live in a subdivision with lizards, geckos, black widows,lots of ants, but no scorpions (thankfully).
Dear Michelle,
Click Beetles are often attracted to lights, so you can try leaving the porch light on to see what arrives.
Thanks for the amazing site!
April 6, 2010
Being homebound from illness can be very, very boring. I decided to use this time to do something contructive, overcome my fear of some insects (namely moths). I had no idea how thrilling the world of Entomolgy is and really, how downright cute most insects are. You folks do good work, I applaud you. When medical bills aren’t causing me to live in poverty, I will make a donation for sure!
Stircrazy in Washington
Dear Stircrazy,
Thanks for the kind message. We wish you a speedy recovery, because even with internet connectivity, cabin fever is no fun.
¶ Posted 06 April 2010 § Moths ‡ ° Also tagged: 
I like This
