Last Monday night we did some family mothing. After some yummy S’mores and Jiffy Pop, our adult daughter, son-in-law, three year old grandson, Terri, and I hunted for caterpillars using blacklight flashlights. I also set up a mothing sheet. Our set up uses a stretched white sheet with both a reptile heat lamp (in lieu…
Category: Creatures
Carpenter vs. Bumble Bees
Large carpenter bees and bumble bees are often confused with each other. However, they really are different… so much so that they are in separate subfamilies of bees. Carpenter bees are in the subfamily Xylocopinae while bumble bees are in the subfamily Apinae. The primary species of large carpenter bee in Ohio is the Eastern…
Mothing Finds (8.24.2024)
Last Saturday night I did some mothing. Our adult daughter joined me for the caterpillar hunt using blacklight flashlights. I also set up a white sheet with both a reptile heat lamp (in lieu of a mercury vapor light) and a LED blacklight. All the identifications are based on iNaturalist submissions. Caterpillars In terms of…
Big Moths: Saturniids and Their Hosts
Four years ago, we were thrilled to find both Cecropia Moth and Polyphemus Moth caterpillars in our yard. Unfortunately, the Polyphemus caterpillar died from parasites (eaten from inside out) and we lost track of the Cecropia caterpillar before its final instar. Since then, I am always checking for these species of caterpillars to show again……
It’s Not All About Nectar
This summer we have frequently seen common wood-nymph butterflies in the landscape. Until I was able to get a positive identification, I wondered if they might be Carolina satyr butterflies (which turns out to be a wood-nymph cousin). Unfortunately, the frequent sightings have not yielded many photos because they are constantly moving (unless of course…
Dazzling Night Lights: Fireflies
We are starting to see a good number of fireflies in the yard now. It is so enchanting to see the lights in the night flicker and dance! We also frequently see them during the day. Even without the lights, I feel a friendly vibe from their meandering. We like to think that their presence…
Host Plants for Caterpillars
There’s a good reason to choose keystone plants for the landscape – they are crucial to the foodweb in an ecosystem. The foliage (for caterpillars) or pollen (for bees) support the largest number of these insect species, creating the best chance of high biodiversity in our gardens. Keystone Plants The top keystone genera (closely related…
Time to Get Buzzing!
The emergence of spring wildflowers is getting a lot of attention now, but insects are getting active too. I’ve seen several butterflies and moths flitting around (unfortunately I was not able to get IDs). When we see spring beauties (Claytonia virginica), we also notice bees on them. Likely these are spring beauty mining bees (Andrena…
Appreciate Flies
Many types of flies are actually beneficial insects but are instead considered pests. Some types of flies are certainly pests as annoyances, transmitters of disease, and damagers of crops. However, beneficials types like hover, robber, snipe, and tachinid flies are creatures we want in our landscapes. Flies can function as pollinators. If you like chocolate,…
Appreciate Wasps!
Wasps are beneficial insects!! Yes, they are creatures we want in our landscapes. Certainly, there are good reasons to be careful about being stung by wasps and hornets. As in our appreciation of bees, we need to move past our fears and understand wasp behavior and their contributions. Wasps are pollinators and help control other…
Catchfly Commons 