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……
Tag: insects
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…
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 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 