Flies are very common to see on daisies. And if you look a bit more closely, crab spiders are also common on daisies. And sometimes, both are on the same flower, and we can only guess what comes next.
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The Hacienda Baru is an eco-resort with property that abuts the Firestone Reserve. We went over there for dinner one evening which is always a treat. Inside their butterfly garden I found these two... In a fig tree outside the garden, I found a pretty caterpillar (fig tree is host plant).
What I have been trying to figure out, unsuccessfully, is what is going on here. This is curious. First, there were two or three of the green planthoppers and about a dozen of the black ones on the tree trunk (a natural habitat for such things). But what are the black ones? The only other citations of these black ones I can find list them as "unidentified." And, since these types of insects can secrete a wax from their rears, is the black one attempting to acquire some wax or is this just an accidental position. I once read something about cockroaches stealing wax this way, but can't find that reference right now either. So just an interesting mystery photo for now.
I am still looking into this most beautiful bug. Yes, bug. It is a Hemipteran (true bugs) and more specifically a Homopteran (wax bugs). They are called wax bugs because they pretty much all can secrete some kind of wax for various purposes.
It was found on the Firestone Reverse in conjunction with some other planthoppers that I have not yet been able to identify, so I will post more photos once I figure more out. For now, enjoy a very striking insect. This year one of the student science projects is to determine how far various species of butterflies travel on the Firestone Reserve. Cool project. Today they set up some of the butterfly traps.
First up this morning were the final two flights for the drone mapping. And then other projects are moving along as well. Spiders are starting to get mapped and some wildlife cameras are being set up. And a couple of our insect friends
First night at the Firestone and had to take at least a little bit of a walk to see what was out there. A photo software glitch has been fixed and so hopefully for the next week or so I will be able to put up lots of pics. Of note, I usually try to put identifications with my animal photos, but it is looking like there might not be enough time to do that, at least for now. And finally for now... a beautiful spider
Dyke Marsh is on the Potomac looking across as Washington, DC and a great place for a quick little hike.
A very nice day in northern Virginia and Fall is upon us.
The false potato beetle, both the adult and larvae, look similar to the Colorado potato beetle (Leptinotarsa decemlineata). But here the defining characteristic is that it only has one row of black spots, while the Colorado potato beetle larvae has two rows.
Of note, the Colorado potato beetle is a huge pest species, while the false potato beetle (both are in the same genus) generally is not a pest at all, no matter how creepy looking it is. |
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Keith Christenson Wildlife Biologist Archives
September 2021
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