Category: Bug of the Week (Page 179 of 218)

Bug of the Week: Monarchs and Migrations

Monarchs are beautiful butterflies.

There’s evidence in this photograph about the gender of the butterfly, and about the weather that day. What do you think?

If you are interested in the long migrations made by monarch butterflies, take a look at the NOVA TV program The Incredible Journey of the Butterflies. When I first went to this link there was only a preview, but today you can watch what looks like the entire the show.  I hope to finish it soon.

After the show, you might want to pick up one of these. There are a lot of great children’s books about monarch butterflies.

Bug of the Week: Shield Bug

These true bugs hang out in our native desert willow and mesquite trees, where they are hard to spot on the tree bark.

They are called shield or stink bugs. The “stink” name comes from the fact they have scent glands that release an odor when they are disturbed.

This one is probably Brochymena sulcata. It has an almost pleasant cinnamon odor when you pick it up.

The shield name comes from the shield shape in the middle of its back. We’d like to learn more about them, but they tend to keep quite well hidden.

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