Category: Bug of the Week (Page 196 of 218)

Bug of the Week: Honey Bees

With all the news of honey bees disappearing and honey bee colony collapse, I was relieved to see our honey bees seem to be doing fine this week.

honey bee

They are gathering nectar and pollen from a southwestern native plant called pink fairy duster, Calliandra eriophylla.

honey bee

The fairy duster plant doesn’t have flower petals, but instead has wispy clusters of pink stamens (the male or pollen-producing part of the flower).

pink fairy duster

It was nice to get outside for a few minutes, it was a great stress reliever.

Bug of the Week: Overwintering Grasshopper

Did you ever wonder where insects go for the winter?

Sometimes insects spend the winter as adults.  We found this one hiding in a pile of leaves when we were doing some yard work.

grasshopper

A few weeks ago we found another grasshopper that looked very similar hiding in an old bird’s nest that had fallen down. I guess by having old nests and old leaves lying around, we are helping out our insects. Who would have thought?

For More Information:

Where Do They Go? Insects in Winter by Millicent Ellis Selsam

I Wonder Where Butterflies Go In Winter and Other Neat Facts About Insects by Molly Marr and Paul Mirocha

Bug of the Week: Cabbage Looper Moth

Did you wonder what kind of moth was in the cocoon in the “another lacewing larva” post? I did and so I kept an eye on it. This week a brown moth emerged.

cabbage looper moth

It is a cabbage looper moth, Trichoplusia ni. Check out the punk look. Isn’t that wild?

cabbage looper moth

I didn’t muss this moth up, those are naturally arranged scales. It also has some white markings on it’s wing.

The cabbage looper pupa is pale green with some brown marks on the back and it is hidden under a shield of white silk.

The cabbage looper caterpillar was bug of the week in an earlier post. It is a pale green caterpillar that loops when it walks.

Moths are often ignored because they are small, drab and are most active at night. But as you can see, if you look at them close up, they can be quite fascinating.

If you are interested in finding out more about moths, try:

Discovering Moths: Nighttime Jewels in Your Own Backyard by John Himmelman

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