Month: September 2011 (Page 4 of 7)

Bug of the Week: Damselfly in the Desert

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For those who want to learn more:

1. This delicate insect is a damselfly. It is perched, actively hunting other small insects.

2. It was jumping off the perch, grabbing an insect and then returning to the same position. In this photograph it’s wings are down. It is watching. Look at the wings in 1 and 3. I caught a photograph just as it was landing (1) and taking off (3). The wings are elevated, ready to fly.

3. Do you notice that it is brown on brown leaves? There were other objects to perch on in the area, but most were green.I wonder if this predator takes advantage of disguises like the crab spiders from last week. What do you think?

San Diego Zoo information page

Seed of the Week: Marigold

Our mystery seeds from last week come from a plant that probably most people will recognize.

They are from the common marigold, species in the genus Tagetes. The most common form, Tagetes erecta, is from Central and South America, although sometimes it is mistakenly called “African marigold.”

The flowers are generally in the yellow, orange and red range of the color spectrum.

The leaves are deeply in cut, giving a lacy appearance.

They also have a distinctive fragrance.

Did you grow any marigolds this year? Take your children out and see if your marigolds have any seeds. Let us know what you find.

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