Just for fun, I thought I would throw a mystery insect at you this week.
It is a bit unusual looking, but there are some clues to what it is if you look closely.
Okay, maybe that is too close.
Do you have any ideas what it might be? If you chose to share, be sure to leave your ideas in the comments.
Edit:Â The answer is now posted.
Fall must be approaching, because look who showed up in our yard:
This was a female monarch butterfly and she laid an egg.
The plant is commonly called a rush milkweed or desert milkweed. It is a favorite of both monarch and queen butterflies.
If you have a minute, insect photographer Alex Wild has wonderful close up photographs of a monarch butterfly egg and caterpillar. Enjoy!
Can you figure out what order this fuzzy black insect belongs to?
Is it a beetle or is it a true bug? It looks and acts like a beetle at first glance.
Do you remember the characteristics of a true bug?
Although you can’t see the mouthparts, this is a true bug. It is a relative of the shield or stink bugs called a “burrowing bug,” Family Cydnidae.
As their name suggests, these bugs burrow underground to feed on plant roots.
Otherwise, not all that much is known about them. Do you think that is because they are mistaken for beetles?
For more information, see Roberta Gibson Writes.
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