miércoles, 15 de septiembre de 2021

Butterfly and Bee September 2021

September 14, Southview Avenue, Latah County, Moscow Idaho
In the early evening on a warm, sunny day, I found two insects on weeds next to a sidewalk. The first was a cabbage white butterfly (Pieris rapae). It flapped around different weeds for a while as if it were indecisive, and then settled down on a plant while opening its wings to sunbathe. The plant it rested on (as is seen in the picture) is a canada thistle (Cirsium arvense). Some other plants in the area were the panicle willoweed (Epilobium brachycarpum) and curly dock (Rumex crispus). I also found an unknown bee species that could possibly be a leaf cutter bee. It was feeding on sweet clover flowers(Melilotus sp.). Some other plants next to it were hairy vetch (Vicia villosa) and spotted knapweed (Centaurea maculosa). The habitat was a disturbed, weedy site protected from wind at the bottom of a west-facing hill, and there was dry silt on the ground radiating the sun's heat.

Publicado el miércoles, 15 de septiembre de 2021 a las 01:52 AM por adamkennedy adamkennedy | 2 observaciones | 0 comentarios | Deja un comentario

domingo, 29 de agosto de 2021

Galls on Willow Tree August 2021

8/28/2021 - University of Idaho Arboretum
On a Saturday evening before sunset, I went to the University of Idaho arboretum to look for insects, located just south of the campus. There were many wasps and flies darting around along with crane flies and lawn moths, but what caught my eye most were some small willows (Salix sp.) that looked like they had cancerous growths on their leaves. They appeared to be a gall in the Euura genus, though I do not know for sure, nor do I know how they were caused. I broke several open, and all I could see that could have been insects were tiny black specks. I noticed the older galls were darker and had some empty space inside, but the younger ones were greener and solid all the way through. Galls have always been mysterious to me, and now I would like to learn more about what they really are.

Publicado el domingo, 29 de agosto de 2021 a las 03:54 AM por adamkennedy adamkennedy | 1 observación | 0 comentarios | Deja un comentario

Archivos