« August 2007 | Main | April 2009 »
March 30, 2009
Boxelder Bugs and Spring's Arrival
I don't think many people equate clusters of boxelder bugs with spring, but yet, as they come out from hibernation to renew their cycle, they are as much a sign of spring as the crocuses in the front yard. Mostly, people see them and ask where they come from and how do they get rid of them.
Boxelder bugs are actually a member of the hemipteran family Rhopalidae, the scentless plant bugs. Leptocoris trivittatus (Say) is the insect that we call the boxelder bug. I think they are actually rather attractive and innocuous. The reason that they accumulate around structures in large numbers in the fall and spring, is that they are either gathering around a place to hibernate (fall) or emerging from that shelter (spring). Once emerged, they will mate and disperse to lay eggs and start the cycle all over again. These insects feed on boxelder (Acer negundo, a maple) and possibly other trees. It's obvious that they do not harm the trees, as boxelder is a fast-growing weedy tree, ubiquitous in urban and suburban areas.
The photo above was taken in Vassar, MI, at an old brick building that had thousands of Leptocoris trivittatus sunning themselves on a partly cloudy day. Perhaps, in their little bug world, that was their equivalent of a bacchanaliac spring break.
Posted by mfobrien at 11:04 AM | Comments (0)
March 16, 2009
The Half-wing in My Backyard
There are a number of species of moths that are active early in the spring, and I previously discussed one such moth, the spring cankerworm. I was cutting up branches in my backyard yesterday and happened upon another vernal species, Phigalia titea, commonly known as a "half-wing." These geometrids also have females with greatly reduced wings and only the males are capable of flight.
Phigalia titia (Cramer) is a member of the Geometridae, or spanworm moths. This species feeds upon oaks, hickories and red maple. Eggs are laid soon after adults emerge in March-April, and the larvae emerge in late April. By late June, they have completed larval development, and crawl or silk down into duff and pupate. There is one generation per year.
An interesting bit of mythology -- the genus is named after a Greek Dryad (a beautiful nymph of the woods), Phigalia, which is a town in southern Greece.
Links
http://www.forestpests.org/hardwood/halfwinggeometer.html
Posted by mfobrien at 08:57 AM | Comments (0)
March 13, 2009
First Honeybees of 2009
On Friday, March 6, we had a high temperature of about 65°F -- which was quite the spike from the long run of cold weather that we had been experiencing. I was home that afternoon, and went outside to my backyard to see how the snowdrops were doing. I was pleased to see that some were in flower, and more amazed to see honeybees (Apis mellifera) at them. I was able to take a few photos and a short movie clip of the bees getting pollen and nectar from the flowers. Overnight, the weather changed, and the next day was cold and rainy. I'm sure those bees were back safely in their hive, and will be out again the next warm day, whenever that will be...
It's just a reminder that spring is around the corner.
Posted by mfobrien at 10:14 AM | Comments (0)