tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-120337802024-03-23T11:21:13.116-07:00 Am I Bugging You Yet?Bug sightings in and around
Tustin, California.vanessa carduihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01276966298881636176noreply@blogger.comBlogger944125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12033780.post-40284172700853143902018-08-01T07:08:00.002-07:002018-08-01T07:14:13.154-07:00Bold New Jumpers<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlv1SgVajNmb87DMbNgN7bs_2mIMOY5g4x8lUAw1fWJM0yBiY4eSgyh263wv6cubSSRMwdRM9sYBiWOrCilfyy9zU50vB80jDAAHxNiEJy_KsPBctED06NklMFNZ1iyE1jUfW7/s1600/jumping+spider+nest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1224" data-original-width="1600" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlv1SgVajNmb87DMbNgN7bs_2mIMOY5g4x8lUAw1fWJM0yBiY4eSgyh263wv6cubSSRMwdRM9sYBiWOrCilfyy9zU50vB80jDAAHxNiEJy_KsPBctED06NklMFNZ1iyE1jUfW7/s400/jumping+spider+nest.jpg" width="400" /></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"></span><br />
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In all my time documenting the insects and arachnids in my garden, I had never captured a bold jumping spider (<i>Phidippus audax</i>) nest and hatching. First is the pristine silk nest spun on the leaf of <i>kalanchoe orgyalis;</i> it has doors on both ends.<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">I noticed the shape of the spider inside the nest, and as I watched from a distance, she gradually emerged from the back door, climbed up a nearby stem and jumped off into the garden. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;">A day later, the nest is in disarray and one tiny bold jumper can barely be seen leaving the nest in the last photo. I found some others scattered in the vegetation nearby. Good luck hunting, little ones.</span><br />
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vanessa carduihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01276966298881636176noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12033780.post-56024050613610143872017-09-24T07:12:00.001-07:002017-09-24T07:12:34.000-07:00Love Seeing Insect Articles in Major Newspapers!Interesting article in NY Times about mantis bird predation and hunting behaviors.<br />
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<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/22/science/praying-mantis-eating-birds.html?smid=nytcore-ipad-share&smprod=nytcore-ipad&_r=0">Birds Beware: The Praying Mantis Wants Your Brain - The New York Times</a><br />
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Mentions the cool way mantises always seem to be looking at you, but doesn't explain that's because of the pseudopupil effect. The 'pupil' or black spot in the mantis (and some other insects') compound eyes is formed by the ommatidia (single components of the compound eye) absorbing light as viewed straight on. So the 'pupil', as we anthropomorphize it, follows the observer.vanessa carduihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01276966298881636176noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12033780.post-74069678818599214072016-02-23T08:53:00.001-08:002016-02-23T08:53:28.217-08:00Fairy Duster World<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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There are two calliandras in my yard:<br />
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<i>C. californica</i>, aka baja fairy duster is a lower California native that grows as a loose wiry shrub about 6 feet tall and equally wide. I planted this in the garden sometime in the past decade.<br />
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C. tweedii, aka Brazilian flame bush is native to Brazil and mine is a stout tree about 15 feet tall and wider. This tree was already this size when I came to live here over 20 years ago, so I imagine it is quite a bit older than 20 years.<br />
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I was out poking around looking for critters and found only the bees, up early and foraging in the fairy duster flowers. These plants produce a lot of nectar and attract not only the bees, but also hummingbirds and butterflies to assist with pollination. After the flowers pollinate, legumes are produced, the pea-like pods that will eventually dry up and split, ejecting the seeds into the world in the hopes of propagating. Both plants receive little or no supplemental water in our southern California garden, and bloom off and on all year. <br />
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Aside from the size difference between the two calliandras, there are some other distinctions:<br />
The flowers on tweedii are larger and fuller, and the pods they produce are thicker, hairier and occur in clusters. <br />
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The pods on californica are beautifully translucent when still green. <br />
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The leaves on tweedii are more finely cut.<br />
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And, I like the common name fairy duster better. <br />
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The bees and hummingbirds seem to enjoy both of them equally, although on this particular morning, the bees were only in the fairy dusters.<br />
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<br />vanessa carduihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01276966298881636176noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12033780.post-68326650131205421962015-09-23T08:22:00.001-07:002015-09-23T08:22:32.236-07:00Simple geometry, complex biology<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Back in the day, homes were often aligned east/west, north/south I guess. Being built in 1936, my house is oriented to the east and the equinox sun rising aligns with the driveway. It's cool, but really just simple geometry in action. There is a week or so either side of the equinox the sun spends in our driveway, then will move on toward winter.<br />
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Meanwhile, spiders have ripened with the autumn and can be found hanging in mid-air, hopefully not by your face. This orb weaver positioned herself below the acacia cultriformis tree at daybreak. Insect and arachnid life is adapted to adjust life cycles to the changing seasons, many species becoming sexually mature in late summer and autumn and switching gears from feeding and growing to breeding and dying off, or aggregation and over wintering. <br />
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Humans, affected by the changing quality of light, pull out boots and sweaters even though the daytime air temperature still hangs in the high 80s. We'll begin gathering things and stashing them away for the deep of winter. We light candles, hang wreaths, prepare our homes for the coming dark. We drink pumpkin ale, celebrating the slightest hint of crispness in the now officially autumn air.vanessa carduihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01276966298881636176noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12033780.post-87564365584438904042015-09-22T08:16:00.000-07:002015-09-22T08:18:03.988-07:00Buggy-granate<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The dwarf pomegranate did alright this year, seeming to recover from the mites and twisted leaves. Also reinforced its reputation as drought tolerant, as it received very little supplemental watering through this drought-infested year.<br />
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There's something fascinating about a cluster of bugs, morbidly fascinating I suppose. This is a group of leaf footed bugs (<i>Leptoglossus zonatus</i>) enjoying their adulthood on one of the small pomegranate fruits. Note the zigzag pattern across the wings and the two yellowish spots on the pronotum (just behind the head) as identifying marks.</div>
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Leaf footed bugs are said to overwinter as adults, hiding out in groups in protected places like my woodpile or tree bark, or even within fallen pomegranate fruits and then re-emerge when the spring warms up to feed, mate and lay eggs. In our warm climate, though, I've seen newly hatched ones in autumn. So probably there's some of both (overwintering and multi-generationing) going on.</div>
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These bugs are considered pests of several crops, including and especially pomegranates. They have the ability to feed on leaves, shoots, fruit and even seeds with their piercing mouth parts. I've seen them in my garden on myrtle, opuntia but especially pomegranate but never at a population level approaching pesky. Just interesting.<br />
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vanessa carduihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01276966298881636176noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12033780.post-86060987946952974712015-08-23T09:57:00.000-07:002015-09-22T08:17:48.646-07:00Rank Amateur says "Nuts"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Nuts. I failed, I am such an amateur.<br />
Sure, I noticed this beetle suspended in its small way from a pot rim on my porch.<br />
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I came down to its level for a closer look and saw it was caught up in spider silk.<br />
And then saw the spider.<br />
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Watched the spider approach its comparatively enormous prey from the ventral aspect and<br />
inject venom. Probably between abdominal segments.<br />
The beetle struggled, flexing and spinning for a few seconds then stilled.<br />
I snapped a few photos.<br />
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But,<br />
I neglected to count the segments on the beetle's antennae<br />
(looks like 11 in the photos, 11 beadlike segments).<br />
It didn't occur to me to take note of the beetle's tarsal formula:<br />
was it 5-5-5 ( five segments on each of the tarsi fore middle and hind )<br />
or was it 5-5-4?<br />
Or whether there were cleaning combs on the foreleg spurs.<br />
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Darkling (tenebrionid) or ground (carabid) ?<br />
Maybe there's some subtle difference in flavor between these two large beetle families, and<br />
I could ask the spider to weigh in here for a positive ID.<br />
Or next time, just be a little more systematic in my observations.<br />
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<br />vanessa carduihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01276966298881636176noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12033780.post-73143894015122798622015-08-17T15:02:00.000-07:002015-08-17T15:02:56.584-07:00Leucophyllum in Crazy Bloom<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Next to the front porch our Texas Ranger, <i>leucophyllum frutescens</i>, is blooming large.<div>
This drought hardy plant needs little water, can survive our average summer without supplemental irrigation, </div>
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but the surprisingly substantial rain we had a month ago seems to have ramped up the flower bud production way beyond normal. Leucophyllum usually blooms late summer but this year is ridiculous in its bounty.</div>
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In Texas, some refer to their state flower as the 'Barometer bush', due to its response to increased humidity and/or summer rain with eye-popping flower production. Some say the buds often burst open before the rain, serving as a weather prediction. </div>
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Our ranger is covered in blooms right now, I thought because of the soaking it got last month. But maybe rain's on the way. Eventually? Meanwhile, it makes a pleasant bower where it meets up with the <i>Acacia iteaphylla</i> over our front porch entrance. As they age, the flowers drop off and sprinkle the walk below, and anything else that happens to be there like our concrete fawn.</div>
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Bees love it, and many early mornings their loud buzzing greets us as we step under the bower and begin our day. </div>
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vanessa carduihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01276966298881636176noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12033780.post-65630634022898972502015-04-23T19:05:00.004-07:002015-04-23T19:05:54.332-07:00Athanasia acerosa and friends<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So my mystery plant is no longer a mystery.<br />
Years ago I found a scraggly one gallon shrub with interesting leaves etc at Daylily Hill Nursery in Escondido (<i>hidden . . . get it?). </i> The nursery worker really did not know what it was, nor did I, nor could I find anything like it on the internet and even my plant geek nephew couldn't place it. But I planted it anyway, and imagined it to be akin to the beautiful and bountiful rabbitbrush seen in New Mexico on a summer trip.<br />
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The thing has grown well in my parkway, land of little irrigation and not too much rain these past few years. It's now about 4 feet all around and covered in yellow flowers, and it even has offspring of the cloned persuasion accompanying it further on down the strip. One time Mr. Cardui and I saw one, a big one about 8 feet tall, also covered in flowers as we drove down a nearby business district avenue. The thing is, this is a plant that makes itself noticed while in bloom and then, after the flowers fade it goes unnoticed. <br />
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Well, I took another trip to Escondido, same nursery under a new name and what do you know? They had a full block of the mystery plant for sale. So say a proper hello at last to "<i>Athanasia acerosa</i>" also known as Coulter bush. Hales from South Africa. Not a lot of info about it out there, but here's what I've learned:<br />
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A bit hard to get started from cuttings, but worth a try. Not sure what the ultimate size is. It grows long stems from the base which flower on the ends. I've had good luck cutting these back halfway or even all the way to the base. Next year new stems sprout. Young plants are really leggy, but can be cut back in the same way to get them more bushy and full. Doesn't need much water. The flowers are sweetly fragrant and they attract a <i>lot</i> of small buggies.<br />
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I saw various plant bugs (seriously, miridae),<br />
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spittle bugs (<i>Clastoptera lineatocollis</i>), aphids (unidentified very small black ones) and evidence of their wasp parasites (over half were mummified), a ladybird beetle (Asian),<br />
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a molting sharpshooter-style leafhopper (likely <i>Homolodisca vitripennis</i>) and where there's prey there's the apex predator of its little golden flowery world: a mantis nymph (<i>Stagmomantis</i>).<br />
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So, one tiny null zone of information has been filled in, a whole tiny world of unanswered or even yet to be imagined questions.<br />
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<br />vanessa carduihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01276966298881636176noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12033780.post-79009668970017709862014-10-26T08:21:00.000-07:002014-10-26T08:21:34.386-07:00Monarch population comeback<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Back in winter 2012 I <a href="http://bugyou.blogspot.com/2012/12/monarch-success.html" target="_blank">posted</a> about a monarch butterfly deformed upon emerging from its pupa. I went on about how maybe the winter timing of its emergence had something to do with its deformity or difficulty eclosing.<br />
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This was clearly incorrect as the butterflies, and all of the caterpillars mentioned in that post as well, was infected with the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ophryocystis_elektroscirrha" target="_blank">OE parasite</a> (Ophryocystis elektroscirrha). The caterpillars ingest the spores of the parasite as they feed, which have been deposited there by their infected mother as she laid the eggs. <br />
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In an <a href="http://bugyou.blogspot.com/2012/12/monarch-season.html" target="_blank">earlier post</a> I was observing massive population of caterpillars decimating the milkweed, which had also been less than vigorous for some time at that point. There was also a weak emerged adult in that post, likely a less severely infested victim of OE. <br />
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Turns out that winter 2012 was the peak of our OE infestation. The emerging adults were so heavily infested they were unable to mate and reproduce, resulting in population crash. I also removed all of the milkweed in January 2013 in the interest of preventing the spread of the parasite. 2013 there were zero monarchs about the estate. At the house across the street, a lush stand of milkweed started up mid year and <a href="http://bugyou.blogspot.com/2013/12/2013-winter-solstice-bug-hunt-and-count.html" target="_blank">this</a> adult emerged apparently healthy.<br />
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Through 2014 the milkweed stand across the street has prospered along with the monarchs and milkweed bugs. <br />
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In spring I found a pupating monarch on a new seedling milkweed in my own parkway strip, which later successfully emerged. So perhaps the OE has ebbed. Does population density play a part in the intensity of the infestation? I think removal of milkweed supporting infected populations may be a good idea but also being aware of the <a href="http://monarchparasites.uga.edu/whatisOE/" target="_blank">signs of infestation</a> although in light infestions there may be no indication short of microscopic examination.<br />
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<br />vanessa carduihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01276966298881636176noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12033780.post-60135106998197244362014-10-05T15:08:00.000-07:002014-10-05T15:09:03.604-07:00Cotinis mutabilis <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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These big shiny green beetles are well known as fruit eaters. When we had the fig tree in the nursery, they lived up to their common name 'Fig eater beetles' by attacking and eating the ripe figs <i>enmasse. </i> Actually, that's one reason we got rid of that fig tree. The other being, don't particularly like figs or stepping in the fallen ones while doing chores.<br />
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But I've also seen these beetles spending a lot of time on flowers, like this one on the <i>bulbine frutescens. </i>Since <i>Cotinis mutabilis</i> is attracted to sweets (fruit, fruit juice) they could be eating nectar and maybe, incidentally, flower parts. Cotinis are in the larger group of fruit and flower chafers (Cetoniinae) which includes many flower eating beetles.<br />
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It's almost the end of Green Peach beetle season and soon we will miss their big clumsy noisy flights over our heads and bumping into things. The eggs are laid in the mulch or manure, the larvae will grow over the winter and emerge next summer. I guess if you grow fruit you would consider these a pest, but we see them as a sign of summer and a cause for wonder:<br />
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If a creature this shiny and clumsy and loud can thrive, Earth must be a friendly place.<br />
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Ha. Actually all they require is a likely pile of mulch or compost, and a lack of flooding rains over the winter and the next generation is almost assuredly going to emerge. They fly far (ever been in the middle of a large parking lot and been buzzed by one?) so if you're trying to eliminate them from your fruit trees, you'll need to get your neighbors to participate in mulch removal as well.<br />
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<br />vanessa carduihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01276966298881636176noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12033780.post-85705410194363094682014-10-02T22:05:00.001-07:002014-10-02T22:05:51.140-07:00Days of a Porch Post Spider's Life<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My old front porch has some posts featuring 4x4 uprights and crossing decorative connecting pieces of wood that make nice spots for spiders to hang out. It doesn't hurt that I also don't brush the webs away very often.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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On a recent hot morning I was hose watering some plants (yes, Officer Waterwatch, I do have a positive shut off valve on that hose!) and kind of absent-mindedly squirted some water onto the post where a labyrinth spider has been living. The water scattered her recently hatched spiderlings out of the retreat and into the small yet disorganized web structure shining in the low morning sun.</div>
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A day later I looked again for the young spiders but they were not around. The female adult however was already busy finishing up her next egg sac, hanging like a ripe fruit just above her retreat built mostly of dried leucophyllum frutescens flowers.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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vanessa carduihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01276966298881636176noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12033780.post-73472772296772916272014-03-30T11:26:00.000-07:002014-03-30T11:26:10.163-07:00Syrphid Snapshots<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The <i>Aloe plicatalis</i> is blooming again and I caught this syrphid fly snacking at one of the flowers on a sunny recent day.<br />
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The fly adjourned to another flower to clean itself off:<br />
First the rear<br />
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Then the face.<br />
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Cute as they are, syphids are still flies after all. Not sure of the species on this one; my lack of a dorsal view makes it hard to use the distinctive bee-like coloration and pattern for help in identification.<br />
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<br />vanessa carduihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01276966298881636176noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12033780.post-79969877870724653552014-03-20T20:36:00.000-07:002014-03-21T06:19:10.621-07:00Notes on Transition through Spring<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hello again.<br />
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Found this dead moth in the planter 'neath the mailbox. It's a white lined sphinx moth, <i>Hyles lineata</i>. The larval food includes elm; could this moth have grown as a caterpillar way up in the elm canopy over the mailbox and planter of its ultimate resting place? Or did it feed on the portulaca growing in someone else's yard. <br />
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Either way, it's spent adult body is now food for ants. My <a href="http://bugyou.blogspot.com/2013/03/rock-moth-cellphone.html" target="_blank">last post</a> on this species was almost exactly one year ago; I guess that means something.<br />
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Dried tulips from a funeral bouquet rest atop my rust-colored metal mesh table. I didn't know tulips would hold like this, but must have suspected or dreamed they would hence: my attempt to dry them. <br />
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The <a href="http://bugyou.blogspot.com/2009/06/i-planted-plant.html" target="_blank">putative</a> rabbitbrush showed its first bud today or yesterday; I don't know since I've been kind of busy. Anyway, soon it will be covered in bright yellow heads of flowers like last year and the year before that etc. We had fair to middling success propagating this plant and so there are now more of them populating the parkway strip in the hopes of transforming it into New Mexico. <br />
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Notice one winged aphid there among the juicy grey leaves: harbinger of infestation or forerunner of ladybirds?<br />
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Just one crane fly I've rustled from the underbrush this spring? What the heck, it must be dry out.<br />
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I was remarking to the offspring very recently about how mourning doves have not been frequenting our estate in recent years. So, this morning what do I hear but the squeaky wings of one dove landing atop our canopy. Maybe a pair will decide it's safe to nest in the yard again. Or maybe the damned unleashed and uncontrollable bird killing neighbor cats will keep them at bay.<br />
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<i>Pelargonium carnosum</i> blooms. Enough said in a small way.<br />
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Wisteria blooms. Enough said in a very large way. In fact the neighbors wisteria is threatening to take over our middle-ground and we must retort with sharpened clippers.<br />
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I noticed a monarch caterpillar feeding in the milkweed a few days ago. This morning as I passed by it was no longer feeding so my eyes began searching the nearby shrubbery and found it in the last stages of its final molt to pupa as the sun's path was approaching equinox. Significant? or just fortuitous.<br />
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<a href="http://www.theguardian.com/environment/blog/2014/mar/20/spring-equinox-google-doodle-season" target="_blank">This article</a> contains a lively discussion of the seasonal significance of the March equinox. Bear in mind: it's British, but peruse the comments for an interesting cross section of opinion, misinformation and surprisingly relevant insights into the annual occurrence. Some folk still paying attention to celestial geometry.<br />
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<br />vanessa carduihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01276966298881636176noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12033780.post-41664991397656042322013-12-29T17:20:00.000-08:002014-01-03T08:43:30.012-08:002013 Winter Solstice Bug Hunt and Count<br />
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Whew! It's a lot of working trying to find buggies in the scorching winter weather we're having here in SoCal. Didn't quite get to the count on the 21st . . . sorry traditionalists (which btw includes myself)! Yesterday and today have been in the 80s with a dry Santa Ana wind blowing. Typically I get some out of the ordinary bug sightings in any season with a strong wind. I guess when you weigh that little you get blown around a bit. Not this time, really, as the count is full of the usual suspects:<br />
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SPIDERS:<br />
Lots of funnel web spider webs in evidence, and I saw three of the spiders, <i>Hololena curta</i>, outside their funnels.<br />
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Found 2 very small orb weaver spiders. <br />
Possibly <i>metepeira</i>.<br />
Under some bark chunks were 2 Under Log Spiders, appeared to be male and female just hanging out;<br />
and a very tiny tan spider attacking a smallish beetle larva. The tiny spider ran around the larva, then jumped on it apparently biting judging from the reaction of the larva.<br />
Near some small decorative desiccated mushrooms: 1 very tiny jumping spider not seen in this lovely mushroom photo.<br />
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1 whirligig mite, <i>Anystis baccarum</i>, found running around in circles. Have you seen how fast they are?<br />
So a lot of arachnids without much identification.<br />
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ORTHOPTERA:<br />
1 greybird grasshopper, <i>Schistocerca nitens</i>, adult male.<br />
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2 bush katydids, <i>Scudderia furcata</i>, 3rd instar nymphs, this one hanging out on the senna artemisioides which is just coming into bloom. Flowers of all types are these guys' favorite foods.<br />
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TERMITES:<br />
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Or at least evidence of them in the woodpile. Yikes.<br />
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BUGGIES:<br />
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1 black scale insect on a thick fennel stalk. See the semi-circular marks on the stem near the insect?<br />
Looks like the movement of the insect made these marks in Slo mo.<br />
<i>Aphis nerii,</i> oleander aphids, by the 100s on two colonized plants.<br />
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1 Green leafhopper.<br />
1 myrid plant bug of the all-black persuasion.<br />
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NEUROPTERA:<br />
2 Green lacewings, <i>Chrysopa</i> sp.<br />
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HYMENOPTERA:<br />
Grrrr. There are still 100s of the neighbor's ants, possibly one of the so-called field ants. I'll call them <i>Formica parkwayii</i> var: Cameronsantos for now. Despite our efforts to poison and dissuade their colony, they continue to pour out from under our neighbor's house, march down our driveway an on into the parkway jungle where they travel several houses down and climb trees in search of honeydew and sap. It wouldn't annoy except they climb onto me when I step out of the car at night, then wait until I'm comfy to bite me. And they stink mightily of ant.<br />
Only 4 honeybees, <i>Apis mellifera</i>, were out perusing the rosemary, acacia and lavatera flowers when I was looking.<br />
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LEPIDOPTERA:<br />
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Ding ding ding! The adult butterflies were the stars of the count this year. <br />
At least 3 separate cloudless sulfur, <i>Phoebis sennae</i> floated past my line of vision.<br />
2 cabbage whites, <i>Pieris rapae</i>.<br />
1 mourning cloak, <i>Nymphalis antiopa</i>, flew by in the top of the elm tree . . . hopefully laying eggs.<br />
1 monarch, <i>Danaus plexippus</i>, seen flying and 1 that had recently eclosed under the cold-stressed leaf of the night blooming cereus.<br />
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FLIES:<br />
Last but never least.<br />
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1 syrphid fly, <i>Eupeodes sp.</i> attracted to a basket<br />
1 green bottle fly, <i>Lucilia sericata</i> resting on a leaf.<br />
2 muscid flies of undisclosed persuasion doing what muscid flies do.<br />
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Slim pickings, like last year. It's ending up to be our driest year on record here, with no predictable rain in sight. Oh wait. The Old Farmers' Almanac sez:<br />
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<b style="border: 0px; font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, 'Liberation Sans', FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">DECEMBER 2013:</b><span style="background-color: #ffffcc; font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, 'Liberation Sans', FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px;"> </span><span style="background-color: #ffffcc; font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, 'Liberation Sans', FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px;">temperature 54° (avg.); precipitation 2" (1" above avg. north, 0.5" below south);</span><span style="background-color: #ffffcc; font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, 'Liberation Sans', FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px;"> </span><b style="border: 0px; font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, 'Liberation Sans', FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Dec 1-5</b><span style="background-color: #ffffcc; font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, 'Liberation Sans', FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px;">: Rain, then sunny, cool;</span><span style="background-color: #ffffcc; font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, 'Liberation Sans', FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px;"> </span><b style="border: 0px; font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, 'Liberation Sans', FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Dec 6-10</b><span style="background-color: #ffffcc; font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, 'Liberation Sans', FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px;">: Heavy rain north, showers south; cool;</span><span style="background-color: #ffffcc; font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, 'Liberation Sans', FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px;"> </span><b style="border: 0px; font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, 'Liberation Sans', FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Dec 11-15</b><span style="background-color: #ffffcc; font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, 'Liberation Sans', FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px;">: Rainy periods, cold;</span><span style="background-color: #ffffcc; font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, 'Liberation Sans', FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px;"> </span><b style="border: 0px; font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, 'Liberation Sans', FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Dec 16-21</b><span style="background-color: #ffffcc; font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, 'Liberation Sans', FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px;">: Rainy periods, some heavy; cool;</span><span style="background-color: #ffffcc; font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, 'Liberation Sans', FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px;"> </span><span style="background-color: yellow; border: 0px; font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, 'Liberation Sans', FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><b style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Dec 22-31</b>: Clouds and drizzle, cool north; sunny, turning warm south</span><span style="background-color: #ffffcc; font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, 'Liberation Sans', FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 17px;">.</span><br />
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<b style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">JANUARY 2014:</b> temperature 53° (1° below avg.); precipitation 8" (5" above avg.); <b style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Jan 1-3</b>: Clouds and occasional drizzle, cool; <b style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Jan 4-10</b>: Heavy rain, then sunny, chilly; <b style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Jan 11-14</b>: Heavy rain, mild; <b style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Jan 15-16</b>: Showers; <b style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Jan 17-19</b>: Heavy rain, mild; <b style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Jan 20-24</b>: Rainy periods, cold;<b style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Jan 25-27</b>: Sunny, cool; <b style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Jan 28-31</b>: Rainy, cool.</div>
We, the plants, the birds and the buggies and the publishers of the Old Farmers Almanac can only hope.<br />
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<br />vanessa carduihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01276966298881636176noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12033780.post-42810968103755764892013-11-28T21:30:00.000-08:002014-01-18T19:50:51.302-08:00Thank You EverythingSo it's Thanksgiving Day, and as much as I like eating turkey in general, I made no plans to slave in the kitchen cooking a feast. Got some taters to mash and a pre-cooked turkey breast, add salad, voila: thanks very much for the easy dinner. And no, I have no plans to queue up for shopping tonight.<br />
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I did get up early though: needed to start soaking birch twigs . . . more on this later. Took our usual walk this morning: just another typical glorious southern CA fall day. Found a gob of toyon berries, red grape leaves along the trail and brought them home for decorations. Pit stop at the coffee shop along the way for a bite: thanks for being open!<br />
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Met up with the munchkin for wreath making (involving the now very flexible birch twigs) and a chat. I kept wandering around the garden and bringing clippings of dried things, berries, etc to add to it, including a super attractive grasshopper exuvia but my daughter is more of a minimalist and wisely chose only some of my offerings and so her wreath turned out really nice.<br />
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Shot the breeze with the neighbors. Mr Cardui washed the daughter's car, then cleared up the headlight lenses with that stuff you see on TV. Really works! He then had a go at the neighbor's car's lights and it was amazing. Everyone was suitably impressed.<br />
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Did a bit of work (you know, that stuff we do for money?) which involved driving on the delightfully lightly trafficked freeways. Day continues to be outstanding, weather-wise.<br />
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Listened to music, including the CD my son's band made back in 1998. Emailed the family. Lit a fire in the woodstove, ate the turkey and taters, and watched (again) Avatar. We saw this in the theater when it first came out around Christmas, and I guess that reminded us of Thanksgiving.<br />
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Couldn't wish for a better day.<br />
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<br />vanessa carduihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01276966298881636176noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12033780.post-14547840866044486202013-11-23T20:09:00.000-08:002013-11-23T20:09:02.400-08:00Succulent PestsSucculents . . . that ambiguous group of plants so in vogue right now because they are fool proof cast iron sure to succeed . . . do have pest problems.<br />
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This cotyledon fell prey to a major aphid infestation. The meristem here is covered with aphids which will likely deform the leaves as they grow.<br />
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It's easy to brush or wash the pesky suckers off of succulents thanks to the lack of leaves and stuff. Another reason to like 'em.vanessa carduihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01276966298881636176noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12033780.post-12937007364799127012013-11-22T07:33:00.001-08:002013-11-22T07:33:45.191-08:00Two Months Before the DeskThe best month of the year has passed by and then some without a word from me here. It was a glorious October, by the way, full of golden sunlight and tagetes. Stuck here locked in blogger's block--No!--I've been working on <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/dreamersandmakersgardendreams/" target="_blank">other things</a> but my thoughts and feet always wander back to the bugs and plants.<br />
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Stapelia blooms in late autumn and did again this October. I caught a nice group of green bottle flies on this fully open blossom. Bugguide uses the name <i>Lucilia sericata</i> for this species, while "<i>Phaenicia sericata</i>" rolls off the tongue of Hodgkins on Bones ("<i>phaenicia sericata</i>. early stage of colonization. no eggs or maggots present. Oh look! one of them is dead") with charming regularity. Not sure which is most correct or if there is a difference. Nevertheless, yes there IS a dead one there on the flower.<br />
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Stapelia puts out a stink very much like that of rotting flesh, attracting flies to the flowers where they can't help themselves from laying copious amounts of eggs. The eggs hatch and the maggots are doomed. Yay. Natural pest control for your estate, just position the plants far from outdoor eating areas.<br />
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The flower buds are pretty in a pinkish bloated sort of way, and the open flowers are covered with fine hairs which enhance the visual similarity to rotting moldy flesh. The flies of course are the pollinators for this plant (<i>Stapelia gigantea</i>) and its related carrion plant species, which are members of the milkweed family. <br />
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I have an interesting story about flies and milkweed, but not now. Suffice it to say that green bottle flies also frequent milkweed to their doom. Bwa ha ha.<br />
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<br />vanessa carduihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01276966298881636176noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12033780.post-7495908782508914822013-09-22T16:50:00.001-07:002013-09-22T16:50:11.241-07:00Katydid for your Viewing Pleasure<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheMkOkbcsEgQUOicgTS7dJYLbuLYtvsI567Q1aSb3rrTl5FSu6FIFi0QzTzqZci6k1prPWcG2Mdg-LEFyvMduS1i-vgqGEuoMLCfV2zJrN2T3zzEWzKcoAbvIN4ZMZ0TfG2mFI/s1600/PICT1181.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheMkOkbcsEgQUOicgTS7dJYLbuLYtvsI567Q1aSb3rrTl5FSu6FIFi0QzTzqZci6k1prPWcG2Mdg-LEFyvMduS1i-vgqGEuoMLCfV2zJrN2T3zzEWzKcoAbvIN4ZMZ0TfG2mFI/s400/PICT1181.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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I flushed this katydid out of a plant I brushed by this morning on my way down the driveway. He landed not far away on the concrete next to our big old furniture dolly. I took a look, saw he was quite a handsome orthopteran, and ran to get my camera (nuts! no Google Glass?)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilUG4CvUzWf85-eXscZ_XpJSEVPYIifd-q2Xws0W6Qa4l-Zbn-OnjUzp4FSdjqhvM93n77QoBCPFC-X5Q6BUZ2l-fVxVCpZncaStsqd8Eu1H8M5Z35zDGMKF2yD4nPHHWwKP25/s1600/PICT1177.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilUG4CvUzWf85-eXscZ_XpJSEVPYIifd-q2Xws0W6Qa4l-Zbn-OnjUzp4FSdjqhvM93n77QoBCPFC-X5Q6BUZ2l-fVxVCpZncaStsqd8Eu1H8M5Z35zDGMKF2yD4nPHHWwKP25/s320/PICT1177.JPG" width="256" /></a></div>
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Anyway, in spite of my feeble technology, the katydid had stuck around and so I got some nice urban-flavored photos of this adult male forktailed bush katydid (<i>scudderia furcata</i>) in a particularly good-looking brown color variation.</div>
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As seen in this sideview, the antennae of the forktailed bush katydid is longer than his body; hence the sub-order Ensifera (long-horned orthoptera) in which katydids along with crickets are classified. </div>
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Often insects are ultimately identified to species by the appearance of genitalia: <a href="http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/walker/buzz/g060a.htm" target="_blank">here</a> is everything you need to know about species scudderia.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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vanessa carduihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01276966298881636176noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12033780.post-81433139690114705682013-09-15T19:18:00.000-07:002013-09-15T19:18:07.593-07:00More Mantis Mania<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It was hot and sticky and I was feeling crazy and left the sprinkler running in the back 40 for hours. When I went back and turned it off, the finches were having a noisy party in the tecomara hedge . . . and this wet mantis had climbed out of the foliage to glisten in the sun.<br />
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Yet another color variation in <i>Stagmomantis californica</i>, this pale tan adult female is really similar in hue to the metal plant support she's hanging on. <br />
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I found this oothecum among the <i>eriogonum giganteum</i> flowers . . .<br />
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no way to be sure but certainly possible this drippy beauty is the mother of the eggs inside.<br />
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vanessa carduihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01276966298881636176noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12033780.post-44270905552696161582013-09-13T08:15:00.000-07:002013-09-13T08:15:27.577-07:00Short Parade of Parkway Bugs<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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A recent survey of the parkway strip insect population amounted to a minor parade of species, heavily weighted in the Hemipteran catagory, including assassin bugs (<i>Zelus renardii</i>) in three stages of life. The small nymph in the header photo enacts the stalking of prey among big scary shadows of fennel flowers. Nearby an adult assassin displays a morsel stuck to its foreleg. <br />
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These guys use "sticky trap predation", secretion of a sticky substance on the legs which performs like the traps of insectivorous plants.<br />
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A little bit further away this cluster of assassin eggs rides a float crafted of leucadendron leaf.<br />
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The white bands on the antennae of these katydids identifies them as <i>Scudderia furcata</i>, strolling by along <i>Salvia greggii</i> foliage<i>.</i><br />
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In the 3rd photo, a spittlebug hides within its spittle wad to the above right of the katydid's head.<br />
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Green stinkbugs, <i>Nezara viridula</i>, were in evidence represented by this 3rd instar waving from the spent flowertops of the salvia.<br />
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Two tribes of aphids represented their suborder Sternorrhyncha, arrayed in precision rows and waggling sometimes in unison sometimes out of step. Large groups of placard-less (aka yet to be identified) aphids lined up and down the stems of cosmos. A couple of ants patrolled the ranks of aphids.<br />
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And the ever-popular Aphis nerii glow bright yellow among the milkweed.<br />
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Ladybug eggs, similarly outfitted in gold/yellow, dream of the day they will feast on said aphids.<br />
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<br />vanessa carduihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01276966298881636176noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12033780.post-61232649376690493022013-08-28T10:17:00.000-07:002013-08-28T10:17:25.073-07:00Mantis Season<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's late August, the humidity is up, the summer insects are maturing, and I'm wishing I was jumping into a high Sierra lake. Recent travel to Lone Pine was highlighted by a visit from this male mantis (species: uncertain) perched on the shiny red door of room 2 at the Portal Motel.<br />
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Meanwhile, back home in Tustin the buddleia is a great spot for mantises seeking prey. Buddleia in bloom attracts lots of butterflies and other nectar feeders.<br />
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This little one is lurking under a fragrant flower on the lookout for unaware smaller prey.<br />
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Nearby on top of the highest flower on the same shrub, this nearly mature female <i>Stagmomantis californica</i> perches on top of the highest flower awaiting prey.<br />
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Wait long enough, and a fiery skipper (<i>Hylephila phyleus</i>) provides her with a juicy greeen meal,<br />
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leaving a trail of wings spread across the white flowery site of its demise.<br />
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Then, I found this beauty flirting with the <i>sedum nussbaumerianum</i> in our nursery. </div>
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This is also a female, as evidenced by the broad abdomen and female parts at the end of same. <i>Stagmomantis californica</i> take on a variety of colors including brown, yellowish, very light tan, and green as seen here nicely contrasting with the coppertone stonecrop. Here is a closer-up of the wing buds which appear after the second to last molt.<br />
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vanessa carduihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01276966298881636176noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12033780.post-76655138659895709702013-07-10T15:07:00.000-07:002013-07-10T15:07:05.522-07:00No Distress<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So I was heading toward the back jungle to spritz a few things with water on a recent hot afternoon, when I was delighted to see a bright blue damselfly perched on a sprig of <i>crassula pruinosa</i>. A tiny jade perch for a small odonata. <br />
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Damselflies are related to dragonflies, but differ in being smaller overall and damselflies hold their wings parallel above the body when at rest. <br />
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I was excited because this was a first viewing of this species on the old homestead here. Based on photos at <a href="http://nathistoc.bio.uci.edu/odonata/Argia.htm">Natural History of OC</a> I have concluded this must be a mature male <i>Argia vivida</i>, common name Vivid dancer. I also checked out info at bugguide, and found the link to <a href="http://www.odonatacentral.org/index.php/PageAction.get/name/HomePage">Odonata Central</a> . . . to quote the Stephen Cresswell at bugguide: Prepare to be amazed by this resource. Don't fail to check out the mapping function.<br />
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This vivid dancer was accommodating as a model in the bright afternoon sunshine. He took up several different perching positions as I snapped photos, and seemed completely non-distressed by my presence.<br />
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vanessa carduihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01276966298881636176noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12033780.post-22840816748004699852013-07-06T13:22:00.000-07:002013-07-06T13:22:44.125-07:00Giant <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH6sAv_sNCUz32NENcAJjbSYU85U0MiCo-uIJZqJSXCBzQC7yI9veVY9GVz7QG-zwVpMrGcH7tS2POe8IRddEp6PUMHNGR3zWj6ZtQXkxgZXF-MceKf_GNsF0qyKytmORIW6ct/s1600/PICT0490B.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH6sAv_sNCUz32NENcAJjbSYU85U0MiCo-uIJZqJSXCBzQC7yI9veVY9GVz7QG-zwVpMrGcH7tS2POe8IRddEp6PUMHNGR3zWj6ZtQXkxgZXF-MceKf_GNsF0qyKytmORIW6ct/s400/PICT0490B.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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When I shop for paper towels at Smart and Final I'm always amused by the descriptive language used to indicate the roll size. Giant, in paper towel parlance, is apparently only sort of big. Giant is greater in size than regular but much smaller than Mega or Huge.<br />
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In the world of swallowtail butterflies that frequent my Tustin garden, however, the Giant moniker does count for something. Giant swallowtails (<i>Papilio cresphontes</i>) are noted as having wingspans 83mm up to 140mm. While the low end is smaller than the western tiger swallowtail, the top end blows both the tiger and anise swallowtail away. <br />
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These large butterflies rarely hold still enough for a photo, as mentioned before in these posts. This time I was allowed to get quite close for a nice fluttery portrait of a nectaring <i>P. cresphontes</i>.<br />
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Now, I'm off to check the paper towel inventory.vanessa carduihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01276966298881636176noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12033780.post-3102333364181376352013-06-10T09:14:00.000-07:002013-06-10T09:14:00.924-07:00Grasshopperness<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy1vy28BCaoaWH-1IMfj1uOIfobayMEeRCF7hgowkNCn3f04Dy6rBnX4FsUUtKUcKva4xpcuQ75hh0Wpqt_Yr_QO5iIe0ATmdw87-AaI4D0JvwVNRmkzTlP4DmtAJVZbkcSpwi/s1600/PICT0037b.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy1vy28BCaoaWH-1IMfj1uOIfobayMEeRCF7hgowkNCn3f04Dy6rBnX4FsUUtKUcKva4xpcuQ75hh0Wpqt_Yr_QO5iIe0ATmdw87-AaI4D0JvwVNRmkzTlP4DmtAJVZbkcSpwi/s320/PICT0037b.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Some scenes of bright green grasshopperness from a myoporum bush nearby:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrcmNpLRRoT10uso5W5wBw6gbuUUp8vLKUW7m7ExTU7V6ZFiUwrHnfQE7tP1VuXqs458_SXlcy440oUuc5RlZEfTRXke_gpT64SfS6fLxLKHre20lOTaLgJAqQFMjk_i2e8uwC/s1600/PICT0187.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrcmNpLRRoT10uso5W5wBw6gbuUUp8vLKUW7m7ExTU7V6ZFiUwrHnfQE7tP1VuXqs458_SXlcy440oUuc5RlZEfTRXke_gpT64SfS6fLxLKHre20lOTaLgJAqQFMjk_i2e8uwC/s320/PICT0187.JPG" width="213" /></a></div>
The grey bird grasshopper ( <i>Schistocerca nitens</i>) is colorful in its youth, often seen in this bright green variation. This one is close to adulthood. After the final molt it will take on a mottled grey coloration that blends in pretty well with brown foliage of winter. These guys overwinter as adults so that strategy serves well to help them avoid being eaten by hungry insect-eating birds. But meanwhile, this green sub-adult, neon as it is, was a bit harder to pick out among the green foliage of summer.<br />
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This is the myoporum . . . do not know the species . . . found at the arboretum one day, purchased, planted not knowing it would become primo grasshopper habitat. Of course, many plants are since these grey bird grasshoppers are voracious omnivores that pick on the green and juicy.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKq08kHKODHGy8MRIO-umM2U1O9iHnInS7ystjSFsjD6h8xHXqLUbIozzQeKhYnGuRcKrALR9sZ6UFjRQbutgZIGpqvyEO7lfrOuZXFQVlBeVc2QSz20Xe1trPgbOxZbL7Mi2u/s1600/PICT0181.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKq08kHKODHGy8MRIO-umM2U1O9iHnInS7ystjSFsjD6h8xHXqLUbIozzQeKhYnGuRcKrALR9sZ6UFjRQbutgZIGpqvyEO7lfrOuZXFQVlBeVc2QSz20Xe1trPgbOxZbL7Mi2u/s320/PICT0181.JPG" width="271" /></a></div>
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<br />vanessa carduihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01276966298881636176noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12033780.post-77480681900504390502013-06-09T09:00:00.000-07:002013-06-09T09:00:57.359-07:00Bunny tails tale<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Mr. Cardui grew some <i>Lagurus ovatus </i>this spring from a packet of seed I picked up at the local nursery. <br />
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Bunny tails! have erupted all over them just in time for me to pot some up along with cosmos in a little meadow-like salute to summer along the driveway.<br />
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But what could be cuter than bunny tails is this tiny Mediteranean katydid nymph, , slowly and meticulously navigating the long awns of the grass flowers. It's using its long antennae to investigate each step before taken, and with all that surface area of the flower parts it was a lengthy process. <br />
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This katydid is the second or third type I found in my garden, and the balance is in the balance apparently because I see far fewer of the once common S<i>cudderia furcata</i> and more of the Mediteranean, along with an occasional <i>Microcentrum californicum</i>. According to <a href="http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/r603302111.html">UC IPM</a> (which considers these guys pests) <i>P. nana</i> lays its eggs inserted under grape vine bark. I do have a <i>Vitis californic</i>a growing on the fence . . . must investigate for egg-sign.<br />
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Along with the katydid I found some colonies of aphids tucked right up next to the flowers along the peduncle. Pests, yes. Let's see how long it takes the predators (ladybirds, syrphids, lacewings) to find them.<br />
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Bunny tails; they may be invasive like some other ornamental grasses. Plant with care if your garden is near a natural environment; with relative urban abandon if not.<br />
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<br />vanessa carduihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01276966298881636176noreply@blogger.com3