Crab Spiders (Thomisidae) typically conceal themselves within the petals, seeds, or leaves of a flowering plant, waiting in ambush for insects to come along. They quickly lurch out to capture any unsuspecting insect that happens by. Prey rarely escape the clutches of these bold little spiders. The spiders get their name from their superficial resemblance [...] Read the rest of this entry »
Insects and Other Arthropods Posts
Walking Crawfish
August 15th, 2011It has rained the past two weekends. After a rainfall the Wetlands’ crawfish get up and have a walkabout. I’m not quite sure what the reason is for these expeditions, although I believe it to be a search for new areas to colonize by the crawfish. Since their gills need to stay wet in order [...] Read the rest of this entry »
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What is that!
August 12th, 2011I look forward to my weekly walks with the Outdoor Summer Campers. We always find something interestng. Certainly, as the season progresses new plants come into flower, seed, or fruit, birds move forward in their nesting or migrations, and insects continue their emergence and growth. This past Wednesday we found evidence of the latter part of [...] Read the rest of this entry »
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Black Swallowtail
August 4th, 2011Black Swallowtail Butterflies lay their eggs on parsley, fennel, Queen Anne’s Lace, and other plants in the carrot family. To see the adult butterfly, click here, but don’t forget to come back. Plant some parsley in a pot on your back porch and watch the fun! Read the rest of this entry »
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What dragonfly is that? Part 2
August 1st, 2011Included in this, Part 2 of the “What Dragonfly is that?” are two dragonflies that are unmistakable. They are both common at a wide range of ponds, lakes and slow moving rivers. They are the Common Whitetail (Plathemis lydia) and the Eastern Amberwing (Perithemis tenera). The Common Whitetail (above) can hardly be ignored with its [...] Read the rest of this entry »
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A Tiny Egg
July 29th, 2011While hiking along with Museum Summer Campers, as is usual on Wednesday mornings, I happened to turn over a partially eaten leaf in hopes of finding a caterpillar. What I found was a lacewing (Chrysopidae) egg. The egg was on a serviceberry in Catch the Wind across from Vapor Rings. If you’re not familiar with what a [...] Read the rest of this entry »
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Migration and Cyrano de Bergerac
July 23rd, 2011It’s been nearly two weeks since I last posted to the Journal. The reason for my absence has to do with migration. No, not the migration of birds or some other wildlife, but of computer files from one server to another. Migration now appears to be over and hopefully there are no lingerers. On to [...] Read the rest of this entry »
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Luna Moth Caterpillar
July 13th, 2011Once again it was the sharp-eyed Summer Campers (Floor to Canopy) who spotted the insect of the day out in the wilds of the Museum of Life + Science. This time it was Camp Counselor Hannah who first saw the large green caterpillar climbing on the block column leading into Catch the Wind from their Outdoor [...] Read the rest of this entry »
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What Dragonfly is That?
July 12th, 2011In order to help those of you who are interested in knowing what it is that you’re looking at when you see a dragonfly whiz by you as you stand on the boardwalk and paths that encircle the Wetlands here at the Museum, I’ve decide to offer up a quick and very simple identification guide. [...] Read the rest of this entry »
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