Tortoise beetle larvae protect themselves from predators by creating a shield of distasteful items collected on forked structures at the tip of the abdomen. Tortoise Beetle July 7, 2017 Thar’s gold in them thar hills! But hold on a sec. Before you run for your pans and pick axes, we should probably clarify a couple
Bug, Insect, Tortoise Beetle
Honeybee swarms are colonies on the move. Swarming is the means by which honeybees propagate. Honeybee Swarms June 30, 2017 If you’ve ever moved to a new home, you know the tremendous amount of planning, preparation and coordination that must take place. A new home needs to be chosen, the old home needs to be
Bug, Hive, Honeybee, Insect, Swarm
Stoneflies, even the common species, are increasingly hard to find these days. This juvenile, also called a nymph, was found underneath a rock in Ferson Creek at LeRoy Oakes Forest Preserve in St. Charles. Stoneflies June 16, 2017 (Ed. Note: This column is the last of a three-part series on the Fox River’s famous, or
Bug, Insect, Stonefly Nymph
An Ephemeridae mayfly rests next to its freshly cast skin. Mayflies are the only insects that experience a subimago, or sub adult, life stage in which they are winged and capable of flight but not fully mature. Mayflies June 9, 2017 (Ed. Note: This column is the second in a three-part series on the Fox
Bug, Insect, Mayfly
Mourning cloak butterflies need to warm up to 50-plus degrees before they can fly. Their dark wings help absorb heat from the sun’s rays and make flight possible. (Photo credit: AcrylicArtist at MorgueFile.com) Mourning Cloaks May 5, 2017 Butterflies are easy. It’s a statement we naturalists make from time to time, and it refers to
Bug, Insect, Mourning Cloak
This time of year, Chinese mantid egg cases are pretty easy to find. Look for squarish forms, about the size, shape and color, of a toasted marshmallow, attached to plant stems in gardens and natural areas. Chinese Mantids March 3, 2017 I suppose we all have different ways of coping with winter doldrums. Even though
Bug, Insect, Mantid, Praying Mantis
“Stink.” It’s the kind of word that makes people cringe. Beyond its primary definition of “having a strong, unpleasant odor,” it also can be used to indicate a fuss or uproar—”raising a stink”—as well as opine that something is lousy, as in an idea or situation that stinks. “Bug.” Here’s another word that can make
Brown Marmorated Stink Bug, Bug, Insect, Stink Bug
“Whoops!” That one-word exclamation was all I could muster when I realized what I’d done. The mistake, though small by human measures, was of great magnitude for my young charges—a whole bunch of bouncing baby eastern lubber grasshoppers. Over the past few days I’d seen them through eclosion—the fancy word for hatching—and had watched protectively
Ambush Bug, Bug, Insect
October 14, 2016 Ants on the Move Even though temperatures this fall have been mild, seasonal changes are occurring all around us. The increasingly shorter day lengths have leaves turning color, and asters and goldenrods going to seed. Anywhere you see trees you’ll likely also see branches aflutter with migrating birds while, on the ground,
Ants, Bug, Colony, Insect
I bumped into an old friend the other day as I was walking along Second Street in Geneva. It had been awhile since we’d last met, which was all the more reason, I thought, to stop and get reacquainted with—and to introduce others to–this little, and little-known, neighbor. Meet Sandalus spp., a member of an
Bug, Cicada, Insect