Monthly Archives: August 2011

Annette F. Braun

Posted on August 28, 2011 by Charley Eiseman

When I was researching leaf-mining moths for Tracks & Sign of Insects, I kept coming across the name Braun, an author of comprehensive works on various groups of Microlepidoptera: “Revision of the North American Species of the Genus Lithocolletis Hübner” (1908); … Continue reading →

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Mushroom Wasp

Posted on August 27, 2011 by Charley Eiseman

A quick follow-up to my last post, in which I showed a photo of an diapriid wasp on a puffball.  Yesterday I photographed another tiny wasp on a mushroom, and whereas the puffball wasp flew away after the first shot, … Continue reading →

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Puffball Bugs

Posted on August 26, 2011 by Charley Eiseman

The fungi are out in force right now, as are all the creatures that feed on them.  This week I’ve been particularly drawn to puffballs. On Wednesday I noticed a little wasp walking around on a gem-studded puffball (Lycoperdon perlatum). … Continue reading →

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Forked Fungus Beetles

Posted on August 25, 2011 by Charley Eiseman

I’ve always been a big fan of artist’s fungus (Ganoderma applanatum), also known as artist’s bracket or artist’s conk.  This shelf fungus is so named because if you scratch the white lower surface, dark marks are produced, and these are … Continue reading →

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Stink Bug Egg Parasitoids

Posted on August 21, 2011 by Charley Eiseman

Back in May I shared this image of a platygastrid wasp guarding the stink bug eggs into which she had inserted her own eggs: A few days later, I found a cluster of stink bug eggs that were unattended, but … Continue reading →

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Slime Mold Beetles

Posted on August 14, 2011 by Charley Eiseman

Okay, I know you’re all dying to hear what strange and wonderful beetles I found in the slime mold I wrote about in my last post.  Well, I poked at the sporophore a bit, and out crawled a tiny, shiny … Continue reading →

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Slime Mold

Posted on August 11, 2011 by Charley Eiseman

It’s been raining pretty much every day here lately, and evidently it’s a good time to be a slime mold.  On Monday I came home to find this one oozing along on the old hickory stump at the edge of … Continue reading →

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Good Bugs & Bad Bugs

Posted on August 9, 2011 by Charley Eiseman

By far the most common question I’m asked when I identify an insect for someone is, “is it a good bug or a bad bug?”  I usually don’t give a straight answer.  Maybe this post will help illustrate why.  For … Continue reading →

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Dustywings

Posted on August 8, 2011 by Charley Eiseman

On one of those slow photography days this spring (May 1, to be exact), I found myself exploring the leaf litter in search of springtails and such.  Before long I spotted this dustywing cocoon, attached to a piece of an … Continue reading →

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Lambsquarters Leafminer

Posted on August 5, 2011 by Charley Eiseman

On July 20 I found the distinctive mines of Chrysoesthia sexguttella (Gelechiidae) in some lambsquarters (Chenopodium) leaves, with the larvae still inside.  I collected two leaves containing mines and put them in a plastic bag. The larvae had emerged from … Continue reading →

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