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For my Leafminers of North America project, I periodically need help identifying hostplants I find in my travels. You can peruse photos of them at iNaturalist. Thanks!
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Monthly Archives: June 2013
Fairy Moth
The day before yesterday, at UMass Boston’s Nantucket Field Station, I saw my very first fairy moth (Adelidae), something I’ve been hoping to do for a long time. Unfortunately, it flew away before I could get my camera out. But … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged Adela caerueleella, Adelidae, Asteraceae, fairy moth, Leucanthemum vulgare, moth, Nantucket, oxeye daisy, southern longhorn moth
3 Comments
Sawfly Art
As soon I was done watching the molting spider yesterday, I turned around and saw this unusual pattern on a black cherry leaf: On close inspection, I saw (as you can plainly see at this level of magnification) that this pattern … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged Argidae, black cherry, cherry, Harrison G. Dyar, larva, Nantucket, Prunus, Prunus serotina, sawfly, Sterictiphora prunivora
7 Comments
Molting Orchard Orbweaver
This afternoon in the Nantucket State Forest I met an orchard orbweaver (Tetragnathidae: Leucauge venusta) that was just completing the process of sliding out of its old skin, which was hanging from a thread and twisting in the breeze. I … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged exuviae, Leucauge venusta, long-jawed orbweaver, molting, Nantucket, spider, Tetragnathidae
6 Comments
Larvae Raining From Pine Trees
One afternoon last week I came home from work, and when I got out of the car I found it had already accumulated a large number of wriggling white larvae, which were dropping onto it from the white pine tree … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged larva, pine, Pinus, Pinus strobus, sawfly, white pine, Xyela, Xyelidae
35 Comments
Monthly Mystery #7: Clothesline Egg Sacs
On page 43 of Tracks & Sign of Insects, I included a photo of “a mysterious and very common egg sac, almost certainly of a long-jawed orbweaver (Tetragnathidae).” Here is another example, showing the full length of the “clothesline” from which … Continue reading
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