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Do you know your plants?
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: January 2015
More Fun with DNA Barcoding
Back in July, I shared an assortment of moth photos I’d taken during a week on Nantucket, which happened to be National Moth Week. I included this photo of a row of flat, overlapping eggs on a woolly bulrush (Scirpus cyperinus) … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged bulrush, caterpillar, Crambidae, Cyperaceae, DNA, egg, Epina, Epina alleni, larva, moth, Scirpus, Scirpus cyperinus, sedge
7 Comments
A Hidden Gem in My Vials of Moldy Old Leaves
Last year Erik van Nieukerken and Camiel Doorenweerd put out a request for specimens of leaf-mining moths in the family Gracillariidae, for Camiel’s PhD project entitled “Evolution and diversification of leafmining Lepidoptera and northern hardwood forest trees.” They are doing DNA work … Continue reading
Posted in Unsolved Mysteries
Tagged Acanthopteroctetes, Acanthopteroctetidae, DNA, larva, leaf mine, Lepidoptera, moth
6 Comments
Sword-bearing Conehead
There is an insect call that I often hear outside my window in the summer, which always sounds like a samba rhythm to me (but that’s probably just me). A while ago I identified it as a “sword-bearing conehead” (Tettigoniidae: … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged katydid, Neoconocephalus ensiger, Orthoptera, Sword-bearing Conehead, Tettigoniidae
5 Comments
Exploring Exotic Places
People are constantly telling me I should travel to the tropics, so I can see all the strange and exotic creatures there. I’m sure the tropics are very nice, but I’m perfectly content with the strange and exotic creatures in my … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged assassin bug, Asteraceae, beautiful wood-nymph, caterpillar, Cornaceae, Cornus, Cornus alternifolia, dogwood, Erechtites hieraciifolia, Eudryas, Eudryas grata, grape, Heteroptera, larva, Macremphytus, Macremphytus tarsatus, Noctuidae, pilewort, Pselliopus, Reduviidae, sawfly, summer grape, Vitaceae, Vitis, Vitis aestivalis
11 Comments
Winter Leafminers
Happy New Year! As I mentioned before, now that winter is upon us, I get to take a break from collecting and raising leafminers and focus on writing about them. At least, that was the plan. On December 25, while … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged Carex, Cyperaceae, Elachista, Elachistidae, larva, leafminer, moth, sedge
6 Comments
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