Tag Archives: Geometridae

Wingless Weirdos

Ever since I made a place on BugGuide to collect photos of them over a decade ago, I’ve been wanting to see (in person) one of those weird wingless gall wasps that can be found throughout the winter. Two years … Continue reading

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One Weird Inchworm

This morning I had a look around my yard after being away for the past week, and I met this fantastic creature on a leaf of one of our cultivated hazelnuts: Its body was awkwardly contorted, and it took me … Continue reading

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Adapting to New Menu Options, Part 2

One of the reasons certain nonnative plants come to dominate the landscape is that they are released from the specialized insects and pathogens that keep them in check in their native range. So I’m always interested to see what insects … Continue reading

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Chickweed Moth

I’m interrupting this barrage of Arizona oak galls to bring you a moth from my front yard. Julia spotted it this morning as it dove into the lawn just a few feet from our front door. It’s pretty tattered, but a … Continue reading

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Spring Moth

You may recall that last spring I found a sawfly larva eating a distinctive pattern in a black cherry leaf, and was going to try to raise it.  Well, on June 17 I noticed a tiny inchworm (about 2.5 mm long) … Continue reading

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Alpine Excursions

Yesterday a beautiful wolf spider I posted to BugGuide nearly four years ago finally got identified: Arctosa alpigena (Lycosidae). Although it was quite a while ago, I clearly remember taking that picture.  I was standing on a cold, blustery ridge of … Continue reading

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Monthly Mystery #13: Slant-lines and Lady’s Slippers

In May of 2009, I took this photo of a moth resting on a pink lady’s slipper in western Massachusetts and posted it on BugGuide.net: It was quickly identified as a “white slant-line” (Geometridae: Tetracis cachexiata)–a fitting common name–and I … Continue reading

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Camouflaged Looper

This week I’m house sitting for some friends, at the same house with the wasp hotels and the ant possessed by liver flukes.  When I was invited over for dinner a little over a week ago, I was enticed by … Continue reading

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