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Meta
Tag Archives: Ichneumonidae
Ten Years Later
Since we have ten fingers and ten toes, I suppose it’s worth mentioning that it was ten years ago today that Tracks & Sign of Insects and Other Invertebrates was first published. People are often surprised when I tell them that … Continue reading
Posted in Unsolved Mysteries
Tagged Bucculatrix, cocoon, Gelis, Hymenoptera, ichneumon wasp, Ichneumonidae, Lepidoptera, moth, parasitism, parasitoid, wasp
7 Comments
Backyard Bowerbird
This morning I heard some bluebirds twittering outside the window, so Julia and I took the cue to go out and clean out the nest boxes. The bluebirds’ nest from last year was a dense mass of pine needles and … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged bird, bird sign, bluebird, Braconidae, cocoon, egg sac, house wren, ichneumon wasp, Ichneumonidae, Lepidoptera, Malacosoma, Mimetidae, Mimetus, nest, pirate spider, Polysphincta genus group, spider, tent caterpillar, Theridiidae, tree swallow
13 Comments
Interlopers
I’ve been making sporadic progress in sorting through my backlog of photos, and I’m now exactly seven months behind. April 13 saw the conclusion of a story that began with my collecting this scrub oak (Quercus ilicifolia) leaf in early … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged Cameraria, caterpillar, Fagaceae, Gracillariidae, Hymenoptera, ichneumon wasp, Ichneumonidae, inquiline, larva, leaf mine, Lepidoptera, moth, parasitism, parasitoid, Quercus, Quercus ilicifolia, scrub oak, wasp
5 Comments
Cocoon Within a Cocoon Within a Cocoon
The diamondback moth (Plutellidae: Plutella xylostella) is a European species that is now found all across North America, the larvae feeding on various plants in the mustard family (Brassicaceae). Apparently it’s considered a pretty serious pest, but I’d take it … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged Brassica, Brassica oleracea, Brassicaceae, broccoli, Campopleginae, cocoon, Cryptinae, Diadegma, diamondback moth, Hymenoptera, hyperparasitoid, Ichneumonidae, Isdromas, Isdromas lycaenae, larva, leaf mine, Lepidium, Lepidium virginicum, Lepidoptera, moth, parasitism, parasitoid, peppergrass, Plutella, Plutella xylostella, Plutellidae, pupa
2 Comments
Marsh Marigold Menagerie
In the spring of 2013, I wrote about the four-toed salamander surveys I was conducting at the time, which involved crawling around in swamps all over northwestern Massachusetts. On June 1, the last day of the survey, Julia tagged along, … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged Aphidiinae, beetle, Braconidae, Caltha palustris, Chloropidae, Chrysomelidae, Coleoptera, Diptera, Drosophilidae, Elachiptera, Ephedrus, fly, frit fly, fruit fly, ichneumon wasp, Ichneumonidae, larva, leaf beetle, leaf mine, marsh marigold, Megaselia, Megaselia limburgensis, Neurateles, new species, Orthocentrinae, parasitism, parasitoid, Phoridae, Prasocuris, Prasocuris boreella, pupa, Ranunculaceae, Scaptomyza, Scaptomyza pallida, Sciaridae, scuttle fly, Zygoneura, Zygoneura calthella
13 Comments
Life and Death on Mt. Greylock
This past weekend I attended my third Berkshire BioBlitz. At my first one in 2011, I barely left the parking lot at the summit of Mt. Greylock and photographed 166 different species of insects and arachnids. This time, Julia and … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged aphid, Berkshire BioBlitz, BioBlitz, blueberry, chalcid, Diptera, Fagaceae, Figitidae, fly, gall, gall midge, hover fly, ichneumon wasp, Ichneumonidae, larva, Membracidae, oak, ovipositor, parasitism, parasitoid, predation, Quercus, sawfly, Syrphidae, Torymidae, treehopper, Vaccinium, Vaccinium angustifolium, wasp
10 Comments
Another Mystery Solved, Sort Of
At the beginning of this month, I reported having found these tied leaves on smooth aster (Symphyotrichum laeve) plants in my backyard. On May 27, I had put three samples in jars on my desk to see what might emerge. On … Continue reading
