-
If you enjoy reading this blog, please consider making a donation. I would devote all my time to natural history writing and photography if I could! You can make a one-time donation using the yellow button above, or click the “Become a Patron” button to learn how you can support my work on a monthly basis, which gets you (among other things) monthly installments of my new leafminer book. To see other options for getting the book, click the image of its cover below.
-
To order either of my books, click on the images of their covers above.
-
Recent Posts
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!
Most Used Tags
- Agromyzidae
- ant
- aphid
- Arizona
- Asteraceae
- bee
- beetle
- Berkshire BioBlitz
- Betulaceae
- Braconidae
- caterpillar
- Cecidomyiidae
- chalcid
- Chrysomelidae
- Cicadellidae
- cocoon
- Coleoptera
- Curculionidae
- Curculionoidea
- Cynipidae
- Diptera
- egg
- Eulophidae
- Fabaceae
- Fagaceae
- flower
- fly
- Formicidae
- fungus
- gall
- gall midge
- gall wasp
- Gelechiidae
- Gracillariidae
- Hymenoptera
- Ichneumonidae
- ichneumon wasp
- jumping spider
- larva
- leafhopper
- leaf mine
- leafminer
- Lepidoptera
- Madera Canyon
- midge
- moth
- Nantucket
- Nepticulidae
- new species
- oak
- parasitism
- parasitoid
- Pentatomidae
- Phyllonorycter
- Platygastridae
- predation
- Prunus
- Pteromalidae
- pupa
- Quercus
- Quercus rubra
- red oak
- Rosaceae
- Salticidae
- sawfly
- spider
- springtail
- Stigmella
- stink bug
- Tenthredinidae
- Tortricidae
- Torymidae
- Vaccinium
- wasp
- weevil
Categories
Top Posts & Pages
Bug Links
Blogroll
Archives
- August 2019
- June 2019
- May 2019
- April 2019
- March 2019
- February 2019
- January 2019
- December 2018
- November 2018
- September 2018
- August 2018
- June 2018
- May 2018
- April 2018
- December 2017
- November 2017
- October 2017
- September 2017
- August 2017
- July 2017
- May 2017
- April 2017
- March 2017
- January 2017
- December 2016
- November 2016
- October 2016
- September 2016
- August 2016
- July 2016
- June 2016
- May 2016
- April 2016
- March 2016
- February 2016
- January 2016
- December 2015
- November 2015
- October 2015
- September 2015
- August 2015
- May 2015
- April 2015
- March 2015
- February 2015
- January 2015
- December 2014
- November 2014
- October 2014
- September 2014
- August 2014
- July 2014
- June 2014
- May 2014
- April 2014
- March 2014
- February 2014
- January 2014
- December 2013
- November 2013
- October 2013
- September 2013
- August 2013
- July 2013
- June 2013
- May 2013
- April 2013
- March 2013
- February 2013
- January 2013
- December 2012
- November 2012
- October 2012
- September 2012
- August 2012
- July 2012
- June 2012
- May 2012
- April 2012
- March 2012
- February 2012
- January 2012
- December 2011
- November 2011
- October 2011
- September 2011
- August 2011
- July 2011
- June 2011
- May 2011
- April 2011
- March 2011
Meta
Tag Archives: Ichneumonidae
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
12 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
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
Spider Parasitoid
I have much too much going on right now to be writing blog posts, but I’m waiting for an oil change at the moment, so let’s see what I can do… On the first night of our road trip we … Continue reading
