Tag Archives: parasitoid

Celebrating Silky Willow

Posted on February 19, 2023 by Charley Eiseman

Simply not mowing the lawn, and welcoming whatever plants decide to grow in its place, has done wonders for the biodiversity of our yard. But we have also welcomed gifts of native plants from friends, and today I’d like to … Continue reading →

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Carrot Stem Dwellers

Posted on March 19, 2022 by Charley Eiseman

Carrot (Apiaceae: Daucus carota) is native to Europe but widely cultivated and has become a ubiquitous weed in North America (also known as Queen Anne’s lace), so you’d think we’d have a pretty good handle on what bugs eat it … Continue reading →

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Acorn Plum Galls (and friends)

Posted on February 1, 2022 by Charley Eiseman

Hey, this blog now has over 1000 subscribers! Thanks everyone for your continued interest in my esoteric natural history investigations. I’m still slowly working my way through the photos I took last summer, during which one of my several jobs … Continue reading →

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Life in a Wingstem Stem

Posted on January 9, 2022 by Charley Eiseman

On May 8 last year, Julia and I visited her family’s land in Hocking County, Ohio (which we’ll be doing again today, as it happens), and for whatever reason, a little clump of dead wingstem (Asteraceae: Verbesina alternifolia) stems from … Continue reading →

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Another Sawfly Surprise

Posted on December 9, 2021 by Charley Eiseman

I’m finally getting back to working on my guide to sawfly larvae, after a very busy field season followed by several weeks of focusing on writing papers—some of which have involved documenting new host records and previously undescribed sawfly larvae, … Continue reading →

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Willow Stem Galls

Posted on June 4, 2020 by Charley Eiseman

Swellings on willow stems can be caused by a variety of gall midges, sawflies, agromyzid flies, and buprestid beetles. In many cases I have no clue as to the identity of the gall inducer just from looking at a photo … Continue reading →

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52 Wasp Pickup

Posted on May 5, 2020 by Charley Eiseman

Back on April 7, Noah stopped by to get some eggs and some seeds for his vegetable garden. Just as he arrived and Julia was walking up to meet him, she spotted a caterpillar with a tiny wasp on it. … Continue reading →

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Sawfly Surprise

Posted on May 1, 2020 by Charley Eiseman

As I’ve mentioned a few times before, I’m starting to work on a hostplant-based guide to sawfly larvae that will be arranged similarly to my leafminer guide. In addition to reviewing the existing sawfly literature, I’ve been sporadically collecting larvae … Continue reading →

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Ten Years Later

Posted on March 15, 2020 by Charley Eiseman

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 →

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Introducing Grapholita thermopsidis

Posted on March 9, 2020 by Charley Eiseman

Almost every year since we bought our house, Julia and I have spent a few weeks on a road trip in search of exciting new leafminers. At this point we’ve visited nearly every US state and two Canadian provinces. This … Continue reading →

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