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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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Tag Archives: pupa
A leaf-mining midge odyssey (Part 1)
Back in 2012, when I had only recently realized I needed to write a complete guide to the leafminers of North America and as a result Julia and I were driving around the US to find them all, we visited … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged Agromyzidae, Balsaminaceae, Ceanothus, Chironomidae, Diptera, Eriodictyon, Erythranthe, exuviae, fly, Gelechiidae, Impatiens, jewelweed, larva, leaf mine, Lepidoptera, Limnophyes, Limnophyes viribus, Metepeira, Metriocnemus, Metriocnemus erythranthei, Metriocnemus eurynotus, midge, Mimulus, monkeyflower, Namaceae, Nepticulidae, new species, orbweaver, Phrymaceae, Phytomyza, Phytomyza eriodictyi, Plantaginaceae, pupa, Rhamnaceae, speedwell, spider, Tischeria, Tischeriidae, Veronica, Veronica anagallis-aquatica, water speedwell, web, Xenolechia ceanothiella, yerba santa
2 Comments
Celebrating Silky Willow
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
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged ant, Caloptilia, Caloptilia stigmatella, cocoon, extrafloral nectary, Formicidae, genitalia, Gracillariidae, Ichneumonidae, larva, leaf mine, leaf roll, moth, Nematinae, parasitism, parasitoid, Phyllonorycter, Phyllonorycter scudderella, Platygastridae, pupa, Salicaceae, Salix, Salix sericea, sawfly, silky willow, Tenthredinidae, Thrinax, Thrinax dubitata, wasp, willow
5 Comments
Life in a Wingstem Stem
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
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged Agromyzidae, Asteraceae, beetle, Brachistinae, Brachistini, Braconidae, Cecidomyiidae, Coleoptera, Diptera, Figitidae, fly, gall, gall midge, Hymenoptera, larva, Melanagromyza, Melanagromyza vernoniana, Mordellidae, Neolasioptera, Neolasioptera imprimata, parasitism, parasitoid, Platygaster, Platygastridae, pupa, puparium, stem borer, tumbling flower beetle, Verbesina, Verbesina alternifolia, wasp, wingstem
4 Comments
The Yard List(s), Part 3
Spring continues to lurch along here in northern Massachusetts. This morning I woke up once again to the sight of fresh snow (though not a continuous blanket like last time), but in the meantime the daffodils, hyacinths, Scilla, and Forsythia have been blooming, … Continue reading
Green Wasps from a Green Island
Last October I picked up a fallen black cherry (Prunus serotina) leaf from my yard because it had a good example of the “green island” phenomenon I’ve written about here and here. Apparently, endosymbiotic Wolbachia bacteria in certain leaf-mining larvae … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged black cherry, chalcid, Chrysocharis, Eulophidae, Gracillariidae, green island, Hymenoptera, larva, leaf mine, Lepidoptera, moth, parasitism, Phyllonorycter, Phyllonorycter propinquinella, Prunus, Prunus serotina, pupa, Rosaceae, wasp
5 Comments
Introducing Grapholita thermopsidis
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
Introducing Phytosciara greylockensis
You know I’ve been way too busy when I let weeks go by without celebrating the publication of a new species description in a BugTracks post. Julia and I spent much of July exploring Michigan and Ontario (including visiting the … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged Clintonia borealis, cocoon, dark-winged fungus gnat, Diptera, larva, leaf mine, Liliaceae, new species, Phytosciara, pupa, Sciaridae
7 Comments
Spring Sparkler
Happy spring! You may be wondering where I’ve been for the past few months, unless of course you’ve subscribed to the monthly leafminer book installments, in which case you know I’ve been busy putting together a 383-page illustrated introduction, complete … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged Dyseriocrania, Dyseriocrania griseocapitella, Eriocraniidae, Fagaceae, larva, leaf mine, Lepidoptera, moth, oak, pupa, Quercus
6 Comments
Pesky Parasitoids, Part 2
Back in August I gave a talk and co-led a walk at an event in southern Ohio called “On the Trail of E. Lucy Braun”, a celebration of the life and work of a renowned Ohio botanist and conservationist. I was there, … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged Betulaceae, Brachys, Buprestidae, chalcid, Coleoptera, Eulophidae, hophornbeam, Hymenoptera, larva, leaf mine, Ostrya virginiana, parasitism, parasitoid, Pnigalio, pupa, wasp
4 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
3 Comments
BugTracks 