Tag Archives: Rhamnaceae

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

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A wasp has its day

If you’ve followed this blog for any length of time, you know that a lot of my attempts to rear insect larvae to adults end up producing parasitoid wasps. You have probably also heard me lament from time to time … Continue reading

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Tiny Bugs from Tiny Leaves

I’ve now finished uploading plant photos from last fall’s road trip through the western states.  If you’d like to help with identifying them, you can see them all organized by location here.  Thanks to those who have helped out already; … Continue reading

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Jujube Tubes, Part 2

Two days after I posted his photos and suggested that examining the exuviae at the ends of the tubes might help to solve the mystery, Judhajit Dasgupta reported back to me: Following your cue I had searched the plant and I … Continue reading

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Jujube Tubes

I often get emails with requests for identifications of strange objects, and usually these are things that can be identified using my book.  Every once in a while, though, I’m treated to bizarre little mysteries from the other side of … Continue reading

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Adapting to New Menu Options

Exotic plants–those that have been introduced to new habitats by humans in recent history–tend to be conspicuously free of signs of feeding by insects.  Most plant-feeding insects are highly host-specific, and the lack of insect herbivores keeping them in check … Continue reading

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Supplejack Leafminers

The internet is a wonderful thing.  Within minutes of my last post, James C. Trager of Missouri (on Facebook) and Cheryl Lavers of Arkansas (on this blog) had identified my mystery plant as Berchemia scandens, known as Alabama supplejack or Rattan … Continue reading

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